Eve Ai’s Confessions: Introspection

Though we may expect introspection to be a solemn and serious affair, many of the songs on this playlist—including soul-searching tunes from Billie Eilish, a-mei, Amy Winehouse and Lana Del Rey—use levity to encourage letting go. “Songs like ‘先過完今天吧’ (‘Let’s Just Get Through Today First’) and ‘一個禮拜至少有一天是醒著的’ (‘Sober for at Least One Day a Week’) are a rare glimpse of good cheer from me. It’s often from spending time with friends and taking in their ideas and attitudes that I get inspiration for writing songs. So with these songs I’m encouraging everyone to leave their ivory tower, come together with close friends or family and find a way to absorb opinions and ideas from outside. I think that’s all very healthy,” Eve Ai tells Apple Music. To mark the release of her fifth album, How Come I Still Remember All, she joins Apple Music to share four exclusive playlists titled “Eve Ai’s Confessions”. The final in the series, “Introspection”, is a journey towards inner peace. “The goal or result of introspection isn’t necessarily to become a better person—that’s just something that happens through the process. On this playlist, I especially want to share the song ‘以灰之名’ (‘In the Name of Grey’). The inspiration for it came from a film I really like called The Remains of the Day, in which the protagonist’s attitude revolves around using a sense of dignity to place themselves above everything else. However, by placing so much emphasis on your own dignity, you miss the opportunity to become self-aware. This is the idea I based the songs on this playlist around.” There is no doubt in Ai’s mind that recent events have precipitated an unhealthy self-absorption in us all: “During this grim pandemic, in our isolation, we spend a lot of time confronting ourselves, and we naturally slip into an inner dialogue. I spent two years having a very deep conversation with myself. Whether it’s because of government policy or natural instinct, we have built walls to protect ourselves from the outside world, and we’ve become more alienated from each other. I really miss being able to go out freely and to have intimate interactions with people—and the comfortable feeling of laying on a field of grass. I hope that after some self-reflection, we’ll be able to tear down these walls we’ve built around ourselves and become better and more honest people.” So use these songs to let go of your self-imposed boundaries—and when you can, enjoy them with others!