Spotify Year In Music

Spotify told me that this year I've spent 43,000 minutes or 30 straight days listening to my favorite music. I spent an entire month of 2015 listening to the artists and words that have changed me.

I listened to 775 different artists and 1,966 different tracks.

Top Artist: Ed Sheeran
Top Album: X by Ed Sheeran
Top Song: I'm A Mess by Ed Sheeran

If that doesn't say something about my love for Ed, I don't know what does.

Sounds of the seasons:

   

Find your year in music at: yearinmusic.spotify.com

Train

You know those bands that just capture your heart. The ones that can do no wrong and every single song is a hit. Yeah. That's Train.

I was lucky enough to meet them a few years back and ever since my love has only grown stronger for them. From Hey, Soul Sister to Drops of Jupiter this band encompasses everything I love about music.

September 20, 2012 | Salt Lake City, Utah | The Gallivan Center

I've seen their show every year for the past 4 years and every time they blow my mind. Pat is one of the most incredible performers I have ever seen and the energy he shares with the audience is indescribable.

If you get the chance to see them live I would highly recommend it. In the strangest of ways, it's honestly life changing.

most wonderful time of the year

Sunday Morning

Sunday morning and rain is falling in Changzhou.

Two and a half years ago I was living 6,400 miles away from home. I had been in China for about 3 weeks at this point. The fear had mostly subsided and I was getting settled into my new life. 

outside my 6th story bedroom window 

Early one Sunday morning, I was sitting on my bed (which let's be honest, my "bed" was nothing more than a slab of fabric covered wood and a top sheet) but I remember going over to the window and pulling up the blinds. The sky was grey with heavy clouds rolling through and suddenly it started to rain. I pulled out my phone and turned on the only song that felt appropriate; Sunday Morning by Maroon 5. 

I can't quite put into words what I felt during this moment, but it's a moment I will never forget. I looked out the window for what felt like hours. Time seemed to stand still as I began to realize just how surreal this whole experience was. I remember closing my eyes and thinking "I'm in China. I'm actually in China." It was the most sincere and eye-opening moment I had the entire time I was there. That was the moment I began to fully embrace the culture and China became home. 

Now every time I hear Sunday Morning my mind immediately wanders back to the run down streets of Changzhou and the smiling faces of the twenty-nine adorable second graders I had the privilege to teach. It's funny how some songs, some moments like that, just never leave you.

Fall Favorites

For those rainy days and stormy nights

twenty one pilots

Last weekend this beautiful band visited Utah and sadly I wasn't able to see them. But ever since, I can't stop thinking about them. They've been on repeat for hours and hours on end.

twenty one pilots haven't been in my life for too long, only a couple of years, but I've completely fallen in love with them in the way that I fall in love with people - wildly, deeply, and passionately. It's hard for me to even begin to explain how their music has affected me. It's not like anything I've ever experienced but I do know that it's changed me. In the simplest of words, they've saved me.

I know it's cliché, this whole "band saved my life" thing, but that's what music is for.

BlurryFace Tour | September 26, 2015 | Magna, Utah | Photo credit: Miles Mortensen

Tyler Joseph has a way of capturing your heart from the moment each song begins. He writes about his demons, about fighting mental battles, but doesn't glorify it. He writes stunning, personal poetry that captures honest, frightening, and raw emotions that most artists never come close to touching. 
It's real. It's beautiful. And it's haunting. 

Tyler's words have helped me to believe that there is a greater love in this world, and reminds me that there is something to live for.

And it wouldn't be fair to talk about twenty one pilots without highlighting Josh Dun's insane drumming. The passion that radiates from him when he plays is unlike anything I've ever seen. He plays the drums while crowd surfing. AND he backflips off piano's! How sick is that?!

'If it wasn't for music I don't know how I would have fought this' - Lane Boy ♫

I don't know about you, but for me it's rare that something comes along in life that impacts you in such a surreal way, that makes you want to be a better person, that mends your heart and fills your soul with so much joy, but that's what these boys have done.

They've made me feel normal and given me some place to belong, and like so many others, I am forever grateful for them.

This video, without a doubt, gives me chills every. single. time.


and this is why music exists:


"Don’t let the fear of unhappiness cripple your pursuit of finding what it is you believe. Since joy is found in belief, we all have to push through unhappiness to find joy." - Tyler Joseph  

With them, you no longer feel alone. 

Give them a chance. I promise they're worth it.

Stay alive, friends |-/

Favorites:
Car Radio | Truce | The Run And Go | Guns For Hands | Goner | Holding On To You

Troye

To start us off I'd like to introduce you to one of my favorite artists, Troye Sivan.

I've been a fan of Troye's far before he began his music career. I've known Troye the YouTuber for several years. Troye is a South African born, Australian native who has captured the hearts of over 3.9 million viewers on his wildly successful YouTube channel.

A little over a year ago Troye made the announcement that he was releasing his very first EP entitled TRXYE. This took me by surprise, but made me so happy that he decided to pursue something he was passionate about. When the first single off the EP was released I instantly became obsessed. It moved me in a way I can't begin to describe and the music video was stunning. It had me feeling all sorts of things and made me reflect about my life.

Take a look:


Awesome, huh? You can tell that so much raw emotion and heart went into it. Troye revealed that he wrote "Happy Little Pill" about a dear friend in high school who was struggling through depression and how he became addicted to antidepressants because they made him numb and masked the pain.
Like another great band, Boys Like Girls, said, "We're all just looking for something to take away the pain." Whatever that may be. Whatever it is you're going through. There's something in all of us that we're trying to overcome, trying to escape, trying to manage. And with that comes our own way of dealing.

Powerful stuff right there.

Fast forward another year and...
On August 15th Troye released his highly anticipated second EP entitled WILD. I was skeptical about this one because I knew how much the first one had changed me and I didn't want to be let down. But come on. It's Troye we're talking about. HE DID NOT DISAPPOINT. It's incredible.

He has already jumped to the top of the charts around the world and mainstream artists are recognizing and appreciating him (ex. Taylor Swift) and I think that's pretty amazing!

So here's to Troye - the Australian boy who's captured my heart with his words.

For your listening pleasure, here's a playlist of Troye's EP's:

A Letter To My Readers

Hi, I may not know you, but...

In case no one has told you they love you today, I wanted to say that I do. 

I think you are brave and powerful and beautifully unique. And I know that sometimes you forget that. That the pressures you face and demons you may fight may tell you otherwise. That sometimes getting out of bed each day feels like the biggest task in the world and maybe doing your laundry is the most significant accomplishment you have all week.

But despite your fears, your insecurities, and doubts, I know you are so much more than what you think you are. You are amazing. You are strong. You are everything this world needs.

Mental illness is something so many people fight daily. Most struggle silently and battle things you can't even imagine. And I can tell you that depression is a very real disease with very real demons.

Please be kind. Please tell others you love them. The simple phrase "Are you okay?" could save someones life. You don't have to pretend you understand. Just be there. 

NATIONAL SUICIDE PREVENTION HOTLINE: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)

http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org

There is help. There is hope. You are so very loved. 

9.10.15 // World Suicide Prevention Day

Welcome

Hi friends! Welcome to Lyrics and Life Changers, something I hope will shine a light on the beauty of music, words, and stories that have changed us all.

So you may be asking, why lyrics and life changers? Let me do my best to explain. When I first got this assignment for my mass communication class I spent a solid week racking my brain for something to write about. I had no ideas. I mean, there's plenty to write about but nothing I felt passionate about.

Music was a reoccurring thought as I shuffled through topics in my mind, but it felt so bland. Like who doesn't love music? How can I make this special to me? But the more I thought, the more my passion came through.

Without sounding like the most cliche person in the world, music has been the most important part of my life for as long as I can remember. Music, and more importantly lyrics, have been so pertinent in my search for something greater than myself.

Friedrich Nietzsche once said, "Life without music would be a mistake," and I can't begin to tell you how true this is for me. With everything in me I believe without music my life would be nothing more than a never ending struggle.

There's nothing I love more than rolling down the windows, blasting some old school T-Swift, and going for a long night drive.

But it's more than that.

It's the feeling you get when your favorite song comes on the radio and chills take over your body.

It's the comfort you feel when you've had a rough day and the moment you put your headphones in, your favorite band is there to make your day a little brighter.

It's knowing that the lyrics you so deeply connect with was written by someone who has gone through things you're going through.

Beautiful lyricists have changed saved my life and I'm forever grateful for the impact music has had on me. I hope I can introduce you to new artists, reintroduce you to some classics, and all around heighten your appreciation for the words we all know and love.