My Music
In ten years, after I continue to explore and mature while delving into musical concepts, I hope to say the song “Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey is a representation of my life, not the actual story being told, but the universal message of hope, perseverance, and the power of dreams. As I continue to grow up and experience the world around me, I can say with confidence that my perspective and views of the world will constantly evolve. It is scary navigating self-discovery, love, and the complexities of human relationships. I turned to Billie Eilish’s album, “Hit Me Hard And Soft,” to understand and reflect on my own multifaceted nature and personal journey.
I immediately relate this album to my life within the juxtaposition in the title. The word “hard” represents the challenges I have faced this year within elite level ski racing, whereas “soft” ties into moments of tenderness, and the reality of accepting myself for me. It’s so easy to become distracted with the hard things in life because they occupy all my time, causing the “soft” more emotional parts of my life to drown and not be cared for. The battles between the hard and soft things create emotional dissonance that is challenging to figure out and ties my mind in a knot. If it weren’t for Billie to help explain that process to me, I’d still be scared and lost.
The specific song, “Chichiro,” explores self-identity. The song helped me understand certain complexities about myself that I refused to acknowledge before. For example, relationships can be very complicated with difficult choices, and I lost my passion for being an expert ballerina. I began to understand the personas I collected over the years and accepted the good parts I typically hid away. The soundtrack brought out the version of me that is ready for new experiences, and perspectives.
As I utilized ten years to discover myself, discover my dreams, and persevere through all the highs and lows, not once did I ever stop believing in my future. The song is about taking risks in life despite uncertainty and having optimism throughout the pursuit of dreams. The elusiveness of it all will never diminish fully, but accepting it, running with it, and making the most of it, will guide me to the success I’ve dreamed about.
Both the album and the song encourage me to be my best, most open-minded self, ready to take on any challenge that comes my way. I know I am ready for the honors college at University of California San Diego because I crave to raise myself to the highest standard and push myself to the ultimate limit. Being able to surround myself with like-minded people, open to anything and everything, will motivate my determination for success as well as continue my personal growth.