The 1st short story to "My Interpretation: Short Stories Derived from Songs" is now up on Wattpad. Please read it, vote and leave comments. The short story is called "Dangerous Love" and is inspired by Ariana Grande's "Leave Me Lonely" featuring Macy Gray from her "Dangerous Woman" album.
It's a story I am very proud of and I mentioned before these stories are like music videos on paper but more in depth. They are what envision in my mind when listening to a song. Click the title below to read "Dangerous Love."
Okay, so I know I'm late but I've been busy! The song was released over a week ago (basically two weeks now) and I've been listening to it since then, I just haven't had the chance to review it (which may be good because I can now review it with a clearer opinion). Anyway, check out my review below for one of Rihanna's new songs from her upcoming album (still called R8 for now), American Oxygen.
Initially when I first heard American Oxygen I thought "hmmm, it's okay but it's not FourFiveSeconds or Kiss It Better" and while I do feel almost the same way, the song has grown on me a bit more. American Oxygen depicts the struggle of making it in America (as does the music video) and I think it's an important message for society, especially in times like now.
Now, I've read it took about a year to write this song and at first I thought "why?" but after a few more listens I can see why. It's one of those songs you have to get right if you're going to go there. You can't "half fast" it and the production of the song shows just that. It's well written and of course Rihanna makes it her own as she does every song given to her.
Now, while the song is an easy listen, I don't expect it to impact radio the way FourFiveSeconds did (I don't care, I still love that song!) American Oxygen is an anthem for the new generation of Americans but it's also a bit too "safe" to be considered a huge anthem in the way "Empire State of Mind" was for New Yorkers. It just doesn't have that strong feel.
I have been listening to the song for a while now and it's found its way onto a few of my playlists but I wish it hit harder. Although I can relate to the lyrics and I completely understand sweating for a nickle and a dime in hopes to turn it into an empire but the song doesn't have that "now press repeat" factor that most Rihanna songs have. I appreciate the seriousness and message of the song but when I initially heard the snippet, I thought it may hit harder. Honestly, the snippet didn't even have that "Higher" effect (now that's a song she needs to release ASAP).
Now as for the music video, it bumps the song up a few notches in my opinion. The video is ON POINT! Rih Rih didn't miss a beat with the visuals and the story of America. Depicting how the new and old America are so different yet pretty much the same was ingenious. It's heartfelt and inspiring and honestly, the video is what gave me more appreciation for the song. Reaching the American Dream takes blood, sweat, and tears (literally!) and even then you may fall short.
After all the country has been through, Rihanna stands to say "we are the new America!" and those lines I would love to shout proudly knowing there are millions willing to shout the same thing. American Oxygen's music video is the perfect example of why music videos are important to a song and why that companionship is needed. The video gives the song MUCH more meaning.
Overall, I would rate American Oxygen a 3.5/5 stars. It's definitely no "Higher" or "Kiss It Better" or even "FourFiveSeconds" but it'll do as I still get my dosage of new Rihanna music. Still waiting for the release of R8...maybe I should review BBHMM even though it's even older than American Oxygen...just a thought...
YES! I've wanted to let this out for literally months now and I can finally say it! RED is the the first ever novel to have a music release to go along with it (just like movies and soundtracks).
A very dear friend of mine was kind enough to write and record a song for the novel and it's AWESOME!!!!!!! It'll be available on iTunes eventually but for now take a listen on YouTube!
These
are lyrics that I wrote to a song back in 2011. I think it's pretty
self explanatory so I won't go into much explanation about it. Honestly,
I mostly just remember being really sad when I wrote it. I always just
heard the sound of the acoustic guitar being the only instrument to
support the song. Hopefully someday I can make this song come fully to
life. For now, here are the lyrics:
Band-aid Smiles
I
smile everyday & everyone sees it
It
doesn’t have to be genuine to be pleasing
Cuts
& wounds can never be seen
Is
it faking if you pretend it’s a dream?
Band-aid
smiles
We’ve
all had them
The
world is cold so we have to grab them
Blanket
dreams
Are
now all nightmares
Teddy
bears & sugar canes are no longer here
That
little girl with the ribbons in her hair
It
was so black & white
Now
there’s color everywhere
The
red is so blinding & the pink is too sweet
I’m
hoping someday we’d collide on a two way street
"It's the little things and the joy they bring..."
I finished my fourth novel, Turn It Off a couple of days ago (it's the third and final installment in the "Tragic" series) and now I realized I have nothing to do until I decide to start my fifth. I'm trying to wait it out so I can start with a fresh mind and let go of the characters I learned to love so much (and who were very real to me) and that's when I realized how much something so small like completing a project can mean.
My first novel, A Tragic Heart has been receiving great reviews from readers and truthfully, I can't remember the last time I felt so...whole (probably in Australia back in November/December). The recent reviews I received confirmed just how much I want to continue with the writing thing. My entire life I always wanted to be a part of entertainment and the positive feedback I've been receiving from people only makes me want this more. A little thing like a simple review on Amazon or Goodreads meant the world to me. It caused me to think that maybe the little things aren't so little after all.
As I'm preparing to release RED (part 2 of A Tragic Heart), I keep thinking about if people will like it or not. Of course not everyone will give you a positive review but after the reviews from A Tragic Heart, I feel the pressure to push out the same quality for RED.
Little things make a big difference. Three new reviews helped me realize that I have to stay on top of things and showed me how much I don't want to disappoint any of my readers. People are now depending on me for a good story and that's what I want to give them 100% of the time.
Most people see writing a novel as a big deal and freak out when I say I've written four and about to start on my fifth. It never seems like a big deal to me. I always assume it's because I'm so young (only 22), but now that I think about it, it may actually be a big deal. It took a few reviews for me to get that.
I guess the point of this post is to remind everyone that the little things are the things that truly matter in life. Most of us forget that and don't appreciate whatever is around us enough. A good review can change the course of your day and leave you feeling euphoric. Someone telling you you look nice today can leave you feeling confident. It's a small compliment but it does make a difference, doesn't it?
So, as you all go on about your day whether it's bad or good, try to appreciate the little things through it all...listening to the song below may help also!
I currently have 'Nsync's "God Must've Spent A Little More Time on You" on repeat and I'm wondering why they don't make music like this anymore? The 90s and early 00s had a bunch of iconic music that no era would ever be able to duplicate and it's a little sad to think about. How did we fall so low as a society that we accept what's on the radio now? What happened to the people who appreciated meaningful Pop music and not just Pop music that caused you to mindlessly bop your head?
I don't know about the rest of you but I was a major 90s/00s Pop freak! I had (and still have) everything 'Nsync, Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera (just to name The Big 4). I remember a time when slow jams and pop ballads were welcomed over the airwaves and everything wasn't EDM and about popping molly.
There's nothing more that I would want than to be able to hear stuff like "From The Bottom Of My Broken Heart" and "What A Girl Wants" while driving and listening to the radio. Remember when everyone was screaming "I Want It That Way" at the top of their lungs? Wasn't it a good feeling?
Anyone who knows me knows that I am a musical encyclopedia. I listen to it all, from 1950s (Chuck Berry, Sam Cooke) to 1980s (Prince, Madonna, Michael) but I absolutely loved the latter 90s. It makes me sad that this later generation missed the good stuff. I cringed at the video from E! Online where children didn't even know what to do with a cassette player (YIKES!).
I remember when Pop music was an event! I miss TRL, Making the video, Say What! Karaoke, etc. Music was fun and exciting and it actually meant something. Where did the time go? Remember when a music video premiere was an exciting thing? Now we just click a link and get directed to an artists' Vevo page. Nothing's the same anymore. It'll be great if they brought an updated version of these shows...maybe then music would become more exciting.
I know I usually don't write about this kind of stuff but it was just weighing heavily on my mind. Listening to 'Nsync took me on a trip down memory lane to the days I knew every Britney dance move and my wall was covered in Pop culture posters. Not even the cartoons are the same anymore...it's really a shame...
This is a song that I wrote almost a year ago while I was sitting in my History of Rock Music class at SUNY Oneonta. To this day I think it's one of the most honest things I've ever written. Although times and feelings have changed since then, I felt like it was something still worth sharing. I thought of the title "Split Your Heart, Not Your Tongue" because I was tired of how we constantly hold our tongue because we're afraid of what others may think instead of pouring our hearts out honestly. Another title for this song could have been "Honesty".
Why did you let her walk alone?
How was she to know she wasn't on her own?
No one ever told her that she was more than enough
So she never even knew mattered
Someone should've told her that it wasn't that bad
Someone should've told her that's not all she had
And if someone told her that she was beautiful
Maybe she'd still be here
Do you know how hard it is to feel a God you can't see?
Do you know how hard it is to feel content when you're lonely?
Faith is an evaporated substance of hope
And trust is something that she'd never known
Someone should've told her that it wasn't that bad
Someone should've told her that's not all she had
And if someone told her that she was beautiful
Maybe she'd still be here
You let them eat her heart & spit it out!!!!
She was never good enough for the world
You should've told her she was more than just a girl
Do you know how hard it is to feel a God you can't see?
Do you know how hard it is to feel content when you're lonely?
Faith is an evaporated substance of hope
And trust is something that she'd never known
"There's a battle within that I'll never win, because it's me that I'm up against, it's my heart versus common sense."
Anyone who knows me knows that I get all of my inspiration from music and the artists who makes it. I like to think that I'm pretty well rounded in my choices and what I listen to, though I will admit that I lean more towards anything that has deep lyrical meaning. You may be wondering what this has to do with anything but since this is my first official blog post I just thought it would be a great idea to begin with something personal...and it doesn't get anymore personal than knowing about my longtime obsession with music.
As many of you know, I'm preparing to release my first novel entitled "A Tragic Heart". I couldn't be anymore excited and nervous...mostly the latter. From time to time you guys may witness me starting a blog post with a quote (more than likely taken from a song) simply because I don't always have the right words to say what I'm feeling. The only way I've ever known how to express myself was through writing which is how my first novel came to be. Almost everything I write is based off of experience or someone I've come encounter with somewhere down the road of life.
I've never been so open about anything ever in my life and it makes my stomach feel like it's doing one hundred jumping jacks per minute while trying to withstand an earthquake...okay maybe that's a bit dramatic but it's also accurate. I never put myself "out there" before and I know they say there's a first for everything but I never knew it would be this intimidating. I was never one to have a huge ego or the highest esteem which is why it feels like I'm battling myself.
I fight to tell myself that I'll do fine and this will be a success but there's always that wretched little voice in the back of my mind that quietly whispers that this will be a disaster just like most things. So I tell myself, "don't listen, this is your time," just before that little voice laughs and says "yeah, right!"
Okay! Enough with the melodrama! I'm sure that's what you're thinking by now. Maybe you're thinking, "you wrote an entire book, what are you complaining about?" Yeah, you're right about that one but it still doesn't take away that nervous feeling that follows me around everywhere. All my life I just wanted to matter and to be remembered for doing something....well memorable! Now that I have the chance it's much scarier than I thought it would be. How do you obtain greatness when you are competing with the greatest? How do you stand out when you're one in over seven billion? There's so much talent in the world that I'm afraid that mine will go unnoticed.
...But even after the bloody battle between my heart and my common sense, I know in the end I have to take a chance because if I don't we'll never know, now would we? So, even though I may sound a bit dramatic and I may even doubt myself at times, I'm going to do it anyway. Maybe doing it anyway will turn out to be another insignificant attempt in my life, but hey, at least I did it, right?
