While I may not be the most musically talented in the bunch, I absolutely love music. I don’t think I could have gotten through this year (or the past 4 years, if we’re being honest) without my Spotify account and a good pair of earbuds. I’m a firm believer that music carries both emotion and memory, and that certain songs will always be linked to certain memories. A collection of random tracks have comprised the soundtrack of my Race; I’ve danced in the kitchen to some of these songs, I’ve cried to some of these songs, and I’ve watched the cities and countries pass by outside the window to some of these songs. I remember listening to some of these songs at key moments in my Race, and I remember putting some of these songs on repeat for hours at a time.
This is my year is song; this is my World Race soundtrack.
- It Won’t Kill Ya (The Chainsmokers + Louane): In Greece, two of my teammates got super into watching YouTube videos from one specific choreographer. “It Won’t Kill Ya” was one of the first videos they found, and you could constantly hear the song playing from our room while they practiced the dance. We pretended it was annoying, but secretly, those dance videos were one of my happiest memories from that month.
- Into the wild (Connell Cruise): “Into the wild” is the epitome of a road-trip jam, declaring the excitement of heading into things unknown. Especially in Asia and Africa, when we would bus from one country to another, this song became my anthem and listening to it would make me so ready and excited to experience “the wild world out there”.
- Grigio Girls (Lady Gaga): My second team, R1:16, was an incredibly vital aspect of my Race; they saw me through my breakup, lots of confusion, and many tears. They were also the source of so much laughter and joy, and I referred to them as my “grigio girls.” They were the girlfriends that movies are made about; the once that you always want and you hold on to once you find, and I’m so thankful for the time I got with them.
- Brother (NEEDTOBREATHE + Gavin DeGraw): This is one of those songs that seems to sum up exactly how I feel about S Squad. We became an incredibly tight-knit group, and I can say with full confidence that anyone would do anything for anyone on our Squad. “Brother” talks about the closeness of the bond between blood brothers, and while none of us are related, I honestly don’t think I’ve ever felt this close to a group of people before in my life.
- Shape Of You (Ed Sheeran) / Despacito (Louis Fonsi + Daddy Yankee + Justin Bieber) / Galway Girl (Ed Sheeran) / You Can’t Stop Me (Andy Mineo) / Take It All Back (Judah & the Lion) / Look What You Made Me Do (Taylor Swift): For some reason, you get our squad together, and we can belt each and every one of these at a surprisingly high decibel. These are our Squad jams, and it won’t be the same listening to any of these without my beloved squad mates.
- Bring back the summer (Rain Man + OLY): We have a saying that we chased summer this year, because every single country we visited necessitated shorts and t-shirts. It blows my mind to think that I left the cold, snowy West during winter, and I’ll return to the same conditions. Even though I’d kill for some cooler weather, I know I’ll always look fondly upon this year of summer.
- Diamond Dreams (Castro): “Diamond Dreams” is another one of those road-trip anthems that propelled me through long drives and across country lines. The song talks about adventuring with people you love, which is exactly what I’ve had the pleasure of doing this year!
- Anchor (Beautiful Eulogy + Josh Garrels): I listened to this song leaving our ministry in Thailand, wondering why I “wasted” my college years pursuing what seemed like any and everything other than the Lord’s will. It was on that car ride that the Lord began to show me that He has incredible plans for my life and future, not only in spite of, but because of those college years.
- Stay (Zedd + Alessia Cara): “Stay” was one of the preferred YouTube dance video, and we would always blast it when it came on shuffle in our rooms in Greece and Bulgaria. Such happy memories with such sweet friends!
- What You Need (BAYNK + NIKA): “What You Need” was the third YouTube dance video/song, and there were so many times when we would be cooking in Swaziland (with our headlamps as our light source, because the lights stopped working about 10 days into us being there) and we would play it in the kitchen as we danced around kitchen.
- Brokenness Aside (All Sons and Daughters): You can talk to any and every Racer, and they will tell you that, at some point, the Lord broke them while on the Race. But as this song reminded me time after time, the Lord takes our brokenness aside and makes something beautiful out of us – without fail and without exception.
- Starlight (Amanda Cook + Bethel Music): This song so beautiful sings of the greatness and glory of our King, and how He is closer to us than the very oxygen we breathe. This song was played at many of our squad meet-ups, and each time, provided incredible time and space to reflect on glory, honor, and power of the Lord.
- Head to the Heart (United Pursuit): Jesus didn’t just take me on a journey from the head to the heart this year; He took me on a journey from the head to the heart, back to the head, back to the heart, and back again. He has constantly been refining both my heart and my mind, and has been ever faithful to show me the Truth that stands when nothing else makes sense.
- Even Unto Death (Audrey Assad) : One of the lines of this song goes “Jesus, You are my glory now and for eternity…” But the first time I heard it, I was struck by the words “Jesus, You are my glory now.” I can’t take glory in the adventure of this year, in my friendships, in my growth, or in anything else that I am or have experienced. The one and only true thing that I can glory in is Jesus Christ, and this song has served as a beautiful reminder of that.
- the entire Folk Hop N’ Roll album (Judah & The Lion): This album summarizes so much of this year; the adventure, the questions, the exhaustion, the disappointment, the comradery, and the abundant life. Going forth, I know this album will serve as a beautiful reminder of just what this year meant and how it changed my life.
