Moments In Song No. 016 - Christen
“Moments In Song” asks people one simple question, “What are you listening to?” We believe that you can learn a lot about an individual and their experiences based off of the music they love. For every installment we ask someone to make a playlist of 10 songs they’re listening to, whether it be something new they stumbled upon, or a song they’ve always loved, and explain the story behind their choices. The person’s playlist is then uploaded, giving them the chance to share it with others. Each post aims to profile someone from a different walk of life, whether they be an artist, a student, the mailman, a school teacher, an athlete, a nurse, your next-door neighbor, anyone with a love for music; showing that no matter where we come from, what we do, or what we look like, music has the ability to bring us together.
With a playlist centered on relaxed beats and soothing vocals, Christen tells us the stories behind some of her favorite songs. Keep reading below to see our interview with the personal stylist and fashion blogger as she tells us about the first thing she listens to when playing music, 106 & Park, and how her taste in music has matured over the years.
Listen to Christen’s playlist on Apple Music and Spotify.
What was the thought process that went behind making your playlist?
I was thinking about all the songs I’m currently listening to at the moment. I literally download new music everyday, and these are some of the newest songs I’ve downloaded, along with ones I already had. I love music so it was hard for me to fit all of my favorite songs into my playlist. I really like songs with smooth vocals, so a lot of these songs are very relaxing and put me in a mood where I want to feel stress free and care free.
What song did you instantly know had to be on your playlist?
It’s between “Cranes in the Sky” or “Blessed.” It’s funny because I never listen to the lyrics of a song. I always listen to the beat first. Those are the only songs that I really listen to the lyrics and am like, “Ok, let me figure out what they’re talking about.” “Blessed” is definitely one of my favorites because it talks about my life a little bit, and how I’m a crazy person sometimes but still blessed to have the people in my life who know how to deal with me and my craziness. And with “Cranes in the Sky,” I didn’t really know what it meant at first, and I guess it mean’s different things to different people, but to me, it makes me feel safe. Even with everything going on in the world, it lets me know everything is going to be ok.
How would you describe your taste in music?
It’s a mix of everything. Like I said earlier I like really mellow music, but I also really like house music, techno. Hip-Hop is cool. I like it but only certain songs and artists. But I’ll listen to certain music when I’m feeling relaxed, happy. I’m a weirdo, because when I’m sad I like to listen to sad music, to make me even sadder. [Laughs.]
I think everyone does that.
I don’t know why, but I really have to be in a specific mood to listen to certain songs. Like depending on how I’m feeling in the morning, I’ll listen to some turn up songs to get me hype, or days when I’m feeling tired I’ll listen to some more mellow stuff. But I feel like music in general sounds better when it’s loud, so I like to blast my music too when I’m in the car. The only type of music I don’t like though is country.
You mentioned earlier that when you first listen to songs the thing that sticks out to you the most is the beat. Is that the case 99% of the time?
Yeah definitely. Because if a song doesn’t catch my attention within like the first ten seconds, I’m turning it off. I know sometimes when I’m in the car I don’t have time to change the song, I’ll let the song play and I’m like, “Oh ok. This isn’t really that bad. Maybe I should’ve listened to the whole thing.” But for the most part the beat is what draws me in and keeps me wanting to listen more.
You said earlier “Cranes in the Sky” and “Blessed” were songs that had you focusing in on the lyrics. What songs on your playlist were the opposite and had a beat that really drew you in?
“Middle of Things, Beautiful Wife” by Sango featuring Xavier Omar and “Harem” by Miguel. I have no idea what the hell Miguel is talking about, but the beat along with his voice makes me like the song a lot. There are a lot of songs where I don’t know what they’re talking about, and sometimes I do want to research what they’re saying, but then I’ll think, “Hmmm, I just like the song.” Vocals also stick out a lot to me too. Some artists when they sing, it gives me chills. Like certain Daniel Caeser songs, and Beyoncé sometimes. Some of the notes she hits, I’m just like, “How can she do that?”
Most of your playlist is slow, mellow music but one song that stuck out to me was the Gucci Mane song. Is there a reason you threw that on there?
I just really like what he was talking about. First of all, his last album was good as hell.
Yeah I’m surprised they don’t play a lot more of his music on the radio. That’s a really good album, and I liked what he was talking about on the song as afar as being black owned, which is funny because I want to come out with t-shirts that say that, because I’ve never seen that. That really stuck out to me, and him rapping about how he got out of jail, came back on, and was popping again.
When you first start listening to music you listen to what’s on the radio, and what kids in school are listening to, but then as you grow older you start to develop your own preferences and taste. How would you say those have evolved over time, and if there was one particular song, artist, or album that started that for you?
I’ve always loved music. I remember when my mom bought me my first CD, it was either Lil Bow Wow or Lil Romeo. And I listened to that CD every single day!
The first one. With him on the front with the army bandana
No this was Lil Romeo. Bow Wow was the one where he had the dog on the front.
Which I found out was photoshopped later. He’s not really holding a dog on.
For real? Wow. But yeah I was always watching 106 & Park when I wasn’t supposed to be. Watching all the videos. Downloading music off of mp3 Rocket. I was getting really into music.
When was that? 106 & Park and mp3 Rocket?
106 & Park started that off. That was elementary school into middle school, and mp3 Rocket was around high school. Like all through high school, Limewire, all that stuff. That’s when I started downloading songs that I’d never really heard of. I really got into Drake towards that moment. That was like 2010. What grade was I in?
I think it was junior year. Yeah I really got into Drake. I was a fan and listened to all of his songs. Its funny because I really used to hate slow songs, I really only liked fast songs as a child. But then when I got older, I started to like slower songs, and then from there it went crazy. I was downloading N.E.R.D., all different types of artists I was interested in. And when I stared listening to Soundcloud I started getting into different types and feels of music. Iman Omari was the first person I ever listened to that wasn’t really Hip-Hop or R&B, but somewhere in the middle. He really introduced me to different types of artist like Kelela and others. It was crazy. It just happened so fast. Music, I guess I just matured with it. What I was attracted to started to mature with my age.
What role would you say music plays in your creativity fashion wise?
It definitely inspires me. I know sometimes when I listen to songs I create a music video for them in my head, and I’ll use that as inspiration for a photoshoot, or what I want to write a blog post about, small things like that. Music is definitely a big inspiration in my life because it keeps me going. It sets the mood for everything that I do.
Can you pick one song on your playlist and give us the story behind why it’s on there?
“Blind Man” by Xavier Omar. I heard that song forever ago on Soundcloud, and you know Soundcloud doesn’t credit people all the time, so I had no idea who this man was. And after then I think I was on Pandora, you know Pandora will play random ass songs sometimes, I’ll be real shocked. I was listening and all of a sudden the song [“Blind Man”] came on. I’m like, “Oh my God, I haven’t heard this song in forever,” and I looked and saw that it was Xavier Omar. I had never heard of him so I downloaded his album and came to found out that he was on a lot of other songs that I actually liked and never knew who he was. So from there I grew to really really like that song. I like his vocals, and the way he sings. There’s a lot of artists out here that people sleep on, and they’re talented artists who people just don’t listen to, and it’s crazy because that’s a beautiful song.
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