Sapna Shares Her Favourite Songs, Artists, Albums & More
My music taste is a mishmash of different genres. Think Taylor Swift’s ‘Cruel Summer’ meets The Bee Gees’ ‘How Deep Is Your Love’ – plus, a bit of Mahalia and Drake. Most of my playlists feature RnB, rap and hip hop. This includes old and new – think throwback hits from Young Money (Drake, Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj and co) as well as Tyler the Creator, A$AP Rocky, Kendrick Lamar, and more recent hits from the likes of Burna Boy, Raye, Giggs, Dave and Jorja Smith.
I probably listen to Mahalia every day. It’s no surprise her new album, IRL, is my favourite recent release and I was so excited to see her perform it live on my birthday – and bring out insane guests like Jojo, Stormzy and Kojey Radical. My favourite tracks are ‘Terms & Conditions’ and ‘Plastic Plants’. She’s such an impressive songwriter and her music perfectly describes modern day relationships – specifically, being true to yourself while wanting to love someone else. Plus, ‘Cheat’ is a such a girl boss anthem for a night out.
This month, Troye Sivan has been back on my radar. I followed him on YouTube back in the day and have loved watching his career blossom. I cannot get his latest song ‘Got Me Started’ out of my head – but his older songs like ‘My My My’ and ‘Dance To This ft Ariana Grande’ are also bangers. He’s got a real knack for nailing pop in a modern, cool way. Similarly, I have to shout out some smaller artists on TikTok. Tate McRae’s ‘Greedy’ is one song I can’t get out of my head. She’s also only released 15 seconds of her next single ‘Exes’ and it’s already all over my FYP.
It’s Folklore season, so I’ve been playing a lot of Taylor Swift. Plus, she’s steadily been releasing her re-recorded albums, with Speak Now and Fearless being my favourites. I’m also loving Olivia Dean who has the most incredible voice. I love ‘Dive’, ‘Ladies Room’ and ‘The Hardest Part’.
My favourite album of all time? It has to be one I can sing from cover to cover and evokes real nostalgia. So, Mahalia’s Love & Compromise is up there, as are Views and More Life by Drake. My favourite tracks to this day are ‘Child’s Play’, ‘Too Good ft Rihanna’, ‘One Dance’ and ‘Controlla’. I had just graduated school when More Life was released so I listened to that album back-to-back on the plane from Singapore to London – then had it on repeat for the entire summer. It’s giving old Drake, party anthems, and plenty of soul.
The one track that gets me on the dancefloor is ‘Wild Thoughts’ by DJ Khalid and Rihanna. It’s one of those bangers that everyone knows the words to, it has an insane beat that’s easy to dance to, and it has nostalgia tied into it too thanks to the sample from Santana’s ‘Maria Maria’.
Because I’m always listening to music, my favourite songs change all the time. I’ve made myself a playlist called ‘Omg I Love This Song’ to keep track. ‘History’ by Cosmos Midnight and ‘Be Your Girl’ by Kaytranada are definitely up there. They always put me in a good mood.
In fact, Kaytranada is probably one of my favourite dance artists right now. Alongside AlunaGeorge. Both have a similar style which merges RnB with dance music. I’m not typically into house, so this has always felt like a fun middle ground. AlunaGeorge’s I Remember album is so good, and Kaytranada’s song ‘Intimidated ft H.E.R’ just screams summer to me. That said, when I lived in Singapore, artists like Avicci, David Guetta and Swedish House Mafia were played in almost every bar and club, so they remind me of my teenage years.
The one track that kicks off my weekend is ‘City Boys’ by Burna Boy. I’ll also play ‘The Weekend’ by SZA, and ‘Love Again’ by Dua Lipa. All different genres, but together, they set the tone for phasing out of work mode and into a more low-key weekend vibe.
‘Find Your Way Back’ by Beyoncé always gets me in my feels. As does ‘Bigger Than Me by’ Big Sean and ‘Only One’ by Kanye. ‘Find Your Way Back’ is about getting out into the real world but knowing you can always find your way back home, to your family and who you are. In ‘Bigger Than Me Big’ Sean speaks about just wanting to make his city proud while accomplishing his dreams but realising that it’s more than just becoming rich, successful or famous – it’s bigger than him – as he’s a role model for the young Black boys in his area. Finally, Kanye’s ‘Only One’ was written to his mother when his daughter North was born as an ode to Donda – it always gets me.
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My first gig was a Blue concert. I had a serious crush on all of them. Also, growing up in Singapore, I was lucky that Formula 1 took place each year, which meant some of the biggest names in music came to perform. Justin Bieber was iconic, as was One Direction and Rihanna. I’ve also been lucky enough to see The Vamps a few times (my boyfriend's friend manages the band), including a gig at the O2 and The Royal Albert Hall where they played throwback songs from my childhood like ‘Wild Heart’ and newer like ‘Married In Vegas’.
I love TV and movie soundtracks – and instrumental versions of songs. For example, I love the orchestral version of ‘All Of The Lights’. The Great Gatsby Soundtrack is another favourite, and it’s also one of my favourite books. I listened to it on repeat when it came out and love how Baz Luhrmann can take a classic story and make it feel modern. My favourite track is Lana Del Rey’s ‘Young & Beautiful’ – specifically the orchestral/cinematic version. Actually, Lana Del Rey is another one of my favourite artists, and ‘Born To Die’ is among my favourite albums of all time.
You might be surprised to hear I love Little Mix. They’re quite pop-y compared to my usual taste, but I’ve always admired their melodies, lyrics, and who they are as people. They really are The Spice Girls and Girls Aloud of our day, and I love that they won Best British Group at The Brit Awards back in 2021. My go-to songs are ‘Sweet Melody’, ‘Shout Out To My Ex’, ‘Heartbreak Anthem’, ‘Touch’ and ‘Wasabi’. I’m excited to see what they each do in their solo careers.
On the tube home after work, I’ll usually pop on my ‘Golden Girls’ playlist. This is mainly full of badass women who sing soul and R&B like Asha Gold, Victoria Monét, Amber Mark, and of course my holy trinity of Mahlia, Jorja Smith and Olivia Dean. It also has a peppering of Fleetwood Mac, too. The songs that help me unwind include ‘Gonna Love Me’ by Teanna Taylor, ‘Go Your Own Way’ by Fleetwood Mac and ‘February 3rd’ by Jorja Smith.
Spotify has been my go-to streaming platform for years. I grew up using Apple Music (on a family account) but I prefer Spotify for its interface and ability to create playlists. It’s also streamlined and easier to use. I love going on a song's ‘Radio’ to find similar songs or related throwback tunes. I did it recently with Kelly Clarkson’s ‘Breakaway’ and was fed other golden oldies like The Pussycat Dolls’ ‘Stickwitu’, Jojo’s ‘Too Little Too Late’ and ‘Kiss me’ by Sixpence.
‘I Think’ by Tyler the Creator holds a special place in my heart. It came out when my boyfriend and I started dating and we had separately – unknowingly – been making our way through the album. It quickly became our favourite song on the album. A few weeks later we told each other it was both of our favourite song on the album and realised it was for the same reason: the lyrics made us think of each other.
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Listen to Sapna’s playlist featuring her favourite songs here...
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