Final Issue

Southasian Representation in Media: A Year-Late Reaction to Mindy Kaling's "Never Have I Ever"

Khushi Chauhan, EIC


When Mindy Kaling first announced “Never Have I Ever” on Netflix a year ago, I was, to say the very least, ecstatic. For the first time, I felt represented, seen. For the first time, I could relate to a character who was like me: an average, 17-year old, Indian-American girl in a suburban town. But despite the cultural similarities, I found myself struggling to find my story in Devi’s (the main character). After all, it was the only opportunity I had to see “my story” in modern media. I was desperate.

South Asian representation has been scarce. Anytime that there has been representation, most people (myself included) have felt betrayed by “stereotyped” or “white-washed” characters. As I read Kaling's interview on the creation of her show, I learned that Kaling herself has had the same complaints despite having written and portrayed such characters. 

Then why do many South Asians bombard her with endless criticism?

The answer lies in a quote by Denzel Washington: “There’s just so few of us, and I mean so much to my community that I feel like I can’t do that in this lifetime”. I realized that most of us who are members of minority groups are so desperate to see “our story” in the media, that we invalidate the story that the writer is trying to convey. Kaling told her story and while it didn’t represent every single Indian-American girl, it represented one; and I’m sure that this one story will lead to many more.

What IS A Sandwich?

Defining Classic Dishes

Joint Article


Ever since the brief conversation in one of our meetings, Natick Nest members have been curious about what makes a sandwich, and there is plenty of room for debate. In this article, we’ll explore what makes a sandwich (and a few other dishes), opening dialogue to remedy confusion on this serious query. 


Hot Dogs

Alexa Solomon


The hot dog is an incredibly confusing dish. Debating if it deserves the title of a sandwich has been the topic of many high school debate teams, featured on multiple talk shows and TV shows, and has even been used in a college thesis. Clearly, there’s a lot to discuss about this classic American dish. 

Dan Pashman defines a sandwich in his book Eat Better: How To Make Every Bite More Delicious. He says “There are two fundamental characteristics of a sandwich: First, you must be able to pick it up and eat it without utensils, and without your hands touching the fillings. Second, the fillings must be sandwiched between two separate, hand-ready food items.” A hot dog lies top-loaded on a bun which may look like two pieces of bread but is in fact one piece connected at the base of the sausage. Although you can eat it with your hands without touching the fillings, it is not between two separate “hand-ready food items” and is therefore not a sandwich. 

In a 2020 article by AllRecipes, Eric Mittenthal, president of the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council, shares this view. He says that “if you go to a hot dog vendor and you say give me a sandwich, they’re going to look at you like you’re crazy. It’s just culturally not the same as a sandwich.” Personally, I would have to agree with Mittenthal. It seems that a hot dog transcended the typical features of a sandwich and is in a category of its own. 


Cereals, Soups, and Smoothies

Khushi Chauhan


Cereal is actually one of the most amazing foods. There are cereals with marshmallows, cereals with fruit, cereals made of rice, cereals that look like cookies. But what makes cereal...cereal? 

Is cereal a dish with a topping on a liquid? In that case, croutons and soup could be considered cereal. They're both liquid meals that can be consumed hot or cold. But let's dig in deeper. Soup is a smooth blend of several ingredients that could consist of fruits. In that case, we could consider tomato soup, for example, a smoothie. So, through the transitive property of equality, cereal is a smoothie. 

No. Wait. That doesn't sound right. 

Ok, let's try and move on from the "states of matter" argument and go to the flavor argument. Cereals and smoothies are conventionally sweet and soups are conventionally savoury. Temperature? Cereals and smoothies are cold and soups are hot. 

This conclusion is this: cereal is cereal, soup is soup, and a smoothie is a smoothie. Reddit says it, a lawyer from Virginia says it, and I say it. Anyway, we have more important things to debate like are pop-tarts ravioli.


Bagels 

Ella Stern


As anyone who knows me knows, I have very strong opinions about bagels. I tend to think I have the only correct ideas about which kind of bagel is the best, what toppings should go on bagels, and whether or not bagels are a sandwich.

The easy answer is no: I do not think bagels are a sandwich. However, I can see how people could think they are, and how they could be considered a sandwich in some situations. 

Having grown up in a Jewish family, I know that “having a bagel” means “having a bagel with ‘the works’ - cream cheese, lox, tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, capers, etc…” The scrumptious bagel spreads that often greet me during holidays are open-faced, stacked with delicious toppings, and definitely not sandwiches. 

Go into my “is a bagel a sandwich” opinion knowing that that is my idea of what a bagel is and should be. 

Now, for the specifics. When someone has a bagel open-faced (usually with the works or with plain cream cheese or butter) it is not a sandwich because it is open-faced. Although I would call an open-faced sandwich (such as an open-faced turkey and cheese sandwich) a sandwich because it has normal sandwich fillings and someone just chose not to add the final slice of bread, open-faced bagels are not sandwiches because they are meant to be open-faced. If someone had cream cheese or the works between two bagels, I would call it a sandwich, even though I don’t want to. 

Here’s the thing. Bagel sandwiches definitely exist. When you go into a bagel restaurant, you can usually order either a bagel with cream cheese or the works, or a bagel sandwich - turkey and cheese on a bagel, ham and egg on a bagel, or (the best option) whitefish salad on a bagel.

Note my use of the phrase “on a bagel”. Here we go back to my opinion that “having a bagel” means “having a bagel with the works”. Thus, if I wanted a turkey and cheese sandwich but wanted to put it on a bagel, I would say that I am having a turkey and cheese sandwich on a bagel. 

The reason for this is as follows. If someone told me they were eating a turkey and cheese sandwich, I would assume they had it on the bread that we think of as generic sandwich bread - white bread or whole wheat bread if they made the sandwich at home, maybe something a little nicer, such as ciabatta, if they got the sandwich at a restaurant. If, after telling me about their turkey and cheese sandwich, the person showed me layers of turkey and cheese between two halves of a bagel, I would think “Oh, they had their sandwich on a bagel!” The sandwich is a sandwich (note the phrase “between two halves of a bagel”) but I would not refer to it as such. For me, “bagel” means “open-faced bagel” and “sandwich” means “fillings between two slices of sandwich bread”. If you are combining the two things, you have to specify that you are doing so.

In conclusion, open-faced bagels (especially ones with the works) are not sandwiches. If you put sandwich fillings between two halves of a bagel, it is a sandwich, but I believe you should specify that it is not just an ordinary sandwich - it is a sandwich on a bagel.  


The Massachusetts Burrito Trial

Alexa Solomon


Is a burrito a sandwich? As of a 2006 legal ruling in our very own state of Massachusetts, no it is not. The burrito-sandwich dispute arose over a decade ago in Shrewsbury when a Panera Bread in White City Shopping Center was concerned about a Qdoba Mexican Grill opening in the same shopping center. In Panera’s lease, there was a clause that prevented the shopping center from providing space to any other “sandwich shops.” Apparently, White City Shopping Center didn’t get the memo and approved a lease with Qdoba. As predicted, chaos was sparked. Panera decided to sue in order to enforce the sandwich-exclusion clause. And then came the case. And another case. Up until this query made its way to the Superior Court. 

The sudden sandwich selection case was laid before Superior Court Judge Jefferey Locke, who I’m sure was just as entertained as we are by this humorous legal issue. The case was so peculiar that expert chef Chris Schlessinger got involved. With his spectacular affidavit evidence, he might have swung the tide for Qdoba. In his delivery, he said “I know of no chef or culinary historian who would call a burrito a sandwich.” So, did this woo Locke over? By the grace of the sandwich Gods, it did.

In his final verdict, Locke argued that burritos, tacos, and quesadillas aren't often thought of as sandwiches because they're usually constructed with a single tortilla and loaded with a choice filling of meat, rice, and beans. I believe that “single” is the key word here and what concluded this mysterious local conflict and international debate. 

Reads, Reviews, and Recommendations

Keira McDonough


These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong

The debut novel from a class of 2021 student at the University of Pennsylvania, These Violent Delights is a retelling of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet set in 1920s Shanghai. 


Genre: Young Adult fantasy 


Summary (from Goodreads): 

The year is 1926, and Shanghai hums to the tune of debauchery.


A blood feud between two gangs runs the streets red, leaving the city helpless in the grip of chaos. At the heart of it all is eighteen-year-old Juliette Cai, a former flapper who has returned to assume her role as the proud heir of the Scarlet Gang—a network of criminals far above the law. Their only rivals in power are the White Flowers, who have fought the Scarlets for generations. And behind every move is their heir, Roma Montagov, Juliette’s first love…and first betrayal.


But when gangsters on both sides show signs of instability culminating in clawing their own throats out, the people start to whisper. Of a contagion, a madness. Of a monster in the shadows. As the deaths stack up, Juliette and Roma must set their guns—and grudges—aside and work together, for if they can’t stop this mayhem, then there will be no city left for either to rule.


My thoughts:

Man, did I enjoy this book! The plot was carefully thought out, and the plot twists were crafted in such a way thatwhere I sort of had an inkling of what was coming next, but I wasn't sure exactly what, or how. The ending toed a very very fine line between a plot twist that nobody sees coming at all and a plot twist that everyone saw coming from miles away;. aA great balance that makes a really great read, the kind of plot twist that makes you go "wWhy didn't I see that before?!" The ending was a massive cliffhanger, but with just enough closure that it doesn't keep the reader entirely in the dark for what may be coming in the sequel. Plot wise, this book was wonderfully executed. 


The dialogue was a little too middle grade-y for a gory Romeo and Juliet retelling with gangs, guns, and nightclubs. It wasn't cringe-worthy, but it wasn't exactly pleasant. However, the prose surrounding the dialogue, especially the setting descriptions, made up for it almost entirely. 


The two main characters were rounded out, but I found that the side characters -, particularly the side characters in the Scarlet Gang -, felt a little flat. They either didn't have a personality at all, or they only had one or two personality traits. HoweverBut, giving the author the benefit of the doubt, I presume they'll each get their full arcs by the end of the duology. 


It was very much a fast-paced novel. This is a matter of taste, but I didn't think there were enough scenes thatto furthered character development. It was major event after major event after major event w. Which isn't a bad thing necessarily., Bbut this cast of characters, especially Roma and Juliette, had so much more to them that I felt that could've been conveyed through just a couple of scenes dedicated to characterization. 


Overall, 4/5 stars. You will definitely find me at Barnes and Noble the day the sequel comes out in November. 


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Howl by Allen Ginsberg


Genre: Poetry


Summary (from Goodreads):

First published in 1956, Allen Ginsberg's "Howl" is a prophetic masterpiece—an epic raging against dehumanizing society that overcame censorship trials and obscenity charges to become one of the most widely read poems of the century.


My thoughts:

Honestly, I'll never find anything wrong with Allen Ginsberg's poems. As far as I'm concerned, he's a poetic mastermind. But it is very much up to a matter of taste. His poems are long, epic-like stories that masterfully weave together his thoughts with plots and observations of the world around him. One of Ginsberg's biggest poetic inspirations was Walt Whitman, as demonstrated in the poem "A Supermarket In California". It took me a couple tries to read "Howl" because it's such a long poem, but it's worth it since it gives an astute observation into the world around him and what has and hasn't changed in the years since. I'd recommend getting started with Allen Ginsberg and some of his shorter poems like "America" and "A Supermarket In California". 


Overall: 4.5 stars for the depth and overall craft, but it doesn't get a full 5 stars because it is LONG and honestly kind of confusing.


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Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

Another debut novel from a young author about the struggles of being queer in a traditional family, sprinkled in with magic and vague necromancy.


Genre: Young Adult fantasy


Summary (from Goodreads): 

When his traditional Latinx family has problems accepting his true gender, Yadriel becomes determined to prove himself a real brujo. With the help of his cousin and best friend Maritza, he performs the ritual himself, and then sets out to find the ghost of his murdered cousin and set it free.


However, the ghost he summons is actually Julian Diaz, the school's resident bad boy, and Julian is not about to go quietly into death. He's determined to find out what happened and tie off some loose ends before he leaves. Left with no choice, Yadriel agrees to help Julian, so that they can both get what they want. But the longer Yadriel spends with Julian, the less he wants to let him leave.


My thoughts: 

Another debut novel! Standalone fantasy novels are hard to pull off and this was pulled off well. 


However, I thought that the book was VERY short. It was only major events and none of the inbetween. Like I said in an earlier review, that isn't necessarily a bad thing, but for this novel particularly, it came at its own detriment. None of the characters really felt like real people to me, mostly because we only saw them in the big moments so we knew nothing about who they were in the little moments. Those little moments are the most important contributions to characterization.


Julien felt very two-dimensional: the stereotypical bad boy from a rough neighborhood with a heart of gold. Maritza also felt pretty two-dimensional: your token rebellious teenage girl in a traditional family. I didn't particularly like how [MINOR SPOILER] she sort of compromised her beliefs towards the end [END SPOILER]. With a few more scenes dedicated to characterization, all of the characters and their relationships could have been so much more. For a romance novel, the romance was very much thrown to the back burner. It only really came out towards the end.There was no building up to the big moment. It felt like an afterthought. The majority of the romance, all the development that should have been done over the course of the entire novel, was crammed into the last 50 pages. Not to mention, the novel only takes place over the course of about three days, so it was a tad insta-love-y. 


However, there is something to be said about how well the representation of LGBTQ+ teenagers is done. It was an OwnVoices novel—meaning the writer was a Latinx trans man, as well as the main character Yadriel—so that aspect of it all felt very real and very raw and it was very well done. If the story had focused on that aspect with the becoming-a-brujo aspect and pushed the romance out, it would've been much better. There were a lot of plotlines cramped into a very short novel that could've been fixed either with a longer book, with more scenes dedicated to progressing the romance, or with removing one of the plotlines. 


Overall, 3/5 stars. I liked the book! I read it all in one day and I'm anticipating some very good novels from Aiden Thomas in the future. Would definitely recommend.


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Song of Achilles by Madeleine Miller

A new take on the Iliad written by a classics professor, told from Patroclus's perspective and highlighting his relationship with Achilles. 


Genre: New Adult fiction 


Summary (from Goodreads): 

Greece in the age of heroes. Patroclus, an awkward young prince, has been exiled to the court of King Peleus and his perfect son Achilles. By all rights their paths should never cross, but Achilles takes the shamed prince as his friend, and as they grow into young men skilled in the arts of war and medicine their bond blossoms into something deeper - despite the displeasure of Achilles' mother Thetis, a cruel sea goddess. But then word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped. Torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus journeys with Achilles to Troy, little knowing that the years that follow will test everything they hold dear.

Profoundly moving and breathtakingly original, this rendering of the epic Trojan War is a dazzling feat of the imagination, a devastating love story, and an almighty battle between gods and kings, peace and glory, immortal fame and the human heart.


My thoughts: 

To make a long story short, this book WRECKED me. It’s incredibly written, a ballad start to finish with prose weaved together beautifully.


My issues lie in the pacing. The last few chapters were better than the entire rest of the book combined. The middle was slow and dredged through and the timeline was very muddy at times, mostly during the war. 


Patroclus’s character arc is lovely: it’s written and paced out very well. Achilles’s arc is where I had a problem. We see him jump from a tender-hearted, caring boy who could never hurt a soul and was utterly traumatized by death, to a killing machine literally overnight. And while Patroclus’s narration provides insight to the story we’ve never seen, he focuses on the uninteresting parts. He doesn’t hone in on their relationship or at least not the parts I wanted to see. Dduring the war, there was almost none of them and their relationship’s development. Are we expected to believe it remained so static for ten years? On top of that, we barely see any of the lingering touches of childhood when they first come to Troy. They were children and I wish some of that had bled through more than it did. Yes, Achilles was bred for battle, but he was a teenager nevertheless. 


There is a point to be made about the fact that in the Iliad (the source material for this book) Achilles was that killing machine. He was NOT a good person. And since the book is told through Patroclus's point of view, I feel like the grapple between Achilles's war personality and his childhood personality could have come through more. It did read for Patroclus and Achilles's shift into megalomaniac war criminal was very well-told, but as I read through Achilles's actions, he kind of went from 0 to 100. The author already took considerable liberties in telling the story, so I don't think this minor change would've made much a difference if only to make the characters more human. 


Overall, however, I 100% recommend. I bawled my eyes out in the last few chapters, even though I knew how it ended. Gorgeously written and the development between Patroclus and Thetis in that last couple of pages was just stunning and wonderful to read. I can’t remember the last time I cried this hard reading a book. Read it if you haven’t! This book is a masterpiece. 4/5 stars. 


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My Recommendations For The Summer!

*DISCLAIMER: I have not read all of these books. NA books, as implied, are adult books. Adult content may ensue. 


YA = young adult (ages 14-18)

NA = new adult (ages 16-30)


Looking for something light to read on the beach?

If you like rom-coms, try Counting Down With You by Tashie Bhuiyan (YA), One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston (NA), Beach Read by Emily Henry (NA), Perfect on Paper by Sophie Gonzales (YA)

If you like coming-of-age stories, try Last Night At The Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo (YA), You Should See Me In A Crown by Leah Johnson (YA)

If you want something to read while traveling, try Mosquitoland by David Arnold (YA), The Land of 10,000 Madonnas by Kate Hatter (YA), Paper Towns by John Green (YA)

If you want something more fantastical but still light-hearted, try The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune (NA) 


Want something a little heavier?

If you're into exploring the dynamics of family and relationships, try Sadie by Courtney Summers (YA), Far From The Tree by Robin Benway (YA)

If you're into coming-of-age, but something that'll make you think, try Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas (YA), Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender (YA)

If you're into the dark academia aesthetic, try Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson (YA), Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo (NA), Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé (YA), Wilder Girls by Rory Power (YA)

If you're looking for non-fiction, try Born A Crime by Trevor Noah

If you're into fantasy, try Priory of The Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon (NA), Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi (YA), Dread Nation by Justina Ireland (YA), Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (YA), The Wrath and the Dawn by Renée Ahdieh (YA)

An Homage to the Music That Has Joined Me in the Past Few Years

Val Valderrama


As I write this, I am sitting in a coffee shop with an iced coffee on a nice May summer day. A pair of half-functional headphones in my lap. The same ones that came with my 3-year-old phone. The ones I used to listen to music in the halls of the High School for the past few years.


Through the years, being a “music listener” has become a more and more essential part of who I am. If you are constantly searching for music (or even make some yourself), or if you only hear what comes out of the radio, we can agree that music can play a big role in our life. It links us to the memories of our past and joins us in the adventures of the present. It joined me during long bus rides to school. It ignited my interest in Poetry and playing the guitar. It was one of the most influential tools that allowed me to be fluent in English in around 8 months. I also really like how it sounds. It joined me while going from class to class and now, it joins me while I am studying from home.


Here, I would like to share my own music discovery journey with you in 2 main stages: before high school and during high school. I want to share the tracks that have meant the most to me over the years, why I like them, and how you can explore them to enjoy them too!


Before I start though, I would like to share this with you. I explored the history of the headphones, and how they came to be what they are today, for a class assignment and if you are interested in this article you may be interested in this information too.


All right. Let's start…


Everything began in my early teens, around 2014. The K-12 school I went to had a contest to incentivize its students to explore their new website. Those who participated the most were entered for some prizes. I did it just for fun, so when I was announced as one of the winners, it caught me by complete surprise. I won an iPod nano. A little metal square with a digital screen and plenty of space for music. 



The first album I ever purchased and one that introduced me to the replay button was “Reflection” by Fifth Harmony. This album is packed with powerful energy and the, at the moment, balanced chemistry of all its members. Even though its “Factor X” industry focused foundation didn’t leave the group in a place to prosper in the long term. Looking back, I can see that each of the 5 girls was trying their best to showcase their entire ability. This album has always been a source of confident energy for me. Especially tracks like “Brave, Honest, Beautiful” or the album title track “Reflection” which has lyrics that radiate power.


On the other hand, as a girl growing up in Bogota, Colombia, Natalia LaFourcade’s “Hasta la raíz” was a song that immediately drew me in. Her intimate lyrics of lust and change gave me company when my life began to change. Recently, I’ve reconnected with this song again. I really admire her grace, by tributing the place where she spent her childhood - Veracruz, Mexico - by using the particular “Huapango” strumming technique. This pattern, in which the strings are swept up and down, creates a unique sound that is traditionally used to dance -Zapateado- (hitting the floor purposely with the soles of your feet). Yet, for this track it gives it a sense of walking with confidence to the unknown. The black and white music video shows her personal journey into becoming a confident musician. In it, she is held up by others with pride and joy until she is able to stand for herself and show her art.


Near my 13th birthday, I began to explore music more and more using Spotify. Now, as you may imagine, Spotify is my absolute favorite platform. During 2016, I traveled Europe and made my first playlist with songs I liked. I also added songs that  I heard around me or that my friends recommended to me. This created the habit of making playlists and refreshing my music library every so often. 


Later that year, I moved to Natick and began to use music as a way to learn English. Near the end of 8th grade, a particular song stuck with me: “Wild Things” by Alsessia Cara, with free spirited lyrics and a chill upbeat melody. It quickly jumped into my list of favorites. I love her liberating thesis. The end of her music video says it all. She highlights that “there is a wild thing that lives inside all of us. It lives in our passions, in the people we love, our subconscious thoughts, our beliefs. It even makes a home in the darkest parts of us, but we can’t be scared of it. We have to become "it”. The entirety of “Know-it-all”, the album that this song is a part of, became very special to me. The famous “Scars to your beautiful” helped open the door to questioning unrealistic beauty stands. While “Here” was the first party anthem that considered an introverted, honest perspective on partying. I really appreciate that EP, her record labels Def Jam and Universal allowed her to come as she was.  Instead of transforming her into a stereotypical “young girl”. Her honest music and personality showed that the mainstream music industry can be a place where music is nurtured and where its listeners could live and prosper.


Talking about Alessia Cara leads me to my next stage: high school. 


Alessia was present in my music library during 9th grade, yet she became particularly special during the second semester of my sophomore year. In November of 2018, “The Pains of Growing”, her sophomore album, was released. 


As for everyone else, high school,a time of personal growth, is often kick-started by pain. Alessia's new release was perfectly timed to help me rebuild from pain. I genuinely believe this album is a healer that can help anybody in any time of struggle. 

If you are in pain or feel overwhelmed, you can stop reading this (it's completely cool) and please go listen to it. The lyrics of pure vulnerability with the notion of assurance really make it unique.


One thing though: listen to it TOP to BOTTOM, no shuffle or skipping. This album introduced me to the concept of listening to albums as a whole which allows you to really immerse yourself in the world the artist is creating. This is now essential to my enjoyment of music.

For "The Pains of Growing", Alessia starts with uncertainty, then circles through pain, gains confidence, and goes through self reflection, landing at the end stronger yet still uncertain. This ending, with the track “Growing Pains (Reprise)”, is the best thing about the album. She knows this is not the only time she will feel pain or change, yet she also knows that she will be able to get through it. She will grow a little more, be more comfortable with herself, and have fun though that time.


I love this album so much that I could almost call it the soundtrack of my High School years. I listened to it almost on repeat through 10th grade. I was also the first person to attend the meet & greet for Alessia's  tour in Boston during the fall of 11th grade.


Yet, it was nowhere near the only record I heard.


One day while eating lunch in the cafeteria, around the same time I found Alessia’s second album. Spotify had released zodiac sign specific playlists. While we ate, my friends and I looked at our zodiac recommendations. I am a Gemini and at the bottom of my playlist, I found a track called “Ocean (live)” by John Butler Trio. This 12 minute long song (!!!) was made by an Australian band led by John Butler. Now that I look back on it, this song shares many of its elements with “The Pains of Growing”. Only that they were all compressed in an instrumental by a 11-string guitar, that hints the “street musician” energy Butler had when he first wrote it and began to perform it. This song is so particularly magical that it makes you want to learn to play the guitar while crying tears of emotion. You can see for yourself here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66Jv6rTZjJ8 


Among the many awesome artists I discovered, the most prevalent was good ol’ Shawn Mendes. If you know me personally, chances are that you've seen me wearing my “YOUTH” hoodie a bit too many times. 


Shawn is one of my favorites, for reasons similar to why others love him. He has lovely heartfelt songs, a passion for music and playing guitar, charm, and fine looks. 


Yet, the more I listened to his music, his kind personality and good intentions, that reflected the love and support his family and close friends have for him, became really apparent. For instance, he recorded a version of “Under Pressure” by Queen for the movie Bohemian Rhapsody with his close friend and collaborator Teddy <3. The funds raised by it went to the Mercury Phoenix Trust, a charity organisation that fights HIV/AIDS worldwide. In the past couple of years, he has partnered with companies like “Flow”, a company that provides alkaline water in eco-friendly packaging. More recently, he made a special feature with “Calm”, a meditation app to encourage meditation and take care of one’s mental health.


Meditation and vulnerability were some of the main things I learned while being his fan. Even though my family and friends had recommended meditation to me for a while, it was one particularly tough day when I saw him advocate for the value of meditation and self reflection that I did the first meditation and unlocked a string of events that allowed me to start moving in a positive direction. 


My favourite albums of his are the “MTV Unplugged” and his self titled “Shawn Mendes”, aka SM3. Beyond his famous, romantic songs like “Lost in Japan”, to me his most influential song thus far is “Youth ft. Khalid”. 


During the last few years, the rise of social media has enabled us to open our eyes to the rotten parts of the world and society. "Youth ft. Khalid" highlighted the vibrant passion inside of every human, especially those with an open mind or “young” mentality. 


The song was initially created as a response to the shooting in Manchester during Ariana Grande’s concert. Yet, it transformed into an anthem for the March for Our Lives movement for gun regulation after many shootings had occurred, most notably the one in Marjory Stoneman Douglas High in Parkland, Florida. The song also transformed into an anthem for movements like climate change, racial injustice, and many others. 


Shawn knew this song was very special so, for his music video, TV performances, and his live performance during the SM3 tour, he honored it as such. The music video features the two singers, accompanied by individuals who exemplify the vibrant “Youth” energy and philosophy. They are all so beautifully courageous. Morgan Hurd, Charlotte Reidy, and Austin Perine always make me smile.This was one of the building blocks that showed me the power that poetry holds in bringing about positive change.


Then for the 2018 Billboard performance, students from the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High choir were featured. The choir appears midway through the song, wearing a blue hoodie with large wite letters that read YOUTH (the one I later bought). This group of determined individuals standing together at the end of the performance created a strong sense of determination towards a better future.


Lastly, the performance he did during the tour for this song began with him playing the guitar with incremental speed. As Shawn stomped his foot, he encouraged the audience to clap along with his stomp. After reaching a peak of speed he began singing.


Before the last chorus, he takes a pause to address the audience directly. He states, “I want you guys to know that when I say the word YOUTH [...] I am talking about a word that describes the feeling of freedom and the feeling of happiness. [...]  You are the people who have the power to change the world. [...] It is up to us to stand our ground, to say that no matter what happens our Youth will not be taken away from us”. Then, he invites the audience to sing one last chorus to ignite this power inside them. 


Now that I look back at it, after taking both Psychology and Anatomy & Physiology courses this year, I see this was planned in a way to increase the audience’s adrenaline level so that they could focus on Shawn's powerful words. Therefore, this performance opened the audience's conscious energy to invite this message into their minds, and make it memorable.  


I had the privilege to experience this live. The vibrant energy of an arena packed with hopeful people impacted me. It reassured me that if we each consciously choose our actions with strong values in mind, our actions will be strong and impactful. It reassured me that we can improve this world little by little.


Writing this made me reflect on the person I was before high school, during high school, and at this moment. It made me reflect on the experiences I've had and the tunes that accompanied them. Even though I hadn’t heard most of the tracks named above in over a year, listening to them still brought vivid memories back. They will always have a special place in my heart.


A main takeaway is this: music → mindset. 


These songs repeat in our headphones and naturally, repeat in our heads. This creates a gateway to the place that determines how we see the world and who we are. We have the ability to choose how we see the world. If you find constant pain, consider assessing what you hear beyond music and perceive through your other senses. 


You have the ability to create an environment that sets you up for success.


Through the years I have tried my best to choose music that helps me, and nurtures me while still being enjoyable. As the marvelous Jacob Collier advocates, music should be “nutritious and delicious”. 


~~.~~.~~


Here is a YouTube playlist of all the songs named above, plus some others I enjoy: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLweVO8hy1okPu5iMfahqwnRhPwdKrSnP 


Needless to say, in my opinion, these are songs have the potential to set you up for success.


~

 I had planned to share the music that I had found during quarantine and how I have evolved during this time. However, this document is 5 pages by this point.


I will respect both of our time and leave this article here. However, I will share this on my new personal newsletter “Val’s Blooming Digest”. If you are interested you can sign up by filling out this form: https://forms.gle/6peqtZnms9JQfRUw5 


As a music lover I have found some awesome music-related YouTube videos that I think you will really enjoy.