Do you ever just listen to the right song at the right point in time and wonder, where the fuck has this song been my entire life? I had this experience the other day after I’d returned home from my classes for the day. I sat in the self-made crevices of my bed, browsing for new music to get me out of my funk. You see, I’ve been reeling for the past week – partially triggered by the events of last weekend, and partially for no reason. That’s how anxiety goes.
I scrolled through one of my favorite playlists that two of my best friends and I had made a few weeks ago. What do I want to listen to? I thought. What vibe would actually motivate me to eat or do homework or something productive? No, not that. I’ve listened to that a thousand times. That’s too depressing. That’s too upbeat. I kept scrolling until I saw it: a song that had been recently added. I didn’t recognize the title or author, so I took a listen.
It was slow but had an intriguing beat. The intro was this beautiful guitar melody and after a brief intro, it started with the words…Wrote you a letter. Then the drums came in, powering the song forward with purpose. My head began swaying back and forth, almost instinctively. My entire body felt like it was floating, like the song was a remedy, like the lyrics Will you remember me? were my lifeline. The subtle bass added the cherry on top, the cohesion that melted my heart and made me forget I was reeling in the first place.
The song was “Remember Me” by UMI.
I explored more of UMI’s discography on Spotify. I listened to song after song until I had unfortunately exhausted all of my options. I couldn’t help but be frustrated that this brilliant artist hadn’t released an album yet. She was fucking hypnotic. In fact, she had such a profound effect on my mood that I created an entire playlist based on her songs. Almost every song she had released was added to this playlist, one I called “stayin in to dissociate.” In other words, music to listen to when I’m feeling neither alive nor dead, but just existing and out of place.
I continued to stalk her. I Googled her. I watched some of her music videos. I asked myself, How do people seriously go day by day not hearing at least one of UMI’s songs? How can they bring themselves to carry on, lacking “Down to Earth” and “Runnin” in the soundtrack of their lives? Following my borderline insane searches on media platforms, I learned that she is a Seattle-based, biracial singer who dropped out of school to pursue music. How sexy, right?
UMI is someone I just started to listen to, but someone I know I will listen to forever. Her lyrics speak to my mental, bringing it back down to Earth, grounding me. I strongly suggest listening to her music when you’re feeling some type of way that you know will only lead to self-destructive decisions. Her music is sweet and simple and everything you need when you’re sitting in the corner of your bed, contemplating your existence in this world.