Friday Fives Vol 5: New Music for the weekend + the DJ as a healer
New music for your weekend listening pleasure + thoughts on music as a mechanism for healing
Happy Friday! What a gorgeous week it has been in New York City.
I did my best to get outside every single day and immerse myself in nature. It’s wild how a slight shift in temperature can completely alter your mood. It really is true that when nature heals, we heal.
This got me thinking about music as a mechanism for healing. Earlier this week, I had a conversation with my (very talented) friend Jasmine Solano about music, healing, and the creative entrepreneur life. During our chat, she asked me a question that really struck a chord with me: “What do you want to say through music?” Through my daily meditations, I really tried to ponder on this question. While the answer is multi-faceted, I did zero in on one point. I want to communicate that music is healing: that it allows you to be totally present and in your body. Music transcends boundaries, race, sexual orientation, and religion. It truly is one of the biggest uniters of people.
A song can completely lift you out of a depressive episode, an album can transport you back to a core childhood carefree memory, and an unforgettable DJ set can allow you to connect with complete strangers that become lifelong friends. The list goes on.
Bad Bunny is a great example of this. He exclusively sings in Spanish, yet he is still the #1 most streamed artist in the world. Regardless of language, people all over the globe can connect with the energy that pours out of his music. It doesn’t matter if you don’t know a lick of Spanish, you can still enjoy the music and feel a release. There’s even an entire niche on TikTok of Nigerian kids singing along perfectly to Bollywood songs that they have no idea of their meaning. These moments remind us how similar we are, even if we come from completely different places. We can connect on a human level through music. And this is why music heals: it makes us totally present, open-minded, curious, and free.
Science supports this claim too. According to Johns Hopkins, music interventions can even aid in disorders such as Parkinson’s disease as there are many areas of the brain that react to music:
Music helps people heal on a physical level by providing relaxation techniques that reduce stress levels and improve cognitive function. It also provides emotional healing by helping us express feelings of grief, fear or sadness which often accompany hospital stays or end-of-life situations.
Source: Harmony & Healing
I think this has a lot to do with how the DJ has almost become a god-like figure in some music subcultures. The DJ can create a story that can communicate a message of love, unity, and togetherness. The DJ can craft a set that can momentarily lift you out of your body. The DJ is a healer.
While this is just one aspect of what I want to communicate through music, it’s something I’m going to continue to reflect on. The DJ is also an educator, a connector, and so many other things. But that’s for another newsletter!
With that, let’s get into the music for this week. Here are five songs you should know and add to your rotation!
5 songs you should add to your rotation right now:
“Mera Na” - Sidhu Moose Wala, Burna Boy, Steel Banglez. I absolutely love it when Desi and African cultures cross over. The late Sidhu Moose Wala and Burna Boy were close friends and shared a deep respect for each other's craft. It’s amazing to listen to Burna Boy singing in Punjabi on this track, and their vibes blend so naturally. Let this song take you on a journey from India, to Nigeria, and back to the United States.
“Caro Dholna (AfroDesi Edit)” - DJ Sudi. Anotha Banga! Continuing on the African Desi crossover theme, this track from DJ Sudi is an absolute treat. DJ Sudi is an amazing DJ and producer from the No Nazar collective who just dropped his third volume of AfroDesi edits, which mashup popular Afrobeats and Desi tracks. While the entire pack is excellent, this one was a favorite blend of mine. Taking Wizkid’s “Caro”, and one of my favorite Bollywood songs ever, “Rangeelo Bharo Dholna”
“Turning You On” - Never Dull. I’ve really been in my House music bag recently. In reality, a lot of artists are jumping into the Dance and House music genre (which by the way, like basically every great musical genre, can be credited to the Black community). Two of the world's biggest artists, Drake and Beyonce, exclusively released Dance albums last year. While this Never Dull track was released in 2018, I recently discovered this song in one of my auto-generated Spotify playlists. It’s a Disco-House crooner that instantly lifts your mood.
“BUM BUM” - Mohamed Ramadan. Egyptian actor, singer, and rapper Mohamed Ramadan knows how to make bangers. While this song came out in 2019, it sounds like it could have easily been released today. Arab music is having a moment on the global scene right now, with Pitchfork recently doing an entire deep dive into this. Try not to shake your ass to this one!
“Flaunt It/Cheap” - Rae Sremmurd. The Smash Brothers are back! Fun fact, back in 2019 my Spotify Wrapped had not one, but three slots dedicated to Rae Sremmurd in my top artists: Rae Sremmurd, Swae Lee, and Slim Jxmmi. I’m not ashamed to admit this. “Guatemala” had a chokehold on me. It’s been five whole years since we’re heard from the brothers, and I’m so glad that they’re back. The project is worth a listen but Flaunt It/Cheap” best displays the chemistry of the two brothers. The beat switches up three times but flows seamlessly. Certainly one for the clubs.
Bonus Track: “Sex With Me (NC Edit) -Rihanna. This is one of my favorite Rihanna songs ever and I think this tasteful Amapiano edit by DJ NC - a female producer!!! - is perfect. Check it out.
Don’t want to click on individual links? Don’t worry, I’ve compiled my Friday Fives into a Spotify playlist for your convenience.
Unfortunately, the DJ Sudi track won’t be available there, but I’ve added a similar track there for your listening pleasure. Listen here:
Want to hear me DJ these songs on a rooftop during sunset in Brooklyn?
Then make sure to come to my next party, The Bakery, on April 30th at the Sultan Room rooftop. We’re only a few weeks away! The all-female lineup includes me, Bronx natives Angel & Dren, and LA-based No Nazar co-founder Bianca Maieli. Tickets are available here, snag them before they sell out!
As always, you can listen to all of my Spotify playlists and Soundcloud mixes that have a variety of moods and genres.
I hope you enjoyed this week’s edition of Friday Fives and learned something new! Until next week, I wanted to share an excerpt from Show Your Work, a book by Austin Kleon that has helped me get out of my shell and share my work!
