It was a rough weekend for everyone across the nation to be sure, but it was especially rough for the people of Orlando. By some twisted coincidence or whatever, two random and senseless acts of violence took place for reasons we cannot begin to fathom. Because...well, let's face it, politics can be found in both cases, but because the point of this piece is not political I am opting to focus on one of the tragedies. I mean no disrespect but at a time like this, the politics of it all only make divisions bigger when we all need to be united in support of one another.
Some four years ago, I started listening and becoming a fan of many music artists who were on YouTube. The first artist I listened to was Alex Goot who did a cover of The Fray's "How to Save a Life" featuring Kurt Hugo Schneider. After browsing through the suggested videos on the right of the screen, I found another song Kurt was featured in: a duet of Nelly's "Just A Dream." The reason I talk about this is because this was how I found Christina Grimmie.
You know when you go on YouTube and you're like, "I'm only going to watch one video," but end up watching like 10? Well that's what happened with me here. I clicked on the link for Christina's channel, and after listening to her covers like "Titanium" and some of her own pieces like "Liar, Liar," I hit that subscribe button; right there and then I became a fan. If I was musically gifted or knew any music terminology I would use it to describe Grimmie's voice because of how great it was. She was a gifted and talented singer whose smile could light up a room the second she walked in.
Grimmie entered the show "The Voice" and under the guidance of her coach, Adam Levine, she managed to clinch third place. It was just the second time I watched the show (the first was because of Cassadee Pope) and I still stand by my statement when I said that she should have won first. But winning a singing competition wasn't necessary for her; after her time on "The Voice," Christina continued to record and release music and worked with other rising YouTube artists like Sam Tsui (who was also featured in the "Just A Dream" cover) and Tyler Ward. She also did an amazing collaboration with Mike Tompkins when they combined Alicia Keys' "Girl On Fire," and Fall Out Boy's "My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark," (which you can view here).
Her last album release was an EP called "Side A" which came out in February 2016.
She was doing what she loved to do when we lost Christina. She had just performed at a concert and was meeting fans when a gunman, for whatever reason, took her from the world. She was just 22 years old. Since her death, there has been an outpouring of grief from fans and celebs alike. Selena Gomez fought off tears at her concert while paying tribute to her friend. The cast of "The Voice" expressed their shock, sorrow and anger at this senseless killing.
We as fans need to do better. Now I don't mean to say that all fans are like this, and believe me I'm not going to go on a rant about guns. That's not what the point of this article is. What I want to say is, while we should look up to artists like Christina Grimmie and be healthy fans, we must also remember that YouTube artists and all celebrities/musicians are people too. In the words of one YouTuber, "They have bills to pay, they have families, they have relationships. They're just like you and me."
As we move forward from this incredible tragedy, it is important to remember the kind of person Christina was. To many she was a role model who inspired them to chase their dreams and that as long as they didn't give up, they too could enjoy success. Christina had a gift and she chose to share it with the world. It sucks that we won't be seeing her anymore, but her memory will remain.
Rest in peace, Christina Grimmie and thank you for everything.
