I sat with my mom in my car (Nellie) driving along 75 on the way back from a doctor’s appointment. I had gotten some bad news regarding my health and felt a dull sadness ache in my body. My mom’s solution: Starbucks, coupled with some good music and my heart would begin to feel just a little better.

I plugged my phone into the AUX cord and my fingers immediately found their way to typing “Ben Rector” into the Spotify search bar. Sometimes my body knows what I need before I do. The opening piano chords of “When a Heart Breaks” began to play and I felt a calm come over me.

Ben Rector is my first love. He is my go-to artist when I am sad, over the moon with joy, and when I just need some good music to get through my week. His song “I Like You” has a lyric I made my yearbook senior quote, and “Crazy” is an incredibly relatable, kind of ridiculous narrative about life that I sing with my parents. He has been there when I was stressing about AP Biology, and when I was tanning by the pool or, for those of us who cannot tan, getting sunburnt in my backyard (there’s a Ben Rector lyric about that - check out “Thank God For the Summertime”) Through every heartbreak, joyful moment, and summer day, Ben Rector has been the man I always look to for some good storytelling and a little escape.

Let me tell you about one of the best days of my life. I had just dropped my friend, Emilie, back home after our morning trip to the Texas State Fair. We ate too much fried food and spun around on rides high in the air, enjoying the sweet southern Texas day. I pulled back into my driveway and was scrolling through my Instagram feed. Texas State Fair sponsored post - “Ben Rector performing on stage at 5 p.m. today. Don’t miss it!” I dropped everything. This was hands down the most spontaneous thing I’ve ever done (not the same as skydiving I know but I’m a planner). I called Emilie.

“How do you feel about going BACK to the fair?” And off we went. I skipped field hockey practice and neglected some homework but it was so worth it. I watched Ben Rector perform live and it was everything I hoped it would be and more.

Now you may think that my love for Ben Rector is a little excessive or concerning at best, but I think we’ve all felt this way about someone or something. My love for Ben Rector started when I felt like I was hopelessly stuck in sadness because he eased the pain. Supporting him through his music career is the least I can do. At the end of the day, Ben Rector has some pretty great songs to share with the world, and I for one am so glad he did.