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“I Studied To This”: 12 Best Study Playlists on Spotify

Are you in dire need of some serious study motivation? Look no further than the array of study playlists available on Spotify that are specifically designed to help you focus and concentrate.

Whether it’s classical music, ambient noise, concentration-inducing beats, or something else that helps you zone in, the right playlist can help make studying much more productive.

I love studying while listening to music! In fact, it’s one of my favorite ways to get in the zone . And sure, some people think music is just a distraction – but not me! A good playlist can be an incredible motivator to power through those tough assignments.

If you’re into music, you probably have entire playlists dedicated to different activities; one for when you want to dance around your room, another perfect for when you need motivation, and one more for chilling out.

The same goes for studying: specific playlists can help make focusing easier and give you that extra Oomph… of inspiration when you need it most.

Related: How to Ace Exams Like a Boss: 11 Exam Tips for College Students!

Related : How to Get Good Grades in College: The Ultimate Guide

To get you started on your search for the perfect study-focused playlist, here are some of my favorites :

You’re Studying? Give your brain something to jam to – A Guide to the Best Concentration Playlists on Spotify!

1. brain food.

This is the perfect study playlist if you’re feeling unmotivated or just sick of studying all day. The songs in this playlist are very upbeat and will have you bobbing your head in no time.

There aren’t any lyrics , so it won’t distract you while working on your homework or cramming the night before a big exam. It might even help boost your mood and get you through the rest of your study session.

2. Instrumental Study

Some people prefer to study and focus in silence, so this playlist is perfect for them. The songs are instrumental and have no vocals, which should make focusing much easier.

This playlist is also a great choice if you’re trying to focus and stay alert or if you need something calming after a long day of studying.

3. Motivation Instrumental

This playlist is perfect for whenever you’re feeling unmotivated. The upbeat and energetic songs will have you feeling better in no time.

This playlist has a mix of slow , sad songs and fast, upbeat ones, so it should be able to match whatever mood you’re in.

4. Jazz in the background : Best study playlists on Spotify

This playlist will help you get your studying mode on when you don’t feel like working or when you’re not in the mood to study. When studying for an important test, it can be very difficult to stay focused for long periods.

This playlist has a collection of soft jazz music that does not distract you. It gets you in the mood to do more. This playlist is perfect for when you just need a little push, inspiration, or motivation.

5. Deep Focus

This playlist is just what you need for those marathons of studying. It features soothing rock music that will help keep you focused while you put in the hours.

The tranquil tunes have no lyrics so as to not disturb your study sessions. It features music that’s soft and mellow, like a rock-infused lullaby–so it’s perfect for those times when you just need to get stuff done.

Plus, it’ll keep you from getting distracted or losing focus. It’s great for when you want to sit down and do schoolwork for hours on end.

6. Intense Studying

This playlist is not for the faint of heart. The songs are very motivational and are all sort of fast-paced and upbeat. Intense studying is made up of energetic piano music so that it will have you on your feet in no time.

The music on this playlist is the perfect choice for whenever you’re cramming for an exam or trying to finish up a big project.

7. Totally Stress-Free : Best study playlists on Spotify

This playlist is ideal if you need a break from concentrating! It’s got all kinds of tunes – so whatever vibe you’re feeling, we’ve got you covered. Time to relax, kick back , and let the music take over!

OR , if you’re feeling like embracing the work, this is the perfect soundtrack to get your creative juices flowing. Let’s focus and get to work!

8. Study Power Hour

This playlist is the perfect study buddy — it’ll keep you motivated and focused so you can breeze through those courses.

Plus, when you need a break, it’ll help you relax and unwind . So throw this playlist on and get ready to ace your exams!

9. Chill Lofi Study Beats : Best study playlists on Spotify

This playlist is your one-stop shop for studying: it features relaxing tunes, instrumentals, and upbeat bops; guaranteed to help you stay focused and make the task at hand much more bearable.

With its laid-back beats and variety of instruments, this playlist will keep you from getting bored so you can actually ace that test!

10. Creativity Boost

Often when you’re studying or doing homework, it’s hard to think of new ideas and get inspired. This playlist is great for when you want to start brainstorming for creative writing or for when you need a push to come up with new ideas for your next project.

11. This Is Mozart: The Best study playlists on Spotify

The songs in this playlist are all instrumental and will help you focus, but at the same time, they’re not too calm and won’t put you to sleep. This playlist is perfect for when you need a math or science heads-up or just want to focus on your homework.

12. Upbeat Instrumental Music

This Spotify playlist is a great way to relax and chill while still getting down to business with your studies. Instrumental music helps keep you focused, so you can make the most of those studying sessions.

Whether it’s an intense all-nighter or just a casual afternoon , the Upbeat Instrumental Music playlist will keep your concentration levels sky-high and help you reach peak productivity. So grab a cup of coffee, sit back, and get ready to ace those study sessions!

So there you have it!

With these awesome Spotify playlists, you can now get your studying done and still relax and chill. You no longer need to choose between a good time and achieving success in the classroom — now, you can do both!

And when things look too hard or overwhelming, just take a moment to listen to these awesome playlists and you’ll be able to get right back into it with renewed focus.

So here’s me wishing you lots of luck on your study sessions and exams, and let’s make studying a cool thing Again !

“Studying? No sweat! Just add some music and you’ll be acing that exam in no time!”

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12 Spotify Playlists For Your Next Study Session

Music is universal. Across varying spoken languages, different eras in time, and even stark contrasts in life experiences, we all understand the joy that music can bring in the same ways.

In some of our previous posts, we’ve talked about the power of music when it comes time to study and how it can help us focus and improve our moods.

According to a study by Stanford University, music can help us pay attention better and it can also aid our memory recall. Music has also been shown to improve sleep quality, improve mental alertness, and reduce our anxiety, blood pressure, and even pain.

“There are few things that stimulate the brain the way music does,” said a Johns Hopkins otolaryngologist. “If you want to keep your brain engaged throughout the aging process, listening to or playing music is a great tool. It provides a total brain workout.”

It’s easy to turn to music in high-energy, physically active situations such as exercising or dancing. However, many people often miss out on listening to music in low-energy, more mentally stimulating scenarios such as writing, studying, or even sleeping.

Musical Genres Good For Mental Concentration 

Multitudes of studies have been done to try and determine which musical genre is the absolute best for mental concentration. While many people will instantly associate classical music as the top choice, there are actually quite a few other genres that are equally excellent.

Ambient and Electronic

A recent study by Florida National University found that “the minimal beats and rhythms of ambient music — often used as background noise — is so effective that it is able to put the listener’s senses at rest, resulting in lower blood pressure and heart rate.”

Instrumental and Post-Rock

Rock music is a lovable genre for a lot of people, but many haven’t experienced the true spectrum that rock offers. Particularly in our modern era with the increasing use of electronic instruments, instrumental and atmospheric rock – two components that typically make up the post-rock genre – have really taken off. The genre explores electro textures and timbres over traditional rock structures of chords or riffs. Post-rock tends to have limited to no vocals and serves as perfect background music for studying.

Jazz has long been a favorite of professors for its stress-reducing and creativity-boosting capabilities. Stress is the arch-enemy of memory, and the upbeat, swing and rhythmic characteristics of jazz can help set a tone of mental relaxation and focus.

Short for low fidelity, lo-fi music has taken off in popularity in recent years for its soothing and refreshing vibes. One survey found that 86% of listeners saw an increase in their productivity and their study habits while listening to lo-fi music. The genre gives our brains just enough stimulation to tune out stress and be productive.

12 Spotify Playlists Perfect for Any Study Session

Since effective studying is kind of our thing here at Pocket Prep, we’ve curated a handful of playlists that are perfect for mental concentration and de-stressing even through the most intensive work or study projects.

These playlists span downtempo ambient electronica to instrumental rock and classical compositions, and they all have little to no lyrics to ensure productivity over distraction.

➡️ You can find all these playlists directly on Pocket Prep’s Spotify . ⬅️

1. Late Night Satellites

Genres: Electronic, Synth-pop, Synthwave, Techno, Piano

Imagine you’ve just been handed a free ticket to Mars. After takeoff, this playlist comes on as you stare out the window into the darkness of space. Downtempo, relaxing, and a perfect ride into the great beyond.

2. Post-Rock Focus

Genres: Post-Rock, Instrumental Rock, Acoustic, Electronic, Chilltronic, Ambient

Dive into all the things post-rock has to offer, from electronic guitar riffs to ambient peaks and valleys, it’s sure to have you feeling free and ready to face anything.

3. Soulful Study

Genres: Contemporary R&B, Neo Soul, Indie Soul, Hip Hop

A perfect blend of relaxing, contemporary rhythms that are sure to inspire and spark creativity.

4. Studious Strings

Genres: Folk, Acoustic, Flamenco, Instrumental

Who knew the plucking of strings could be so relaxing? This playlist is packed with modern and classic melodies that are sure to keep you focused on the task at hand.

5. Jazz Pizzazz

Genres: Contemporary Jazz, Latin Jazz, Afrobeat, R&B, Funk, Soul

Jazz compositions spanning forty years. Bounce back and forth between unearthed vibes from the 1960s and 1970s and modern-day artists in this diverse jazzy playlist.

6. Contemporary Classical

Genres: Classical, Late Romantic, Impressionistic, Contemporary, String Quartets

Classical compositions that span decades of eras and genres. From string quartets to single composers, this diverse playlist is superb for deep focus and concentration.

7. Bouncy Beats

Genres: House, Electronic, Techno

If underground dance music is your thing, this playlist is for you. Downtempo, deep house beats with a relaxing energy that will awaken your senses. Imagine the feeling of your coffee kicking in right when you need it to.

8. Pocket Prep LoFi

Genres: Low Fidelity, Chillhop, Piano, Electronic, R&B, Jazz, Funky

Arguably the most popular musical genre of the 2020s thus far, lo-fi is a proven favorite for any study session. Perfect for relaxation and focus, these low frequency beats will have you vibin’ along to every song.

9. Ambient Light

Genres: Ambient, Electronic, Experimental, Synth

If you’re looking for peaceful sounds with no lyrics, this is your playlist. From the sounds of harps and crashing waves to electronic crescendos, there’s something in here for everyone.

10. Electro Chill

Genre: Electronic, Indie, Future Bass, Trap

If you’re in the mood to bop along, this upbeat playlist is vibin’ with the latest sounds from chill and indie electronic artists.

11. Pocket Prep Piano

Genres: Piano, Neoclassical

A deeply relaxing and calming piano playlist that features modern day artists and composers predominantly from Europe.

12. Outer Space

Genres: Electronic, Instrumental, Psychedelic Rock, Lo-Fi, Hip Hop

Float into the abyss with this multi-genre, downtempo, and instrumental playlist that is jam packed with artists and producers who don’t limit themselves to a single genre.

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College Info Geek

The Ultimate Study Music Playlist

This is a playlist of my favorite study music. It’s great for homework, studying for exams, reading, and generally getting crap crossed off my many checklists.

I’ve been working on this playlist for several years, and it contains music (all non-lyrical) from a wide variety of genres and sources, including video game/anime/movie soundtracks. At the moment, it’s got about 240 songs for you to choose from.

Listening on another app? I’ve worked to mirror this study playlist to other services. Check them out below:

• Spotify Study Music Playlist
• Apple Music Study Playlist

If you’d like, you can study with me in another tab while this plays. You can also listen to the playlist on YouTube instead of on this page.

By the way – I create my own study music as well! If you’d like to give it a listen, here’s a playlist:

You can also follow me on Spotify or on YouTube if you want to be notified when new tracks are released.

Need even more study music?

Here are a few options.

Brain.fm – Music designed specifically to help you focus more effectively. It works really well for me, and I use it for around 50% of my research, writing, and reading sessions – the other half are mostly done with the playlist above.

Piano Study Playlist – If you’re in the mood for a more consistent playlist, check out this one full of solo piano tracks.

Coffitivity – Sometimes I’m in the mood for ambient noise instead of music, and the sounds of a bustling coffee shop are my personal favorite type.

Noisli – An ambient noise generator that lets you create your own mix using sounds like rain, thunder, fan, and white/brown/pink noise.

More Playlists

Work Vibes – My personal playlist of “getting-stuff-done” music. Most of the tracks here have vocals, so I wouldn’t read or study intently with them. But they’re great for crushing emails, working on design projects, or doing other work where I simply need to execute quickly.

Tom’s Workout Playlist – A collection of the tracks that usually accompany me to the gym.

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10 Spotify Playlists for Productive Studying

Bryant & Stratton College Blog Staff

Strong study habits can make all the difference between hours of fruitless cramming and a stress-free experience that actually helps you learn. If, however, you've made an active effort to improve your study environment and you're still struggling, you might need an extra boost. Music can supply this — if you select the right songs.

A growing body of research verifies what music lovers have long known about studying: Certain songs can improve our focus and our mood, both of which deeply affect our studying efforts. Research from the Stanford University School of Medicine , for example, reveals that specific types of music (such as classical compositions) help the brain absorb information.

Knowing which types of music to use can be tricky; specific genres and artists are more appropriate at certain times. On occasion, for example, you might need soft instrumentals when studying for exams — while other situations call for movie soundtracks or upbeat jams to keep you motivated. To help, we've compiled a few of the best Spotify playlists currently available:

1. Brain Food

This curated playlist can be downright hypnotic at times, but don't worry about dozing off when you hit the books. Rather, the lyric-free songs from this collection will get you in a state of flow as you complete your homework.

Head for this playlist when you're struggling to stay motivated; once these tunes are playing, you'll be amazed by how quickly your study session can fly by. Meanwhile, you'll feel relaxed, so worries about your next big test or paper won't keep you from being productive.

2. Instrumental Study

Instrumental music is one of the best options for enhanced learning but finding the right songs can be tricky when you're accustomed to songs with lyrics. Therein lies the value of this dedicated playlist , which removes lyrics from the mix. Piano is heavily represented on this playlist, although some percussive elements and other instruments can also be found on certain tracks.

3. Jazz in the Background

Featuring several enjoyable hours of soft jazz music, this playlist will make you feel as if you're relaxing in a cozy coffee shop or entertaining friends at a sophisticated dinner party. Both concepts can be motivating when you just don't feel like studying.

You'll love playing these jazz songs while you're studying, of course, but you might be tempted to use this playlist for ambient music at home, in the car, or among friends. After a few tries, you'll come away with a new appreciation for this wonderful music genre.

4. Deep Focus

When you are desperate to avoid distraction, this ambient playlist should do the trick. It's dominated by post-rock selections which sometimes create a Zen-like ambiance — all while helping you stay motivated. While this playlist's tracks work wonderfully as background noise or music, they're also worth trying outside of study time, as many of the songs are intriguing enough to warrant a close listen.

5. Intense Studying

Piano music can promote in-depth study, making it a great choice when you need to home in on your most challenging subjects. This Spotify playlist aims to keep you on task with its vast collection of piano songs, which effortlessly get you in the zone as you amp up your study efforts. Although this playlist is always a wise choice for studying, it may be especially effective if you save it for those inevitable times when you struggle to master a difficult concept.

6. Totally Stress Free

Stress need not be an automatic part of the college experience. Small tactics matter when you're eager to keep calm. The right music, for example, can help you keep your cool when your to-do list feels like it's a mile long. Look to Spotify's Totally Stress Free playlist to ease your worries so you can stop ruminating and start studying.

Lyrics are included for most songs, so this playlist might not provide sufficient focus for some listeners. As such, this approach is most effective when you use Totally Stress Free's chill songs for the first twenty minutes of your study session. Follow this with one of the more focus-oriented playlists highlighted above, which you can use as long as you need to maintain deep concentration.

7. Chill Lofi Study Beats

Lo-fi music boasts a growing fan base, including many students who want to listen to something that truly sounds original. Short for "low-fidelity," this genre focuses on subtle, yet intentional imperfections. The goal, as psychologist Elliot Gann explains, is to make you feel as if you're “hearing music come through the walls."

While some takes on lo-fi are better for studying than others, you should have little trouble finding something that keeps you engaged. With study right in the name, you can feel confident that this particular Spotify playlist will keep you on task when you need to crack open a book.

8. Creativity Boost

While the playlists highlighted above are generally preferable when you're studying for an exam, they might not always be sufficient when you need to source ideas for a class project or paper. If you're on the hunt for inspiration, you just might find it with Spotify's Creativity Boost collection.

Featuring a variety of tracks referred to as "innovative," this playlist should be set aside when you need deep focus and, instead, used for a few minutes at a time when you run into a frustrating case of writer's block — or when you simply need a break. The playlist will quickly get those creative juices flowing so you can return to productive studying.

9. This Is Mozart

Many students swear by classical music for top-notch studying. While a variety of composers should keep you focused and motivated, few offer the blend of concentration and creativity made possible by Mozart's greatest pieces. Spotify places all the legendary composer's greatest pieces in one accessible location with This Is Mozart , where you'll discover everything from relaxing piano melodies to intense operas.

10. Upbeat Instrumental Music

Are you feeling exhausted after pulling an all-nighter? Coffee will help, of course, but you might also need to adjust your study music so that you aren't accidentally lulled to sleep. Trade in those soft piano tunes or jazz pieces for something a bit more upbeat . The instrumental tracks from this playlist will keep you alert as you finish studying.

Start Your Journey Today

No matter which playlist you rely on, you'll find studying far more enjoyable when you feel connected to your coursework and your classmates. Bryant & Stratton provides an engaging college experience to prepare you for an exciting professional trajectory. Contact us today to learn more about our programs.

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8 best study playlists for work, concentration and focus

Need to focus? Want to study? Good news: we've got the ultimate backing tracks for you

On YouTube, Lofi Girl has 11 million subscribers thanks to the channel's massively successful lofi hip hop radio - beats to relax/study to stream that's almost always live. The takeaway? People love to work, study, and relax with some music going in the background, but some music can be distracting, so you need the right playlist.

We at What Hi-Fi? have been making playlists for a long time, so not only have we drummed up our own official What Hi-Fi? playlist for concentration and focus but we've rounded up some of the best concentration and focus playlists on the internet too, for you to check out.

Whether you just want chill, ambient beats or some great, classic music you can put on in the background without feeling distracted, we've found something for everyone below, so crack open that textbook or load up that spreadsheet and have a listen.

Need new headphones to help you focus on the task at hand? Our best headphones for study buying guide is here for you too.

1. Chill Melancholy by What Hi-Fi? (Spotify & Tidal)

Imagine: It's four o'clock on a Wednesday, but the sky's already dark, and the rain's coming down. You've got hours more of stuff to do, but all you're doing, right now, is looking out the window, listening to the silence. Enter Chill Melancholy.

So many playlists for vibing or chilling out are filled with slower, sadder joints, but it's rare that you see tracks from artists you recognise. And so many of these playlists lean into just electronic music or just low-fi indie stuff or only piano-driven tracks. Not to mention there's rarely an eye for how one track might balance out and flow into another in these lists.

We set out to try and fix these problems with Chill Melancholy. It's got chill, moody picks from artists you'll recognise, but there's also a healthy variety of genres across the playlist's hour-long runtime, including the familiar electronic, indie, and piano-driven sounds of these kinds of playlists.

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It might not be as expansive as the other playlists on our list, offering up an infinite amount of music to listen to forever, but if you've ever wondered what a What HiFi? take on a playlist for concentration and focus sounds like, check this out!

Not on Spotify? Check out Chill Melancholy on Tidal

2. Lofi Girl's lofi hip-hop music – beats to relax/study to

Here we've got possibly the biggest, most classic playlist for concentration and focus: Lofi Girl's original playlist. This one's got over 6 million likes on Spotify for a reason, too: it's exceptionally chill. This playlist is chock full of lowkey (and lo-fi) beats that fade perfectly into the background, never becoming a distraction.

If you find vocals or a huge variety of instrumentation or lots of effects to be a bit much when you're trying to concentrate and focus, these minimalist beats won't ever ask too much of you. Plus, the energy of the picks on this playlist is always laid back, relaxed, and at least vaguely upbeat.

You probably won't find major hits from big artists on this playlist, but that's part of the charm: if your favourite song came on in the middle of a study session, suddenly you're not making headway on that last chapter anymore and you're in an impromptu karaoke session.

Not on Spotify? No problem. Check out Lofi Girl's playlist on a huge number of platforms

3. Spotify's Peaceful Piano

It's well known that listening to classical music can help with focus and concentration, but where do you start if you're not already a Leonard Bernstein fan? Well, why not check out Spotify's Peaceful Piano playlist? As the name suggests, in this playlist you'll find an endless suite of peaceful, piano-driven music.

Like many playlists to use for focus and concentration, there aren't vocals here, and you'll just find piano music, not orchestral stuff, but unlike many other similar playlists, these aren't all upbeat tracks. Often, picks can be wistful and slightly sad, serene with the feeling that you're floating through space but also a bit lonely as well.

Nonetheless, these all fade into the background easily while still filling a space with music and keeping your ears happy. If you're looking for something a little slower and subtler to put on, check out Peaceful Piano.

4. Apple Music's Study Beats

Study Beats is like Apple Music's take on Lofi Girl's playlist. Study Beats cultivates a similar vibe, but tracks here are generally cleaner and more electronic, and there are a lot more picks with vocals. Apple describes the playlist as one full of "slinky, downtempo grooves" that's great for setting the mood, which is true, but there are lots of more energetic, dynamic tracks, too.

Apple electronics are slick, well-produced, and thoroughly modern, and this Study Beats playlist has a lot of the same characteristics. Study Beats is a great way to cleanly and smoothly enjoy rhythmic, beat-heavy background music that, even with vocals, never feels distracting or overbearing. And even though this is a beats playlist designed for productivity and focus, there's a healthy amount of variety there.

If you're an Apple Music user, make sure to check out Study Beats for some excellent music to help you concentrate and focus.

5. Apple Music's Pure Focus

Like the idea of chill beats to study and relax to but just wish they were a bit more ambient and less hip-hop sounding? Enter Apple Music's Pure Focus playlist. Much like Apple Music's Study Beats playlist, the Pure Focus one is on the cleaner, more minimalist electronica side of the spectrum, but this playlist is much more ambient and comes without a spate of vocal-heavy tracks.

This playlist is perfect for doing some reading, as there's nothing in this playlist at all that might pull you out of a book, but you'll still get to enjoy an endless supply of smooth, groovy music that's updated constantly by the editors over at Apple Music. Plus, this is nice way to bridge the gap between Spotify's Peaceful Piano playlist and Apple Music's Study Beats playlist: it's got beats and electronic sounds, but lots of piano and ambient elements, too.

If you aren't happy filling your space with silence while you work, consider checking out the Pure Focus playlist on Apple Music.

6. Spotify's Jazz Relax

You might've noticed that many of these concentration and focus playlists are filled with electronic sounds (outside of Peaceful Piano) and hip-hop beats, but maybe that's not your thing. But what if you still want something relatively rhythmic and lively to put on in the background while you get to work? 

Enter Spotify's Jazz Relax playlist. As you might be able to guess, this is a collection of smooth jazz, of both the vocal and instrumental variety, that runs the gamut from punchier, more upbeat tracks to slower, more contemplative pieces. Jazz is a huge genre, and this playlist delights in the variety of sounds it has to offer without ever becoming distracting.

If you like jazz, or even the idea of jazz, but don't know where to start, why not start with Spotify's Jazz Relax playlist?

7. Apple Music's Lofi Japan

Lofi Girl might have brought the chill, lo-fi beats phenomena to the mainstream, but this type of music has been around for a long time, and this unique style can be, largely, traced back to Japan's electronic music scene. Japanese music legends like Nujabes have been making this kind of beat-driven ambient music for ages.

Accordingly, Apple Music's Lofi Japan playlist tries to offer up those kinds of tracks. It'll sound fairly similar to Lofi Girl's, but there's a different character to these tracks and a different suite of sounds relied on that likely comes down to the different musical cultures that both of these playlists come from. 

So, if you're tired of all the low-fi hip-hop beats playlists out there but still like that sound, why not check out Apple Music's Lofi Japan playlist and see where it started?

8. Tidal's Decaf

What if you, much like most of the world, like vocals in your music – but you don't need them out of the way when you're trying to focus or concentrate? You're in luck because Tidal has the Decaf playlist for you. This is a collection of low-fi, indie-electro pop, acoustic, and chill R&B, according to its description.

You'll find lots of vocals and even tracks from artists you'll recognise (big, mainstream ones, too) but, true to its name, this playlist is full-bodied and robust without the frantic intensity of louder, harder, more distracting tracks. It's a clever playlist that relies on the tendency of a lot of music today to be stripped-down, chill, and above all else, a vibe .

If you're looking for something to throw on with artists you'll recognise but still won't be distracted by, check out Tidal's Decaf playlist.

How to transfer Spotify playlists to Apple Music

Check out the official What Hi-Fi? playlist

12 of the best Spotify playlists to listen to right now

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Ruben is a long-time freelance consumer technology and gaming journalist, and was previously a Staff Writer at What Hi-Fi?. Since 2014, Ruben has written news, reviews, features, guides, and everything in-between at a huge variety of outlets that include Lifewire, PCGamesN, GamesRadar+, TheGamer, Twinfinite, and many more. Ruben's a dedicated gamer, tech nerd, and the kind of person who misses physical media. In his spare time, you can find Ruben cooking something delicious or, more likely, lying in bed consuming content.

• manicm Any of Brian Eno's ambient albums, also his 2018 compilation Music For Installations. Reply
• Gray You can study. You can listen to music. You cannot do both properly simultaneously. You may think you can..... Reply
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From hitmaker to historian: Why Ernest is reviving the sound of classic country music

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The country artist known simply as Ernest is a couple of cocktails deep on a recent afternoon in the rooftop garden of West Hollywood’s Soho House, a diamond pendant the size of a AA battery nestled within the open neck of his blue western shirt.

The pendant, which reads DANGEROUS, is one of three matching pieces he commissioned from a jeweler in Orange County — one for Ernest, one for Hardy, one for Morgan Wallen — as a memento of the trio’s time writing songs together for Wallen’s six-times-platinum “Dangerous: The Double Album.” The western shirt, meanwhile, reflects Ernest’s love of Ralph Lauren. The designer’s career in fashion, as depicted in the 2019 documentary “Very Ralph,” “changed my life,” Ernest says. “Seriously. I watched it three or four years ago and shortly after cleaned out my closet and started shopping Double RL.” Ernest’s mood board for the cover of his new album, “Nashville, Tennessee,” contained a picture of Lauren leaning against a barn with an American flag in the background.

“We shot the cover in my barn,” he says of himself and his wife, Delaney Royer, who handles Ernest’s visual content. “But we made the mood board before we even bought our farm.”

The rare Nashville native in country music, Ernest, 32, has always been interested in clothes, even if he lacked the wherewithal to indulge his passion. “High school was Sperrys, khakis and a school polo,” he says. Now, though — thanks to No. 1 country hits he’s penned for Sam Hunt (“ Breaking Up Was Easy in the 90s ”), Kane Brown (“ One Mississippi ”) and especially Wallen, with whom he wrote nearly two dozen songs across “Dangerous” and Wallen’s 2023 blockbuster, “ One Thing at a Time ” — he’s got plenty of dough to splurge on more imaginative threads.

“I’m here for like 48 hours and I brought five outfits,” he says with a laugh at Soho House, where he’s spending part of a quick trip to L.A. before heading to Dodger Stadium to watch his childhood friend Mookie Betts battle the Giants. (Thus, perhaps, his choice of blue.)

As a songwriter, Ernest specializes in creating melodies and vocal lines that adapt a rapper’s flow patterns to the cadences of country music; his tunes embody the casual hybridity of a generation that grew up in the overlapping shadows of Garth Brooks and Snoop Dogg. His latest hit, “ I Had Some Help ” by the duo of Post Malone and Wallen, dropped Friday and rocketed over the weekend to the top of Spotify’s Global Top 50 chart with more than 13 million streams.

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“Ernest is one of the most magical songwriters in Nashville,” says Jelly Roll , the Southern rapper turned country singer who wrote his chart-topping “Son of a Sinner” with Ernest. “When we look back at the 2020s, he’ll be one of the names remembered for bringing an entire sound to this decade.”

Yet as an artist Ernest is trying something slightly different on “Nashville, Tennessee,” his second LP under his own name after 2022’s “Flower Shops (The Album).” It’s a sprawling 26-track collection that reaches back to an old-fashioned country-music sensibility, with rip-roaring honky-tonk jams up against finely detailed string-band excursions and handsome tear-in-your-beer ballads. Among Ernest’s goals for the project is introducing these traditional styles to the younger listeners tuned into his more modern work.

“If you like how this feels,” he says, “go check out Vern Gosdin or Roger Miller or go listen to Ray Charles’ ‘Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music.’”

At the same time, he’s eager to broaden the minds of older folks potentially predisposed to write off the likes of Wallen or Hardy. “Some of the songs I’ve written for other artists definitely fall into the that-ain’t-country category,” he says. “It’s easy for somebody to say that because they’ve got 808s or trap beats or whatnot. But that’s coming from the same hands that wrote a song on my album like ‘ Ain’t as Easy ,’” he adds, referring to a sumptuous weeper draped in pedal steel.

The result has a kind of musicological sweep that not only honors the cultural breadth of Ernest’s hometown — a city he loves enough that his and Royer’s 3-year-old son is named Ryman after Nashville’s storied Ryman Auditorium — but also evokes ideas of lineage and inheritance.

“Ernest is a real student of country music, and I think he’s on track to becoming a master of his craft,” says Lukas Nelson, who joins Ernest for a duet in the jumping western swing number “Why Dallas.” “He’s already had commercial success, but I think he and I would agree that mastery has nothing to do with that. Mastery is more about the depth of your artistry.”

Indeed, you can look at Ernest’s ambitions with “Nashville, Tennessee” as his way of spending some of the music-biz capital he accrued over the last few years. “That’s what I did with ‘A Star Is Born,’” says Nelson, who views the songs he wrote for the 2018 Bradley Cooper/Lady Gaga blockbuster as “a vehicle to further fuel my creativity.”

“I want this album to live beyond just being a hot, sizzling record right now,” Ernest says. “That’s secondary to the importance of it being one of those albums we’re talking about down the road.”

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He might end up getting it both ways: Last month, Ernest had a plum main-stage performance spot at Indio’s Stagecoach festival, where he also put in cameos with Wallen and with Nelson and Nelson’s 90-year-old legend of a dad, Willie. And he’s up for two prizes at this week’s Academy of Country Music Awards, new male artist of the year and artist-songwriter of the year.

Before he turned seriously to music, Ernest (whose last name is Smith) grew up playing baseball. He’s known Betts, a fellow Nashville native, since he was 8 and competed both alongside and against him until the two graduated high school. “Mookie struck out one time his senior year, and it was off me,” he says today with a grin.

As a kid, his “holy trinity” of musicians were Eminem, John Mayer and George Strait; after dropping out of college, he made a short-lived go at being a rapper but eventually refocused on country songwriting. Hunt’s 2014 debut “Montevallo” — on which the former college football player struck an elegant blend of country, hip-hop and R&B — was a crucial inspiration. “It had everybody scrambling,” Ernest says. His first big moment as an artist came in 2021 with his song “ Flower Shops ,” a duet with Wallen that cracked the top 20 of Billboard’s country chart and led to a profile-boosting gig as Wallen’s opening act on the road.

For the new album, which opens with a funny (and true) two-hander with Jelly Roll called “ I Went to College / I Went to Jail ,” Ernest and his producer, Joey Moi, instituted what they called “the Opry filter.” That meant that every arrangement had to be playable by the live band at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry — no samples or programmed beats allowed.

“We did everything as authentically as possible,” says Moi, who also produces Wallen’s and Hardy’s records. “All the Nashville players — these guys who’ve been around for two, three, four decades — they’re all obsessed with Ernest. They’re like, ‘Oh, my God — finally .’”

Yet Ernest hardly maintains a gatekeeper’s mindset regarding country music. “I think the genre is wide open right now in the best way ever,” he says as he orders another drink — a Bee’s Knees, to be exact — from a server.

Asked what he thinks about the handful of pop stars — among them Malone, Beyoncé and Lana Del Rey — making country moves lately, he says, “It just means there’s more eyes on country music. I think Beyoncé is gonna do for the genre what Taylor Swift did for the NFL. I’m honored to get to have an album drop and be living in the same world as the queen.”

Does he have a favorite track from Beyoncé’s “ Cowboy Carter ”? “Spaghettii,” he replies. “I love that she’s talking her s—. You can tell she did her homework, and I appreciate that.” Ernest says he’s heard Del Rey’s “Lasso,” the title track from an album she’s said is coming later this year, and that it’s good; he also says he’s written “a bunch of songs” with Malone beyond “I Had Some Help.”

He’s just as enthused about Zach Bryan, the raw, rootsy singer-songwriter from Oklahoma who’s irritated some in the Nashville record industry by building an enormous audience without relying on the help of country radio. “I f— with how much he doesn’t give a f—,” Ernest says. “Things can be so pretty and so careful. What he does is refreshing. People say his records sound like he recorded in a bedroom or a basement. But guess what? Most people are listening to it in a bedroom or a basement.”

As Ernest prepares to spend the summer on tour with Brooks & Dunn, does he ever think back to his early days as a rapper? “Oh yeah — that all pulses through my DNA as a creator,” he says. His favorite part of rapping was freestyling, he adds; he’s got videos on his phone of him and Jelly Roll going back and forth on a tour bus for an hour at a time.

“Now when I pick up a guitar, it feels like the world’s moving slow,” he says. “The thoughts are coming way faster than I have the time to say them.”

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Mikael Wood is pop music critic for the Los Angeles Times.

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