At long last, I'm excited to announce the Mensah Mixtape for Murderbot Season 1!!! Playlist links are below, and you can read my notes on what each song represents under the cut. I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as I enjoyed making it!
Songs that loosely follow Mensah's perspective in 'Murderbot' Season 1.
There is no Murderbot as we know it without Mensah, Murderbot's favorite human and the first person who treated it like a person worth getting to know. In Season 1 of 'Murderbot,' Noma Dumezweni, the Weitz brothers, and the rest of the 'Murderbot' crew have given us a pitch-perfect Ayda Mensah on our TV screens. I love how Mensah is a capable leader who does badass things for her team, and she's simultaneously a human who gets anxious and panics about those things.
When making a character playlist for Mensah, I wanted to bring out the complex facets that her character displays in Season 1. "Heal the World" (Michael Jackson) brings to mind the approach to life Mensah carries from Preservation, not just as its citizen but also as its Planetary Administrator. "Girl on Fire" (Alicia Keys) is for the backstory we don't know much about, but can assume is full of Mensah working hard and becoming an impressive community member, spouse, parent, and leader.
"You Gotta Be" (Des'ree) is the mindset Mensah takes into the Preservation Aux mission. "All Systems Go" (Krypteria) is the moment things start going to shit. "The strong don't get a break" (Xania Monet) and "Suffocating" (Dax) are for Mensah's struggles behind the scenes, and "Keep Holding On" (Avril Lavigne) is between them to contrast how Mensah keeps a strong, positive face for her team amid crisis.
"Come Alive" (Hugh Jackman et. al.) changes the focus to how Mensah is trying to connect with Murderbot and bring it out of its shell; "Brave" (Sara Bareilles) follows in the same theme. "Strong" (Romy, Fred again..), "Armed and Dangerous" (Chaos Chaos), and "I Got You" (Bebe Rexha) are for how Mensah rescues Murderbot from the other SecUnit and is generally trying to get Murderbot to see her as a teammate and someone it can depend on.
"Anxiety" (Doechii) is a big theme for Mensah at multiple points, but especially her panic attack in the hopper. "I See You" (Amanda Nolan) is for how Murderbot sees the struggle behind Mensah's leadership, and also how Mensah shares an understanding of just how much responsibility Murderbot carries as the protector of PresAux. "How Do You Sleep?" (Sam Smith) and "Shattered" (O.A.R.) are for how that trust is strained when Mensah learns about Murderbot's past.
"Rise Up" (Andra Day) is for how Mensah, realizing Murderbot is still trustworthy, once again puts her life at risk to rescue it. "Hustle" (P!nk) is for how Mensah takes no shit from the company to get Murderbot back. "TRUSTFALL" (P!nk) is for how Mensah and the team assume Murderbot will come back to Preservation. "I Want You to Know" (Chantal Kreviazuk) is for Mensah realizing that Murderbot has taken a different path. Last but not least, "If You Love Somebody Set Them Free" (Sting) completes the playlist.
