One of the most frustrating things is when you realize you've been listening to a lot of the same music lately. You're bored and start pressing the skip button an annoying amount of times. I've fallen into the trap myself. So much so, I've dubbed myself the expert when it comes to early 2000s and late 1990s music. But being the pop culture queen of a bygone era doesn't have a lot to offer so I'm constantly trying to get out of my comfort zone and listen to new music. The best way I've done so is by subscribing to Spotify playlists.
They have everything!! Any genre or mood you want to go for, they have it. But I'll save you some time in searching through all those sections and trying out different playlists and point out some main ones that have captured the attention of me and my friends. Get ready for playlists of gold:
1. Bitch You Guessed It by Tanner Bockway
This is an explicitly Hip-Hop playlist with over 250 songs that have been released in the last couple of years. Everyone relevant in Hip-Hop from Drake to Fetty Wap to G-Eazy is in the playlist and since I'm a total grandma when it comes to recently released music, this was a great way to learn about some more current artists I haven't heard of.
2. Young and Free Mix by Spotify
If you've got a pep in your step and have a sudden urging to wear loose hipster clothing to a music festival, this is the playlist for you. There's also a playlist called The Happy Hipster but this one is more fun and actually makes you feel like dancing. I never skip a good Pheonix, Two Door Cinema Club or St. Lucia song. I just can't, and everything else on this playlist is really uplifting and fun. You don't actually have to be a hipster to enjoy it, it's the kind of music you play when you just want to feel good no matter where you are.
3. Discover Weekly by Spotify
I love this feature of Spotify. It's half a playlist, half an app. It's a playlist that you can subscribe to and it changes its songs weekly based on what you have been listening to. It literally recommends you new music based on what you're already listening to, like Pandora. Sometimes its a hit or a miss but I've found some real music gems this way, effortlessly.
4. Guilty Pleasures by Spotify
This is arguably one of the best Spotify playlists I've come across. It has everything. Go check, if you don't believe me. I love this playlist because it has songs that you forgot that you loved and forgot the name to. Do you remember Tubthumping by Chumbawamba? You think you don't, until you listen to it, and then it all comes back in the biggest throwback slap-to-the-face you've had in a while. Petey Pablo, Rick Astley, Vanilla Ice and Fall Out Boy are all in the same playlist, as well as Aerosmith. It's perfection.
5. Disney 90th Anniversary by Walt Disney Records
I can't be the the only one with a friend group that has that one person that's obsessed with Disney. Show him or her this and they'll love you forever. It's just 5 straight hours about nostalgia-inducing classic Disney songs. Though, I do have to warn you: once you are in the Disney mood, it can be hard to get out of it. You can decide for yourself if that's a problem (but, let's be real, it never is).
6. A Soft Jazz Backdrop by Spotify
If I have words of wisdom for you, it's this: Jazz is completely underrated. I love Jazz, and the great thing about this playlist is that it's the most relaxing and effective playlist you can find for studying. It's a short playlist but once it's on loop, you lose track of when the songs even change as you become fully engaged with your homework, studying, writing or whatever you are doing.
7. Top of the Rock by Spotify
Where are my Metal-heads? This is your playlist! Since Rock is losing its glory and rightful place in the music industry in a decade obsessed with EDM and Electronica, it can be hard to find new bands that rock as hard as they did ten years ago. But there's hope and it begins with this playlist. I found some new bands on here and here's a bonus. If you want to hear a metal version of Taylor Swift's Blank Space, it's here by I Prevail.
8. 100 Most Uplifting Songs Ever by Topsify
Yes, it's exactly what it sounds like. It's a playlist of just feel-good songs that you already know and love. It's a great pick-me-up in the morning to get a great start to your day. There's not a person on this Earth that can listen to "I'll Be There For You" by the Rembrandts and not smile.
9. Brooklyn Beat by Filtr US
Despite the fact that my heart will forever belong to the rock-metal genre, I really do enjoy a good EDM/Electronica playlist and this one is by far my favorite. It has a wide variety of artists and I don't feel bad not knowing any of them because they're supposedly "underground." I don't know if that's true, I just know this is good when you are in the mood for upbeat, fun, bass-dropping, tunes that make you feel like you're cool for just listening to them. Being stuck in the early 2000s, I need that every once in a while. Which brings me to...
10. 1990s/ Early 2000s Girl Power Pop by Zoe Temple
Don't let the title throw you off. This is the best playlist ever created.When I found this playlist, I played it nonstop for a week straight. I listened to the whole thing through at least ten times. If there was a nostalgia-inducing playlist contest, this is the winner. The golden era of Gwen Stephani, Britney Spears, Lady Gaga, and Christina Aguilera is here along with the Disney sensations you totally forgot you adored. If you are a girl and you were born anywhere in the 1990s, I found the playlist that completes your Spotify playlist collection and your life. You're welcome.
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