Top 19 Songs I Listened to During Travel in 2019
Year after year, when I travel, I listen to music less and less. I don’t know if it’s terrific or terrible. Unlike the past years, I seem to no longer enjoy constantly and actively seeking new releases. If anything, I often find myself playing tracks from decades ago.
In the first few months of the year, the songs I downloaded or streamed were those that were playing on-site. For example, I never really cared about Ariana Grande’s “Thank U, Next” but it just kept on playing everywhere when I was in Japan. I eventually found myself liking it. LOL.
But the biggest theme of my listening habit this year can be summed up in a word — Eurovision. I used to follow this international song contest when I was in college, but life happened. I completely forgot about it until my visit to Australia earlier this year. In between tours, I love watching TV at the hotel. When I was in Melbourne, Kate Miller-Heidke’s Eurovision bid was promoted every single commercial break. “Zero Gravity” is a damn catchy song and it wasn’t long until I got caught in its LSS trap. But more importantly, it re-sparked my interest in the event.
Before I knew it, I was YouTubing performances from years past and streaming them repeatedly. In particular, I enjoyed the Swedish entries. Prior to this, the only Swedish acts I was familiar with were Robyn and ABBA. LOL. (I’ve always been a fan of Robyn’s. “With Every Heartbeat” and “Dancing on my Own” are two of my all-time fave songs.)
2019 is also the year that I finally gave K-Pop a chance. And whoa, I think I’m in love.
Anyway, here are the most played songs on my player this year.
19. Mariah Carey – GTFO
18. Kate Miller-Heidke – Zero Gravity
17. Carly Rae Jepsen – Cut to the Feeling
16. Edith Piaf – La Vie en Rose
15. Robyn – Missing U
14. Calum Scott & Leona Lewis – You are the Reason
13. Eleni Foureira / Måns Zelmerlöw – Fuego
12. Duncan Laurence – Arcade
11. Ariana Grande – thank u, next
10. Shawn Mendes – Why (feat. Leon Bridges) [Remix]
On repeat in: Lisbon, Portugal; Krakow, Poland; Athens, Greece.
I first heard this song on an Uber ride in Lisbon. The driver played it and it immediately got my attention. I downloaded this on the spot and listened to it repeatedly during the last leg of our European trip.
9. Alanis Morissette – Thank U
On repeat in: Batangas, Philippines.
One night, a cousin and I were driving on an empty diversion road when Alanis Morissette’s THANK U played. I was surprised — delightedly — because I had not heard Alanis on the radio in years. I turned the volume up, rolled down the window, felt the cold wind on my face, and sang unabashedly. Cliche but it felt good.
8. Moira dela Torre – Tagpuan
On repeat in: Baguio and Sagada, Philippines.
I went to Baguio and Sagada not just to escape the water crisis in Manila but also finally write another screenplay. To inspire and get me in the right mood, I listened to a lot of OPM love songs, but this one turned out to be my fave. After the trip, the water crisis was still not over and I wasn’t able to write anything. Hahaha.
7. Sam Smith & Normani – Dancing with a Stranger
On repeat in: Turkistan, Kazakhstan
6. Taylor Swift – Cruel Summer
On repeat in: Shymkent and Astana, Kazakhstan
Taylor Swift’s Lover album was released when I was in Kazakhstan and this song stood out for me.
5. Måns Zelmerlöw & Dotter – Walk with Me
On repeat in: Singapore
4. BTS – Boy With Luv (feat. Halsey)
On repeat in: Dubai, UAE; Singapore
Hello, K-Pop! Nice to finally meet ya.
3. Robyn – Honey
On repeat in: Europe
2. Benjamin Ingrosso – Dance You Off
On repeat in: Europe
This Eurovision performance is brilliant and the guy is cute, but most of all, it was a darn catchy song.
1. Loreen – Euphoria
On repeat in: Europe
Out of all the Eurovision songs I listened to and performances I saw, I can definitively say that this is my absolute favorite.