Arlo Parks has shared her “emotional playlist’ and advice to help young musicians in a new Reddit AMA.
The singer-songwriter took part in the Q&A sessions yesterday, three weeks after the release of her debut album ‘Collapsed In Sunbeams’.
One Reddit user noted that they had “cried a lot” while listening to Parks music and asked her to share what songs “never fail to make you emotional”.
In response, the musician listed six songs, dubbing it her “emotional playlist”. The roster included Sufjan Stevens’ ‘The Only Thing’, Soko’s ‘We May Be Dead By Tomorrow’, ‘First Love/Late Spring’ by Mitski and Elliott Smith’s ‘Needle In The Hay’.
Her selection was rounded out by Bright Eyes’ ‘Lua’ and Sparklehorse’s ‘Sea Of Teeth’.
Elsewhere, a 16-year-old fan said they had been inspired to write their own music by Parks and asked her for advice on how to keep up their motivation and cope with feeling like they weren’t good enough.
“I think I just approached it from a place of love and, as hard as it can feel, realising that at the beginning nobody cares yet,” the star replied. “There’s so much power in that – you start making music simply because you love it, finding your feet and what happens afterwards will happen.
“I almost gave up so many times – take me as an example of someone who’s dream came true and keep at it – wonderful things happen sometimes.”
You can read Parks’ AMA answers in full here.
In a four-star review of Parks’ debut album, The Forty-Five’s Kate French-Morris said: “As a Gen Z artist, Parks inherits a mighty wealth of musical influence, and it’s a satisfying change to see the likes of Thom Yorke and Robert Smith claimed by her instead of the legions of white male guitar bands thronging at the door.
“‘Collapsed In Sunbeams’ runs on that indie simplicity, coupled with jazz guitar, trip-hop beats, and occasional shafts of sax. But Parks really shines on tracks like ‘Bluish’ and ‘Portra 400’, where she indulges in gentle rap and R&B, calling to mind Sade and Lauryn Hill.”
READ MORE: Arlo Parks: “I’m determined to do positive things with the time I have”
