Growing up, I was the youngest of three girls, but I was also the youngest on my street by several years. I spent a lot of time alone as a kid playing by myself or just practicing whatever sport was in season. I played sports because nobody wanted to play with the little kid. When I was having a bad day, or even when I was just mad/upset about anything, I would listen to music. As an elementary kid, it was my getaway; it calmed me down or whatever. I wouldn't think too much into it, but I always seemed to listen to country music. As I got older, music became an even bigger part of my life.

Most junior high or high school girls kept diaries. I kept a music notebook with pages of songs I wanted to download or buy at the time. I even kept a notebook of just my favorite songs at the time, which sometimes changed daily or weekly. I'd spend hours in front of a computer or laptop watching music videos and seeing what the top charts were for the week or the month. Every Sunday from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. I would switch between the CMT and the GAC channel, watching the top 20 country music videos for the week. If I wasn't home, it was always recorded for me to watch when I got home. Every car ride I was on, I either had headphones in or I was blasting the radio singing my heart out—which everyone in my family hated.

Once I got to college, music became an even bigger part of my life, and I started to realize why. The most common type of music I listened to was country music. Almost every song I listened to, or was my ‘favorite’ at the time, somehow related to my life or something I was going through. Country music tells a story, but at the same time is very relaxing. Music was my way of expressing my feelings in the right words without being mean to someone, breaking down, or just saying the wrong thing. I would find a quiet place on campus, put headphones in, and forget the world; sometimes hours will go by before I notice.

Music has always been a part of my life. I mean, my grandpa used to call me ‘Ms. Hollywood’ because I always had headphones in and sunglasses on. If I'm not in class, at work, or sleeping, I'm usually listening to music somehow. Most people don't understand. I get told how ‘unhealthy’ it is to listen to music so much, or how I'm depressed, or how I'm just weird and so on. People think it's weird that I get super excited on Fridays for ‘new music Friday’ on Spotify. What those people don't realize is not coming from a close family, and being an introvert with a small circle of friends, music is the only thing that has always been there for me, and somehow I feel like I'm not alone in the world with my problems when I'm listening to music. I have had many ups and downs in life, just like everyone else, but I've never had a really good support system. I can say country music has been that support system for me. I can honestly say music has impacted my life and has truly helped me through some of the most difficult times in my life.