Music and Rituals

As an athlete, one of the most important rituals that I have is my pre-game music playlist. Before coming here to the United States, I did not have a pre-game playlist honestly. But once I arrived, on my freshman year, I understood quickly that I needed to make one because that would help me a lot during the travels in the bus, or even in the locker room right before the game. Even if we have a speaker in the locker room that the guys are using for creating a vibe in the room, I prefer having my AirPods with the noise cancelation mode on, and listening to my own playlist.

 

The playlist has evolved since then, and whenever I hear music that I like and think would go well with my pre-game routine, I add it. In this playlist, you will find mostly French music but also some English and Greek songs, some of them are very calm, and some are going to be “hard rap”. 

 

I usually listen to calm music on the bus when we are traveling so, I can take a nap, or if we are playing at home, in the morning when I wake up to get the day off to a good start.

 

My favorite quiet music and the one I listen to the most is “someone you loved” by Lewis Capaldi. I love this music because, first of all, the singer's voice is incredible, and I find it soothing too. But the thing I particularly like about this music is that there is no beat or anything, the only instrument played is the piano and that is what gives the song its charm.

 

My favorite hard rap music is “Life Goes On” by Lil Baby. I really like this music because this singer is my favorite English-speaking singer. Secondly, I find the beat of the song very motivating, and it puts me in a match situation and prepares me psychologically. It is the kind of music that the school puts on the speakers during our warm-ups.

By the way, my favorite French song that I always listen to before every match is “Terrasser” by Gradur. It's a song that came out a few years ago, but even so, a lot of people still listen to it. Although I love listening to this song before games because it motivates me and gives me good pressure, I do not take as much pleasure in listening to it at other times.