My Guilty Pleasures Playlist: Violet Benson, aka Daddy Issues, on R-e-s-p-e-c-t and Rhapsodies

April 12, 2018

Whether it’s old-school throwbacks, teen top or ‘80s movie soundtracks, everyone has those go-to nostalgic songs. You know, the tracks you play over and over—even if it’s only when no one else is listening.

In Spotify’s Guilty Pleasures series, some favorite influencers and internet personalities are revealing the tunes they can’t help but love.

Violet Benson knows a thing or two about keeping a secret. The internet personality is best known for her viral Instagram and Twitter account @daddyissues_, which she started anonymously in 2014 as an escape from her accounting job. Now that her alter ego—that edgy, honest, irreverent voice in your head (or in your group texts)—is no longer a secret, @daddyissues_ has amassed almost 4 million followers, expanded to a blog and online store and earned Benson the title “Instagram Meme Queen” by Vanity Fair. Violet opened up to Spotify about the songs she’s not embarrassed about loving, from classic R&B to the Demi track inspired by her online persona.

  • “Respect” by Aretha Franklin. I can’t walk home from working out without listening to this song and just wanting to burst into a dance in the middle of the street like I’m in High School Musical (which, spoiler alert, I actually do). I love jamming to this and I really don’t care who’s watching… because if they knew what I was listening to, they would understand.
  • “Getting Over You” by Lauv. Honestly, any Lauv song is currently a guilty pleasure of mine. From “I Like Me Better” to “Easy Love” to this one… I just love his voice, and any music he makes is a straight banger that I can’t stop listening to.
  • “Daddy Issues” by Demi Lovato. Of course, this song would make it to my list since I have daddy issues myself. Not only was this song inspired by my Instagram @daddyissues_, which is the coolest thing ever, but the lyrics just speak to me.
  • “Undo It” by Carrie Underwood. There is no way you can listen to this song without singing the chorus super passionately, whether or not you’ve been through a painful breakup. I feel this song in my bones and I can’t help but sing it loudly whenever it comes on, as if my heart was just broken all over again.
  • “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen. I love this song because it lets me channel all my different personalities, but sometimes it also makes me wish I had a boyfriend to sing a duet with—because right now it’s really hard for me to sing all the parts on my own.