How Electronic Dance Music Changed My Life

"You've got me feeling like i'm stepping on buildings, cars, and boats, I swear I can touch the sky" - Afrojack

As I site here and write this, I am currently listening to one of my favorite electronic dance song I came across years ago. During this weird time in my life, I had a lot of school and friend issues going on. I was, and still am an extremely interactive person, but for some reason I hit a patch in my life where I felt I didn't fit in with others around me. These kids who used to once call me a friend, for whatever reason, weren't my friends anymore. At this point I didn't know if I was ever going to fit in with the right crowd, because that's how every middle school kid wants to feel, like they fit in. My Life has taken a complete 180 ever since I discovered Electronic Dance Music, also known as "EDM".

Music overall has a special kind of effect on people. No matter what kind of music it may be, there is that one song or one style of music that every time you listen to it, will put a smile on your face. For me, that style of music is Electronic Dance. I could honestly admit that I would be able to listen to EDM for weeks, if months on end, and just never get tired of it. Every song that comes on, sends this electric current through my body that either just makes me want to sing, dance, and most of the time do both. There is also the time where I can just lay in bed for hours and just relax listening to EDM. Throughout my younger years, I never attended many festivals. There were a few smaller ones that I did in fact attend, but nothing was ever close to when I attended Ultra Music Festival in March of 2015.

The weekend of March 27 was a life changing weekend for me. Ultra Music Festival is an EDM festival located in Miami, that people attend from all over the world. Being only 18 at the time, it took some convincing my parents to allow me to attend. After days of pleading, they gave me permission to go and I am forever grateful for that. The people that I met and the friends that were made, I will never forget for many reasons. Firstly, many, if not everybody, are extremely friendly during festivals. There are usually minimal fights, and if there are any it is drug and alcohol related. Some people I got to meet offered to share food, water, and whatever else they had to offer. Secondly, and most importantly, we were all attending for one main reason, and that's for the love of Electronic Dance Music. Everybody in attendance had at least one thing in common, which brings people together no matter what the circumstance is. I met many people from Europe, Mexico, South America, and others located across the United States. This is when I realized that people from all over, no matter their background, ethnicity or religion, can come together as a whole to have a good time. I realized that even if I didn't fit in at home or at work, that I will always have these people as a family supporting me. Overall I have taken many life lessons just from attending Ultra, which has made me a better person.

I also decided that since I have missed Ultra Music Festival this past year, I will head back to attend next year. The friends and people that I met changed my life for the better. I feel personally responsible to go back and have that same impact on other people, who may be attending there first festival, or just somebody who is having a hard time and needs the support of everybody else around them, and of course, for the music.

On my worst days, EDM can change my mood in an instant. I am forever grateful that I got to experience Ultra Music Festival. In the future, I hope that my kids, friends, and family find the same peace with music that I have found, because it has been life changing.