MY KIND OF MUSIC: AN ENDLESS STORY
12:20:00 AMWhen it comes to music, people around me admit that I can be a good talker if you try to start a single conversation with about what's IN. Well, it must work like that because I always check Billboard's Hot 100 everytime I go to a net cafe, familiarizing even some unfriendly songs until I reach the top 100 spot. I even know what the positions of the songs will be a week after because I read and get to hear a lot about airplays, single sales, debut albums, iTunes, etc. I quite know some records thru researches. Itchy stuffs like best-selling, longest-staying, most-number-of's, and all. I also have my opponents' heads during quiz shows directed in my grin as everyone realizes that Modern Music is the category. (Note to self: Don't overrate emotions on Quiz shows!). The catch, however, is that without music, I am as good as dead. It's one of the very few things that give me peace of mind. One of those things that are capable of taking my harmful stress away. It's my redemption. And better, it's my life.
Tracing back my early history, it quitely amuses me that my musical influences don't have their roots from my parents. Except for my father's infrequent Bing Rodrigo siesta, back when I just stared at him singing in the karaoke not realizing he memorizes the entire album, I had no other musical provocateurs at home. My mom hates noise. And for her, music is an example.
However, I had cousins who live with music as their talents. Present tense. I was amazed by how 2 of my older cousins who were once band vocalists rendered an on-the-spot belting of late 90's hits at the first time I saw them come at my grandparents' home. They were much like talking directlyrics.com to me. I just sat there while they showed me albums of artists I could hardly remember maybe except for Celine Dion,Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Air Supply, The Beatles and Bon Jovi. Maybe the other artists were of one-big-hit only. That started an eternal liking to music I have dealt with for years.
As a gradeschooler, I just tuned in at an early show before going school. It's Umagang Kay Ganda and Unang Hirit nowadays but it had a different title back then. A title my brain cells refuse to give me. I watched news but it was the live morning performances that made me late for school. On weekends, I used to house-hop in search of a functioning FM radio to listen to weekly countdown of top hits. We had a very stubborn radio which is finally dead right now. At around Grade 4 or 5, I already memorized songs from boybands like Backstreet Boys, N'SYNC,A1 and my favorite, Westlife. I laughed at how people wrongly sang lyrics of many songs at a videoke machine few blocks away from home and believe it or not, Britney's early hits and Andrew E.'s rap songs were ones of those songs I conquered. I started posting Avril Lavigne's posters in my room when I was about to graduate elementary. She's the goddess of the music that is written in my childhood. A complete artist I thought. However, I just never liked Michael Jackson's songs even if he was powerful that time. Well, I don't know why. I didn't ask myself too.
Leaping up ahead, High School made music harder for me to resist. From the consecutive singing reality show winners invading Sunday Party shows to Pinoy bands occupying radio waves all the time, I had hard time to monitor each act, each artist. They were just impressively branching out every second, bringing with them stars that became great hits. My flashing back unclenches me and my classmates gathered on a guitar congesting in the wooden stairs of our two-storey school singing some SpongeCola, Cueshe, Shamrock or our beloved HALE. And those who didn't join were inside the room singing too. I bet it was the soundtracks of their favorite asianovelas. Some songs I knew as well. I just didn't have much time to be unliking some pieces of music dined in gracefully in front of me. But if there's one thing that was very significant with the music that is my high school, it's what we term 'EMO'.
*attach some clicking smiles here*. Yeah, I committed myself to be one. And for what reason, I will need my classmates to explain too. The chance that every Wednesday gives, the chance not to wear our school uniform, allowed our morning prayer in the quadrangle appear like a funeral. The majority wore black. And more deadly like I did, all-black plus the black earing on the left ear. I enjoyed it, honestly. The bling I wore, the thing that never left the skin under my wrist, the black eye-liner, they all made me look a blood-frustrated vampire but if not for them, I wouldn't feel the essence of singing my lungs out with some Typecast, Chicosci, Box Car Racer, Faber Drive, Yellowcard, FM Static, Dashboard Confessionals and other bands I refuse to type some more. It was too messy to miss a new record released by any of these bands. Notwithstanding the fact tha Avril's still great and I still appreciated songs of Mandy Moore, Beyonce and B.E.P that time, it was just the moment to put the posters of the punk bands in my room. Sorrounding me. Making me crazy. Or crazier.
At my 1st year in College, I almost also left the EMOish personality I once loved. Except for Secondhand Serenade. Except for John Vesely. He has got his voice inside of me. He's forever an influence. Maybe, Your Call, Fall for You are famous but there's more. My favorite Secondhand Serenade song is Stranger. It became a soundtrack of my life. It's wickedly romantic.
But now at College, when entertainment should be lessened, I think I got lost of a single genre in music to focus on. I mean there's Gaga, Katy Perry, Rihanna, Ke$ha, B.E.P and the reviving Britney Spears and Jennifer Lopez still making my headphones and speakers blow up. There's our American Idol ready to give songs we hope not to be murdered, whoever gets the title. If murdered, let Bruno Mars do it then. I'm trying to rest myself on country music which I think so far is the best to tune in these recent years. Thanks to Carrie Underwood, The Band Perry and Lady Antebellum. They're giving music deeper meaning. I got bored with Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, other Disney Stars and the not-worth-the-talk-at-all Rebecca Black. Marawi City opened the window for me to take a glance with KPOP. But hey, never mind! (2ne1 is an exception though). (Note to others: Koreanovelas are enough!). What I am proud to say is that I am forever a Nina addict. She can make me sleep with her voice in the middle of a desert. She's the only Filipina singer I could juxtapose with Mariah Carey at all times.
(told yah. I could be a good talker. I wouldn't have stopped if my fingers still could)
Queued in the dvd player now is Adele's (the new Queen) album 21. I realize I don't have posters of artists in my room anymore. Wow. This is an achievement! But as I think about Jenny Lou Aldana's tribute to me quoting that I said, "Music comes from inside of me.", I conclude that as long as I live, I will never stop listening to music. And if at time I can, produce a good music for others myself.#
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