As I prepare to say a final goodbye to Acoustic Avenues, I wanted to share with you all the albums that have made these last three years more bearable. I started my high school career in 2019 and since then there have been some incredible artists dropping new music that has shaped me into the person I am today.

Starting at number one is Thank U, Next by Ariana Grande. This album felt like therapy for me in a time when I was really struggling. The album itself is a very emotional one, as described by Grande herself. It was a beautiful set of tracks that managed to stop time for as long as the album lasted. It was the perfect escape and allowed me to cope with life. 

Music to Be Murdered By by EMINEM. This album was just great. It dropped a few months before quarantine for COVID-19 started. It was so influential for me because it allowed me to go through a day without thinking about how insane the world felt at the time. It was great that this dropped during quarantine because it allowed me to take time to really listen and dive deeper into the lyrics of the album, which are fantastic.

YHLQMDLG by Bad Bunny. Though I only recently started listening to this album, I already know the lyrics to all the songs. I associate it with one of the most fun times in my life over the winter break. It is another one of those albums that is a wonderful form of escapism. 

Euphoric Sad Songs by RAYE. This is probably my favorite album of this list. I will never get over how it felt to hear it for the first time or to hear the beauty that is RAYE’s voice. It has some beautiful messages about self worth and growth that resonate with me deeply. I highly recommend this album to any and everyone. 

Life Support by Madison Beer. This album came out right towards the end of my sophomore year when virtual school was wrapping up. It is such a deeply personal album for me because I can identify with a lot of Beer’s struggles in the music. The way she describes her struggles with her mental health helped me so much to talk about my own mental health and deal with it. It is a very lyrically heavy album that requires a lot of attention and listening to resonate with.

Obviously there are way more albums that have been influential to me these last three years, and it was difficult to choose. But, these five have definitely had such a huge impact on my life but also on the industry. They set standards for so many different genres and other artists that I hope people take seriously and strive to reach for.

I have thoroughly enjoyed writing about my music likes and dislikes with you all.