Small Town to Big City

There is only so much you can learn from growing up in a small town. In a secluded community where outdated beliefs, gossip and judgement run rampant, children are brought up to believe this is the norm. And just like other kids, my only outlet was music. I felt suppressed, misunderstood and judged, and that this was how my life was always going to be because that is just how it is. Listening to music and writing songs was my only way to escape reality.

It was not until I moved to the city that I was faced with the disapproval of others, but for different reasons. I was considered racist, homophobic and conservative, and I genuinely could not understand why I was perceived like that. To me, I was accepting of everyone, but being nice doesn’t hide your underlying ‘values’. Thus, I had begun one of the biggest transformations of my life.

Over the past 5 years of living in a city, I had met some amazing people that I pushed away due to being ignorant of my words and actions towards them. After some self-discovery, my entire world changed and was filled with rainbows, literally. Coming out to myself as bisexual (and now the internet) was enough to understand how wrong I was in treating people simply for being different. I finally understood that we all have our own story and that everyone of us is a human being regardless of race, sexuality, gender, economical status, addictions, etc. We all have thoughts. We all have feelings. We have all felt suppressed, misunderstood and judged. And after realizing that everyone is like me, just wanting to be accepted for who they are, I began seeing the world from a totally new perspective.

This, combined with other life experiences such as depression, anxiety, abuse, hardship and addictions, I want to begin writing music to support others going through similar experiences and letting them know that they are not alone. I want the chance to help people understand that their upbringing does not determine who they are, and that they are free to be who they want to be, regardless of other people’s expectations. Just like artists before me, I want to inspire people to get to know themselves, understand how their past experiences affected them and how to grow and heal from it, and ultimately becoming someone they genuinely want to be, just like I did with myself. I am not perfect, and I am still learning lessons, but I want to prove to others that people can change, no matter how stubborn and set in their ways they are. There is always a reason as to why someone is the way they are, and with some compassion and understanding, we could be the catalyst for their own transformation.

Originally my passion was music, I loved it. There is so much that can be said just through one song, whether it be verbal or not. I found it mesmerizing how different techniques can convey a message of its own, regardless of the lyrics. Up until this point in my life, I did not know what to write about other than self-hatred and the experiences I have gone through. Now I have come to realize that I can use music to educate, uplift, support and heal others, just as other artists’ music has done for me. Thus, my one and only passion for music has evolved into multiple passions, centred around making the world a better place for everyone, including animals. I believe that love and empathy can go a long way, and together, we can make this world a better place for everyone.