Sometimes you need a little extra motivation, and music is a great place to look for it. A well-crafted song can tell a story that makes listeners feel confident, carefree or powerful. If you love uplifting choruses and pounding beats, check out these empowerment anthems by artists like Run-DMC, Koji Kondo and Jane Zhang.

Stuff to think about after you’ve listened:

Ready to explore more empowering musical stories? Check out our playlists on Spotify or Apple Music.

This is one of eight Music Blocks episodes exploring how musicians use sound to tell stories about our lives. You can listen in any order. Find more episodes, discussion questions and playlists at MusicBlocksPodcast.org.

Tell us how you're using Music Blocks in the classroom or at home, or share your playlists and music creations inspired by the podcast! Email us: [email protected]

Music Blocks is a production of Colorado Public Radio's Audio Innovations Studio.

Hosts: Rebekah Romberg and Luis Antonio Perez

Lead producer: Rebekah Romberg

Education Advisor: Carla Aguilar, Ph.D.

Additional production and editing: Jo Erickson, Erin Jones, Emily Williams

Executive Producer: Brad Turner

Thank you: Monika Vischer and David Ginder at CPR Classical, Willobee Carlan at Indie 102.3, Jodi Gersh, Kim Nguyen, Mia Rincón, Clara Shelton, Hart Van Denburg, Jon Pinnow, Doug Clifton and all the teachers, parents and students who listened and helped us develop this podcast.