With spring right around the corner, I was tasked to compile my quarterly collection of tunes for the wellness brand Merkaela. This particular collection is named Bloom, and since warm weather makes me think of tropical climates and fresh cocktails, I decided to give this particular playlist a worldly feel. You're not the only well traveled one, Drake!

Starting with a trip to Paris, France by way of Israel we open with Yael Naim setting the perfect tone with New Soul. It's the perfect song to celebrate renewal. Over the next hour and a half we take a trip to England, Sweden, Brazil, Jamaica, Nigeria, Ethiopia (by way of Washington D.C.) and of course back home to the United States. 

I really tried to pack in as many flavors and as many sounds as possible, without losing the focus and the groove of this playlist. Taking inspiration from all the over the internet, as well as some places I frequent around New York, which is an enormous melting pot of cultures. Believe it or not the Nigerian disco tune Too Hot by Rick Asikpo, I heard at my local barbershop in Williamsburg. 

A few of my favorite under the radar bands are featured in the playlist. Chicano Batman, Cults, Niki & The Dove to name a few. I discovered all of them at random points in my life and they stuck with me for many years, providing the perfect soundtrack moments on my journeys. I've had the pleasure of seeing Chicano Batman live at SxSW and they were incredible live. If they come to your town don't miss the chance to see these guys live.

This is by far my most favorite playlist I've put together for Merkaela. I loved exploring sounds from different regions of the world while searching for the music that would fit the theme of Bloom perfectly. Subscribe to their quarterly collections here and listen to the full playlist below or click here.