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I'm definitely guilty of pretending to be the main character on my bus rides to uni.

I stumbled upon a Teen Vogue YouTube video where they asked Lizzo to list down the prominent songs in her life into a playlist called ‘The Playlist of My Life’. It got me thinking of the potential songs that I would put into the list for when I maybe become famous for some reason (reviving my pre-teen attempt at a YouTube career perhaps?) and Olivia Wilde decides to direct my biopic, so I’ll have it documented on here for future reference.

1. I Want to Hold Your Hand by The Beatles – The earliest song that I could remember listening to as a child. I must’ve heard it blasting from my sisters’ CD player (you know those big oval ones from the early 2000s) which I suppose was the gateway to my love for music if I were to put it romantically.

2. Happily by One Direction – It would be an insult to my formative years and peak fan-girling phase if I didn’t put a One Direction song on the list. From their best album Midnight Memories (in my opinion) which gave us 1D Day and frat boy Harry, this boy band gave me the joys and experiences of being a teenage girl. Honorable mention: Girl Almighty.

3. She Looks So Perfect by 5SOS – This song would be played in the part of my biopic where I begged my mother and sisters to drive me to Thebarton Theatre in 2014 just to stand in the long line amongst screaming teenage girls on a cold winter night so I could buy their official merch. Not even to watch them perform because my parents wouldn’t let me, literally I just wanted a shirt and poster (but deep down I was hoping I’d catch a glimpse of Ashton).

4. Sundress by A$AP Rocky – I played this song so much while on a road trip with my family from Sydney to Gold Coast in the summer of 2018 that every time I listen to it, I’m reminded of the sweltering heat, swimming in rock pools and winning $5 every time dad quizzed us about random things during the drive.

5. Diane Young by Vampire Weekend – This song was the start of my short-lived 2016 alternative indie Tumblr phase. I fell out of it so fast but this song is still fun to listen to occasionally.

6. Godspeed by Frank Ocean – I remember listening to this song on a car ride with my mum. I can’t remember to where exactly, but it was near the time I was leaving Malaysia. Later, I would cry to the line “I’ll let go of my claim on you […] You’ll look down on where you came from sometimes, but you’ll have this place to call home, always” thinking of the fact that I would soon leave my family and home to study abroad. 

7. Inbetween Days by The Cure – From the soundtrack of my favourite coming-of-age movie ever, Sing Street. It sparked my adoration for the glamour and angst of 70s/80s pop culture, old Vivienne Westwood collections and rock and roll.

8. Do Not Wait by Wallows – I cried to this song when it came out and I cried to it even harder while I was on the flight to Adelaide in 2020. The melancholic tune that slowly builds up seems fitting for a very prominent chapter of my life as I kissed my homeland goodbye for the next 4 years.

9. Still into You by Paramore – I found my first high school crush thanks to this song. My memory is vague but he was on the stage at school for some reason playing the drums to this song. I remember asking my friend for his name and she told me he was a senior which obviously wooed me even more. I’m laughing as I write this but it’s just such a funny, innocent memory that I had to mention it here.

10. 1998 TRUMAN by Brockhampton – One of my best friends and I were heavy on the Brockhampton bandwagon back in 2017 which only lasted for the next 2 years. Dare I admit that I was obsessed with this boy band as much as I was with One Direction? Probably. 

There are a lot more songs that are attached to distinct phases and events in my life that I want to throw into the list but I’ll stop at these 10.