Dearest Fans of Christina Grimmie,
I did not want to get out of bed today. I did not want to believe that one of the most prominent YouTube recording artists from my high school years had been ripped away from our presence. I am anxious and disturbed over this horrific matter, particularly over the safety of a touring artist such as our beloved Christina Grimmie. What happened Friday night should not have happened, especially to someone who was so talented and passionate about music and her fans. In a year where the music industry has already lost enough people prematurely, this death resonates with me the most. Grimmie had so much life ahead of her and was on her way to becoming huge.
I cannot imagine what you all and her family must be going through. It is one thing to lose someone to a natural disaster or to illness, but to murder? I simply cannot fathom the pain and bereavement that the people who knew her feel right now. It breaks my heart that her life was ripped away while she was in such a vulnerable state: sharing her music with her fans.
Yet in spite of everything that occurred this weekend, I am grateful to have seen such a wonderful singer and human being share her talents with the world. She was a good person who was firm in her convictions as an artist. I will always cherish watching her YouTube covers, from "Just a Dream" with Sam Tsui and Kurt Schneider to her a cappella cover of "Focus" with Mike Tompkins. As a contestant on The Voice, she delivered one of the best auditions I have ever witnessed. For each song that she performed as a contestant, she blew me away by making each song her own. It was so clear that she understood the emotion needed for each performance, and she made people feel connected to each song. On a show that always hypes who is "the next incarnation of (insert famous recording artist)," Grimmie remained a first-rate version of herself.
Recently, one of Grimmie's tweets from 2013 has resurfaced: "Sometimes God allows terrible things to happen in your life and you don't know why. But that doesn't mean you should stop trusting Him." Even as someone who is non-religious, I recognize that terrible things do happen without explanation. However, that does not mean that we should give up on ourselves. Even when Grimmie finished third on The Voice, or was dropped from Island Records, she never gave up on herself or her music career. Her ceaseless faith through her trials and tribulations helped her continue her love for music even in the midst of people who didn't believe in her. Grimmie's perseverance throughout her life is something that we can all appreciate as part of her legacy.
Although Grimmie has left this world, her music will be with us forever. Her death is a reminder that tomorrow is never promised to any of us, and that we must live each day to its fullest doing what we love. Grimmie's covers and original music embodied that very idea, and she will live forever in our hearts. Let us smile on what she has left for this world so that we may similarly contribute our skills and talents to make the world a better place.
