Have The Best Night Of Your Life

I feel centered when I listen to any kind of music, from classical to pop to metal, but I’d be nothing without my zen music. Calm, soothing music is the perfect escape from reality; it always blocks out the noise of the world and relaxes me, no matter where I am or what I’m doing.

Now, when the idea of “zen music” comes to mind, people tend to automatically think of classical music, or the kind of music you would hear in a yoga class. People assume that “zen music” is any music that’s quiet, soft, and relatively happy. And yes, sometimes that is classical music. But sometimes it’s music you might not expect.

I do have a few particular pieces of classical music that I love to listen to before bed or whenever I’m stressed, ranging from medieval plainchant to 21st century classical music.

These songs are everything you’d expect from typical “zen music”: calm, slow, light, airy, soothing, peaceful, and comforting. And they bring me back to my musical roots, since my creative background is mainly in classical music.

There’s something indescribably powerful about the human voice, or a group of instruments, that never fails to soothe and calm you. But other kinds of music can have that same power too. That’s why I made this playlist:

Have The Best Night Of Your Life is entirely made up of ambient, electronic pop music. All of these songs were written, recorded, produced, and performed by my friend Scott, who’s a pop singer/songwriter and producer, and range across all of his solo projects, past and present.

This music is more upbeat and exciting, but it’s also calm, soothing, and comforting. It’s exhilarating, euphoric, and yet peaceful. It makes me feel like I’m floating through space, and it’s the best feeling ever.

This is honestly the perfect playlist for anything, anytime, anywhere. I’ll listen to it when I take walks, while I’m driving, while I write, before I go to bed, any time I feel stressed, and any time I feel happy. I sing along to it, I dance around to it, and I’ve even played some of these songs at art modeling gigs (and everyone always loves them).

It’s also good for when I want to listen to music but I’m having sensory overload and other kinds of music are too overwhelming. When I lived in Boston a few years ago, I’d sometimes have episodes of sensory overload while out in public that would cause me to almost dissociate because my anxiety was so bad. Listening to these songs was the only thing that helped me in those moments when all the noises around me felt 10 times louder than normal. It always quelled my anxiety and kept me centered when nothing else could.

A few songs that stand out include:

The New Frontier is the first song on The Backyard of the Universe, and the first song on the playlist because it perfectly ignites a state of relaxation and immediately has you feeling like you’re flying through space.

Hallways is the saddest song on The Backyard of the Universe. Its piano melodies and message of vulnerability pull at your heartstrings, but at the same time comfort you with its simple music and its relatability.

Wake Up, pt. 2 from Five More Minutes is similar to The New Frontier, taking a trip through a spacey dream world. This one’s also perfect for when you need to relax or feel centered.

Zero is the last track on Five More Minutes. It's a simple piano interlude signifying a return to reality at the end of a dream. It’s exactly what I want to wake up to after a deep sleep; it’s the ideal return to reality we all wish for.

Focus is a song that says what we don’t hear often enough. It’s a reminder to stop and breathe, and to take time for yourself. It’s more musically upbeat than most of the other songs on the playlist, but still has the same light airiness and calmness that makes you feel like you’re soaring.

What I love about this playlist is that it transcends the common ideal of what we consider zen music.

It’s still calm and slow. It still has all the same power of both the human voice and of instruments (both physical and computerized). It does all the things we’d expect, but in its own unique way. The music is more modern and exciting, but still peaceful. And although most of these songs are relatively happy and positive, even the less happy songs are still calming because they’re so relatable. There’s comfort and ease in feeling understood and not alone in how you feel.

And for me, that comfort comes from more than just the pretty music and relatable lyrics. Much of it is also from being able to see one of my best friends, one of the most talented and hard-working artists I know, succeeding in music.

There’s more to music than just sound that makes it “zen”. Music is a way that we connect with others, and there’s comfort in connection with others. And in times like this, with the world in crisis, it’s important for us to stay connected however we can.

Being surrounded by good friends and good music makes for the ultimate zen moment. That’s what this playlist does for me, and I hope it does the same for you.

I hope it helps you have the best night of your life.

Thanks so much for reading! If you enjoyed this article and playlist, I’d appreciate it so much if you shared it and left a like and a tip!

Also, you can find more of Scott’s music below!