I'm Listening to: My Bedtime Playlist

This is something that I've been meaning to share for a long time now, but it always gets pushed back when other, more current topics for blog posts come up. Finally, I've gotten around to posting it for you.

So, there are two different options I have when it comes to listening to something calming before bed. 

I used to use a website/app called 8tracks, which had an amazing playlist of British actors reading poetry and prose, including Tom Hiddleston, Matthew Macfadyen, David Tennant, Kenneth Branagh, Benedict Cumberbatch and the late-great Alan Rickman. But a little while back they changed to only streaming in the US and Canada, meaning the only way those in the UK and elsewhere in the world could listen to them was through YouTube. I found the links didn't always work on their website so I started finding them individually on YouTube instead.

For the purpose of this blog post, I've added all of the YouTube videos I like to listen to on to one playlist here. It can get a little annoying with the adverts but it's still nice to listen to once you get past that. It's like listening to an audio book, I suppose, but with short poems and book extracts read in amazing British voices.

The second thing I like to listen to is a music playlist. This includes the following songs, instrumentals and classical pieces of music, to name a few:

1. E Piu Ti Penso (feat. Ariana Grande) - Andrea Bocelli - I love this man so much, his voice is out of this world, so when I first heard he had recorded this track with Ariana Grande I knew I would love it.

2. My Heart Is Yours - Alfie Boe - I have always been a huge fan of Alfie and this is now one of my favourites by him. It's just so calming and easy to listen to.

3. Who Is She - Patrick Doyle (from the Cinderella OST) - I adore the whole of this soundtrack but this is definitely my favourite piece. It featured on the instrumental playlist at our wedding reception during the meal.

4. All I Want - Collabro - Again, I love basically every song by these boys but this is just a beautiful track that really shows of their voices. I can't wait for their next album so I can add more tracks to this playlist.

5. The Man You Love - Il Divo - This has always been one of my favourite Il Divo tracks. I can remember listening to this one on my iPod in bed when I was younger. I was an odd child that listened to Il Divo aged 12-13.

6. So She Dances - Josh Groban - There are so many beautiful songs by this man, especially on his Stages album, but this is one of my old favourites that really helps me relax.

7. Secret Love Song, Part II - Little Mix - This is a bit of an odd one thrown in, as a lot of the music on this list is either old or classical, but this song is just so beautiful I had to put it on my playlist.

8. Anthem - Michael Ball and Alfie Boe - When I heard my favourite, Alfie Boe, was joining up with the brilliant Michael Ball, I screamed. This is just one of many amazing tracks on their joint album.

9. Aeon (feat. Juliet Lyons) - Nick Murray - This makes me think of driving, as I liked to listen to this when I just wanted something instrumental, I often just put it on repeat. Again, this was featured on my wedding reception playlist.

10. Bring Him Home - The Piano Guys - A

11. Begin Again - Taylor Swift - Again, this one seems a little out of place, but this is a stunning, calming track by Taylor that just makes me feel so happy when I hear it. It's all about new beginnings.

12. Neverland - Zendaya (from the Finding Neverland OST) - I adore this song from the musical Finding Neverland. Zendaya does a fantastic job with this track and is another one I could just listen to on repeat.

13. Keep Me In Your Heart - Alfie Boe - Another Alfie Boe track, but this one is special to me as I remember seeing Alfie sing this live and Clay and I featured in his fan video for it here (you can see both of our photos featured at 4:07)

14. Edelweiss - Andre Rieu - This is my favourite song from The Sound of Music and this version by the incredible Andre Rieu is just perfect for relaxing before bedtime.

15. Beauty and the Beast - Music Lab Collective - I love Beauty and the Beast so this medley of music played on the piano is just the most lovely track to listen to.

16. Vincent (Starry, Starry Night) - Josh Groban - Another Josh Groban track, and this was one of the first tracks by him that I ever listened to and it has stayed with me. I just love it.

17. A Thousand Years - Collabro - I really like the original of this song by Christina Perri but there's something about this Collabro version that I prefer. They're voices are just incredible on this track.

18. Balcony Scene - Craig Armstrong - A little bit of Romeo and Juliet, this was also a track that featured on our wedding reception playlist. I will forever associate it with our special day, so this song with our special day.

19. When Somebody Loved Me - Michael Ball - This song is originally from Toy Story 2 and there are many versions of it by different people, but I really like this one by Michael Ball. His voice is beautiful on this track.

20. Canon in D - Johann Pachelbel - Finally - another wedding song, but from the church - I just feel so happy when I hear this classic piece. It's so timeless.

What do you like to listen to when you're trying to relax or going to bed? Leave any suggests below or share them with me on Twitter or Instagram.