Teen Angst Playlist Rewind

Growing up as a teenager music brought light to my soul. Music was my world and it drowned out the negative thoughts and distractions. When I was alone music was always there. Music understood me more than I understood myself. It was almost like I was living in my own world.

Each song spoke different words but all of them left a significant impact on me and how I perceived the world around me. Upbeat melodies and lyrical harmonies are what kept me sane.

Let’s tune in and vibe.

Alessia Cara - Wild Things

This song was written for the kids that felt uncool or simply like misfits. I've always seen myself as an outcast and set apart from the ordinary. Not in a sense to say I’m better than everyone, but that I just wasn’t meant to fit into what is accepted as normal. I didn't wear the coolest clothes or knew the most popular kids. What helped me to stand out was being indifferent and simply unique. Of course this is not something I realized until I was a bit older. When I was a teenager I desired to be one of the cool kids that had all the friends and fancy clothes. I played this song several times around because it felt so relatable. Alessia Cara discusses in a video what the song title 'Wild Things' means. She's goes on to say, "This song is about self-acceptance and kind of saying I don't need to be this great, amazing person or this smart person or this popular person to still feel cool about myself. And for all the people who feel like they don't have a place, we can make our own place." This is a song where you can shine to the fullest and embrace your differences.

Fire N Gold - Bea Miller

I listened to the song Fire N Gold on the days I felt down and lost for guidance. This song raised a strong burst of energy in me. I was pumped and filled with instant joy. My confidence in myself increased. I would listen to the different instruments and dance around to the lyrics. On MTV News Bea Miller explained more information regarding the meaning behind the song and said, "It's reminding all the people who are really down in the dumps. The ones who feel like they're alienated like no one understands them and they're really alone. They do have a purpose in life and that they are here for a reason. Even if they can't see, I can."

Call On Me - Starley Ryan Riback Remix

This song brought a sense of comfort. Often times when I felt alone this song made me feel security. I had faith that I wasn't alone in this world and that there were other people just like me. My favorite part of this song was the beginning verses where Starley sings, "When you're low, and your knees can't rise, you feel helpless and you're looking to the sky." She talks about being in the dark and feeling weary. Along with that, she shares inspiration on not giving up on life. During my younger stages, I was stranded in the darkness, and just like this song, I was looking for something to cling to. Something to call on. This song brought that.

Nico & Vinz - Am I Wrong

I see this song as being you and going after your purpose with no regrets. I didn't know my purpose but I still believed in going after one. Although I felt misunderstood, 'Am I Wrong' gave me this feeling to believe in myself and not worry about what the world had to say. You limit your true potential when you let people create it for you. As the song stated you don't have to do what other people are doing. Do what the world says you can't do and go after it anyway.

How These Songs Impacted Me Now

As a person who felt like a misfit, uncool, lost, and misunderstood, I can say that these songs left me at ease. Music brought something that other people couldn’t. I felt heard through each lyric the artists singed. I became more confident and satisfied with who I was. I embraced my unique qualities. I no longer saw outcast titles and names as bad things. I saw these titles as opportunities to express myself and my creativity. I did a whole 360 and had a perspective shift on how I viewed myself. I changed my thinking and it changed my life. After I reflected with myself I viewed the world differently as well. The rest of the world wasn't my enemies, I was my own. The world showed me what to be and what not to be. Comparison decreased as I started to age and I reminded myself that there’s only one me. “No one else can fill that role, so just quit pretending,” is a phrase I would tell myself.

Sia Ft. Kendrick Lamar - The Greatest

This final song is something I wanted to share with the youth. Being a teenager is not always easy as the world portrays it to be. There’s depression, peer pressure, suicide, overthinking, anxiety, eating disorders, and so on. If you’ve felt like me or perhaps a bit differently, no matter who you are, know that you’re free to be whoever you want to be. Free to be the greatest.

As human beings, we’re all meant to be something significantly different. It’s easy to discourage your unique traits and be like everyone else around you because being set apart from the rest of the world can sometimes feel like a lonely place. You feel like no one will ever understand you and that you’re just a lost cause but that’s not true. You’re set apart to shine and there are others like you who understand. They want to shine just as much as you do. Wear your crown humbly like the queen and king you are.

"Here's to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes... the ones who see things differently — they're not fond of rules... you can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can't do is ignore them because they change things... they push the human race forward, and while some may say see them as crazy ones, we see genius because the people who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do." — Steve Jobs