They spend countless hours researching, watching, listening to them. They travel entire countries and continents to follow them. They spend incredible amounts of money and time on them. They respect them. They love them. Dedicated people who do much for their idols, and they do it willingly and with devotion.

People look at music fans like they are crazy for investing time in the musicians they love, as if they were wasting their time. Instead I want to think about the dedication fans around the world put into their idols like a truly respectable passion.

Let’s think about this for a minute -- these people are not only 15-year-old girls, but people with families, jobs, responsibilities and who are good at what they do. For example, at Paul McCartney’s concert in my hometown this year, a 10-year-old girl went up to the stage with him to play the bass. When the story came to the media, her parents told everyone how both of them were Beatles’ fans and they’ve been taking the little girl to Paul’s concerts all over South America for years now, and how she grew to be to a fan of him herself. The little girl even started playing the bass because of him, after watching him in 10 different occasions. They became a family of dedicated fans, but a normal family indeed.

Not only did they manage to do all of this, but also keep up with their idols’ schedules, tour dates, updates, etc. Blogs entirely dedicated to different singers and bands are all over the Internet, and there, you can find new and old information, millions of pictures and even some independent authors creating stories about their idols. Can you only think about how much time this takes? To have all of that prepared and put together? True passion, love and dedication are keys to create this. Those are the kind of characteristics that, if used correctly, can drive people to achievement, and that too many people lack.

On the other hand, when a sports fan travels anywhere to support their team, people think that it is extremely cool that they would do so, but when a girl flies across the land to watch her favorite artist, it is not unusual to hear comments like “that’s so dumb," “what a waste,” or “is she stupid?” It catches my attention the lack of respect people have toward a fan whose love for an artist drives them to move, just because not everyone can relate to that kind of love. Society thinks that it is acceptable to be passionate about your favorite sports team, and it's shown everywhere by wearing jerseys and hanging banners and such, but when someone wears T-shirts with band names on it people are quick to judge. People are passionate about different stuff, and that devotion should be respected equally.

Music moves people, and it is the soundtrack of our lives. Either a concert, a song, a specific artist or just the music coming from waves crashing at shore can mark us, just like people or experiences. It does not surprise me that fans are so thankful and supportive of their favorite artists, and that they dedicate parts of their lives to them. It is just appreciation, dedication and work which then transfers to other aspects of their lives. That much effort should be respected, always.