Collective Musings: What We're Listening To

Vol. 25 | It's Music Musings' silver milestone! 🌟

Author

Valerie S.
March 19, 2025

We’ve reached our 25th newsletter! 🎉🎉🎉

I’m honestly floored by how this passion project has grown both in readership and as a creative endeavour. I started this initiative simply as a creative writing and curation outlet so I can share music recommendations with my friends in a unique way.

But as I continue to traverse the music scene, I’ve realized just how many lesser-known artists are creating truly incredible music — and how many of them rarely, if ever, get the spotlight.

I wouldn’t say I’m on a mission to champion all non-mainstream music or give indie artists exposure, but what I’m trying to get at is…inspiration can come from anywhere. There are so many songs out there that capture a specific idea or visual, and often, they come from artists you’ve never heard of before.

I hope through this newsletter, I can spark that awareness and inspire people to look beyond the usual sources of inspiration. Like a Greek explorer traveling and returning with rare gems and treasures, I hope that through my musical journeys, I can bring back something that means something to someone.

And of course, I couldn’t have done this without YOU. Your affirmations and support keep me going and exploring new music. So thank you for believing in this, and thank you for believing in the power of music. ✨

As a token of my gratitude, this week’s newsletter is dedicated to the music that the community is listening to. Take a listen to some of the songs that inspire them — it might just inspire you too.

Once again, thank you from the bottom of my heart! You guys are the best listeners ever ❤️

Yours truly,

Val ♫

(P.S If you are reading this in your email, please click “Read Online” at the top-right corner next to the date for a better reading experience!)

In this week's setlist:

🎧 Community Jams

I like to think of the song pool I’m creating in Music Musings as a big Yggdrasil tree with branches extending to many worlds — and the branches represent the people in the community who keep it together. While I have my own explorations, the people I’ve met truly bring some great music recommendations.

So, I’ve compiled them all into this neat little playlist. Check them out here!

🧑🏻‍💻 My Colleagues’ Songs on Repeat

You’ve seen a glimpse of my colleagues in the previous community newsletter, now it’s time to introduce some new faces in the club!

Here are their best picks:

💖 You Are The Music in Me

I was inspired by my parents and relatives while writing this piece. It was probably a trend in the '80s to do things like this, but it seems to have faded over time! If you’re one of those couples who still keep this trend alive, that’s pretty darn cute.

Looking for a theme song for you and your S/O? Here are some picks from our happily attached music-tizens:

🎶 New Music This Week

into the blackhole by HOAX: Music muser Izzy says: “It’s giving end-of-the-world, dystopian, apocalyptic vibes.” I second that — it’s like if Die With A Smile by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars and Until I Found You by Stephen Sanchez had a baby.

Ok Love You Bye by Olivia Dean: Don’t be fooled by the light-heartedness and nonchalant lingo, because it carries some heavy feels beneath the surface. As music muser Corrinne puts it: “The song juxtaposes the gravity of what she’s saying with the way she delivers it, using the vernacular of a twenty-something modern girl.”

Inspired by this week’s music picks?

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