A Purple iPod, a Thousand Playlists, and No Genre Limits
From puppy love and teenage memories to questions of artistry, image, and evolution, Dannie’s picks reflect a listener who looks beyond the song itself.
Dannie (@recordswithdannie) approaches music with a strong sense of nostalgia, but she’s never stayed stuck in one era. Her answers move from teenage memories and 2000s R&B to complicated conversations around pop imagery and artists finding their next direction. There’s a personal quality to the way she talks about music, but also a willingness to step back and think about what it means beyond the feeling of a good song.
The September 4 to 6 prompts explore those different sides of her listening life. One looks at the song that feels like a personal time capsule, bringing up the way music can preserve a version of yourself long after the moment has passed. Another prompt turns toward an album’s artwork that’s a bit too extra, which leads to a conversation about an artist’s creative choices and the impact images can carry. The final prompt considers an artist she would like to see reinvent themselves, leading to a reflection on growth, authenticity, and what keeps an artist connected to their audience.
Which song feels like a personal time capsule?
In high school there were so many great songs that came out but there is one song that truly takes me back to high school feelings of puppy love and the carefree spirit of 15-year-old me, that song is “Unthinkable (I’m Ready)” by Alicia Keys.
This song not only takes me back but has remained one of my favorite songs over all these years. “Unthinkable” is a song about the “love sparks,” a time where you’re interested in a person romantically and you think they’re interested in you in that way too but you’re both too scared to make that first move.
When I hear this song, it takes me right back to high school listening to this song in the hallway on my purple Nano-iPod before the day started, hoping that my crush would finally tell me that he had feelings for me too. I hear this song and I can see those hallways, the other students, our 2010’s clothing and the boy that I associated with this song. Back then it made me feel like I was floating on air, it made my soul light up with hope and helped me know what the beginning of love could feel like.
I’ve had some life experiences since those high school days but to this day this song gives me the same feelings. It also reminds me of the carefree, hopeful teenage girl that had her romcoms and an iPod full of love songs waiting for her chance at love.
Which album artwork is a bit too extra?
I love Man’s Best Friend by Sabrina Carpenter so much but gosh it’s hard for me to look at the original album cover. I know when Sabrina first announced the new title and the cover there were SO many think pieces about it. From feminism to Lolita comparisons, she was catching a lot of heat.
Now initially I was standing by her, I was like she’s an adult she can make her own choices and the cover isn’t that bad anyway people just want to give a young woman a hard time. Now after constantly listening to the album on Spotify and seeing the album artwork more frequently, I started to think “this is doing a lot.” I know Sabrina stated initially the plan was for the guy in the photo to play with her hair then after many takes it he ended up grabbing her hair, and that’s what they used for the cover.
As a woman it brings up difficult feelings for me, on one hand I stand by women doing whatever they feel is best for them. On the other hand, I know how society views us and if we create images like this, then for some people, they believe this is an okay way to treat us. Do I believe this is Sabrina’s responsibility, no, but pushing boundaries has its own cause and effect. Time will tell whether or not the effect of it all will help move society forward.
Now as I stated above, I do really love the album, I don’t think the music deserved all the hate it got. This album does an amazing job at going through the stages of a relationship in a fun way, which I haven’t really heard much. I resonate with this album so much because when I was a 20-something going through the highs and lows of my own love life this is honestly the best way to explain those feelings without it being so heavy.
My favorite song on this album is “Sugar Talking,” it’s a beautiful mash-up of genres and Sabrina’s voice on it is so powerful. Every time I listen to this song, I feel every emotion she was emoting through this song. Regardless of the album cover it makes me happy to know that the girlies have a lighter album to help us through our relationship woes and heartbreak.
Which artist would you love to see reinvent themselves?
I would love to see Lizzo reinvent herself to grow with her music career. Her first act of positive, dance pop was super fun and I loved it but the music landscape can change quickly. Cuz I Love You was great and topped the charts. I still love listening to “Truth Hurts,” as I will always need positivity in my life no matter the music landscape.
Now with Special she added a bit more of her own emotions and soul to the music, while also adding the fun in here and there. It seemed to me Lizzo had her signature sound with a solid fan base. On Special I love the title track, I have to fight back tears every time I listen to it. I was personally looking forward to her evolution as an artist and a songwriter.
Now flash forward to 2025, a lot had happened in her life personally and I was looking forward to seeing who she was now as an artist, since she spent that much time out of the spotlight. Her first body of work post hiatus was the mixtape My Face Hurts from Smiling. It was received with mixed feelings by fans, but I was hoping that this wasn’t the only music we were getting from her.
Now we move to 2026, we all expected her recent album B!tch to cover her emotions and thoughts during the time she was away from music but it didn’t. I didn’t want to know what happened, but I wanted to know what she was feeling and how she found her way to the other side. I thought this album was going to be a very personal album with an evolution in her writing, but I was disappointed. Do I think the album is as bad as everyone says, no, but I do think it has some stand out songs on it. On B!tch I very much enjoy the songs “Goodmorning!” and “Sexy Ladies.”
After listening to the album in 2026 and the mixtape in 2025, I do think Lizzo has more to offer as an artist and we shouldn’t write her off yet. I would like for her to take the time to shift into a new phase of her artistry. I personally think she should combine her rapping and singing into a true R&B/Neo-Soul album. I also think she needs to be more personable with her writing, she has already started with Special so I believe it can develop into some beautiful songs.
Now it’s fun to write those radio, club, and TikTok hits but I do think what keeps fans is writing something that resonates with people. I know a lot has happened to her personally so imagine it’s difficult to write from a raw and real place but I think if she does, she’ll find her people again.
There are the artists you like, and then there are the ones you feel indebted to, or even owe your life to. For Dannie, Jhené Aiko belongs in that second category. She first heard “The Worst” during her sophomore year of college, eventually finding her way to “Sail Out” and “Souled Out” at a time when life was becoming increasingly difficult. She describes “W.A.Y.S.” as a reminder that no matter how hard things get, life is still worth holding onto. “She has saved my life,” she says. It’s hard to imagine a more personal reason to keep returning to an artist.
Dannie is the same person who can find comfort in neo-soul, but might need guitar and drums another day, or a rapper who has something to say about life. Her listening changes with her mood, which means there’s always room for something different. Pop, K-pop, rock, alternative, country, jazz, trap, R&B. As she puts it, “I simply love music and I don’t box myself into listening to the genres I grew up listening to.” She doesn’t need her taste to fit neatly together. She just wants it to feel like her.
A scientist, music lover, and superhero enthusiast whose taste moves freely between R&B, pop, hip-hop, rock, and neo-soul, with plenty of room for whatever catches her ear next.
