23 of my favorites albums at 23 years old

In honor of my 24th birthday, and my love for music, I’m sharing the best albums to find me in this transitional period of my life. As I was starting my early 20s, I was listening to the same albums I walked to class to during my freshmen year of college. I was so consistent with my regular artists, I listened to them so often my music atmosphere quickly became oversaturated. As a result I became bored with the concept of music. 

In a desperate need for new music experiences, I gained interest in what everyone else was listening to. I believe a lot of my friends are reflected in this list, in the past year I’ve connected with people via music and it single-handedly peaked my interest in discovering more. 

Sharing music and our opinions built a kinship different from what I’ve experienced before, it became a new way to make friends. As I grew with new friends and old, it was easier to share ‘niche’ tracks. It almost became ritualistic to expose my peers to my ‘weird’ listens and having the privilege to be privy to theirs. 

I began listening to these albums in my best moments or my darkest times. I found comfort and support in the lyricism, production, or even cadence of each artist. These albums have infiltrated and integrated their way into my daily listening routine, and are representative of the emotional rollercoaster that was 23.

1. Atlanta Millionaires Club - Faye Webster

2. #HEAVENSGATE VOL.1 - Evil Giane

3. Heaven Knows - PinkPanthress

4. initial E - Ethereal

5. Why Not More - Coco Jones

6. PDC4 - Serane

7. Fada<3of$ - Niotany

8. DRY CRY - Sad Boi

9. LVL5 - BktheRula

10. Good Humor - Saint Eitenne

11. G for Global - Lisha G

12. JAGUAR II - Victoria Monet

13. Fountain Baby - Amaarae

14. Fancy that - PinkPanthress

15. I Did - Yves

16. Merci, Non Merci - El Cousteau

17. Saaheem - SahBabii

18. <DALL> - ARTMS

19. SEQUENCE 01 - f5ve

20.  Mercurial World - Magdalena Bay

21. Gemini Rights - Steve Lacy

22. BEYONCÉ - Beyoncé

23. Heat Death 4 - Ethereal

These albums provided me comfort and motivated me as I was facing adulthood head on. I’ve created great memories listening with my friends and family sharing music with them. My goal for this new era is to be open to discovering more music in different spaces with different crowds. I’m so excited to share what finds me in the next few months, until then I’ll be sharing playlists and new listens throughout the year.