that time i played loose by daniel caesar for a girl in peru.
It was a mild winter evening in Colan, Peru. Following a flight from Lima that morning, we made the drive to our private resort on the beach, the venue we selected for my uncle’s wedding. Once the unpacking was done, I decided to go for a detoxing walk along the beach as the sun set. Joining me was the niece of my soon-to-be aunt-in-law; a young girl very close to my age. Even bigger than the culture difference was the language barrier, as she spoke to me in broken english, and I replied with even worse spanish. Funny enough, every sentence she put together stuck to me more than any conversation I’ve ever had with someone from the states. Everything was just so genuine. With wide-eyes, she’d ask me about life in the states, explaining how it was her lifelong dream to go to DisneyWorld. Quickly it struck me that as curious as I was about her experience in Peru, she was just as (if not more) marveled at the life that I live.
Shortly after our walk, we met again on the couch near the pool to watch the rest of the sunset. Continuing our conversation from earlier, I quizzed her on her knowledge of American artists. Ariana Grande, the Weeknd, and Drake were among the names we shared familiarity with, but for the most part she was clueless on a majority of the music I loved. Given that music is arguably my biggest passion, I figured it was only right to introduce her to some of my favorite songs. I handed her my airpod pros as she pulled her hair back to fit them over her ears, but which song would I play for her?
With an endless catalog of music, I decided on Loose by Daniel Caesar, a song that I felt encapsulated the moment. Loose describes the burden of holding on to someone for too long, finally getting to the point of deciding to let them go. As somber as this song sounds, that’s far from the reason I decided to play it. You see, Loose isn’t just a song, it’s an experience. For those who have heard it, you’ll understand exactly what I mean, but for those who haven’t: the sounds and melodies give a sense of transcendence beyond our reality. Loose feels like you are floating through space, marveling at the infinite number of galaxies. While the song played, I watched with the biggest smile on my face as she gazed into the sunset; I could only imagine experiencing something so surreal for the first time. With a smile she removed the headphones, said she loved the song, and we continued to watch the sun fall into the ocean.
Contrary to what you may believe, this isn’t about a song. This isn’t about the sunset, nor is it about the beach. With no intention of taking away from the loveliness of these things, this is about the beauty of how certain interactions can impact our lives in the most subtle ways. I have been blessed to live a very diverse 19 years on this planet, yet moments like these are the ones that will rush through my head as I spend my last few minutes on Earth. It was just so incredible to me how two people with such different upbringings can be brought together by fate, and share something so special for just an afternoon. Every decision we had ever made in life brought us to that moment, and even if she forgot it the next morning, it will never leave my heart.
With love,
jalen.