Changes

Lauv is a singer that I’ve been listening to for over a year now. I like his music because I feel that he’s one of the few artists whose music I can truly relate to and understand. One thing I love about Lauv is that he’s honest in his music. No sugarcoating, no exaggerations just him. I enjoy that about him and his music. He’s also the type of artist that I’ve loved not only for his love songs, but also his music relating to his mental health.

So far, he’s released two songs that I know of which speak about the same: Sad Forever and Changes.

He released the former at the perfect time for me, really. In a way, I was dealing with quite a few of the issues he spoke about in that song. I was in an unpleasant spot, to the extent that when I first saw the song in my recommended on YouTube, I refused to listen to it, afraid that it would trigger me in some way. But a couple days passed, and someone I was close to sent me the link. They said something along the lines of, “you would like this” or “maybe you’ll understand” and that’s when I listened to Sad Forever for the first time. Since the first time, it was on repeat for quite a few days, maybe even weeks. I understood the lyrics deeply and empathized with Lauv for the mental struggles he had faced and was still facing. That song played a major role in my decision to take care of myself and my mental health. Without that song and that inspiration at the moment that I received it, the whole process of getting to where I am today might’ve been a lot more gruelling and time consuming.

Changes, he came out with recently. Again, I first listened to this song at a point in my life where I was feeling like I needed to do something different, be something different because who I was just didn’t apply anymore. I was and am dealing with coming to terms with a lot of things and am trying to understand various parts of me as well. This song I enjoyed because of its simplicity. Because I did go out, change my hair and replace my old clothes. Changes, to me, is an ode to a phase that has passed. It represents belief that things will change occur constantly, and the only non-transient thing in our life is this constant cycle of changes.

I don’t mean to glorify his music or him. But this music helped me understand and cope. I understand what he meant in it.

It impacted me.

And to me, that’s worth documenting for myself.