As Sophie Adenot begins a nine‑month stay aboard the International Space Station, she is taking with her a carefully assembled playlist, built in partnership with music platform Deezer, that reveals both her musical tastes and her mindset on the eve of her first spaceflight.
A soundtrack for a 34‑hour trip to orbit
The mission, called Epsilon, will see Adenot travel roughly 34 hours from launch to docking with the ISS. For that intense stretch, NASA and partner agencies grant each crew member a small but personal privilege: three songs for the ride to the launch pad.
Adenot’s choices mix pop euphoria, electronic energy and epic “viking” vibes. They are part of a broader playlist titled Dream Astro, which currently gathers 43 tracks and will be updated during the mission.
Music is not a luxury in spaceflight; it is a psychological tool that can lift mood, sharpen focus and anchor memories.
In a statement shared by Deezer, Adenot explains that her first pick is Pharrell Williams’ global hit Happy. For her, the track captures her philosophy of life: optimistic, forward‑looking, and driven by the simple joy of finally reaching orbit.
Her second track, I’m Good (Blue) by Bebe Rexha and David Guetta, leans into pulsing electro-pop. She imagines it fitting that surreal moment in the middle of the night, around three in the morning, as the astronaut crew rides in darkness toward the rocket.
The call of Valhalla and the taste for adventure
The third choice reveals another side of Adenot’s personality. She has selected Valhalla Calling, performed in a powerful version by Miracle of Sound with Peyton Parrish, a track famous among fans of fantasy and “viking” soundscapes.
Adenot says she used this song at the start of every training session for spacewalks, known as extravehicular activities, during her preparation. The piece, with its chanted vocals and cinematic arrangement, became an auditory ritual, a way of signalling to herself that demanding work and adventure lay ahead.
For Adenot, “Valhalla Calling” is not just background noise; it is a personal battle cry that turns stress into motivation.
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The three launch-pad songs cover a surprising emotional spectrum: cheerful resilience, confident celebration, and near-mythic heroism. That combination mirrors the internal journey many astronauts describe: excitement, calculation, and a sense of stepping into history all at once.
From Taylor Swift to Céline Dion: a very public playlist
Beyond the trio for the launch, Adenot’s Dream Astro playlist leans heavily toward mainstream pop, with a strong French presence. Names mentioned by Deezer include Pharrell Williams, Lady Gaga, Aya Nakamura and Céline Dion, alongside English-language giants such as Taylor Swift.
This is not a niche, ultra-technical selection. It is a collection of songs familiar to millions, the kind of tracks one might hear at karaoke, in a car, or during a workout. That accessibility is intentional: it builds a bridge between the very rare experience of orbit and the everyday emotions of those still on Earth.
- French classics for sing‑along comfort
- Global pop hits for energy and routine
- Epic soundtracks for training and focus
Among the French-language staples referenced around the playlist is “Sous le vent”, the duet made famous by Céline Dion and Garou, a favourite among karaoke fans. The presence of contemporary French superstar Aya Nakamura next to veteran icons underlines just how varied Adenot’s influences are.
Why astronauts rely on music
Life aboard the ISS is strictly organised: 90‑minute orbits, repeated sunrises, and tight schedules for experiments and maintenance. Under such conditions, music can act as a rare personal territory, a bubble that belongs to the astronaut alone.
| Need in orbit | Role of music |
|---|---|
| Stress relief before and after demanding tasks | Rhythmic pop tracks and familiar hits lower anxiety |
| Maintaining a sense of normal life | Popular songs recreate Earth-like routines and social rituals |
| Motivation for physical exercise | High-tempo tracks support daily workouts on station |
| Connection with home and culture | French favourites and personal memories keep identity strong |
Space agencies have long understood this. Previous crews have requested everything from classical symphonies to heavy metal and country music. NASA’s tradition of “wake-up calls”, when ground control plays a track to greet the crew at the start of the workday, has produced decades of emotional moments.
A playlist that tells a story
While the full tracklist of Dream Astro spans 43 titles and remains dynamic, the known artists already sketch a narrative about Adenot herself. She is France’s second female astronaut, trained as a helicopter pilot and engineer, and her musical choices reflect that mix of discipline and exuberance.
Happy, chart pop, and viking soundtracks might seem like an odd trio. Still, they match the three main stages of a long mission: anticipation, execution, and reflection.
The playlist reads like an emotional map of a space mission: from pre-launch jitters to silent views of Earth through a cupola window.
On board, the music will not be playing constantly. Operational needs come first, and periods of radio communication or scientific work leave little room for noise. Instead, the playlist will likely accompany personal time, workouts on the station’s exercise machines, or quiet evenings spent floating by a porthole.
How a space playlist is actually used
Listening to music in microgravity is more practical than many imagine. Astronauts typically use standard digital players or tablets, paired with in‑ear headphones so that sound does not disturb other crew members or interfere with announcements from mission control.
Files are usually uploaded to the station’s internal network in advance, since streaming from Earth in real time is limited by bandwidth, scheduling and communication priorities. In Adenot’s case, the link with Deezer is mainly symbolic and promotional, but it allows people on the ground to follow, almost in real time, the soundtrack that shapes her mission.
From playlists to performance: why song choice matters in space
On long-duration missions, small comforts like music can influence much more than mood. Sleep quality, reaction time and teamwork are all affected by stress and emotional balance. Well-chosen tracks can help reset the nervous system between intense operations.
Psychologists working with space agencies look at how familiar sounds, including music and language, stabilise an astronaut’s sense of self. For someone like Adenot, with deep French roots and an international working environment, mixing English‑language hits with French favourites maintains both sides of her identity.
Researchers also watch out for potential downsides. Constantly looping nostalgic songs might lock a crew member into homesickness. Loud or aggressively rhythmic music at the wrong time could interfere with recovery after demanding tasks. This is why autonomy is key: astronauts decide what they need to hear, and when.
What this tells us about future missions
The way Adenot uses music on the ISS foreshadows what crews might need on much longer journeys, such as a months‑long trip to Mars. On such missions, communication delays will reach up to 22 minutes each way, and Earth will no longer feel as close.
In that context, personalised audio archives — playlists, recorded messages, carefully chosen ambient sounds — could act as psychological life support. Every track would be a thread tying astronauts back to their histories, cultures and previous lives on Earth.
As spacecraft get more advanced, the most human piece of technology on board may still be a pair of headphones and a well‑chosen song.
For now, Dream Astro is simply the musical notebook of one astronaut on her first flight. Yet it carries wider echoes: a reminder that even 400 kilometres above our heads, hurtling around the planet at 28,000 km/h, people still need familiar melodies, big choruses and the occasional viking anthem to feel at home.
Originally posted 2026-02-22 13:11:43.