Even as a little girl, music is what kept the world turning for me. I vividly remember the days where I would blast "Beat of my Heart" by Hilary Duff in my living room and spin in a circle until I couldn't even see straight anymore. No matter the genre of the music I would listen to, I can recall how utterly amazing it felt to lose myself in something other than my own thoughts.
With time and growth came a drastic shift in the types of music I listened to. I stepped outside of what was normal for a girl my age at the time, which were artists like Hannah Montana or The Jonas brothers, to find myself exploring and loving things such as show tunes, pop-punk, and even metal. But how exactly did any of this influence my life growing up?
1) Music provided me with a support system when I had no one to turn to.
Through times of despair, when just trying to pull myself out of bed every morning was the hardest battle to overcome, music was always there to help me find the strength to get up, and carry on with my day. Finding people that you can trust is difficult, and it's not guaranteed that they will always be there for you when you need them most, if at all. Fortunately, it's so simple nowadays since music is accessible almost anywhere we go, to pop in some headphones and drown out the rest of the world. The lyricists and singers of the bands I adored never failed to sing all the words I needed to hear, and always managed to restore the confidence I felt so depleted of.
2) I found one of my best friends amongst the sea of people at shows.
It all started with a simple contest to go see our favorite band, but from there, that small interaction turned out to be one of the most important interactions I could have had. Through a shared love for this silly band, a friendship I am beyond thankful for every day blossomed. I'm so grateful to have found her in the thousands upon thousands of fans that attend their shows each year. Going to concerts and immersing yourself in nothing but positivity amongst a crowd of screaming fans who are there for similar reasons as you is an exhilarating feeling, but to get to do it with someone you love makes it that much more of a fulfilling experience.
3) There's a song that catered to practically any emotion and event imaginable. 
Somehow, there seems to be a song that connects to almost everything. Feelings of loneliness, a case of broken heart syndrome, depression, and on the opposite side of the spectrum: elation, triumph, and falling in love. There's a reason our favorite songs are our favorites; it isn't just the melodies or the instrumentals that have us completely mesmerized, oftentimes the lyrics hold a powerful, sentimental meaning to us. It's hard to believe that anyone out there has gone through anything remotely similar to us, so to hear it in a song makes it all the more special and memorable.
4) It opened up a whole new world of job opportunities to explore.
The music industry was always something that had piqued my interest, and discovering that there were an endless amount of ways I could get involved, had me reeling with excitement. I began teaching myself how to play guitar whenever I was home alone and was able to be as loud and obnoxious as I pleased, wrote mediocre songs, and sang my heart out any time I had the chance to. Realizing that maybe those options weren't as easily attainable as I wished, I researched for other ideas, and came across concert photography and music journalism. Music made me realize my dreams which allowed me to combine the three things in life I love most: concerts, photography and writing. What could be better than that?
Overall, music just makes me happy. As the chaos around me increases to the point of destruction, I know I can always count on music to distract me from the turmoil. When I feel rendered useless, it will be there for me whenever I need a quick pick-me-up. As Billie Joe Armstrong once said, "Music to me is the air that I breathe, it's the blood that pumps through my veins that keeps me alive."
