My Top 5 Songs · Mohit's Creative Writing Space

1) Drake — “Flight’s Booked”

This song feels like late nights at the airport with headphones on, watching the world rush by. I love traveling, but it is the in-between moments that stay with me, when I am not at home but not yet where I am going. “Flight’s booked, reservations made for you” feels like it is speaking to me, reminding me that leaving teaches me just as much as staying.

I first played this while packing, realizing how much of myself I was leaving behind. It is bittersweet, but it gives me strength. Drake has always been my favorite, and this track shows why. He says what I feel but cannot explain.

2) Bad Bunny — “DTMF”

When Bad Bunny sings “Debí tirar más fotos” (“I should have taken more photos”), it hits me hard. I do not just hear pictures, I hear every moment I never saved. I think about moving so much as a kid, the friends I lost touch with, and how their faces have faded from my memory.

This song feels like flipping through an empty album. It makes me want to slow down, live in the moment, and capture the people and places I love before they are gone.

3) OneRepublic — “I Ain’t Worried”

This track feels like freedom. “Time is running out, so spend it like it’s gold” reminds me to stop stressing and just enjoy life. I first heard it in Top Gun: Maverick and now it takes me back to summer days, laughing with friends, not checking the time, and forgetting about tomorrow.

Every time I play it, I feel lighter, like I can roll the windows down and just let go. It makes me feel fearless, like nothing else matters for a little while.

4) Noah Kahan — “Stick Season”

This song takes me back to the pandemic. “Doc told me to travel, but there’s COVID on the planes” pulls me straight into those months when escape was impossible. My family was stuck in a one-bedroom apartment, and it felt like a prison.

Lines like “I saw your mom, she forgot that I existed” remind me how fast people move on. I feel that now, with my friends away at their universities, leaving me behind. This song is not just about heartbreak; it is about loneliness that stays even when the world moves on. “I hope this pain’s just passin’ through, but I doubt it” is the line I carry most, because it feels true.

5) Justin Bieber — “Ghost”

This song makes me think about the future in a way that scares me. “If I can’t be close to you, I’ll settle for the ghost of you” feels heavy because it matches my own story. Since 2020, I have lost a family member every year. This summer it was my dad’s brother. I shaved my head in mourning, and every time I look in the mirror I see that loss.

What hurts more is seeing my dad’s pain. He lost his mom two years ago, and now his brother. He never cries in front of us, but I know how much it breaks him. “Ghost” reminds me that grief stays, but also that I can honor those I have lost by living fully. It makes me feel less alone in carrying this weight.