The Music of Shattered Stars
Music has always been a big part of my life. When I was about five, my mother insisted that I start learning how to play the piano.
How I hated it.
It was the only hobby that she continued to insist I take, despite my protests. Truly, I wanted to learn the violin, like my adolescent hero Sherlock Holmes. But no — piano had to come first.
Fast forward to my teenage years, when I started getting into musical theater. Finally, I could buy songbooks for music I actually liked, and suddenly my interest in the piano was renewed. I found that when I played music that was relevant to me, I could easily spend hours practicing my favorite songs. To this day, playing still relaxes me, and it has become a steady presence in my life.
✦ If art is how we fill space, then music is how we fill time.
I don’t consider myself to be particularly well-listened, or even having particularly good music taste. The good news is that means I’ll listen to almost any genre, but the bad news is that it means my playlists end up fairly chaotic. But there’s a few things I look for in a good song.
The overall vibes (obviously)
Do the lyrics hit what I’m going for? — I’m a lyrics bitch and yes there are spoilers for careful listeners
Does the song come with a scene?
On that last point, it’s not uncommon for me to completely visualize a scene based on a song. I’ll put it on repeat and just stare at the ceiling until I can see it clearly, and all the beats are laid out in my head. When it comes to writing it, they might not always match up, but those songs will always hold a special place to me due to the scenes they inspired.
Other songs are about character. Whether it’s in the lyrics or the overall vibe, I use music to get a sense of who a character is in my mind. For example, Xela’s playlist has a lot of rock or punk vibes to match her ‘screw the rules and screw you’ attitude. Nigel gets a lot of girl-boss energy. A lot of Jack’s music speaks of monsters, and devils, and kings.
I’ve made character and campaign playlists several times over — and frankly, it’s an under-appreciated art form. There’s a rush when you find the perfect song for a character, a combination of musicality and lyrics that uniquely encapsulates everything they are about.
Since this blog is about Shattered Stars — let me provide a few of my ‘signature’ songs for some of the major characters:
✦ Xela
Jawbreaker - The Cruel Intentions | This one was her signature for the KH campaign and I’ve always loved the punk energy of this song.
Prodigal Daughter - LIGHTS | A very post-Book 1 Xela, but the energy of this one feels very Xela. As an aside, PEP-era Lights has provided me lots of Xela outfit inspiration
i am not a woman, I’m a god - Halsey | I love this one because it reads as Xela both pre-Book 1 and also post-Book 1. We love symmetry in this house.
The Purge - Within Temptation | This was a late find on my part, but I felt that while being a rock-y vibe, the lyrics voice many of her interior thoughts she’d never say out loud.
☾ Nigel
EAT ME - Demi Lovato, Royal & the Serpent | This song is all about refusing to conform to the standards of society and embracing your true identity. Very Nigel.
SHE - Dreadlight | A great feminine anthem that could all be Nigel’s motto. Don’t mess with Nigel is the lesson to take away here.
Hunger - TheFatRat | A song about making sure everyone around you is taken care of. Hope you won’t see the hunger in my eyes. One of Nigel’s defining traits is her ambition. Coupled with her caretaking energy, this song is all Nigel.
❖ Jack
Drag Me Down - Jared Benjamin | You say I’m a little bit broken, I say I’m a father’s son, you say that I should quit smoking, I’ll quit when the work is done. Replace smoking with drinking and this is basically a character thesis.
Talk - Hozier | Jack is a hopeless romantic, and there’s something that really walks a dark but romantic line. Imagine being loved by me - gets me everytime.
Dark Side - EHLE | Too many of Jack’s songs are spoiler-y, so this one I picture Xela as the singer talking about him. It’s…about right for their relationship. Jack wants to be a sweet romantic, but he’s got a dark side too.
Give these a listen if you like - I have lots more to share once the books are out and spoilers are on the table!
Very soon, I’m planning to produce some original music for Shattered Stars, with the dream of one day putting it up on this very website.
wish me luck,
lexe
