How are you feeling? What to listen to, read and watch if you're hopeful

With everything going on right now, from the constant news updates around COVID-19 to social distancing, it's easy to feel inundated. We're all cycling through a lot of emotions, many at the same time, and it can be overwhelming. 

That's why CBC Music created a series of curated care packages full of music, videos and stories to help, based on how you're feeling. We also asked CBC Music hosts and producers to pick songs to fit each mood. 

If you're feeling hopeful, that's a great place to be. We hope these selections will brighten your day even more. 

To Listen

Song: "Start Again," Falana

"Everything about the bright horn section at the top of this track embodies hope. Falana's vocal delivery is powerful, yet comforting. This song encourages you to pick yourself up, dust yourself off and start all over again. It always leaves me hopeful that something great is about to happen. And hey, you can groove to it as well." — Odario Williams

• Listen to our golden age of Gospel playlist with music from the Staple Singers, Swan Silvertones, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, the Dixie Hummingbirds and more.

• Get your dancing shoes on and get ready to boogie with our Disco playlist. Hear Donna Summer, The Bee Gees, Gloria Gaynor, Diana Ross and more.

• Just because you can't go on a vacation doesn't mean you can't go on one in your head. Lose yourself in sun, sand, and rhythm with our Island Vibe playlist featuring music from Jamaica, Cuba, Cape Verde and the Dominican Republic. 

To Read

Meet Lindsay Kemp, the man who taught David Bowie and put glam rock on the map

"[David Bowie] fell in love with my world, you know, with my kind of circus world," Choreographer Lindsay Kemp tells CBC Music. "He came backstage and expressed a desire to learn from me, to study with me. And it was love at first sight. I mean, the moment I saw him, God, love at first sight."

The true, tragic and inspiring Canadian stories behind Gord Downie's best lyrics

Gord Downie was famous for crystallizing Canadian stories from headlines, history books and even hockey cards, all while using his inimitable and enigmatic gift for myth-making. Here are the true, tragic and inspiring Canadian stories behind Gord Downie's best lyrics.

Nunavut's first record label is ready to rock the arctic

"I'm very passionate about my culture and who I am and where I come from," the Jerry Cans' Nancy Mike told us back when they launched Nunavut's first record label, Aakuluk.

To Watch

• "Maybe someone could enjoy this record and see this as a bit of a testament to resilience," William Prince said while in Toronto to record his First Play Live session for Reliever. "Let's sing a song for survivorship, you know, and surviving a difficult time in your life." 

• The Hearn Generating Station is an abandoned, coal-fired power plant with a crumbling, majestic beauty. The cavernous space is a tangled mess of twisted rebar, rusty steel girders and cracked concrete. Buildings don't always elicit emotional responses, but stepping into the ruins of the Hearn is like stepping into a magical world; the immense size and soaring structure illuminate the possible. What better place for BADBADNOTGOOD to perform tracks from their album, IV?

We hope that helps. We also have care packages for when you're feeling sad, anxious, peaceful, bored, inspired, empathetic or angry.