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Image via We Care A Lot
It seems like ages ago when the term mixtape literally referred to tapes of a mixed selection of songs. Now, we make playlists. Thanks to various music streaming services, putting one together takes just seconds. Because the creation process is so simple, the real effort goes into curating playlists for specific situations and moods.
We asked New York-based, Norwegian artist Okay Kaya to craft the perfect playlist for a late night at home alone. But first, we needed to know exactly how she defines a perfect solo night. “For me, it’s pretty much a playlist or a movie,” Kaya explained. “That playlist is possibly some of the more influential female artists to me. I listen to it for inspiration—melodically, lyrically, production-wise.” After a long, uninspiring day, Kaya admits that she looks forward to turning on this mix to feel re-energized before she sits down to write music of her own.
One distinct feeling that a particular song gives can spark the beginning of a new playlist. For Kaya, Nina Simone’s “I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free” and Sibylle Baier’s “Forgett” helped start her selection process. “Those are two songs that I keep going back to a lot,” she reveals. “I find them just really calming to listen to.”
Others were chosen because of the memories they hold. Kaya explained that these were songs she found herself coming back to for years—each dear to her heart. “The Miriam Makeba song, my mom took me to see her perform and I always think about that—seeing her with my mom, maybe a year before [Makeba] died,” said Kaya. “It makes me miss home, and think about my family.”
However, no playlist is complete without its dips and peaks in rhythm. Kaya’s choices are a reflection of her own life. “Well, my late nights at home are pretty schizophrenic,” she confesses. “I’ll sit in bed and hang out, then be like, ‘You know, I’m gonna try to dance.'” Though the majority of her selection feels relaxing, she insists that this isn’t a mellow playlist made to fall asleep to. Instead, she hopes it will work to soothe and inspire others in the same way it does for her.
Listen to Okay Kaya’s playlist below.
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Learn more about how you can cast Okay Kaya’s Late Nights at Home Playlist straight from your phone to your speakers with Chromecast Audio.
