20 Albums that Defined the First 20 Years of My Life

By Kayla Harper

INTRODUCTION

I wanted to do something special on the page to celebrate my 20th birthday and came up with the idea about a week ago to do something including 20 albums. Choosing my top 20 favourite albums was too difficult, I already disagree with the top 10 list I did earlier this year.

Since today has me reminiscing on my life so far, I thought it would be fun to do 20 albums that defined me as a person over my life, one for each year of my life, but specifically focused on my musical journey over the years, whether that was collecting physical formats or creating my own music. Although a lot of these albums are some of my all-time favourites, this list consists of albums that were essential to a specific stage of my life and take me back to it.

THE EARLY YEARS

Cinderella – Soundtrack

As a young girl, I loved princesses, I still love all things medieval, princesses, castles, mythical creatures like unicorns and dragons, etc. However, when I was a kid Cinderella was my favourite. I watched the movie so often that I wore out multiple DVD’s and had to replace them. The soundtrack is deeply rooted in my childhood because of this. I always made my mom sing, “A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes” to me and even wore a blue Cinderella-inspired prom dress in high school and had a Cinderella themed party for my 18th birthday to commemorate my childhood chapter closing and my adult chapter beginning.

2. Hannah Montana: The Movie – soundtrack

I’ve been collecting music in some capacity almost my entire life. When I was a young kid, I had a radio in my room and collected CDs. Despite the onset of iTunes within the first half of the decade, CDs were still quite prominent. I also loved to sing so for Christmas my parents (I knew them as Santa at the time) got me a karaoke machine in which I could play CDs on and practice singing. Among the first CDs I received and bought for this were the Hannah Montana movie soundtrack and Taylor Swift’s Fearless. As a young, aspiring singer and songwriter, I loved Hannah Montana and watched the movie all the time. It’s where I discovered Taylor Swift through the song “Crazier”. I had heard “Love Story” previously and loved that song, however, it didn’t click for me that they were the same person until seeing her in Hannah Montana. I remember “Love Story” by Taylor Swift (along with “Halo” by Beyonce) being my first favourite songs that it felt like I discovered on my own as a three-four-year-old girl. I remember a family event my grandmother had brought my older cousin and I to. We spent the entire event with another cousin of ours, perfecting all the lyrics to “Love Story” so we could later perform it to all of our family. Of course we would get stage fright and abruptly end the performance after the second verse. To this day, “Love Story” is still one of my favourite songs, as a girl who is obsessed with Shakespeare, the medieval era, princesses etc.

3. Vessel/Regional At Best – Twenty Øne Piløts

As many know, Twenty Øne Piløts is one of my favourite bands and I’ve really grown up with their albums thanks to my dad who used to play Vessel/Regional At Best in the car all the time when it came out. So, in a way he introduced my sister and I to their music, not knowing we would become mega fans and make it our entire personalities. The first songs I remember really latching onto were “Holding On To You” and “Car Radio”. When these two songs played my sister and I would always ask him to play them again and we learned every word to the rap verses. We even choreographed a dance to “Holding On To You”. Since then my sister and I have loved all of their albums and bonded over our shared love for their music. We started a tradition of buying the new album t-shirts at Hot Topic before release night so that on release night/day we could wear them. On release night, we always bake a cake or cupcakes and decorate them to the theme of the album, join the live-streams (if the boys are doing one) and listen to the album in order. On release day, we go out and buy physical copies of the album, until the release of Scaled and Icy, these were always CDs, now we buy the CD and vinyl!

4. Greatest Hits – Jewel

Jewel always makes me think of my mom because that was her favourite artist growing up and still one of them today. When my sister and I were younger, my mom would always put on Jewel’s greatest hits album since it was the one she bought on iTunes and we would all sing it together. Every song on this compilation is deeply rooted in childhood memories of mine and I like to think that Jewel along with other female artists I was exposed to at this time helped fuel my initial passion for songwriting. I remember my mom singing Jewel’s “Who Will Save Your Soul?” flawlessly, sounding exactly like Jewel, so it always comforts me and makes me think of her. I surprised her with tickets to see Jewel live for her birthday last year –this was my mom’s first time seeing her and her excitement was everything to me. I love seeing my mom smile and Jewel always makes me think of her smiling.

5. Break Of Day – Systatic

My dad was in a lot of bands over the years, however, Systatic was the longest and most successful band. He was in this band years before I was born and many years after. Although all of their songs are deeply rooted in my subconscious from falling asleep to them playing/practicing/writing, I decided to include Break Of Day as the album since it’s the only one I have on CD and I think the only one that was widely distributed on CD (I might be incorrect though). I believe the passion for songwriting and music creation is a part of me and who I am, it would have been there regardless, but not to the extent it is now if it weren’t for watching my dad’s band write and record songs in the music room. Additionally, if it weren’t for my dad, I would not have the same resources to actually make these dreams come true. My dad’s passion for music has enabled mine as we always had instruments around to play and equipment to record. He has acted as a mentor for me, teaching me guitar, piano and drums, or at least getting me started so I could begin to learn and grow on each instrument myself. Even today, he is still a mentor to me, teaching me about recording, producing, mixing and mastering a record, all things he learned while in school for sound-engineering. It’s always been a passion of his and I’m so grateful he is passing that down to me.

JUNIOR HIGH YEARS

6. Wish You Were Here – Pink Floyd

My parents are huge Pink Floyd fans, so I grew up listening to Pink Floyd albums all the time and their music seems to be rooted in my subconscious as a result. However, it wasn’t until I was a little bit older that I could properly appreciate Pink Floyd’s music. The first songs I remember really grasping onto were “Time”, “On The Turning Away” and “Wish You Were Here”. This was around the same time I started learning to play guitar. The very first song I ever learned was fingerstyle on the acoustic, “Green Sleeves”, the second was the riff to “Wish You Were Here”. After this, I started teaching myself to play any song I wanted. It was like after learning those first two songs, everything clicked, I could play chords, I could finger-pick, and it only took me a couple minutes of listening to learn a song. I taught myself nearly every song on Taylor Swift’s Speak Now and Red albums, which exposed me to a lot of different chords, progressions and styles preparing me to start writing my own stuff and doing more experimental covers like when I made guitar renditions of every song on Twenty Øne Piløts Blurryface album. Although around this time in my life, Wish You Were Here, was just a catalyst for a passion of mine that is still so important to me today, Pink Floyd’s albums continue to become more meaningful to me every year.

7. Born To Die – Lana Del Rey

I’ve had a love/hate relationship with this album, but that’s only because it was played SO much in my house when it first came out. My parents had just bought a new vehicle that didn’t have an aux-cord, so they decided to buy some CDs for it. Among the classics they already had in their collections, they purchased some newer artists, one of them being Lorde’s debut, Pure Heroine, the other being Lana Del Rey’s Born To Die. Both of these albums became staples in our house and always remind me of driving around in the escalade because those two CDs were almost always cycling through. They were also fairly different from anything I’d listened to prior and would both become favourite artists of mine as I would adore all their future projects and collect their music. Lana Del Rey specifically was an introduction to alternative-pop for me, a genre that would become prominent over the next decade of my life.

8. Reputation – Taylor Swift

It’s hard to choose only 20 albums to talk about some significant moments in my life and I’m trying to not choose too many Taylor ones. Although my music taste is quite broad, she was my first favourite artist and each album really defined a chapter in my life growing up…especially during this era, I had posters of her all over my wall and was obsessed. I had to include reputation, the iconic comeback record. I remember the day Swift’s Instagram was wiped and she posted the three snake videos announcing a new era was upon us. After three years without new music from her, I couldn’t be more excited. Within a couple months reputation was released, I bought it on CD and iTunes on release day. Around this time the Reputation Tour was also announced, of course like the previous tours, I would beg my mom to take me, little did I know this time I would actually go. As many people who follow my page know, My Aunty Cera was a huge Swiftie and she and my mom took me to Swift’s Reputation Tour for my thirteenth birthday (13…how fitting)! This would be my first concert, although my dad was in a hard rock band for most of my childhood and was quite successful in the local scene, I did not get to attend his shows since most of them were at 18+ venues, so this was my first real show! The last track off of reputation, “New Years Day” became very important to me after seeing it live at this show with Aunty Cera because it became her favourite song. I knew piano previously, but only how to play simple songs, with one hand mostly. However, I was determined to learn this song and surprise her by playing it, and I did. It taught me to play piano with two hands and definitely helped me excel at that instrument, although, I would say guitar is still my primary instrument.

9. Crybaby – Melanie Martinez

Throughout my entire life, my Uncle Jordan has always loved art and shown my sister and I so many different kinds of art whether it was drawings, graffiti, music or film. I first heard Melanie Martinez on Musical.ly (the app has since merged and become Tik Tok) and made videos with my cousin to her songs “Dollhouse” and “Mad Hatter”. However, Uncle Jordan showed me her album Crybaby and properly introduced me to her music. She became one of my favourite artists during this era of my life and I still love her music today. Her creativity has inspired me to be more experimental in my own creations. Not only is her music unique, but Martinez puts equal effort into the entire aesthetic of each record, creating complex music videos for every song and developing a consistent storyline across her first three albums. She also encourages me to speak up for what is right as she is not afraid to do the same with her art. Just last year, Martinez’s music allowed me to create more special memories when my cousin and I went on our first solo trip, flying to another city to see her live.

10. Through The Static – Ekoh

I was first introduced to Ekoh’s music by my dad and fell in love with his EP Through The Static. I had to include Ekoh in some capacity because he’s been and continues to be a huge inspiration to me. When we first discovered Ekoh, he wasn’t super well-known yet, at least not in our country, however, his talent was undeniable. I continued to love every track he put out and support him and now his career has grown enormously, but just like the day I discovered him, he continues to do everything independently. Various conversations I’ve had with Ekoh over text, live-streams, videos and comment sections have stuck with me every time I feel any ounce of doubt in myself and my ability to be successful in my own musical endeavors. Back in 2019, Ekoh once told me to never give up on my own dreams and to continue working towards them because you never know what could happen. He is living proof that it is possible to do it on your own and be successful, while remaining humble and connected with the people who support you. Not only has his music been the soundtrack to many moments in my life, but it’s my constant reassurance and proof that I can do it if I work hard and create a stable foundation. As I’m writing this, I’m getting excited that I’ll finally see Ekoh live this week. I asked him to come to Calgary many times over the years, he always told me soon! When he finally did for the first time, he played an 18+ venue three days before my 18th birthday, when I told him, he suggested contacting the venue to see if they’d make an exception, they didn’t, but he assured me he’d come back and I assured him I’d be there when he did…it’s finally happening!

HIGH SCHOOL YEARS

11. Humbug – Arctic Monkeys

Arctic Monkeys is still a band I love, but they were definitely most prominent during my high school years and listening to their music always takes me back to “falling in love” for the first time, if you could even call it that. Regardless, it brings me back to the first time I met someone and dated someone who I really liked, not only because Arctic Monkeys’s music captures that innocence of feeling all of those emotions so deeply for the first time, but they also simultaneously convey the inevitable calamity of it; all of the toxicities, ups and downs, etc. Humbug is my favourite album from the band and also the one that brings me back to this year of my life the most. Despite the relationship turning bitter in the end, it reminds me of the sweeter times and allows me to think back on those memories with gratitude for them rather than anger. There is nothing but indifference left for this person, but I also think the first person you “love” and make those memories with almost always becomes a pivotal time in your life. For me, that relationship helped me learn a lot of good and bad things about myself and allowed me to change for the better.

12. Red – Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift’s Red album has always been my favourite project from her and during high school, she released the re-recorded version, Red (Taylor’s Version), which she did a phenomenal job on. I’ve always loved this album, but the first time it was released, I wasn’t even ten years old and couldn’t relate to the songs the same way I could the second time around. Upon listening to the re-recorded version for the first time, my connection and love for the album grew deeper. Even my ex knew I loved it so he celebrated the album’s release with me and then broke up with me the next day and said “at least you can enjoy your favourite Taylor Swift album even more now”… … … Either way this album did help me get through some heartbreaks and find myself again. It makes me nostalgic for one of my favourite seasons, autumn, and feels like a cozy sweater and warm chai latte. I believe this was mentioned previously, but the original version of Red was also one of the first albums I learned to play on guitar in its entirety. After discovering my Grandpa’s collection, this was also around the time I would start getting into collecting vinyl records…actually a year before Red (Taylor’s Version) came out is when I got Red the original version, on vinyl as a Christmas gift, the start of my collecting journey (the first record I bought myself was twenty øne piløts Blurryface.

13. Good Riddance – Gracie Abrams

Everyone knows how much I’ve loved Gracie Abrams since she first started releasing music and although I love everything she’s done, her debut album, Good Riddance, is one of my favourite albums of all time (so far) and holds a really special place in my heart. The album came out at the perfect time for me because I had at that point experienced love and loss and found great comfort in not only its subject matter, but the delivery. Something about Abrams’s soft, whispery vocals paired with the primarily acoustic production is comforting. From the night it was released, I would listen to Good Riddance in its entirety on my walk to and from school everyday. I actually did not live within walking distance of my high school and was supposed to take the bus since it was about an hour to walk from my house, however, I enjoyed listening to the album and the alone time to think so much during this era of my life that I would walk everyday, sun, rain or snow. To this day, it’s still the album I put on when I am in my feels and need a hug.

14. Come What(ever) May – Stone Sour

Growing up my parents would play Stone Sour’s first two CDs, Stone Sour and Come What(ever) May all of the time, however, I didn’t actually get into heavier hard rock, metal and nu-metal until high school when I went through my first breakup, which was messier than it had to be at times. It came with a lot of lies, manipulation, friends taking sides, etc. as many breakups do and in the mess of it all I really lost myself at first. I initially got into the track “Through Glass” off of this album when I was still in this relationship and feeling detached from myself. However, the rest of the album became crucial to me in the aftermath and because of that it defined a chapter of my life for me where I learned an important lesson: I will never change myself to please someone else and I will never let someone make me feel unworthy of love and the good in the world, I am not a perfect person and I will learn from my own faults, but I will not let someone else’s wrongdoing bring me down, or at least not for long. Above all else, it taught me that I am not always in control of what happens, but I am in control of my emotions and reactions to what happens, which can still be a hard lesson to remind myself everyday. Everytime I hear this album I’m reminded of hard times it helped me overcome and these lessons it taught me; it gives me hope I can overcome other hardships too. “30/30-150” has been my anthem and go-to hype song since these years.

15. The Sound Of Madness – Shinedown

Shinedown was another band I got into around the same time as Stone Sour, although there were quite a few songs of theirs I had liked prior. Something else that became even more important to me during this time of my life was my family. We have always been close, but it felt like my parents, sister and I were even closer than before after going through some hard losses. We realized how much we needed each other and what a difference that support makes. Shinedown always reminds me of this bond I share with them because it’s a band we all love and enjoy, we also saw them in concert together that summer. The Sound Of Madness is an album that especially takes me back to those times because of its thematic elements of overcoming life’s hardships and banding together.

UNIVERSITY…NOW

16. Significant Other – Limp Bizkit

In the last couple of years I’ve graduated from high school and started pursuing a bachelor degree in psychology, I also started working a dream job at my favourite record store when I started school and still do! Not only is the job amazing, what makes it amazing is the people I’ve gotten to meet through it and most of all the team I work with. Not only are they great people to work with, but they’ve become great friends and people I am grateful to know. Limp Bizkit’s Significant Other was reissued when I first started working at the record store and when our shipment came in, an old coworker and I blasted it. When our new manager came along, we made it our designated closing album and blasted it every night at close. Now the album just brings me back to all the good times at the store, which has become such a big part of my life and one of my happy places. The Turn It Up! Team is a family that I am grateful to be a part of and much to my boss’s dismay (he doesn’t like it) , this record always reminds me of that.

17. The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology – Taylor Swift

I know…another Taylor Swift album… When The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology initially came out, I was obsessed, however, the extent to which the album spoke to me only grew. I was really lucky last year to meet someone who became really special to me, we inevitably developed mutual feelings for eachother and seemed to connect on a spiritual level that feels rare to experience with someone. He showed me what a healthy relationship could be like and was so good to me. He taught me a lot of important lessons too and also encouraged me to continue to pursue my dreams and never give up. Unfortunately, he passed away in September, before I would fly back to Toronto to visit and see him again. He was too young and too good. This loss was really hard for me and still is, however, The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology, has been a comforting album in helping me deal with this grief. There’s a lot of hopelessness and loneliness that has come along with it, when you lose someone who is more than a friend, but also a lover and who feels like they could be your life partner, I wasn’t just mourning his life and passing, but also everything we had planned and all the years he still had. Sometimes it’s hard to see yourself ever able to fall in love again after going through that and this album has really spoken to and continues to speak to that feeling.

18. Ritual – In This Moment

In This Moment has always been a favourite band of mine, but Ritual especially has become prominent during this era of my life. As an album it really speaks to who I have become. Despite life’s ups and downs, I am someone who tends to let the hardships make me stronger and better. I never let myself get upset about something for too long because I am assessing how I can grow from the situation. My favourite track off this record, “Roots” really speaks to that part of me and that I will always be myself no matter what situation I’m in or who I’m around. I also love that it’s fronted by a badass female singer, Maria Brink, in a male dominated genre, it’s super inspiring as I’d love to practice my scream and write some metal-style songs one day!

19. Clancy – Twenty One Pilots

I think by now, most people who read my articles know how much twenty øne piløts and especially their album Clancy means to me. To me it describes this era of my life, despite setbacks, days where I don’t want to get out of bed, and mourning some special people in my life who died too young, this album is the one that gets me up. Clancy gives me the energy, courage and hope to push on through even the hardest moments and continue to strive for what I believe and desire. It also reminds me that it’s okay to feel down and it’s okay to not always be your best self, as long as you don’t lose hope completely. September onward of last year was really tough for me and my family, however, my best memories were at the twenty øne piløts concert and whenever Kaitie and I would put this record on and dance and scream-sing every word. Whenever I need a pick-me-up, I put on this record.

20. No Way To Relax When You Are On Fire – Dora Jar

I only recently got into Dora Jar in January of this year. However, she’s quickly become one of my favourite artists. Her album No Way To Relax When You Are On Fire has been on repeat since I first heard it and is probably one of my favourite records, the lyrics, production, vocals, everything is just amazing! Thematically it’s connected with me a lot lately. I feel like I have the most momentum and courage to take the first steps towards actually achieving my dreams and putting out music that I’ve ever been. However, I’m also in this weird place where I’m debating switching degrees. I’m constantly back and forth about dropping out of school to take the chance on pursuing music and journalism full time, but also feeling like I should already have this all figured out. Leaving my teenage years behind and going into twenty not exactly having a solid plan is terrifying. For now I’m going to continue to work towards my dreams and figure things out as I go. This album reminds me it’s okay to do that because that’s exactly the place Dora Jar says she was in when she wrote it and look at her now!

If you’ve read this far, thanks for reading! Writing this article reminded me what I love most about music and that is the way it connects us to each other. Every album in here made an impact on my life and came from somewhere, whether I discovered it myself and it became the soundtrack to crucial moments, or somebody special showed it to me. Thank you to everyone who follows my blog and shares my love of music! Here’s to all the music that got me to 20 and all that is to come!