By Soomin Chun & Soomin Lee

Welcome back to another semester, Tigers! After three weeks of sleeping in and binge watching various dramas and movies, waking up at 6 a.m. suddenly seems impossible — and the cold winds blowing in our faces stronger than ever just add onto the pain. But never fear, the Soomins are here! In preparation to brave the dark days ahead of us (both figuratively and literally), we chose three songs that will surely lift your spirits and leave you energized and ready to take on the world.

First is the talented sibling duo Akdong Musician with a comeback album.

CHOCOLADY – Akdong Musician

Although Akmu’s songs usually leave a lasting impression with their unique styles, the songs in their new album “WINTER” did not stay on the top charts long. Out of the eight tracks released, few people know the song “CHOCOLADY,” since it is not one of the title songs. But “CHOCOLADY” showcases the quirky and out-of-the-box cheerful style that Akmu gained fame for in the very beginning. Most SIS students no doubt consume lots of coffee in order to keep up with their workload, and in this song Akmu compares various types of coffee such as Americano and Caramel Macchiato to hot chocolate, singing “Expressos are black, lemonade is sour, Americano is overly bitter, I don’t know why someone would drink that…but anyone can see that she is hot deep chocolate.” Different from their other calmer songs, “CHOCOLADY” is an upbeat rock song with fun and relatable lyrics that deal with beverages we all enjoy during the winter time.

Next up is Sia and her motivational song, “Never Give Up.”

Never Give Up – Sia

From the very beginning, this song will immediately attract your attention with a variety of instruments fused together into one harmonious tune. Though at first the unique melody may catch you off-guard, you will soon be pulled into the song, mesmerized by how well the tune mixes with Sia’s distinct voice. Not only that, the lyrics added will, for sure, touch your heart as she sings of how even though she “battled demons that won’t let [her] sleep”, she “won’t never give up” and will “keep getting up when [she] hits the ground.” As students, we often feel exhausted and hopeless in the midst of a seemingly unclear path to our future, and Sia seems to understand it perfectly. She effortlessly captures our varying feelings into one song and, in turn, motivates us to continue and chase our dreams. When you’re in search of inspiration, listen to this star; you won’t ever regret it.

Finally, the old but essential song by solo artist Daniel Powter to start you off right on another rigorous semester.

Bad Day – Daniel Powter

Getting used to waking up early, staying up late, and working that brain hard again can be a rough transition, and there will be days where you want to give up, especially since it is second semester. Powter’s lyrics are chillingly accurate with lines such as “they tell me your passion’s gone away” or “you’re faking a smile with a coffee to go,” but the song takes a nice turn in the chorus as Powter sings with emotion loaded onto his voice that “you had a bad day / you’re taking one down.” This song might bring back feelings of nostalgia not only because of its old-school instrumental style, but also because there is a good chance that the song passed by your ear years ago when it was featured in many TV shows and advertisements for its uplifting message. For both its message and melody, this star is a keeper.

Let’s start off second semester right with these stars by our side.

Sincerely,

• Soomin^2