This Is The Soundtrack To My Life: Issy Aldridge
For fans, music is often where our emotional connection to an artist begins. That first 30-second snippet you catch on the radio piques your interest and sparks a frantic Google search for the handful of lyrics you can remember.
Music connects us to our past, enhances our present, and even helps us envision our future. Like a trusted friend, it accompanies us through the highs and lows of life, making each day feel like it has a rhythm of its own. Whether it’s the dancefloor-filling hits that accompany our celebrations or the gutwrenching ballads that help us navigate heartbreak, each song becomes a marker in time, forever linked to a moment, a feeling, or a memory.
In our latest web series, inspired by NME, we’re asking fans to share the soundtracks to their lives, starting with our Web and Socials Manager, Issy Aldridge.
The first album you bought
Spirit by Leona Lewis
For an eight-year-old, as I was at the time, Leona Lewis may seem like a rogue choice. But I was fully captivated by the grasp that early 00s X-Factor UK held – I mean, look what came after Leona: One Direction, Little Mix, JLS. Looking back at Spirit, an album which I still have tucked away in my CD collection to this day, it’s clear that this record holds more than just nostalgia for me – it’s a bona fide classic. Featuring Bleeding Love, Better in Time, Take a Bow, and Footprints in the Sand, you can’t tell me that you were raised in the UK and didn’t know these songs. Total heartbreak hour hits.
Your first concert
Little Mix, The DNA Tour
My first ever experience battling Ticketmaster was Little Mix’s first tour back in 2012. Getting tickets to a group that felt like they were on the global stage felt like a rite of passage at the time, and it was one I took seriously. Little Mix were another find from my obsessive X-Factor-watching days, and a group I had rooted for from their early auditions. Sure enough, they remained a permanent fixture in my life from my teens to the present day.
I remember being dropped down to the largest live venue we have in Bournemouth and experiencing what live music on this scale felt like. At the time, this 6,500-capacity venue felt massive, this huge arena buzzing with thousands of other fans who were just as excited as I was. I had never experienced anything like it before, and sure enough, I fell in love.
The first song you remember hearing
Radio Ga Ga by Queen
Raised by parents of the mid-60s, it’s no surprise that their musical heritage bled through to me as I grew up. Queen was a band that I remember vividly hearing as a child, and my Dad always had Radio 2 playing in the background. This is where of course, I became familiar with iconic bands and artists of the 70s, 80s and 90s. And as I grew older, my love for Queen stayed with me along with many other artists from this era in music.
Classic bands from these eras are synonymous with my upbringing, and it often surprises people when I tell them this. Maybe it’s because I’m 25 and people expect that I would have been raised on 00s pop. Of course, I was, but I have a special place in my heart for the artists that my parents grew up listening to too.
Most influential song of your life
Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For by U2
Another classic in my repertoire. Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For is a song which falls slightly outside of my musical memory – I can’t remember how I discovered it. My parents weren’t massive U2 fans, so maybe it’s one that I stumbled across on my own, and since then, it’s become somewhat of a comfort track. There’s something about it that makes the world around you slip away for nearly five minutes.
Another classic in my personal repertoire is Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For. This track holds a special place in my heart, even if it falls slightly outside of my musical memory. Oddly enough, I can’t quite recall how I first discovered it – it’s one of those tracks that just seems to have always been there, quietly weaving its way into the soundtrack of my life. My parents weren’t massive U2 fans, so it’s unlikely I grew up hearing it in the house. Maybe it was something I stumbled across on my own. Despite the mystery of how it found its way to me, this song has become a bit of a comfort track, one that I instinctively reach for when I need to escape or reflect.
A song you’re loving right now
In The Modern World by Fontaines D.C.
I first discovered Fontaines D.C. at Citadel Festival in London back in 2019 – a memory that’s now so bittersweet because the festival sadly didn’t make it out of the other side of COVID. But that moment, catching them in this packed-out tent, which happened to be mostly full of men, remains vivid. I didn’t expect to be so taken by the band, but something about their raw and gritty energy just clicked with me. It spoke to my grungey side, the part of me that’s always been drawn to music with a little more edge, a little more rebellion. Their sound has this unapologetic, rough-around-the-edges quality that makes you feel something visceral, and as a female fan, I find a strong sense of empowerment in music that’s not the much-expected bubblegum pop.
In The Modern World comes off their latest album, Romance, which was released back in August of this year. Perhaps I love this record so much because it feels like something that would have been released in an era gone by. There’s a timelessness to it that feels refreshing, yet nostalgic all at once. Or perhaps it is because it’s so painfully melancholic that your heart stands no chance against it. Who knows. But if you haven’t heard of Fontaines before, they’re a band you should really take the time to get to know.
A song to describe your teenage years
What a Feeling by One Direction
Where would I be today without my One Direction boys? Having just made my speech about conformative bubblegum pop, One Direction will forever be part of my musical heritage. I followed them from the very beginning, spent too much money on merch, and spent many more hours catching trains up and down the country to see them on tour.
What a Feeling, although perhaps one of the band’s lesser-known tracks, is so significant to me. It came out when I was sixteen and has this nostalgic air around it. In fact, I wrote my university dissertation about fandom and its impact on young women with this as part of the title.
When I went for my university interview, I was asked what my lifelong dream would be. I sat there with a shy smile and said that I’d love to one-day interview One Direction. Three years later, I was backstage at the O2 in London for one of Harry’s first solo shows at the venue. So although I haven’t yet made that dream come true, this experience was a pretty significant one for me.
A song that makes me cry
About You by The 1975
The 1975 are another band that play a huge role in my musical history. If you were raised on Tumblr in the early 10s, then you’ll know the chokehold that the Robbers music video had on the platform. I fell in love. About You came at the beginning of a particularly challenging chapter of my life. The first time I heard it live, at their Finsbury Park show in 2023, I was a complete mess. There’s something about it that hits you where it hurts, and I’m still yet to put my finger on it. When you find a song that resonates with you so deeply, you’ll always have a soft spot for it. About You is that song for me.
A song that you love that people won’t expect
Time by Pink Floyd
Time is one of those songs that’s so timeless (no pun intended) and iconic that it deserves a mention, no matter how long it’s been around. Pink Floyd’s influence on music is undeniable, and Dark Side of the Moon, the album that Time sits within, is a masterpiece, and not just because of its cultural impact. The song itself is a meditation on the passing of time, the urgency of life, and the inevitability of growing older – a message we can all take something from.
Growing up, I was surrounded by Pink Floyd’s music and evenings would be spent flicking through the family record collection to discover their story. Still, people are often caught off guard when I mention that I listen to Pink Floyd, perhaps because their music is seen as classic rock, or tied to a different generation. But they’re an important part of mine and my family’s musical heritage, making them incredibly special to me.
Plus, there’s an incredible cover of this song by Hozier that you need to check out if it hasn’t already made it across your radar.
A song that feels like fandom
Femininomenon by Chappell Roan
Chappell Roan really is a femininomenon, and honestly, so is fandom itself. The two go hand in hand in such an effortless, natural way. Over the years with That Fangirl Life, we’ve delved deep into the history of female fandom—examining how it has evolved, how it’s been misunderstood, and more importantly, how it has been a driving force in shaping pop culture. We’ve explored it all in such great detail that I’ll spare you the lengthy history lesson this time. But what’s important to understand is that female fandom has always been powerful, bold, and unapologetic in its passion.
Femininomenon, much like the essence of fandom, is completely unapologetic. It’s a celebration of femininity in its most authentic, vibrant form. It doesn’t hold back, and neither do fangirls in their actions and behaviours.
