According to my Spotify Wrapped 2024, I listened to music on the platform for 28,005 minutes this year!

Music has always been there to help see me through a life that can sometimes turn chaotic, cluttered, confusing, or uncertain.

When I’m celebrating a love that’s true, a simple or grand accomplishment, or when I find myself suppressing doubts and fears or acknowledging grief, or when I’m feeling empowered and confident, music has always been there as my companion – ever present and forever being a part of the most influential, challenging or memorable moments of my life.

It was a great privilege for me to listen to the demo of original and timeless songs created by a friend from high school who later became a successful songwriter and singer.

The first thing I do before hitting the road after work is to tune in to my favorite R&B or smooth jazz radio station to help calm me down during the grind of rush hour traffic.

Walking down the aisle on our wedding day to “The Prayer” by Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli made my heart feel all the love and warmth from family and friends.

I listened to the soaring notes as my daughter played the violin and it filled me with so much pride, and even more so as I watched her school orchestra perform during their year-end concerts.

When we were kids, I remember watching my dad place his LP albums of Mantovani and Perez Prado on the turntable, blasting the volume all the way up on his stereo. He would sit there all afternoon just listening to his favorite songs.

After struggling to find the right music to play at Dad’s memorial slideshow, I decided to play “Smile” by Nat King Cole – because I know my dad will be the first one to tell me “Ay, tama na ang iyak ng iyak, okay!” (“Stop crying already, okay!”).

I love a great movie, but I love it even more when it also has a glorious motion picture score playing in the background. My heart feels warm and soft when I listen to film scores by Ennio Morricone, John Barry, Craig Armstrong, and Dario Marianelli. I can’t help but feel hopeful every time I listen to “I’m Forrest…Forrest Gump”, and of course, all the original film scores by the great John Williams.

My top songs and genres in my Spotify Wrapped 2024 and personal playlists are pretty diverse – from love songs to easy listening music to pop, R&B and contemporary reggae. On drab, gloomy days I can count on the upbeat pop, hip hop and electronic dance music of K-Pop to get me going. And there’s nothing like listening to Salsa and Latin pop to make me feel light and carefree.

I’ve also skipped through my playlist when songs that remind me of life’s heartbreaking moments started playing. But I soon realized that I have to learn to embrace and accept those moments and feelings as part of a life that is always teaching me to be resilient. So I decided to stop skipping through those songs – and continued to listen, feel and remember what I learned from those heartbreaking and challenging moments.

As this year almost comes to a close, may you all find the music that will make you feel the emotions your heart needs to make you come alive in the coming year!