Strangely enough, I am graduating this year and going to college. Although I’ve come to accept this new daunting future ahead of me, I can’t help but to be nostalgic for the time I’ve lost through the pandemic. I never got to finish my junior year or go through my senior year properly. I lost two years of Fantastics, multiple dance performances, and hangouts with friends. I lost all the homecomings I skipped out on, my final prom, and a senior graduation trip. These losses I have processed but from time to time, I think of them. However, if there’s anything I can leave off with, I will leave a top 10 list of my favorite music of all time from high school. I hope you will enjoy it!

TOP 10 MUSIC: 

https://tinyurl.com/nhistop10playlist

1. Secret – WJSN  https://youtu.be/_uJxJ7tSi1w 

I put this song first in my playlist because it was the first song I learned to dance with KPOP Club. Performing this song is a very vivid memory to me- I remember the rush of adrenaline running through my body as I did it for Tricks and Treats 2017. KPOP Club has been a community of people that have become my family during the time I’ve been at Silver Creek, so this song means a lot to me. This song however is also super pretty, with stunning visuals and a really cute dance.

2. instagram – DEAN https://youtu.be/wKyMIrBClYw

This song is so good. It actually carried me throughout high school. I wish I was kidding but I’ve listened to this song so many times. Whether it was staying up to finish my homework or to sing this song sadly in the shower, this song carried me throughout high school. The lyrics are very relatable, as DEAN sings about constantly scrolling through Instagram to get away from his many thoughts. It talks about how miserable he is in today’s world and in the end reveals his thoughts about a past lover. I adore this song and the music video is absolutely stunning, the visuals in black and white really stick with you. DEAN is one of my favorite artists, I hope he releases more songs soon. 

“I’m useless/ Posting these pictures/ But no one knows/ My hidden feelings behind them/ I’m wandering again/ Inside Instagram” (English Translation)

3. We’ve Never Met but Can We Have a Cup of Coffee or Something – In Love With a Ghost https://youtu.be/0XZJ5mD6nSU

This song I’ve listened to mostly while I’m studying but it’s definitely one of my favorite lofi songs! It’s very chill and I love the title a lot, the music video is also super cool. In Love With a Ghost’s artwork for their albums is also always really nice.

4. RENTAL – Brockhampton https://youtu.be/LXuNNqoo1WQ

RENTAL pretty much defined my sophomore year of high school. I listened to so much Brockhampton, it was definitely a moment in time. I don’t really listen to them anymore but this song will always hold a special place in my heart. I especially love the chorus of this song, and I have a lot of good memories with this song – like listening to it with my friends in WHAP, listening to it while walking to the bus loop after 5 pm. A moment in time.

5. Saw You In A Dream – The Japanese House https://youtu.be/LxZDxF0MyV0

I (unfortunately) had a lot of crushes in high school. Literally none of them worked out but at least I had this song on my side. A word to describe this song would be ethereal, as it sounds exactly like its title. The lyrics are beautiful yet haunting. I especially love the beginning, the chords and the little ding sound. It’s very beautiful, and this song holds a special place in my heart. 

“I saw you in a dream/ You came to me/ You were the sweetest apparition, such a pretty vision”

6. Liability  – Lorde https://youtu.be/BtvJaNeELic

Another sad song but it’s really, really good. Liability has such powerful and vivid lyrics that I have also cried to countless times, especially late at night when I feel so unlovable and used. It’s a very relatable song. Melodrama by Lorde is one of my favorite albums of all time, as I love every song on this album. I do hope she releases more music soon. Lorde is so talented and I really miss her. My favorite lyrics from Liability are “So I guess I’ll go home/ Into the arms of the girl that I love/ The only love I haven’t screwed up/ She’s so hard to please/ But she’s a forest fire…” I’ve definitely felt this way about myself, going home alone and only having myself to love.

7. Fear – Seventeen https://youtu.be/ap14O5-G7UA 

This song holds a lot of meaning to me as it was the part of the setlist for my first ever concert I’ve ever been to. I went to it pre-covid in the midst of my junior year. I went to SAP for it and it was such a fun experience! Seventeen is one of my favorite K-Pop groups, as I’ve known them since they first debuted with “Adore U” in 2015. This concert was so fun and entertaining!! Seventeen interacted with the audience a lot so it was really good seeing them. I even got to see it with one of my best friends and my mom. I hope that I can see them again someday!

8. XS – Rina Sawayama https://youtu.be/TO2c06p6m5w

I really started getting into Rina Sawayama’s music this year, and XS was one of the songs I had on repeat the starting half of my senior year. “XS” mocks capitalism and how it’s a trap. The lyrics are so brilliant, such as “When all that’s left is immaterial/And the price we paid is unbelievable/ And I’m taking in as much as I can hold…” and the catchy chorus “Gimme just a little bit (more)/ Little bit of (excess)/ Oh me, oh my..” Sawayama’s music is just brilliant and I truly believe she should’ve been nominated for the Grammys.. she got scammed.

9. Stargazing – The Neighbourhood https://youtu.be/8giBPUpzKRw

The Neighbourhood has been my favorite band since middle school, especially since I was in my emo phase. Dark times. But I’ve always stuck with listening to them, just because their music is always so good. Their album “Chip Chrome and the Monotones” released in 2020, departing from their earlier grungy sound into more brighter songs (although some are still really sad.) I finally started learning how to drive in 2020 and this song is the perfect driving song. I’m 18 now so I can drive wherever and I love hearing this song as I drive. The chorus is so catchy and I especially love the music video, with Jesse (the main singer) acting with his long-time girlfriend, Devon. The message is so cute and I hope I never fall out of love with their music. “Pull it out of park, put it in drive/ I can feel your heart beatin’ with mine”

10. After School – Weeekly  https://youtu.be/qfVuRQX0ydQ 

A very recent song but I think it’s so cute and it is so catchy. This song constantly replays in my head so much. I think the title is also very fitting to describe most of my favorite high school experiences. They were all afterschool – like dance practices, hanging out with friends, doing performances, staying late in classrooms to catch up on work and eat my teachers’ food, etc.. It’s wild to think it’s all coming to an end. Also KPOP Club performed this song for a special end of the year performance, so check it out on our Youtube! (I gotta plug okay I’m the current vice president). 

“This moment will never come again/ Everything here is sparkling/ I’ve captured it all, taken it all/ An album full of videos,/ don’t know where we’ll pop to”