Songs That Built Me
Whenever people ask me what kind of music I make, I freeze up. Because the truth is, every song I’ve ever loved is still rattling around inside what I write. The twang from Pop’s old records, the harmonies Nana hummed while cooking, the mixtapes Mila made me before she left for Chicago — they all stitched something into me.
So, here’s a playlist of ten songs that built me — not just as an artist, but as a person trying to find her sound in all the noise.
1. Fleetwood Mac – “Landslide”
This one is pure inheritance. Mila played it on repeat when she was packing for Chicago, and I didn’t get it then — I just thought it was sad. Now I hear it and I understand what leaving feels like. That mix of fear and freedom lives in almost everything I write.
2. Bruce Springsteen – “Thunder Road”
Pop used to blast this while fixing up cars in the garage. He’d sing the chorus like it was gospel. I think this is where my love for stories in songs came from — how every lyric feels like a snapshot of real people, stuck and dreaming.
3. Kacey Musgraves – “Slow Burn”
When I was figuring out Burning Barns & Bridges, this track gave me permission to take my time. It taught me that you don’t have to scream to make people listen. Sometimes honesty whispered through reverb hits harder than any belt.
4. The Clash – “Train in Vain”
My dad’s influence — he had a soft spot for punk that nobody expected. It’s messy, it’s human, it’s heartbreak and rebellion in the same breath. I think that tension — loud music with something fragile inside it — is exactly what I chase now.
5. Joni Mitchell – “A Case of You”
This song feels like a blueprint for my songwriting. Simple, direct, devastating. Joni made me realize you can tell the truth and still make it beautiful. That’s something I try to carry into every lyric.
6. Amy Winehouse – “Tears Dry on Their Own”
Mila played this when I was way too young to understand heartbreak. Later, when I did, I played it for months straight. It’s confident and broken at the same time — that contradiction is everything I want to be.
7. Bon Iver – “Holocene”
This one hit me during the loneliest winter in Watseka. It sounds like isolation, but also like acceptance. There’s something holy about it — the way it makes smallness feel like peace.
8. Missy Elliott – “Work It”
You wouldn’t expect this one, but trust me — it’s on every pre-show playlist. Missy’s confidence is magnetic. She reminds me to take up space, to have fun, to not apologize for being weird.
9. Olivia Rodrigo – “Traitor”
When SOUR dropped, it was like someone finally wrote teenage heartbreak the way it actually feels — dramatic, raw, and a little too honest. I admire how she doesn’t flinch from her feelings. It’s a reminder that vulnerability can be power.
10. Dolly Parton – “Jolene”
Nana’s favorite. She used to sing it while she cooked Sunday dinners, and I’d hum along from the floor. It’s one of those songs that proves simplicity is timeless. Every time I write something stripped back, I think of her voice in that kitchen.
Each of these songs feels like a piece of the puzzle — my family’s record collections, my sister’s playlists, the car rides, the quiet nights. Together, they built the framework for how I see music: as something personal, emotional, and bigger than genre.
I don’t know if I’ll ever stop building from those sounds. Maybe the songs we love first never really leave us — they just echo through the new ones we make.
