The 5 Best Sad Songs of 2023 (So Far!) for When You Need a Good Cry

We may just have started 2023, but now that New Year’s resolutions have mostly dropped off (ask me if my new treadmill has already become a funky coat rack) and there’s no more sparkly ~holiday magic~ to make the colder, grosser weather more fun, things are, um, not always amazing. And I don’t know about you, but when those sadder feelings come up, I personally like to lean into them with some songs that match the energy, because nothing says healthy emotional processing like cry-singing along to a few sad songs, amirite?!

But do we want to listen old sad music? Of course not! I’m always on the lookout for new music that makes me feel some type of way to add to my “when you need a good cry” playlist. Whether you’re going through a post-holiday breakup, dealing with the fact that literally just breathing feels wildly expensive these days, or are suffering from winter blues, there are plenty of entirely valid reasons to feel a little sad rn (just ask my therapist!), and thankfully 2023 has already given us a few new great sad songs to throw on blast loudly while you sing along and really feel those occasionally-uncomfy emotions. Already this year, we’ve been graced with new albums from Sam Smith and Lukas Graham—which you just know are always good for an emotional, sad song or two—plus some other really amazing new bops from artists you may not have discovered yet. So go grab your headphones, speakers, and/or listening device of choice, because we’ve got some important music-playing to do.