MY STUDY PLAYLISTS

Finals week is wrapping up at my university and the stench of unwashed hair and stale fast food is still lingering in the air. One. More. Day.

I'd like to think that there are few elements in my study business that have helped me focus and mentally prepare to take a final worth pretty much my entire life (OK, maybe I'm being a bit dramatic. Kind of.) To start off, food is obviously my number one priority as I need the best of the best (full meals) and the worst of the worst (junk food) to keep me sustained and fueled for the night. Plus, finals week is the perfect time for you to tell yourself "what diet?" and #treatyoself to a couple more bags of Hot Cheetos. Sleep is another important factor that most students don't get the luxury of having throughout this intense week. I have only pulled ONE college all-nighter in my life and it was literally the worst decision I ever made. I've realized that my brain pretty much shuts down after about 2-3 A.M. so there's really no point in me trying to force-feed my mind, body, and soul into digesting information it can't handle. Last but not least, let's talk music! 

Music is probably the first thing I get started on before I open up those endless tabs on chrome or write the header of my research paper. I personally have a different genre/style of music I listen to depending on what I'm studying. If I'm writing, I like listening to instrumentals and soundtracks. If I'm reading, I like to put on Korean songs. If I'm trying to memorize, I usually do a little bit of everything mentioned before. 

To get you into that study grind I've curated some musical beats you can enjoy as you suffer (for one more day!) before heading home for the holidays.

"I Should Definitely Start Studying" Playlist

"I Can Handle Lyrics, No Probs" Playlist

"I'm Down for Some Non-English, Korean Study Music" Playlist

Let me know what you like to listen to in the comments below! I'd love to hear all your recommendations :)

*Disclaimer: these playlists aren't 100% finished, I just didn't have enough time to add everything but I hope you can still enjoy!*

Tune in next time, 

Rachel

FAUXCHELLA

What's currently on repeat

The next (most obtainable) thing on my bucket list is to attend a music festival. Whether it's Coachella or Outsidelands, I am determined to save up and hit the road to take in what the hype is all about. The line up, the atmosphere, and the stylish people are all so inspiring and the fact that there's now what's considered a "music festival season" speaks to how much influence and popularity these events have gained.

Since the lineup of a music festival is so pivotal in determining whether or not a person takes interest, I began to think of what my ultimate lineup would be if I ever had the opportunity to plan one. To be quite honest, I listen to practically every genre. Right now, I've been huge fan of R&B and hip-hop. I took some inspiration from my iTunes playlists and TickPick to create this perfect music festival for ya'll! As a disclaimer: this is what I am currently jamming out to. I'm always open to new music and have never failed to go back to forever faves like John Mayer (woot woot!).

This dream line up is a reflection of what I'm digging now and how each artist would transition well with the other. IT WAS SO HARD TO NARROW IT DOWN YA'LL. I have way way too many faves but below I've given a few reasons as to why I like listening to a particular artist and have also included a couple songs I think you would enjoy!

DEAN

I've been following this Korean artist since his humble beginnings working as a producer and collaborating with well-known American artists/producers such as Anderson .Paak and Eric Bellinger (also he used to have blonde hair wuuut?). He recently started hitting the charts with his 1st EP [130 mood: TRBL] and has gained quite an audience in both the States and South Korea! His style is a bit of R&B, hip-hop, chill trap, and basically everything I look for in music right now. GO LISTEN NOW GO GO GO!

Recommend: 

Pour Up

Half Moon

CHANCE THE RAPPER

My first exposure to Chance's music was in high school by my friends who started listening to him while he was still underground. His style and voice is definitely unique, but his raps are extremely catchy and something you'll want to repeat over and over again. By the way, he just dropped a new album, Coloring Book, and holy guacamole is it amazing!!! It has gospel songs, I repeat GOSPEL SONGS~

Recommend: 

Cocoa Butter Kisses

Finish Line/Drown

FRANK OCEAN

WHERE ARE YOU FRANK? The whole world and my grandma is waiting for a comeback!!! But on a serious note, if you've seen those memes/posts asking where the heck this artist is, know that it is with great merit those are online. Ocean's voice is ever-so-soothing and it's something you can play while you study, drive, and everything in between. He's a true storyteller and his last album is a testament to that.  

Recommend:

Thinking Bout You

We All Try

FLUME

Ah, my first taste of electronic music when I entered upon the world that is college. His style of producing music is something I can listen to all day. It's not as loud and consuming as EDM and his remixes are sometimes, dare I say, better than the original? ALSO, I'm going to see him LIVE this summer and I seriously might cry I'm so excited!!!

RECOMMEND:

You And Me Remix

Never Be Like You 

GWEN STEFANI

Growing up listening to Gwen Stefani was probably the best idea little Rachel ever made. From her No Doubt days to going solo, I've been an avid fan of Gwen and meeting her clandestinely a couple years ago at the California Science Center propelled my love for her all the more. She's cool, hot, and c'mon, who else can pull of platinum blonde hair for that long??

RECOMMEND:

Hollaback Girl

Cool

CRUSH

~I got a crush on youuu~ Crush is a South Korean producer/artist whose soothing voice and knack for good beats is sure to land a spot in your music playlist. I've been a huge fan since his debut as a singer and he actually recently came out with a new album that's a bit more hip-hop/rap than his previous. Also, can I just say his personality so freakin' hilarious--take a look at this news article and you'll see why. 

RECOMMEND:

Woo Ah

Sometimes

MUSIQ SOULCHILD

The OG man right here. His, excuse the pun, soulful melodies and downright groovy beats is the kind of music I'll be swaying my head to. Whenever his songs come on my playlist I instantly feel relaxed. I'll be walking dancing across school with Musiq Soulchild on all day errday. 

RECOMMEND:

Just Friends (Sunny)

I Do

SHANE & SHANE

A couple months ago, I saw this duo perform live and O.M.G. was I blown awaaay. When two talented people come together to sing praises and gospels to God nothing is impossible. The vocal range of these singers is insane and I got goosebumps literally the entire concert. Oh, and their names are indeed Shane and Shane. 

RECOMMEND:

Though You Slay Me

Yearn

TORI KELLY

Started from the bottom and now she is here! I've been following Tori's passion and dreams grow from her days on YouTube to performing at music award shows and I am SO.DARN.PROUD. I remember singing along to her covers and now I'm singing along to her own original songs and it just makes me so happy being able to see all the recognition she's finally getting for her amazing talent. YOU GO TORI YOU GO GURL!

RECOMMEND:

Dear No One

Paper Hearts

ANDERSON .PAAK

I first heard about Anderson .Paak when DEAN put out a song with him last year and I was instantly hooked. His voice is incredibly unique and his latest album Malibu has songs that are straight fireeee. He performed at my school a couple months ago (that I UNFORTUNATELY could not attend T__T) and graced the stage at Coachella so keep a look out for more of his work! It's worth a listen ya'll.

RECOMMEND:

Waters

Come Down

Bonus: DAPPER

GALLANT

One word: falsetto. Just by looking at this gif you can tell he's hitting those notes like the musically-gifted artist he is. He's recently been trending among my group of friends and good gravy can he sing. I want you to go look up his new album, Ology, and thank me later ;)

RECOMMEND:

Weight in Gold

Open Up

A HUGE thank you to TickPick for the amazing graphic used in this post! Be sure to visit the site to find tickets for all your concerts, NFL games, and more~

Happy listening, 

Rachel

P.S.-if I could pull off a hologram performance (like Coachella did for Tupac), my first choice would most definitely be Michael Jackson.

*FTC: photos/gifs above are not mine unless stated otherwise

BEST NIGHT OF MY LIFE?:

  

One of the best nights of my life happened recently...

Sam Lin: aka an amazingly talented violinist and looper

Aijia opening for Clara C

Who else can pull of this costume but her fab self?

I kindadied at this point

Stage list..

Her: "are you going to explain why I am wearing this to your friends?"

"Meet Clara C" has officially been crossed off my bucket list. 

Last month I was informed that Clara C was performing in San Diego. More specifically in La Jolla, and even more specifically in UCSD. I could not contain my excitement and had to purchase VIP tickets (which included a meet-n-greet) as soon as possible.

This past week, unfortunately, has been so hectic: taking midterms, going to different org meetings, and finishing essays were just a few of the many things that I experienced. But right smack-dab in the middle of it all, I went to see one of the very few people that I look up to for inspiration--CLARA C aka the most down to earth, beautiful, and talented artist ever. I discovered her musical genius on YouTube back in middle school and I was completely blown by her covers of "Rocketeer" and "Rhythm of Love" (among many), and since then I have fallen in love with her talent and religiously follow the songs that she herself have written and composed and uploaded onto the internet. It was through her music that I was also able to discover other artists on YouTube such as Tori Kelly, Jayesslee and David Choi.

So, it is suffice to say that seeing her in real life and being in her presence AND standing literally right in front of her as she sang was a near out-of-body experience. She came out decked in a Jesse costume since it was Halloween/her birthday the next day. As she talked about her life and recent marriage to her "fish" (Ahhh, adorable!), I couldn't help but smile like a maniac the entire time. Being able to sing along to all of her songs only added to the immense amount of bliss I was feeling. Her personality combined with her voice creates such a euphoric atmosphere that you cannot help but feel soothed and at peace.

Opening for her were two artists: Aijia and Sam Lin, both of whom were extremely talented in their area of expertise-singing and instrumental, respectively. The night was amazing, filled with nostalgia and awe, but as if it couldn't get any better, Clara C asked if anyone wanted to take a picture for her on the stage and decided to choose ME to do it. ME. I freaked out and couldn't contain my excited, I literally though I was going to pee in my pants. Here's a short clip to show you:

The fish lens she wanted to use couldn't capture a good picture, so I took a video (the reason why I'm moving). She called me a pro and asked for my name *sob*. It was basically the icing on the cake of this concert. I also got to meet her after the show and I gave her the letter of appreciation I wrote and she signed my CDs (I kept my cool the whole time to just in case you're wondering). 

All in all, the night was one of the best experiences of my life and I couldn't have asked for a better break in between midterms. I hope that I can meet her again later in later years, but for now, I will relive these moments and put her YouTube playlists on repeat...

Happy, happy, happy, 

Rachel

**I've included links to YouTube channels within this entry. Please check out Clara C's channel and the other artists as well! Have fun and be mind blown by her talent <3