Every athlete has a go-to playlist that they listen to before they take the field, step on the court, or dive into the pool. In Pregame Playlist we bring Stanford student-athletes' playlists to you! Hear from junior women's lacrosse midfielder Ailish Kelly as she breaks down his favorite tracks to listen to before a big game.
GoStanford.com: What are your favorite songs from this playlist?
Ailish Kelly: "First, 'Hear Me Say' by Jonas Blue & LEON. My all-time favorite artist is LEON! Then I would probably go with 'Kings and Queens' by Mat Kearney and 'When We Were Young' by Lost Kings."
GS: "How does your music selection for this playlist different from your normal music taste, if at all?"
AK: "My normal music taste usually consists of a lot more country music like Morgan Wallen and Luke Combs songs. This playlist has more rap and EDM songs that help me get more hyped before a game."
GS: "What about this playlist gets you ready for a game?"
AK: "I like to start listening to my playlist about 2 hours before our games start. Listening to these songs helps me begin to feel more focused and in the zone. Last year for my sophomore season, I had a ritual where the last song I listened to was, 'I Get the Bag (feat. Migos)' by Gucci Mane. This year for my junior season, I decided to change it up so I chose 'Superhero (Heroes & Villains)' by Metro Boomin, Future & Chris Brown.'"
GS: "Are there any unique backstories behind these songs and what they mean to you or your team?"
AK: "'Turbulence (feat.Lil Jon)' by Steve Aoki & Laidback Luke is a fan favorite on our team. Since my freshman year, one of our pre-game rituals is to jump around to this song in the locker room. We played this song after a great home win against USC a few weeks ago. It was awesome dancing to this song after the game having the coaches and some alumni join us in the locker room celebration!"
GS: "Important question now - who gets the aux in the locker room?"
AK: "Easy: Jay Browne. She's always in charge of aux in the locker room and any away trips we go on. The team can always count on her to play some fire music!"
GS: "Anything else you would like us to know about this playlist or your relationship with music in general?"
AK: "A lot of these songs that I have on this playlist are older ones that I used to listen to during my high school lacrosse seasons. I like to keep these songs on here because it reminds me of the times when I played high school lacrosse with my three sisters. We all have some of the best memories from playing together in high school. Some of our favorites were, 'Good Grief (Don Diablo Remix)' by Bastille, 'Pure Water' by Mustard & Migos, and 'Shooters' by Tory Lanez."
Check out Ailish's full playlist below.