Why I’ve Been Loving Apple Radio Lately
Read time: 4m
I think I went almost ten years without listening to the radio regularly. Back in the day, I used to hear it all the time, blaring from a DeWalt stereo on building sites at an old job, or playing in the removal lorries I worked in for a while. Even earlier than that, I remember sitting in my mum’s car as she did the school run, dropping off all eight of us kids at different schools like some kind of logistical superhero. Radio was just part of the background then. Filling in the silence. Helping me get through a hard day’s work.
But somewhere along the way, I stopped listening. Probably around the time streaming took over and radio started to feel like an old format. But recently, I’ve been getting back into it, specifically, Apple Radio, and I’ve been surprised by how much I enjoy it.
Most of the time I hang out in the Chill station. It’s like audio aromatherapy. Something about the flow of it helps me shed the stress of the day. Whether I’m working, gaming, or just lying on the floor doing nothing, it fades into the background until, suddenly, a track cuts through and pulls me in completely. I’m not always actively listening, but I am listening. If that makes sense.
And then you’ve got Zane Lowe. His shows feel different, like someone actually put care into curating them. Maybe they’re prerecorded, maybe not, but they’ve got a real voice behind them. A personality. And when he does interviews or intros a song with genuine enthusiasm, it feels human in a way a lot of today’s content doesn’t.
That’s something I’ve noticed, actually. A lot of the DJs on Apple Radio seem automated. I’ve caught them repeating the exact same phrases word-for-word across different sessions. Doesn’t ruin it, but it reminds me why I appreciate the live-feeling stuff more.
What really sets Apple Radio apart for me is how convenient and well-integrated it is. No faffing around with logins or dodgy internet radio websites. It’s just there, built into the platform, clean, easy, and curated well enough that I don’t feel like I’m wasting my time. Compare that to Spotify, where the prices keep going up and the artists keep getting paid crumbs. I’m so done with that.
The only downside? Some of the songs on the Hits charts are just, let’s be honest, narcissistic trash. But I get it. It’s a democracy. People gravitate toward music that reflects their personality, and not everyone’s looking for something chill. I just never really cared about falling in line with the masses. That’s probably why the Chill station is where I feel most at home.
In a weird way, getting back into radio feels like reconnecting with an old friend. Not because it’s nostalgic, but because it’s familiar in the best way, like it’s there to keep you company, without demanding anything in return.
