The joys of Spotify
Every now and then, when I’m supposed to be being productive, I instead innocently fall into a Spotify rabbit hole. Read onwards to see how this has changed my life.
Whether I am chopping veggies, at the gym, working my 9-6 job, folding laundry, trimming rosebushes, showering or doing WHATEVER… I always have a Spotify playlist playing in the background. In fact, I have separate playlists for different situations: to think, to wash dishes, to ride my bike, etc.
My dad even got a Bluetooth speaker installed in the bathroom and in the kitchen, as my family is accustomed to me blasting my music <3 .
My Short-Lived Experience With Apple Music
Shamelessly, I will admit that there was a point in my life where one of my friends (@-ing you here, Ivin) convinced me to try Apple Music. He reeled me in with the 3-month free trial and the high-quality spatial audio of the Dolby Atmos feature.
Dolby Atmos is already super cool, but when I would listen with my AirPods Pro… then holy cow. My listening experience was just something else.
With the head tracking and noise cancellation features, the music felt like it was coming from all around me, mimicking the experience of me being the main character in a music video.
The Dolby Atmos music experience makes me feel like there’s a ball of golden sunshine illuminating from the inner chambers of my heart.
I was truly convinced to switch to Apple Music for a bit.
But then… I would remember that Spotify was home to each of my strategically handcrafted playlists which I had built with love and care since I was in 10th grade. So even though I will admit that Apple Music is pretty cool, Spotify houses my artwork, which is why I consider myself a Spotify for-lyfer.
Browsin’ + Explorin’
Every now and then, when I’m supposed to be being productive, I instead innocently fall into a Spotify rabbit hole, where I somehow end up browsing the “Recommended” feature… which leads me to the “Made for Shivani” feature… which leads me to something else… and then something else…, and then… before I know it, I’ve explored a whole new genre of something random.
I love it.
Exploring and browsing has led me to discover captivating, new genres of music that I likely never would have discovered before Spotify. See below for examples of what I mean:
Suburban Dad Music
I grew up in a family of Indian immigrants, so for a period of time, I’ve had to explain many times that “no, I don’t know who Elton John is and no, I’ve never watched The Godfather.” What others considered “the classics” was very different from what I considered “the classics.”
But then… I don’t even know how it happened.
Slowly, Spotify helped me to identify the names of the songs I had grown fond of throughout my life. Songs which I recall short glimpses of while they played in public places like JcPenney, on the radio, and who knows what else.
And of course, I do have to credit my dear friend, Ian, who is the king of Suburban Dad Music. He introduced me to the iconic “Karma Chameleon,” which one time, I listened to on-repeat for 6 hours straight. Highkey, Ian has influenced my music taste a great deal.
Spotify is also where I grew fond of one of my favorite artists, Billy Joel. Some of my favorites from his collection are: Piano Man, Vienna, My Life and Scenes from an Italian Restaurant.
Now, I know I might get some backlash for this, but in my head, I do classify ABBA as suburban dad music (and you don’t have to agree with me!). Spotify is where my love for ABBA solidified. Some of my favorite ABBA songs are: Slipping Through My Fingers, Chiquitita, Angeleyes and Super Trouper.
When ABBA comes on, I like to pretend I am at a 1970s disco jamming while wearing flare pants and a sparkly top. I’d love to have a time machine and go dance at a disco in the 1970s when ABBA was at its peak.
Country Pop
My interest in country pop sparked after listening to Carrie Underwood’s iconic song, “Before He Cheats.”
The Spotify Recommended feature enabled me to discover some of my favorites: Tennessee Whiskey, Rhinestone Cowboy, Southern Nights and Wagon Wheel.
There is something about some of the songs I handpicked for this playlist which create a home-y, cozy, traditional feeling.
Mariachi Music
Something I NEED is to experience in my life is a live mariachi band performing “Hermoso Cariño” in front of me. I just know this experience would have the power to fill the inner chambers of my heart with liquid-gold-joy.
The melody of “Hermoso Cariño” is like velvet to my ears. The guitars, the trumpets and the violins all come together to form a heartfelt, soulful melody about the joys and pains of everlasting love.
I also have to credit Disney’s animated film “Coco” for inspiring me to explore more. The song “Crossing the Marigold Bridge” evokes a range of emotions with its haunting orchestral arrangements that capture the mystical Land of the Dead.
Seriously, give it a go sometime. The Mexican culture has beautiful music. I’ll let you all know the day I see a live mariachi band live perform in front of me.
Garba
My interest in garba music is rooted in the Navratri traditions I grew up with. Year by year, my family and I danced amidst the lively rhythm of the dhol at the mandir, which allowed me to become familiar with different garba songs.
My appreciation for garba music solidified once I joined my collegiate Garba-Raas team, Drexel Dandiya, where I was in the company of people my age who choreographed and danced to tran-taali, garba, and dandiya.
It wasn’t until this past year that I actually created a garba playlist on Spotify. One of my dear friends introduced me to some fire songs, which inspired me to explore more. With my friend’s help, I put together this playlist, which I listen to on the daily. Really puts you in the mood to start doing garba right then and there.
Wrapping Up My Thoughts
As you can see, falling into the Spotify rabbit hole every now and then has been key to my music journey, along with the “Recommended” feature and “Made for Shivani” feature. It has enabled me to dig deeper into new types of music that I likely never would have otherwise: Billy Joel, ABBA, country music, mariachi music, garba music and more.
I still wanted to write two more sections about my journey with classical music and Taylor Swift (shout out to you, Gabi and Ally!), but alas Substack leaves me with no more room to write. Guess you will have to wait for another blog post to read more about that!
Until then, I’ll keep having my Spotify playlist playing in the background as I chop veggies, workout at the gym, fold laundry, and more.
As always, folks — continue to viva la vida and be enomorada de la vida. Keep riding the joyful music wave. Thanks for tuning in!
Until next time,
Shivin la vida <3