Summer of 2017 represented a time of bliss and fun. During that time, I found out a lot about myself and these songs helped me discover my heart. On the other hand, some may songs convey messages of violence, illegal behavior and degradement of females. But I guess none of that matters.

Normal Girl– SZA

I remember exactly where I stood when Ctrl was released. Lying on my bed with barbecue sauce on my chest, thinking about the weather. Then, I picked up my phone and started scrolling through instagram. Boom. Hundreds of pictures of SZA’s album covered my timeline. Since she sang on Willow Smith’s track, “9”, my infatuation with SZA’s sound blossomed.

Perfect Places/ Supercut– Lorde

I am the biggest Lorde fan in the world. People like Jose Cruz, Grant Baker and Miranda Cosgrove, who claim to be Lorde “fanatics”, stand as the biggest liars in the world. I’m the real deal. So when I tell you that Lorde represents  the soundtrack of my youth, you better believe it. Hopefully, Perfect Places reminds you of summer time, and gets you excited for school to end.

Bad Liar – Selena Gomez

Selena’s sound comes across as light, soft and harmonious. The lyrics, infectious beat and her voice creates a beautiful song.

Feeling Whitney – Post Malone

I’m not a huge fan of his album, but this song in particular stuck out to me. He managed to articulate his life through the lyrics, and because of that my emotions were magnified through this song.

Summer Bummer – Lana Del Rey

Known for her slow and somber ballads, Lana  took a completely different turn. ready for the trap beat and rap feature from A$AP Rocky . Lana, if you’re reading this, you’re doing great sweetie.

Stargirl Interlude – The Weeknd

The Weeknd’s best songs will always stand as the shortest. This is my favorite song off of his album, “Starboy.”

Used to Love – Chloe x halle

Chloe and Halle create  jazzy harmonies and experimental sounds. Around May they released a mixtape, The Two of Us, on SoundCloud.

Feels – Calvin Harris

I don’t know how, but Calvin Harris always adapts and creates culture just from his music. Perfect summer bop and reminds me of late nights with my friends.

8TEEN – Khalid

When Kylie Jenner played his song, “Location” on her snapchat, Khalid became an overnight sensation. His album, American Teen, stands as the epitome of the teenage experience. He’s the only artist who depicts teenage life correctly: stress from school, dealing with drama, love and the ups and downs of life. Khalid, keep it up.

Bam – Jay Z

WARNING: Do not play in the car with friends or else fire will start streaming from your speakers and you will all die. Do it anyways.

Enjoy Right Now, Today – Tyler, The Creator

His former art sounded experimental and aggressive, but Tyler’s sound on his latest album seemed very confident and structured. This album had a very jazzy and futuristic sound. Enjoy Right Now, Today, a track that sums up the overall tone of the record.

YAH– Kendrick Lamar

In contrast to all the other songs on his latest album, this track seems very similar to his old music. Last summer, this song stayed on repeat. Y’all should hop on.