With Beasts of Prey just around the corner (hello, Sept 28th!!) and the fandom growing FAST, we asked author Ayana Gray to share her Beasts of Prey playlist so you’re ready to tune in on Spotify and read along as soon as your copy comes in!

So without further ado, onto you, Ayana!

Hello! 

This is definitely one of my big author dreams coming true — I’m ecstatic to share with you the official BEASTS OF PREY (BOP) playlist! Over the five years it took to write this story, music was a huge source of inspiration for me. Oftentimes, the scenes that formed in my head came straight from a powerful song chord, or a lyric I found especially poignant. These songs latched onto me and wouldn’t let go. Over the years, they were the constants that stayed with me. Simply put, this book wouldn’t exist without the music that inspired me.

 

The thing I’m most proud of about this playlist is its eclecticism; there are artists from all over the world on this list, covering genres far and wide. There’s a healthy mix of 60s pop, hip hop, instrumentals, R&B tracks by singers young and old. Some songs are classics, like Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” and some were released earlier this year like “Met Him Last Night” by Demi Lovato. The common thread among them all is that, in some big or small way, each of these songs struck me and created imagery in my mind that I couldn’t ignore. 

 

Because I’m me, (a Pisces), I’ve actually organized these songs by chapter in Beasts of Prey. If you listen to them in the order they’re listed, you’ll actually hear the one resounding song that captured the mood or emotions I was trying to encompass in each chapter of the book. In some cases, the inspiration is pretty obvious, but in others it’s more subtle, and I hope you enjoy listening to the lyrics and figuring out the clues within each one. At the end of the playlist are a few songs a reader sent to me after finishing the book–I think they fit in perfectly!

 

I hope you love this playlist as much as I do! If you think of any new songs to add to the playlist, please feel free to send them my way! One of my greatest little joys is finding a new song to love.

 

Cheers,

Ayana

 

 

Forbidden Fruit

Song: Met Him Last Night by Demi Lovato feat. Ariana Grande (2021)

 

Good Spirits

Song: Ringleader Man by T-Pain  (2008)

 

From the Root

Song: An Addict With A Pen by Twenty One Pilots (2009)

 

The Smallest Resistance

Song: Après moi by Regina Spektor (2006)

 

Faith and Fortitude

Song: Sky Walker by Miguel feat Travis Scott (2017)

 

Remarkable Things

Song: Don’t Stop Me Now (1979)

 

Into the Stars

Song: Burn It All by Ludwig Göransson (2018)

 

The Color of Midnight

Song: Instant Crush by Daft Punk feat. Julian Casablancas (2013)

 

Rhythm and Flow

Song: Ginger by Wizkid (feat. Burna Boy) (2020)

 

A Scholar of Destiny

Song: Narrow by Mayday Parade (2015)

 

A Truth and a Lie

Song: Paper Planes by M.I.A. (2010)

 

A True Vessel

Song: Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana (1991)

 

On the Subject of Monsters

Song: Till It’s Gone by Yelawolf (2015)

 

A Fair Trade

Song: The Encounter by Joe Hisaishi (1997)

 

The Mamba and the Mongoose

Song: No Problem by Chance the Rapper (2016)

 

Leather and Cedarwood

Song: Off to the Races by Lana Del Ray (2012)

 

The Heart of the Jungle

Song: Jungle by Drake (2015)

 

Invisible String

Song: Nobody’s Home by Avril Lavigne (2004)

 

The Old Darkness

Song: YOSEMITE by Travis Scott (2018).

 

The Follow-Through

Song: Slow Life by Victoria Legrand (2009)

 

Tricks and Truths

Song: Playing With the Big Boys by Steven Martin and Martin Short (1998)

 

Scars

Song: Blackbird by the Beatles (1968)

 

A Beautiful Violence

Song: I’ll Come Too by James Blake (2019)

 

The Boy from the West

Song: You Got It by Vedo (2020)

 

The Lesser Son:

Song: Father and Son by Yusuf / Cat Stevens (1970)

 

Blood, Bone, and Soul

Song: Wings of Forgiveness by India Arie (2006)

 

Myths and Folktales

Song: Princess Mononoke by Joe Hisaishi and Yoshikazu Mera (1997)

 

The Splendor

Song: Hurt by Christina Aguilera (2006)

 

A Complete Betrayal

Song: Mr. Brightside by The Killers (2004)

 

Silver Bells

Song: To Die For by Hans Zimmer (1994)

 

The Other Daraja

Song: Reflection by Christina Aguilera (1998)

 

A Strong Like

Song: Sweet One by Wizkid (2020)

 

From the Start

Song: No Not You by K. Michelle (2017)

 

The Sky Garden

Song: Little Things Mean A Lot by Kitty Kallen (1954)

 

A Son of the Six

Song: Chaos is a Ladder by Ramin Djawadi (2013)

 

The Terrible After

Song: Triggered by Jhené Aiko (2020) The End of All Things by Panic! At the Disco (2013)

 

A Small Grief

Song: Say You’re Wrong by Kacy Hill (2017)

 

Fireflies

Song: True Kinda Love by Estelle and Zach Callison (2019)

 

The Madness

Song: Everybody’s Fool by Evanescence (2003)

 

Heart and Mind

Song: Heaven by K. Michelle (2017)

 

Beasts of Prey

Song: Blood On My Jeans (2020)

 

Honorable Mentions

 

Chewing Gum by Blood Orange

Jasey Rae by All Time Low

Running Back by Wale feat. Lil Wayne

One Night by Lil Yachty

Mondo Bongo by Joe Strummer and The Mescaleros

All of Me by John Legend

False God by Taylor Swift

Stop, Look and Listen (To Your Heart)

Story of My Life by John Lunn, Alastair King, Chamber Orchestra of London (2011)

Without Me by Halsey

Journey to the Past by Liz Callaway

Two Worlds by Phil Collins

Strangers Like Me by Phil Collins

Into the Air by Phil Collins

The Meadow by Jennifer Lawrence

Voodoo by EARTHGANG

Decode by Paramore

PRBLMS by 6lack

 

 

Preorder your copy here!

 

 

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