Waa Wei’s Have a Nice Day: Unwind and Recharge

It’s easy to feel helpless in an increasingly unpredictable world—particularly one with a pandemic still looming. Keeping calm and carrying on is key to facing a new day, a message Waa Wei wants to drive home with this playlist. To coincide with her seventh solo album Have A Nice Day, Waa Wei’s Unwind and Recharge playlist features pick-me-up pop, chillwave and indie melodies from around the world. Nothing lifts Wei’s spirits like ‘70s and ‘80s Japanese city pop. “Every time I hear it I feel energised,” she tells Apple Music, referencing hits by Mariya Takeuchi (“Plastic Love”) and Shintaro Sakamoto (“Good Luck”). It’s a genre that’s continued influencing indie scenes across Asia and beyond, including Thai singer-songwriter Phum Viphurit and Taiwan’s Sunset Rollercoaster. You’ll also find US dream-pop from Vansire and jangly Canadian indie from Men I Trust, whose track “Show Me How” provides relief which Wei describes as “a medicinal spray that helps clear a phlegmy throat”. Family can help keep you grounded through tough times, illustrated in Wei’s own ballad “奶奶” (“Grandma”). “My grandmother raised my sister and I,” she says. “I hope it can perhaps make people think about their own grandparents when they hear it.” On her album’s title track, “Have A Nice Day”, she brushes off life’s myriad little disappointments with cheerful cheek. The hook was inspired by the simple joys of home, and raising her young son, Louis. “When I was writing it I was teaching him the English words [for the days of the week],” she says. “Actually, you can say I wrote the song for him.” Wei fleshes out her playlist with more good feels from Aussie electro-soul artist Chet Faker (“Get High”), US singer ROLE MODEL (“Girl in New York”) and the fuzz guitar-driven “I Don’t Know” by San Francisco band Sjowgren, along with her best wishes for a brighter future. “I hope everything gets back to normal,” says Wei. “I really hope that happens one day!”