Rising players share their favorite pre-match beats and how music plays a role in their gameday routine
Written by Emma Dinnan
It’s one hour until Phoenix Rising kick off another match on 38th & Washington. As fans fill the stadium, nerves begin to settle. Sitting on a bench waiting to be taped, defender Collin Smith puts his earbuds in. He hears the beat kick in as LL COOL J’s “I’m Bad” begins to play. In his head, he envisions the scene from Michael Jordan’s docu-series “The Last Dance,” where Jordan famously racks up 63 points against the Celtics.
“I remember that play,” Smith said. “I want to just really go out on the field and give my all and do the exact same thing, just make players be afraid of me.”
As the song plays, Smith nods along. Slowly his nerves begin to fade and he feels himself entering the “zone” ready to hit the field.
When it comes to preparing for a game, each player has his own routine. Pay attention before a match and you’ll see them with their headphones on blasting their favorite songs. Whether it’s “Sant Yalla” by Wally B. Seck or “Wrong Decisions” by NAV, the most popular hype songs among the team encompass multiple genres, artists, and styles.
For midfielder Charlie Dennis, his genre of choice is house music. One song the Brighton, United Kingdom, native has on repeat at the moment is “Se Mueve Asi” by Bruno Bona and Maty Badini. Dennis calls the song a reflection of his English roots and love for European music.
“It’s big in Europe so I always just listen to it,” Dennis said. “I like to find new songs and “Se Mueve Asi” is just one I like.”
For many, house music means clubbing and boiler room sets. For Dennis, the sounds that people like to dance to are what gets him in the mental headspace for a game.
“I think the sounds, the beat, the rhythm… those are the things I like,” Dennis said. “I don’t know when I heard it. I just enjoyed that song. It’s one of those where you keep replaying it.”
Music isn’t the only thing that can affect a pre-match mindset; setting matters too. Dennis says the locker room can be loud, with a constant mix of French and rap music playing. He prefers to get in his zone seperately long before the match.
“When I’m driving in the car here to the stadium, I’ll definitely put music on, and then sometimes I’ll put my headphones in on the away trips,” Dennis said.
Smith, on the other hand, loves to go back in time to prepare himself for kickoff with a bit of old-school hip-hop.
“I’m into the older songs: RnB, the older kind of rap songs, all those things,” the 21-year-old defender said. “I check out several generations of music and everything. If it gets me hyped, that’s what I end up rolling with.”
Smith admits that although he appreciates the music from everyone on the team, he would rather listen to his hype songs to construct his pre-match mindset.
“In the locker room I’m headphones in, doing my own thing,” Smith said. “Depending on the mood, I’ll kind of switch it up. Sometimes it’s rap, sometimes RnB, sometimes older rap. Sometimes even motivational videos I’ll watch instead of listening to music. It just kind of depends.”
Smith’s preparation starts the second he pulls on his jersey. Even the slightest difference in his routine, all the way down to his meticulously-crafted playlist, could throw off his game significantly,
“I put my AirPods in and if I don’t, I feel a little different,” Smith said. “That’s why it’s mandatory for me to go ahead and throw those in and listen to whatever I need to get hyped for the game.”
Whether Smith, Dennis or any player on Rising’s roster, music plays a significant role in the gameday routine. Each player’s respective hype song allows each individual player to set themselves straight and be in the best possible frame of mind to win games. Even better, when they succeed, they celebrate with the beat of the music.
Here you can find the full playlist of the Rising player’s hype songs.
