Written by Camryn Carmichael. Graphic by Ananya Panchal.
As my junior year comes to a close, I often find myself reminiscing on my life before SCAD. Back home, I went to community college straight out of high school. With both parents at work, I had to depend on public transportation to get to my classes–and there was definitely a learning curve.
Despite practicing with my parents that weekend, I still missed my stop on the first day of school. I fought back tears (and lost) as I rode into a part of the city I’d never seen, my academic building fading behind us. When I got off at the next stop, I was so disoriented and embarrassed by my first attempt at being a “real adult,” it took everything in me not to burst into tears then and there.
With shaking hands I took out my phone, put some music on blast, and followed the GPS on the long trek back to campus. The importance of always having plans B-Z for when things went south was as clear as the rhythm bumping in my head.
In a few months time, I came to prefer walking over riding the bus or taking the bus or train. I realized on the sidewalk, and in life, no matter how far I went in the wrong direction, I could always turn around. So long as I have my headphones and emotional support waterbottle, there’s no place I can’t go and no problem I can’t solve.
Today, anyone who knows me will tell you I relish a twenty, thirty, or even forty-minute commute. So if you want a playlist for Crosswalk Queens who are determined to make every detour a destination, give these eight songs a listen:
- “Leave” (Get Out) by Jojo
At the peak of my community college days, this song was the last that played before I reached my neighborhood on the walk from the bus stop. I always break into a dead sprint to be at my front door right just as it hits the final chorus.
- “Romeo” by PinkPantheress
As someone who’s equally addicted to synthesizers and PinkPantheress, this song is a match made in heaven. The soloist’s lauded production chops play a strong lead character across her discography and Romeo is no exception. No matter the weather, this song sounds exactly like how a breath of fresh air feels. Trust, when it comes on, I’m on the move.
- “Stateside + Zara Larsson” by PinkPantheress, Zara Larsson
“Boots–take a left here–boots!” I remember begging my dad to let me download “Lush Life” on my KindleFire. From stateside to sidewalk this electro-pop collab pairs perfectly with every commute and every step of girlhood.
- “Midnight Sun” by Zara Larsson
I, for one, am more than happy we’ve escaped the time of year when it got dark at four thirty and the light at 5:00 a.m. made me think I’d overslept. The joy and vibrance radiating from this song taught me the fresh morning dew may have a sound after all, and will always be part of my symphony.
- “이러쿵저러쿵” (Like This, Like That) by F-Ve Dolls
If you want to feel like you’re the center of your own mall trip montage in a Y2K coming of age movie, look no further. Okay, maybe that’s a little niche, but with this nostalgic k-pop gem on rotation, I never feel like I’m walking alone. It never fails to bring me back to the lazy summer afternoons my sister and I spend watching music video compilations while eating ramen with hot tea.
- “THIS IS FOR” by TWICE
Even after hearing this song performed live in concert, blasting it through my headphones still feels like I’m shouting the lyrics alongside my favorite people. In this fun new song by one of South Korea’s most iconic girl groups, we’re told in the good times and the bad times to say goodbye to whatever is bringing us down by dancing it all away.
- “After Hours” by Kehlani
I’m a little late to the party on this one since I’ve never been an avid Kehlani listener. But her set at Coachella, and playing the song on repeat during my morning commute has convinced me I should be. This refreshing take on samples from Nina Sky’s iconic 2004 hit “Move Ya Body” and Michael Jackson’s “Liberian Girl,” this earworm is a timeless collage of panflute, dissonance, and bass.
- “He Wasn’t Man Enough” by Toni Braxston
To close out in low register but on high note, this is the perfect warm, suave, R&B track for the end of a long commute when you’re ready to slow it back down. Even on the way to run errands in my no-one-I-know-is-going-to-see-me-clothes, Braxton’s buttery vocals feel like the backing track to a hair toss in my best outfits.
Playlist link: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6raHW3Yp9bvrMV2LDmH7QM?si=5HXeNSktT8aT4GvulQAqYQ
