“I use music in meditation a lot—ambient music, not what I usually listen to,” Lewis Capaldi tells Apple Music. “But when I’m going to bed, I’ll listen to a lot of green noise and rain noises, especially when I’m trying to get to sleep, to soothe me.” The Scottish singer-songwriter has learned various techniques to relieve stress, even if they didn’t come naturally to him at first. “Slowing down and being outside help. I like meditation, and I also go to therapy, which has really helped me with stress. I’m not someone who enjoys going for long walks or spending a ton of time outside, but I force myself to do it these days because the effect it has on my mood and my stress levels is just mind-blowing,” he says. “I think for a long time I was either working or going to the pub, and these days, I spend a lot more time with friends in a way that isn’t just going out. Doing wholesome things with friends is always a nice change.” And while Capaldi has put together a relaxing playlist with tracks by Olivia Dean and Noah Kahan as well as his own soothing songs, he admits he sometimes finds solace in unlikely places. “If I’m going to fall asleep, especially on a plane, I put on Eminem because I feel like it really puts me at ease,” he tells Apple Music. “I listen to a lot of the older stuff like The Marshall Mathers LP and The Eminem Show—for some reason it lulls me into a delightful little sleep, or I’ll put on some of my own demos which also really knock me out!” Capaldi has been open about the need to look after his mental health, so he has this advice to anyone who’s finding things tough: “Get outside, go to therapy, do some meditation and hang out with people.” Listen to his playlist, and read on to see why he finds a selection of the songs so soothing below. The Beatles, “Yesterday” “First of all, ‘Yesterday’ is one of my favourite songs of all time. I find it takes me back to when I was younger and my parents showed me The Beatles for the first time. That was the first foray into that incredible music that I now hold so dear. It takes me back to being young, which calms me and makes me feel really chill.” Olivia Dean, “Dive” “I find everything Olivia Dean is putting out satisfies my ear in a way that really calms me. She’s one of the most exciting artists out there at the minute and this song in particular makes me feel relaxed and chilled. I think she’s incredible.” Maggie Rogers, “Light On” “Again this takes me back to a time of my life that’s full of really positive memories and experiences. Her debut record, Heard It in a Past Life, came out in 2019, which was a really incredible time for me, and that song soundtracked a lot of it.” Daniel Merriweather, “Red” “One of the biggest tunes of all time. Love it, it’s class. It’s weird, that song can go one of two ways: If I’m listening to it by myself it really lulls me into a lovely, relaxed feeling but if I’m out with my pals and that song comes on, I’m fucking going for it, so it’s a class mix.” Kings of Leon, “Walls” “This song has helped me in hard times. In times of proper heartbreak or loneliness, for some reason it makes me feel quite emotional and feel things. An incredible song that takes me somewhere.”