Turning Emotion into AI: The Mood Journal Story

When musician and writer Joyce and former teacher Zoe set out to learn coding, they craved more than just theory—they wanted to build something real. That’s exactly what they did at the Web Development Bootcamp, where they teamed up to create Mood Melody, an AI-powered, Spotify-integrated mood journal that matches music to emotions and fosters social connection.

The idea: AI meets music for a social listening experience

Mood Melody allows users to log their feelings or write about their day, and the app suggests a song that matches their mood—using OpenAI and the Spotify API. It also features a social component, where users can share their mood entries, like and comment on posts, and connect through music.

"Zoe was interested in incorporating AI into our project, and I thought that sounded like a really interesting challenge. Given my background in music, I wanted to explore a way to integrate music into the project somehow. We also wanted to offer something uniquely human that AI alone couldn't provide—genuine social interaction—which inspired us to add the social media component.” – Joyce

With Zoe’s passion for AI and Joyce’s deep connection to music, it was the perfect mix of tech and creativity.

Building Mood Melody: The tech behind the app

To bring Mood Melody to life, Joyce and Zoe combined multiple technologies:

• Frontend: React & Tailwind CSS
• Backend: MongoDB & Express
• AI: OpenAI for text analysis
• Spotify API: For song playback
• Authentication: bcrypt for security
• State Management: Zustand for efficiency

They relied on Postman for testing APIs, used TypeScript for better reliability, and learned that debugging is an essential part of development.

“Personally, I like to think of debugging as detective work. There are only so many suspects (things that can go wrong), and by testing and ruling things out methodically, you can eventually track down the culprit. And when you finally solve the mystery, it is such an incredibly rewarding feeling that I would say it's on par with getting thunderous applause.” – Joyce

Joyce and Zoe build the app together as a team, and fully remote. They have never actually met each other. "It's been a great experience!" says Zoe.

Lessons from their final bootcamp project

Completing a final project isn’t just about writing code—it’s about problem-solving, teamwork, and adaptability.

"A final project isn't just about coding, but it's also about project management, problem-solving, and teamwork. Organizing the work into smaller, manageable tasks makes the process more efficient and helps prevent overwhelm. Strong communication and collaboration are also super important. I was lucky to work with Zoe because having a great teammate who you work well with makes everything more productive and fun. Adaptability is also key. Things don't always work as expected, so being able to pivot and find creative solutions is a big part of development. The more flexible you are, the better your project and the overall experience can be.” – Joyce

"A final project isn't just about coding, but it's also about project management, problem-solving, and teamwork."

Advice for anyone starting to code

Joyce and Zoe both know what it’s like to start coding from scratch, and they encourage others to stick with it:

"Frustration can be a part of the process, but shifting your mindset can make a huge difference. Instead of thinking 'Oh no, my app is broken,' try to see debugging as an essential and even enjoyable part of development.” - Joyce

“Stick with it, embrace the problem-solving process, and celebrate every win along the way.”

“Stick with it, embrace the problem-solving process, and celebrate every win along the way.”

How Mood Melody could help people connect

Beyond just an app, Mood Melody is about creating a space for self-expression and connection through music.

“We hope that with Mood Melody we were able to create a space where people could reflect on their feelings, find comfort in music, and connect with others in a meaningful way. In a time when so many social media platforms seem to do more harm than good, we wanted to build something that lifts people up instead. Whether it helps someone feel seen, discover their next favorite artist, or simply make their day a little bit better, we hope our project can bring something positive to people's lives. We see a lot of potential for Mood Melody, and we are looking forward to adding more features and growing the project beyond the bootcamp.”

With Mood Melody, Joyce and Zoe have created more than just an app—they've built a space where technology and human connection harmonize, and they're just getting started. Join the Mood Melody community now!