You know when you meet someone, and from the get go you think, you’re good people. Julia Baird is good people.

An acclaimed journalist and broadcaster, she’s spent her life chasing rabbits down the hole, fighting for the causes that deserve it, and telling the stories of icons and everyday folk alike. Julia’s life has been a tale of two cities; a childhood in New York that would bring her back to the Big Apple and be the site of some of her biggest moments. And a home in Sydney, where as host of The Drum she holds it down by night, but greets every day diving into the ocean, curiously exploring the expansive world under the tides.

Julia is also an author, and her most recent book is Phosphorescence. It’s a book on awe, wonder and things that sustain you when the world goes dark. And even though it was entirely unintentional, it couldn’t be a more perfect book for 2020.

That’s one of the reasons I asked Julia Baird to Take 5. I also had an inkling she has remarkable music taste… and I wasn’t disappointed. From the big sky sound of The Triffids, to the direct sexuality of PJ Harvey, and a luminous moment on the dancefloor, these songs are stories will light you up from within.

The Triffids - 'Wide Open Road'

Fatboy Slim - 'Praise You'

P.J. Harvey - 'This Is Love'

JAY-Z ft. Alicia Keys - 'Empire State of Mind'

Elbow - 'One Day Like This'