I remember as I started middle school at the age of 11, my cringe-infested self listened to the same three bands repeatedly: the calm tunes of The Script, The Fray, and Coldplay. Although I still love these three bands very much (I saw Coldplay in concert during the summer before my junior year and it still stands as the best concert in terms of vocals and vibrancy), my music taste began to change drastically during my freshman year of high school. Why, you ask? High school is a challenging time for someone who's not known for their athletic achievements or looks. I achieved a lot for the tennis team, but that's not a sport that mattered. I was laboriously involved in the journalism department and eventually became editor of the newspaper and yearbook, but that wasn't considered important to most. I found my escape from the chaos that high school entails through somewhat more aggressive music, ranging from pop punk to whatever genre Twenty One Pilots is.

Middle school was honestly fine— I never had any trouble— but I didn't have many friends nor did I participate in a plethora of extra-curriculars. High school hit me like a truck. I attained a different set of friends every year just because you learn over time that no one stays like they promise. Music became my solace from this treachery. I gradually became so heavily dependent upon – and I honestly still do – these lyrics alongside fascinating instrumentals that resonated so well with how I constantly felt. It was wonderful to know I was never alone; it still is.

I'll be honest when I say I used to slightly judge people for the music they liked. Now I'm in their shoes and I wonder why I ever formed that kind of conjecture when I didn't even know them. Those that listen to this aggressive type of music generally need to hear the same comforting words I did.

If you take only one thing from this outpouring/rant that I've been keeping inside me for years, please let it be this: do not surmise anything about anyone until you fully get to know them, and listen to whatever music makes you happiest. We struggle constantly and if music can be your solace, let it.