Utopia lives in the way we lead
The soundtrack of the soul
We all carry our own vision of utopia. For some, it’s a world free of pain. For others, it’s endless joy. And maybe, as Cosmin says, utopia is not a distant dream, but the balance of light and darkness, joy and sorrow, ordinary and extraordinary. Sometimes it’s as simple as a moment of laughter with the people we love.
Leadership, too, is a kind of utopia. Not perfect, not free of struggle, but a balance between courage and vulnerability, vision and reality, ambition and care. It invites us to step back and ask deeper questions: What does it mean to live authentically? How do we grow into who we’re meant to become? How do we find possibility in the everyday?
Music, for Cosmin, is a lens on life, leadership, and daring to dream. His reflections open the door to wonder – what if utopia isn’t tomorrow, but already here in the moments we choose to see?
Hey, Cosmin, what does music mean to you?
This question is so wide… to me, music is PAIN. It is pain when you’re having a rough time, it is JOY when you are happy. Music is RAGE whenever you are able to unleash your inner self. A voice that hits some notes and CALMS you down is still music.
I would argue that music is the thing that takes your emotions and gives them permission to come into reality. I often find the version of myself that listens to music the loudest is also the truest, it allows me to be truly brave, truly loving, but it also gives me the power to shed tears, something I rarely, if ever, do.
Do you think music is just something we consume, or does it actually help build who we are?
I think it depends. I think some people’s emotional chords are naturally struck by musical notes, while others just simply play it to fill the emptiness that silence causes.
Now, talking about people that are natively inclined to listen to music, I think it defines tons of things about yourself. I am entirely sure that without this art form, I would not be the person I am today.
I would probably lack the confidence I have, I would miss the style I have created for myself and I don’t know if the purpose of bringing light into people’s lives would have ever crossed my mind.
You talk often about utopia, what does that mean to you personally and what would yours look or feel like?
Guilty as charged! This is a word I often used in the past few years. It started when my all time favorite artist, Travis Scott, used it as the name for his latest album.
I actually love his version of an utopia, because it’s about light and darkness combined. About happiness and joy as well as pain and suffering. It’s a statement of taking a step back and having a look at our own lives.
We all have different opinions on what a perfect world would look like, but how often have you ever thought about a cozy night at home with your partner or homies as being utopic?
Imagine yourself laughing until tears start to come out through your eyes, that would be impossible if life was only funny. Utopia is a balance of all things, take some steps back, you might be living it some days.
Has music ever pushed you to think bigger about yourself or your future?
Yup. Every time I listen to music that hypes me up I think bigger. It pushes me continuously to do things too.
I traveled to several countries to get to listen to my favorite artists live, so it forced me to be the type of person that can afford that.
It is now pushing me to want to see how those people craft their art, so, it pushes me to be the type of human those people would like to meet. I would say that it’s really close to making me believe that anything in this life is possible.
Why do you think music feels so essential to people, no matter where they come from?
Probably because it gives people the freedom to feel. I think that sounds and smells have something special when connected to important memories. I can almost transcend to certain places and times when hearing specific songs.
The funniest thing is that people that don’t get it, get stuck on the words. It is often though, the sound that sticks with me for years.
Do you think music connects us more deeply to other people, or does it give us more of a personal escape?
I think it does both, because I’ve experienced it do both to me. I have been to concerts where I’ve danced with and hugged complete strangers, people I have not even spoken a word to in my entire life. And it was not one of those ‘must do’ hugs, they were so filled with the love of sharing a common passion that gave me so much hope for this world.
At the same time, when I need space, I can just plug in my buds or take a drive ( the latter is my favorite way of listening to music ) and give myself room to breathe, to think about any kind of stuff or just charge my social battery.
NOTE:
I think music is anything you want it to be and can be used as a tool to achieve whatever you’d like. I would love for everybody to go to a concert of their favorite artist. I think it’s one of the most fulfilling experiences I have ever had. I realised that people with similar interests in music are quite easy to connect with, so this is probably the greatest way of finding friends.
Through the things we feel and the music we listen to, we begin to see leadership differently. Not as a set of techniques to master, but as the art of becoming the kind of human others want to be around. Someone who gives emotions permission to be real. Someone who finds balance between light and darkness. Someone who uses their passions to grow into who they’re meant to become.
When I think about the leaders who have truly stayed with me, they were the ones brave enough to be human. The ones who helped me see possibilities I couldn’t see before. The ones who made me feel like I had permission to be myself. People like Cosmin.
He often says he’d rather do work he doesn’t love with people he cares about than the other way around. A reminder that leadership is less about the task itself and more about the harmony we create together.
The symphony of leadership through Cosmin’s lens:
The courage to feel authentically: "Music is the thing that takes your emotions and gives them permission to come into reality."
Shaped by growth: "It pushes me to be the type of human those people would like to meet."
The freedom to imagine and create: "Music is anything you want it to be and can be used as a tool to achieve whatever you'd like."
Utopia in the ordinary moments: "Utopia is a balance of all things, take some steps back, you might be living it some days."
The boundless self: "I would say that it's really close to making me believe that anything in this life is possible."
The music is still playing.
Are we listening to what it's trying to teach us about who we could become?
Andreea & Cosmin
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