Music Contributor Asha Rajoriya shares songs that have defined her life so far
My earliest memories of music are from the back seat of my Dad’s car. From rock to R&B to progressive house, family anthems formed – and are still blasted at full volume – while driving through narrow country roads. So, credit my Dad for my music taste; thanks.
The ultimate car song.
This is one of the earliest songs I remember from car rides between my Mum and Dad’s house. According to my Dad, it is one of the first songs my brother and I learnt to sing along to.
Released in 2001, the track opens the album Get Ready calmly, with a sense of anticipation followed by layered backing vocals and consistent percussion. Emotional rage is manifested through the instrumentation of the track, expressing the profound impact a person can have on your life. I love the pace and drive of this track. It has filled me with adrenaline and made me jump around like mad time and time again.
‘Teenage Fantasy’ by Jorja Smith
Everyone within my circle loves a bit of Jorja Smith. Throughout school, her album Lost and Found immensely impacted me, especially the track ‘Teenage Fantasy’. In the beautiful Apple Music interview, ‘The ‘Lost & Found’ Interview’ with Julie Adenuga, Smith reminisces on her teen years, similar to the one I was living on bus rides home from school.
…this song expresses the tribulations of teenage love and the unrealistic expectations placed on romance.
For me, this song expresses the tribulations of teenage love and the unrealistic expectations placed on romance. This song shaped mine and, I am sure, the youth of many others. It warned me of the manipulation present in teenage romance, which inevitably ends in turmoil before we all learn that self-love is paramount. So thank you, Smith, for being my guardian angel through the years of intense character-building that was secondary school.
‘Yeke Yeke (Hardfloor Remix)’ by Mory Kanté
Whether I am sitting in the UoB Library, doing my makeup for a night out or attempting a B2B with my Dad amongst Underworld, Orbital and Digweed, this track makes me move. This trance and acid-inspired progressive house track from the 1980s is a staple in my music rotation. No matter what mood I am in, the fusion of Kanté’s vocals and the beat never fails to make me smile.
Whether I am sitting in the UoB Library, doing my makeup for a night out or attempting a B2B with my Dad amongst Underworld, Orbital and Digweed, this track makes me move.
Finally, my absolute ride-or-die, the ethereal track ‘Heaven Up There’.
I discovered Palace at Boardmasters Festival 2022 in the sunshine with my best friends. We had a quiet hour to fill so we wandered over to the barrier of a quiet stage (via the bar, of course).
For me, this song is equivalent to a warm, gentle, all-encompassing hug. The mellow track crescendos to a flawless climax as the deep layering of instruments floods the space around you. It suits all emotions and has been there for me through some of the happiest and lowest moments of my life so far. I have no doubt it will continue to be.
Lead singer Wyndham expresses the uncertainty and changing nature of life’s ‘motion with the tide’. He describes the lifelong struggle of healing with the goal of ending up in a happier, heavenly place. This upward-reaching song will relate to most people through different stages of life, filled with immense optimism, perfect for your car, a sunset or swaying in the kitchen. Indulge in this seven-minute experience of bliss.
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