In honour of the Queen’s birthday last week and my last (hopefully) ever accounting exam for my ACA, I wanted to write a post dedicated to music. Music is everything to me. I have a playlist for every occasion and every mood but wanted to focus specifically on my power playlist in this post.
I’ve sat exams every year since 2006 and I would say music has been part of my pre-exam routine for approximately the last 8 years. I don’t like to look at my notes in the hour before an exam and instead put on a confidence-boosting playlist. This energises me, calms my nerves and boosts my psyche.
The science behind power posing
The concept of power posing comes from Amy Cuddy’s Ted talk: ‘Your body language may shape who you are’. A power pose is when you make yourself take up physical space with your body and stand in a posture of confidence. Cuddy argued that this can boost feelings of confidence ahead of entering high-pressure situations. Although there has been some dispute about the veracity of this claim, I won’t get into that here.
I’m not going to deny that I’ve tried power posing, although it does feel ridiculous. So for me, I prefer to listen to confidence-boosting music, because this feels a lot more natural. And it works!
Music has healing power. It has the ability to take people out of themselves for a few hours.
Elton John
The science behind power playlists
I decided to look into music and brain (because I’m a low-key nerd) to see if there is a scientific basis for my power playlist. Neuroscientists know that several parts of the brain light up when people listen to music. According to a psychological study, music can make us feel powerful. However, not all songs are equally yoked, but the level of bass is a key variable in terms of the effectiveness of certain songs.
To me, this all makes perfect sense. Music is great at creating atmosphere – can you imagine a silent action or horror movie, or a quiet retail store or sports stadium?
Just as professional athletes might put on empowering music before they take the field to get them in a powerful state of mind, you might try this in certain situations where you want to be empowered.
Derek D. Rucher, study researcher
Speaking of sports, we always used to play ‘Black Skinhead’ by Kanye before most BUCS matches at university. Of course, different music will appeal to people’s differing music tastes, but the forementioned study, said the top high-power songs were:
- ‘We Will Rock You’ by Queen
- ‘Get Ready for This’ by 2 Unlimited
- ‘In Da Club’ by 50 Cent
My power playlist: Survivor
I must admit that none of those songs are on my power playlist, but I created something that feels powerful to me. My power playlist is made of songs with good beats but also encouraging lyrics. It has evolved over time, although some staples will forever remain. The songs that I see as key staples are:
- Survivor – Destiny’s Child
- Fighter – Christina Aguilera
- Flawless Remix – Beyoncé, Nicki Minaj
- Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You) – Kelly Clarkson
- Sorry Not Sorry – Demi Lovato
- Stronger – Kanye West
- Formation – Beyoncé
- Just Fine – Mary J. Blige
- Brave – Sara Bareilles
- Miss Independent – Ne-Yo
If you’d like to give the playlist a full listen, you can follow it here.
Inspired by Beyoncé’s greatness
As a member of the hive, Beyoncé is a key feature on my power playlist. She is a legend and her art knows no bounds. I also have a ‘Slaylist’ of songs dedicated to Beyoncé’s discography too, but we can discuss that another day.
When I say Beyoncé and God have gotten me through every exam I’ve sat, I’m not joking. I’ve played Survivor by Destiny’s Child as the final song before I head into an exam room countless times. Repeating the lyrics over and over again really forces me to believe in myself and claim my inner resilience.
I’m a survivor. I’m not gon’ give up. I’m not gon’ stop. I’m gon’ work harder. I’m a survivor. I’m gonna make it. I will survive. Keep on surviving.
‘Survivor’, Destiny’s Child
Beyoncé’s ‘Formation’ also came at a really key time for me, as it was released a few months ahead of my second-year university exams. The lead single is a power anthem that drove me to slay everything, including my exams.
Anyway, enough about my power playlist, as it’s time to hear about yours. What’s the number one song that is guaranteed to get you feeling strong and powerful? Let me know in the comments.