For the last segment of her Artist of the Week, Sam DeRosa wrote a killer guest blog on what it’s like to be in the music industry. She talks through both the struggle and the reward below.
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“You should (seriously) go love yourself”
I describe the music industry as the hot football player who’s a senior in my high school. I am one of the thousand of girls trying to win his love. I change my hair, my clothes, the route I take to my classes, until I finally give up because it’s just too hard. The day I am ready to give up, he says “hey” to me on the way to my last class of the day. This “hey” has me planning our wedding and naming all four of our future children. How insane is that? I would seriously go back on everything just to be wanted by this one guy. Isn’t this always how it happens? It’s after you stop trying, stop caring about everyone else, and start caring more about yourself that the stars align and everything falls into place. Then, you question what the heck you were so worried about in the first place!
I always saw the music industry as this unattainable dream that I could only dream of being a part of, but now I am here. I am living in it. It feels incredible, but also so humbling. Why? I think it’s because I’m forced to spend a lot of time focusing on myself. The writing has to be real. I NEED it to be real, because I’ve spent the last few years trying to change everything in order to “fit in.” The day I decided to stop fitting in, and stop “chasing a sound” (as some have called it), was the day that I found myself.
Releasing music for the first time feels like sending my kids to school on the first day. I can no longer protect my songs. The world will judge them and hear them. I think about my words, my sounds…everything. I question if they are “enough.” Every time I go into this headspace, I almost hit the brakes and let my insecurities halt everything, but then I remember. I remember what my words mean to me. I remember the day I told myself that I would no longer let opinions affect me, or try to change for anyone else’s approval but my own. It’s hard to turn those opinions off, of course. But the only way that I can let the world love me AND my songs is if I promised myself that I would love them FAR more than anyone else ever could. My “sound” and my “brand” aren’t what make me who I am, but so long as they are real and honest, I never have to remember a lie that I’m trying to keep up with. Lately, I’ve been asked to give advice to young artists. If I could say anything, it would be this: If you’re a dreamer, don’t stop. If you’re a creator, create every moment of every day-even if it isn’t good! Find love and inspiration everywhere, but don’t let it define who you are. Instead, learn something new about yourself in the process. (Admire the football player! He’s probably hot! But if he can’t fall in love with you on his own, then you don’t need to convince him!)
If you missed Sam’s Twitter takeover you can find it here.
If you missed Sam’s Q&A, you can find it here.
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