10 Songs About New Beginnings & Fresh Starts (2024)

So you’ve decided to start again. Good for you. Maybe you’ve finally found the courage to step toward a career you’ve always dreamed of pursuing. Maybe you’re learning to respect yourself and your own boundaries, or maybe you’ve learned to hold yourself accountable and become the best version of yourself possible. Maybe you just feel like pressing “restart” and getting back on track – or maybe you said “screw it” to any tracks at all.

Whatever the case, it’s a new day and a new you, and you deserve a killer soundtrack to keep you motivated and remind yourself why these changes are a good thing. In that case, we’ve put together 10 of our favorite songs about starting fresh and embracing the new. From dance music gems to classic favorites, these songs about change and new beginnings will keep you from slipping back into old habits.

DubVision&Afrojack – “New Memories”

We kick off our list with a bright and bouncy bit of dance-pop courtesy of Dutch duo DubVision and their fellow countryman and electro icon Afrojack. It’s a classic, big room vibe designed to get your fists pumping while you smile with your eyes closed, exactly the moodyou need to take you into an ecstatic future.

Purity Ring – “Begin Again”

This heavy mood from 2015’sAnother Eternityis something for the brooding kind. The pounding beat moves your feet ever forward as singer Megan James’ angelic cries haunt your every move. Let yourself burst into something shiny and new with these exultant beats.

Johnny Nash – “I Can See Clearly Now”

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Does this song really need to be explained? Just in case you’ve never heard Johnny Nash’s Hot 100 No. 1 from 1972, it’s a brilliant rock’n’souljam with some reggae tones that’s been covered by everyone from Jimmy Cliff to Everclearand has appeared in numerous films, includingGrosse Pointe Blank,The Break-up,Thelma & Louise,Antz, Hitch,Cool Runnings.

Shallou – “Begin” Feat. Wales

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If you’re hoping for a smooth start, there’s nothing silkier than LA-based producer Shallou’s sweet, nature-loving sounds. “Begin” features Brooklyn singer Wales withsome real whispery coolness. This is real tenderness to get you through a tough transition and bring you back to in the shimmering light of a bright new morning.

Michael Jackson – “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin'”

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Michael Jackson started a record recording revolution with his groundbreaking, experimental dance-pop smashThriller.Released in 1982, it’s one of the most beloved and highest-selling albums in history, and with jams like “Beat It,” “P.Y.T.” and “Billie Jean,” it’s obvious why. This is the tune you put on when you’re ready to get things moving, for real.

Daydreamer – “New Beginnings”

It’s important to remember that good things come to those who make good things happen. It’s not enough to sit around and hope for things to go your way. You need to begin down the path of hard work and dedication, but keep that starry-eyed brightness in your heart for the dark times. If this sounds like where you’re at, Daydreamer’s “New Beginnings” is exactly the song for you.

Seven Lions – “Start Again” Feat. Fiora

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Another emotional ballad, Seven Lions and singer Fiorabring a soundtrack that pairs perfectly with Daydreamer’s start up jam, this one bringing the inspiring upward motion that acts as the wind beneath your wings. Let this melancholymelody draw the doubt of out of your heart and turn it into action.

Dizzee Rascal – “Brand New Day”

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Sometimes, the fresh starts aren’t the ones you choose for yourself. Sometimes, the things around you change, the people who’ve always had your back disappear, and everything you took for granted is suddenly something unfamiliar. Dizzee Rascal knows that feeling, and he knows that it’s up to ourselves to make our new realities something worth living for. Let this wonky beat bring you back into courageous step.

Dua Lipa– “New Rules” (Alison Wonderland Remix)

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Sometimes, the new beginning is a reaction to someone else’s awful behavior. You don’t have to take it anymore, and you’re resolved for change. Dua Lipa’s “New Rules” is an absolutely killer tune about taking your future into your own hands – and cutting that sucker out of the picture. We’re just really hyped on Alison Wonderland’s remix, because this bass is everything you need to keep that resolve going night into day into night again.

The Beatles – “Here Comes the Sun”

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We end our list with what might be one of the most recognizable songs about new beginnings we know. Can you actually feel bad when listening to this Beatles classic? George Harrisonis an angel on this 1969 favorite. It’s as if you can actually see his acoustic guitar clear the sky of clouds and dry the rain. Whatever your rhyme or reason for starting again, if you put this on, you’re going to be okay.