"Things don't have to mean something all the time. See the beauty in the little things. Not everything needs to be profound.'
Irene, aka fijshsauce, says as she describes her favourite song, "5/4" by Gorillaz, which is depicted as a mood-lifting song using instruments that touch every nerve in her brain.

Being from Hanoi, Vietnam, shaped her tastes and individuality as Hanoi has ancient energy oozing through it that breathes modernity through the city utilizing their people as the fresh air. A true description of irene herself as she is not bound to one genre or style but a common theme comes to her mind with everything she chooses to listen to. Obnoxious.

Rock and Punk connect deeply to her, for what she presents outwardly and her thought process is quite "loud" with her Leo sun placement as an influence. But Rock is her rebellious inner voice, always wanting to express herself as clear as the piercing but emotional sounds of her music. Punk was a doorway to the soul, upbeat and lifting, healing from the inside by its instrument and provoking lyrics.

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“music is more than just words and sounds. its a language”

growing up, Diego has grown up with a mixture of different cultures and individuals and believes that other cultures influence his music taste.

mellow beats and really hyped ones has really solidified R&B as the genre that speaks to him most as it’s relaxes him but also gives him the energy to keep going.

music has become very personal for Diego as he has found his own personal meaning for the music which helped him find himself.

fast car by Tracy Chapman has really carved a hole into his heart. this classic has become an important song to him as it reminds him of a time of pure bliss. learning English at 12 and traveling on the highway with his dad singing this song made him feel relaxed. whenever he has a challenge ahead, he always circles back to this song and reminds him that anything is possible.

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“melodies, rhythms, synths, and vocals. the cure for the soul,” says Kea when describing music. to her, unearthing the different cultures in music has always been her first love. growing up, kea felt as though she had lost her roots due to constantly moving but
music has always been the one thing that kept her grounded through it all.

her fondest memory of listening to music is when her father used to play a mixture of jazz, cuban and rnb music through their family home on sunday mornings in morocco, where she had grown up.

describing her music taste as multicultural, she still gives way to her first love, rnb, as her go-to genre. she describes rnb as bringing out her softer, vulnerable side. especially when it comes to love songs.

Super Good by Duckwrth. the perfect love song in her eyes. with a hint of funk, this alt rnb track feels like a warm breezy summers day. whenever she has a bad day, this song never fails to bring her back to cloud nine.

music has really become a safe-haven for her to express herself through the good and the bad. playlists started becoming a huge part of her love language and eventually a big part of her. a playlist for every mood.

she has yet to figure out her sound and believes that this shows that she has yet to discover herself.

in this playlist, kea uses music to describe how love (self-love included) transcends different cultures and genres.

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Katherine is one of the most dynamic individuals when it comes to unearthing modern music. Her playlist is a space to find genre/boundary-defying artists that leads new-age conversations through r&b to trap/rap.

Katherine accredits her love for music to Vietnamese anti-war and love songs that use traditional instruments such as woods, strings and bamboo. However, the music scene in Vietnam has been influenced immensely by western music resulting in her falling in love with rap and Rnb. When asked what she loves about music, Katherine explains that she loves learning about processes that artists take to create melodies. “Good beats are the best way to make a good song,” she says.

Hip-hop and R&B music has stuck to her even though she has described her music style as varied. Passionate about how artists write their lyrics, mix it up with the rhythm, the way they rhyme, either rapping or singing, everything is seen as just beautifully done in her eyes. She believes that it always creates energy that always feels 100% complete. She describes RnB as sexy and hip hop as raw and multi-faceted in terms of emotions. Whether it be a long drive, when in your feels or just relaxing- these genres continue to keep her going.

Gondry by Hyukoh - her favourite song from the playlist is her go-to comfort song. It feels exactly like what it would feel like to float on clouds- it's calm, beautiful, tranquil and just perfect. Falling in love with it in 2015, there is no need to explain why Katherine continues to listen to this song to this day.

From Hanoi, Vietnam to the world, meet Katherine through a riveting musical lens wrapped with music that evokes emotions of confidence, softness and pure joy.

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Spotify Link

listen to Katherine’s playlist by clicking this link

Wistful. This is how Javier, a grunge gen z from the beautiful country of Guatemala, describes his music style can be seen as taking cues from his love for genres such as alternative, indie pop and new wave.

Being defined as something "other" has always left alternative, indie pop and new wave music with an essential identity crisis. Alternative to what, exactly? Well, to the orthodox. To the status quo. To playing it safe. To being in the music business for the business, not the music. To repressive politics. To racism, sexism and classism. these genres have always attracted the free-thinkers and the radicals, and underground music has been the place where the most radical of the radicals has been championed. Javier can be seen as all these things.

The magic of his music style has been inspired by the internet and captures the true essene of a diverse playlist. Javier describes the internet as the defining to tool to broaden his musical horizons as the exposure is brimming with new and interesting sounds. However, Javier is not only just influenced by the digital age we are currently living in. He also is deeply entangled with his heritage and his ancestors which he described as an existence that is emotionally charged.

To pay homage to his people, Javier’s love for the song, Guantanamera by Guittarricadelafuenta, is a personal love letter to something important to him, the past would hold no weight without this. His roots. This song is an introspective look into learning about past mistakes and not allowing to shape the future.

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To hear Javier’s playlist, click the link above: