With a new seasons comes a new edition of MATCHASOUNDS! This one includes some chill, more downtempo tracks to accompany your shorter, cooler days.

As you might’ve guessed, the absence of live music has been so hard for me. I’ve been able to reflect and truly understand how impactful music and live events have been in my life. From the relationships I’ve built, different parts of the country I’ve seen, the new music I’ve discovered and the memories I’ve made along the way, I couldn’t be more grateful. Shoutout to everyone who longs to be on the dance floors and festival fields. May we meet again soon.

I asked my friends to share some of the biggest lessons they’ve learned during the pandemic. We’ve spent half of a year in lockdowns so far, and what a trying time it’s been. These lessons all resonate with me in different ways, and I hope you feel the same.

The Tuesday after Labor Day always marked my first day of school. It was weird to be home on this day, many years later, and not put a uniform on. In a full circle, almost meta moment, I decided to write another letter to my younger self, but this time, to Nadia of 2012 on her first day of senior year of high school.

Yeehaw! We went on a road trip! Clark, Marshall and I took on the open road, from Fresno to Columbus, making many fun lil stops along the way. Shoutout the pandemic for driving me (no pun intended) to my first cross-country road trip.

As my months of unemployment — or funemployment, as I’ve dubbed it — carry on, I’ve filled endless applications, done handfuls of Zoom interviews and built deck after deck. I was asked by one company to create a “Declaration of Creative Intent,” so I’m sharing my DCI, To Whom It May Concern with all of you. To Whom focuses on my definition of creativity and how I apply it to my world. Enjoy!

Two years of MATCHASOUNDS! We’re switching to a season format with longer playlists. Here’s a little something for your summer days.

It truly is crazy what a difference a year can make. On July 19 of this year, I landed at Dulles after almost a month of travel across the country. On July 19 of last year, I also arrived to Dulles but in a completely different state and place. In the year between these two days, I’m shocked at how much has changed but also in how I’ve been able to grow in that time.

I never thought I’d be halfway into 2020 with my year looking as it has. If anything, I’ve learned to really expect the unexpected and to enjoy this downtime, even though it’s not always easy. Three months down and who know how many more to go. Sharing some reflections on the beginning of this new world.

Another month locked up, but that means new Matcha Sounds! I’ve been using music to boost my mood and clear my mind. This month, I put together some light n lucid jams for your drives around town, daily long walks or home chillen.

With so much happening and so much uncertainty, it’s easy to forget to see the good and remember what matters most. Expressing gratitude can do wonders, so I wrote down some of the things I’ve been most grateful for over these last few crazy weeks.

It hasn’t been an easy couple of weeks, and things might not be back to normal in a second. Music can be a powerful tool to bring people together and improve our moods. In place of my annual Coachella drive playlist, I threw together about 2.5 hours of absolute bops to bring a little bit of light to these dark days.