#i love her music but sometimes only like a portion of lyrics fit the vibe

[teathattast]

i wanted to see the world in color

through your eyes and through your mind

i think that i like to sit and wonder

through the night, i think i might

[fanaticfangirl001]

The Singer And the Actor  Ch 2 : The Stage

Joe Mazzello x plus sized reader 

Author’s note: This might be a little AUish but after seeing Bohemian Rhapsody I wondered what music would be like if Freddie hadn’t passed away. 

Ps: The song y/n sings is a song from Starkid musical called Not Alone, it’s in one of their harry potter musicals but it just fit. 

“Thanks Jim, by the way.” Y/n pats Jim’s shoulder as she begins to break away from him. 

“Where are you going?” Jim asks. 

“I need some air and to think about stuff.” Y/n shrugs. 

“Don’t think too hard, it’s almost lunch time.” Jim says before dropping her arm from his. 

“I promise I won’t.” Y/n walks off away from where the band and actors are. 

Jim slightly shakes his head as he rejoins the boys. There’s something special about her. 

“Where have you been?” Freddie asks his husband before kissing him. 

“There was a kitten petting emergency.” 

“Understandable.” Freddie nods. 

“Wasn’t Y/n with you? Rami saw her petting cats.” Joe asks. 

“She was, she needed some air and to think about stuff about the band.” Jim answers. 

“She told you about everything.” Joe sighs. He knows how much the band means to her. 

“Yeah, she didn’t want to,in her words, info-dump on me. But I’m nosy so..” Jim trails off. 

A few minutes of talking with the actors, Freddie wanders off until he finds the person he’s been wanting to talk to since he heard she was coming. 

Y/n chews her nails while writing down a few lyrics she’s been thinking of. A sweet smelling man settles himself on the ground beside her. 

“Hello, Mr. Mercury.” Y/n says without looking up. 

“How did you know it was me?” Freddie asks situating his legs so they don’t get cramped. 

“You’re the only man I can picture wearing Coco Mademoiselle perfume.” Y/n looks up and closes the notebook. 

“Am I interrupting your song writing process, darling?” 

“Uh, kind of, but it’s okay. I wasn’t getting anywhere. Besides Peter hates everything I write so..” 

“Is Peter in the band?” 

“No.” 

“Than his opinion is irrelevant.” 

“He’s our manager.” 

“You say that like it means something.”

“And the guys like him,and his opinions. I think it’s because he’s older than us, and has experience with bands.” 

Freddie hesitates then asks “ Are you the eldest in the band?” 

“Yes, what about me told you that?” 

“You give off a worried mum vibe about the lyrics” 

“Is that bad?” 

“No, darling, it’s not.” A small smile grows on Freddie’s face,” I was the same way.” 

“So what do I do?” Y/n asks. 

“That depends, what exactly does Peter say about you, darling?” 

Y/n recounts the various rude things Peter has said about her in the past two years. By the end of her telling him, Freddie’s jaw clenches. 

“Yeah it’s not good.” Y/n comments once realizing that Freddie seems pissed off. 

“You’ve put up with that shit for two years!” 

“Albums take time, Mr.Mercury.” Y/n shrugs. 

“Once it is finished, fire him, or kick him in the dick, or both.” 

“If we finish, at this rate, with the arguments.” 

“Let me guess, he riles you up, then makes the guys think you’re sensitive, and can’t take criticism.”  Freddie guesses. 

“Yeah, that’s actually not the worst thing he’s done, he tried to dissolve a diet pill in my drink. I saw him do that, so I poured it into a plant. Poor plant.” Y/n shakes her head at the memories of Peter and the band on their first small tour playing bars. 

“Just fire him now. Don’t wait.” Freddie suggests. 

“Maybe I should call the boys to see how it’s going.” Y/n says digging through her purse.

Her phone starts ringing. 

“They had the same idea.” Freddie smiles as Y/n takes the phone call. 

There’s screaming in the background of the call. 

“Hey Y/n, how’s London?” Brandon says quickly. “ Uh we have a problem.” 

“It’s great, what’s the problem?” Y/n asks. 

“Uh you know how Jake is like your younger brother. Well he’s a little protective.” Brandon says.

“What happened?” Y/n asks sighing.

“He snapped.” Brandon answers simply.

“What did Peter say?” Y/n assumes.

“How do you know Peter said anything? Did Jake call you?” Brandon says surprised that she knew.

“No, I just know Peter.” Y/n tries not to get into a fight with him. 

“He’s not as bad as you say he is.” Brandon defends him. 

“Brandon, stop, just tell me what Peter said.” Y/n says not wanting to get into it. 

“He said that your songs shouldn’t be on the album because you took off in the middle of recording, and then Jake just sprang out of his chair, and started punching Peter, we tried to grab and then he just started punching anyone he could.” Brandon explains what happened. 

“Do you agree with him?” Y/n asks raising an eyebrow, even if he isn’t here.

“No, but I understand his reasoning.” Brandon sighs. 

“Brandon, I love you like a brother, but right now I don’t like you or Russ.” Y/n says trying not to get mad. 

“Y/n, come on. You don’t mean that. Think about the band.” 

“ I do mean it and everything I think about is the band. You know how hard it was for me to leave. I’ve only been gone for a day, and you guys are punching the daylights out of each other.” Y/n spits venom. 

“Jake is the one punching our manager. Do you know how that makes us look?” Brandon asks. 

“Jake is the calmest one of the bunch, how does that make Peter look?” Y/n snaps back. “ I have to go.” 

Y/n hangs up and looks at Freddie, who heard everything. 

“So that’s Brandon, he’s our guitarist, and we sometimes clash.” She explains. 

“I heard, darling.” Freddie reminds. 

“Well then now you know why my writing session here, wasn’t interrupted.” Y/n throws her phone back in the bag. 

“Well darling, you said you were trying to work through some lyrics, so why don’t you try them with a piano.” Freddie points to the Live Aid set.

 As it’s lunch time, no one is near it, The piano is still there with a microphone. 

“I don’t think I can just sit up there and play it. Like it’s a movie set. They could like kick me out.” Y/n shakes her head.

“Than darling, I’ll go with you.” Freddie offers. 

“Then we both get kicked out.” Y/n says standing up. 

“I don’t think they can kick me out.” Freddie laughs standing up and walking with Y/n over to the set. 

“Up you go.” He helps Y/n onto the stage and disappears behind it. 

Freddie flips a few of the speakers on and connects the cable to the microphone so everyone can hear her sing. 

“Uh Mr. Mercury.” Y/n calls out sitting on the piano bench. 

“Right here darling.” Freddie walks out from behind a curtain and sets up a microphone at the piano. 

“Remember it’s still in it’s rough stage, and I was on a plane so my voice might not be.” Y/n starts to ramble.

“Y/n just sing the words you have on the page.” Freddie says sitting on the edge of the stage. 

“Okay, but if I get kicked off the set it’s your fault.” Y/n starts playing the melody. 

Freddie watches and pulls out his phone sending a mass group text : Come to the live aid stage, but be quiet. 

“Am I the first to hear this?” He asks. 

“No, Joe heard a little of it. It’s uh about relationships, Mine with Joe, and well mine with my friends. It’s kind of funny to play this after we argued.” Y/n muses. 

“Play on.” Freddie says with a hand flourish. 

“I’ve been alone. Surrounded by darkness. And I’ve seen how heartless the world can be. “ Y/n sings. 

Freddie could hear a few of Y/n’s influences most notably Aretha Franklin. In his mind the girl can sing. Anyone would be out of their mind to think anything else. He looks over and sees Jim,Joe, Rami, Brian and Roger walking over and sit in the front row of the audience. Y/n is too lost in the song to realize that the microphone is on and the speakers are amplifying her song to the whole production. 

As the music begins to picks up to a faster pace, Joe smiles he recognizes this part of the song. 

“Cause baby you’re not alone! Cause you’re here with me, And nothing’s ever gonna bring us down. Cause nothin can keep me from lovin you, and you know it’s true.” Y/n belts.  

Y/n smiles while she’s singing and gestures to Freddie. 

“Oh.” Freddie says running over to help her with the duet portion. 

“Now I know it ain’t easy.”(No it ain’t easy) but it ain’t hard trying. (It’s so hard trying) Y/n sings with Freddie as her backup. 

They finish the last verse together, in Y/n mind this verse is supposed to be with all of her band singing. 

“Baby you’re not alone! Cause you’re here with me, and nothing’s ever gonna take us down. Cause nothing can keep me from loving you, and you know it’s true, it don’t matter what’ll come to be. Our love is all we need to make it through.” Y/n and Freddie finish together. 

The clapping is what brings Y/n back to earth as she realized that more people than just Freddie were watching. 

[a-little-slice-of-fandom]

what is the difference between the student run and current versions of six?

Hi anon! I’m sorry this took so long. A-levels happened!

So firstly I don’t think it’s as easy as saying “what’s the difference between the student run and the current version of six” because not only was there a run between the student cast and the current productions in the form of the studio cast, but even current productions have had their scripts tweaked and reworked over the course of the past year. The original six tour has a different script to the current west end run, even though the west end run is a direct continuation of the tour. Furthermore, there’s also the issues of external and internal factors which have influenced the show and prompted the changes between scripts, such as reviews from critics/general audiences, bigger budgets and production values, current affairs etc which have shaped the show as a whole. However, the changes between these runs truly fascinate me and I love seeing how Six continues to evolve and grow as a show, as well as seeing how the queens characters have been developed and refined by Toby and Lucy. I’m not a massive theatre fan, I prefer literature, so to see a show that evolves with every passing day rather than remaining as one static entity is really a treat. It’s almost like we’re seeing lots of different drafts, and that’s something I love. And I’ll try my best to summarize it all!

Plot:

The overall plot of Six remained the same over all productions of the show. At the end of the day, the student run still was about the Six wives of Henry VIII coming together and forming a girl group, while arguing over who should be the lead singer before finally coming together as one group. 

Run time:

The first biggest difference between the student run of Six and the current runs of Six is its vastly shorter run time. All professional versions of the show have clocked in around 75 minutes, give or take. However, the student run of Six is only 60 minutes long that results in a generally more streamlined version of the show. While this may not sound like a massive difference, it does mean that this version is essentially 25% shorter than usual and does have massive ripple effects for the show.  The first reaction most people have to listening to the student run is simply realising how streamlined it truly is, with there being very little dialogue between songs and what little dialogue there is sometimes being radically different. I mean the dialogue between Haus of Holbein often diverges into odd territories...which is saying something for Haus of Holbein. 

Different songs:

In addition, every song in the student run is somewhat different to its current counterpart. Some changes are relatively small, such as the occasional changed lyric  in Ex-Wives, Don’t Lose Ur Head or Six, or a slightly different tempo to Haus Of Holbein or Howard singing an extra chorus of AWYD. However...three songs (No Way, Heart of Stone and I Don’t Need Your Love) are widely different from their current counterparts, with all three having different lyrics and different tones, and No Way having similar yet still distinctly different musical elements to it. 

I could sit here all day trying to analyse why exactly these songs were altered, especially as I have an intense love for these more indie, earnest feeling versions of the tunes we all know and love. However, it is important to acknowledge that some of these older songs simply didn’t fit with the tone (or, dare I say, vibe) of newer versions of Six. They worked for the student run, but that does not mean it would have translated well to other productions.  

As for the megasix...it does not exist in this version of Six. The megasix will not make its debut until the studio production of Six, and even at that it is a very different version of the song. 

The Queens as Characters:

A definite by-product of the shorter run time and some different songs in the student run has to be the characterisation of the queens in general. Each version of these queens feel so different to the current productions of Six in their own unique way and it’s something I wish I had more time to analyse. Generally, since this was the first production, the student queens don’t always conform to the usual expectations we have of the queens from Six. My favorite example is always Student!Boleyn, who is still quite energetic but also has this openly well-spoken nature to her (or maybe its just her accent..I’m a 17 year old not a theater critic do not take this post for anything more than what it is). In fact, I would easily argue that the youngest performers of these queens had the most mature versions of their respective queens. Yes, they bicker, but queens like Seymour and Boleyn aren’t played for laughs and don’t become the butt of every joke like they sometimes do in newer versions. In addition, the less produced nature of the songs/musical arrangements makes some queens feel so genuine and earnest, like Student!Seymour not being able to cope with the loss of her son or student!Howard just being so empty and broken throughout the show. These characterizations manage to feel so real and be so impactful, even though this is a literal student production being run by 18-20 year olds. 

Now, I’m not saying that newer versions of the queens aren’t earnest or genuine or leave an impact because that is absolutely not true (the American versions of AYWD can literally break me). They just do this in a very different way...which makes sense considering that these are vastly different productions.   

However...the shorter run time does have a negative impact for some of the Queens, as it does feel like Aragon, Boleyn and Seymour get such a large portion of the show dedicated to them, leaving Cleves, Howard and ESPECIALLY Parr by the wayside. This is more of a structural issue with Six that is still in effect to this day, however, I feel like it is most noticeable in this production. I won’t go fully in to it here (I’d rather have a dedicated post to the student queen characterisations) but needless to say Parr teeters on the edge of being a Mary Sue in this production, saved only by her amazing IDNYL and the talent of  Shimali de Silva.

Musical arrangements:

While The Ladies in Waiting have sort of become characters in their own right within this fandom,people seem to forget that they didn’t make their debut until the U.K Tour in 2018 and were not named Maggie, Bessie, Joan and Maria until the West End run in 2019. Before this, the student and studio runs both had larger ensembles to back the queens up instead of being limited to guitar, bass, keys and drums. The student run’s arrangements are great (especially No Way and DLUH), but my favourite arrangements out of all versions of Six has to be the studio run, if only because I love that so many songs included jazz elements, especially No Way, Get Down and AYWD and how diverse everything sounded. While it’s great that the newer versions of Six feel more uniformly pop oriented rather than having lots of different elements like the studio and student runs, I do sort of miss the variety that the earlier versions of Six had to an extent.

In addition, because the student run of six was generally not as pop-oriented as the newer versions, it did mean that certain elements to songs are missing and the whole thing does feel less produced than newer versions (probably due to the budget and time constraints). This is not a slight to either version of the show however: the newer versions really drive home that the Queens are a pop-band with all the produced arrangements to match, which suits the direction that the show was intending to go, while the older versions of Six with their less produced arrangements suited the more indie, literal student oriented version of the show. 

Costumes:

Let’s be real here, the student cast costumes were not winning any awards for their costumes. They were odd, mismatched, clashed with one another and overall just didn’t even reflect the queens very well. While Boleyn and her little green dress was a nice outfit, and I seriously love the connotations of Parr being in white (although her in blue also works well connotations wise) Gabriella Slade was a serious god send to the show.

Increased diversity:

Another thing that Six was not winning any awards for in its earlier days was its diversity. While the student run does boast the only NB queen so far in the form of their majesty, Tilda!Cleves, five out of six of the queens were white, with only Parr being played by a WOC (Shimali de Silva). 

On a serious note, I’m glad that the diversity of the show improved from this run, and while the tour and Aussie cast are disappointing in this regard as they aren’t as diverse as we would all like, I seriously hope that this show continues to include all women from every background. This show should empower all women and NB folk, not just heterosexual, cisgender white women. 

[queenharumiura]

💐

Valentine’s Day Meme ||Still accepting|| 

[to note: as this is a vday meme, there will be a focus on romance. This is going to be more of a theoretical sort of thing given the interactions between the two aren’t much yet, and I’m not very familiar with the series that Rentaro is from. So this is going to be a fun theoretical playlist that will tell a story]

💐: A playlist for our muses 

Gift of a friend- Demi Lovato

Scars to your beautiful- Alessia Cara

Human- Christina Perri

Believer- Imagine Dragons

Titanium- David Guetta ft. Sia

Confident- Demi Lovato

Count on me- Bruno Mars

I’m glad you came- The Wanted

Stand by you- Rachel Platten

I will be here- Steven Curtis Chapman

Heartbeat song- Kelly Clarkson

Can’t blame a girl for trying- Sabrina Carpenter

Teardrops on my guitar- Taylor Swift

Just the way you are- Bruno Mars

Give your heart a break- Demi Lovato

Can you feel the love tonight- Elton John

In case you’re curious I have my reasonings and explanation for choosing the songs under the readmore. It’s-- kinda lengthy;;;;;;;;;;;;

-

Gift of a friend

Haru gets the vibe that Rentaro is more of a loner type,which contrasts her social butterfly type. Haru is very friendly with othersand she’s quite popular in her own right. With his hobby of creature watching andpreferring insects over humans, she has the thought that he spends more of histime alone rather than immersing himself around others like she does.

This song sorta has the vibe of her feelings. She honestly hopesthat she’s wrong about the fact that he’s more of the loner type, since that’slonely. So this song embodies her hopes that he can see her as a friend and shewill try to help him open up and see the other good parts of life. Other peoplearen’t so bad. If you can make a friend out of Haru who is around your age,surely, you’ll be able to find others! Don’t worry! No matter what, Haru willbe by your side.

Scars to your beautiful

In our threads, we’ve both mentioned that Rentaro and Haruboth have crushes on people. Haru has a crush on Tsuna Sawada who… usually doesn’treally see her that way. Haru tries very hard to appeal (a bit too hard, in myopinion) to him, but he only has Kyoko in his eyes. Kyoko is a good friend ofHaru’s, so it’s hard to see that the person she likes won’t look at her themoment her friend Kyoko enters the picture.

Sometimes she’s been pushed away in favor of Kyoko as well,and that certainly would hurt in more ways than one. The way I headcanon Haruis that this has hurt her emotionally and it damaged her self-confidence. Thissong is something that she can relate to. The beginning of the song speaks toher on an emotional level. She feels ignored and hurt, but she doesn’t want toshow her pain. If she does, she doesn’t want for her friend Kyoko to feelsaddened by it. It’s not her fault that Tsuna likes her. After all, Kyoko is awonderful person. Haru is the one that’s lacking, surely.

The later portions of the song shows how she tries to cheerherself up when she’s alone, wallowing in her pain. Haru may be hurt, but inthe end, she’s an optimistic person. She’s got a lot of inner strength and she’llalways try to bring herself back up again. Haru is currently struggling withthese issues with the way I write her.

 Human

This song has a slower tempo, and it is more of aself-reflecting song. She can try to hype herself up as much as she wants, andfake her smiles in order to not worry her friends. She can turn on her abilityto fake her happiness to not let anyone know how much she’s hurting. Be thatmachine that only shows what is expected of her, but it’s… tiring. The slow tempofits that tiring mood of hers. She can fake things to not worry her friends,but she’s ultimately only human. She can only hide so much of her hurt. She’sgoing to fall and get hurt, but she still has to try to stand up and be strong.

She does let it slip sometimes when she’s around others who aren’taffiliated with the Vongola, but she still tries to hide that part of her. It’sa part of her character to be positive and energetic. She can’t get down. It’snot like her. She tries to build herself up, and I’m sure her friends try to dothe same—but being ignored or brushed aside can make all that come crumblingdown. She can only take so much before she has to take time to herself and cry.Afterwards, she always builds herself back up again. The previous song is agood fit for that. This song I put lower on the list, because I feel this songshows better how continuous hurt and faking can tire you out. You start to loseenergy. Sometimes, you may start to lose yourself—like how she needs to be likea machine. Haru really doesn’t like to hurt people, so she would hate to makeanyone feel guilty because of her hurt, so she’d try to hide it as much as possible.

 Believer

For some reason, I feel like this song works really well to representHaru’s frustrations. It gets really irritating after a while to be bogged downby negative feelings. Even more so annoying when you’re trying to hide thesevery feelings of yours.

I think that she feels that Rentaro is a bit of alike-minded soul, and she feels more comfortable around him to be honest withherself. I will go more in depth about it with a future song [“confident”], butI feel like after becoming friends with Rentaro, she really starts to realizehow FRUSTRATED she is. She’s upset about the way things have been and the waythings are. She needs to do better, and surely she can. She can believe thatshe can do better when she realizes that she’s so much more than she was madeto feel. The song kinda feels lowkey powerful, like Haru is now standing up andfighting for her own self. She’s going to move past the slow sadness and justfight to better herself again. She’s going to HEAL.

 Titanium

A bit odd, but this song is actually a song about Haruagainst Haru. With the lyrics, it sounds like some person is attacking thesinger. In Haru’s case, it’s herself. Her self-deprecative feelings that criticizesher for her past mistakes and her not being good enough. She’s already resolvedto heal from her one-sided feeling with Tsuna, and she wants to build herselfto be strong like TITANIUM. Her thoughts can attack her all she wants, but shewill use that to fuel her desire to recover. No matter how much her thoughtsscream at her, she wants to believe she can get better. She’s WORTH something.

As she works on this process, she will learn to getstronger. She won’t fall back into those dark thoughts. She will learn to standup and be strong against anything- even figurative bullets. It’s going to be atough battle, but she will do this. She has to. The song is more upbeat and Ithink it fits well as if it musically depicts her will power for her ownbetterment.

 Confident

I think this song is a good transition song that shows howHaru is starting to gain her confidence back. Having a friend who shares someof her hobbies and has a good opinion of her is very enlightening. Haru is very…passionate, and she definitely comes off as strong when she loves someone. Ilove Haru but I have to admit that. She is young so she may not know better,but she does lay it on strong. This is one of the reasons she gets pushed awaya lot, understandably so. That being said, she also got pushed away for justsaying hi because Tsuna didn’t want Kyoko getting the wrong idea. (trivia: that’swhy Haru was sensitive to the fact that she didn’t want to cause anymisunderstandings on Rentaro’s side for the Vday thing)

She is very hyperactive and a lil… on the zany side. Thissometimes either gets her in trouble, or judged by those around her. She isnormally shown not particularly caring for what others think, but I think that’smostly just her being a bit naïve. There were canon instances where her effortsweren’t appreciated, or were sort of brushed off. There are also instanceswhere she may get a ‘cold’ reception for something she does, but when Kyokodoes the same thing, suddenly the reception changes. I find it prettyhypocritical, but they are young kids here, so I get it. Still, I don’t thinkthat won’t hurt Haru. That would hurt you on a confidence level.

Like why is it that I can’t do the same thing as her? It’sthat kind of mentality. Even in the last chapter Haru finally confronted him aboutit like do you even look at Haru? Sadly, she went back to being in love withhim QuQ. I think it’s heavily hinted that Kyoko likes him back so--- I cry forHaru. So that’s essentially why I headcanon for Haru to have these feelings andpain. I personally think that Rentaro would be a good influence on her. Someonewho can appreciate her hobbies and truly appreciates her efforts. He doesn’tfind her annoying or useless [another thing she worries about].

I think befriending him helped her remember that there is moreto her than she knows. There are people who can appreciate her and think wellof her. I’m going off on a limb her and will guess that he’d accept her and herweird quirks. He thought well of her dreams of being a housewife but also beinga world-class costume maker. The fact he didn’t make fun of that and even saidsomething positive about it, really meant a lot to her. She does sometimes getmade into a butt of a joke in canon for her thoughts so I think that would be apositive thing for her. So, this song represents how she starts to truly loveherself again and remember how to be confident. Just because Tsuna didn’t payher any true attention, that doesn’t mean she’s worthless.

[Extra, but another reason why I feel like she’d feel lowkeyworth less than Kyoko is because aside from Tsuna, others pay more attention toKyoko. She’s the school idol, and she’s also the younger sister of one of the mainmembers of the Vongola. Not only that, it’s painfully obvious who Tsuna (theboss) likes, so others tend to pay more attention to her because of it.Essentially like a bias(?), and it doesn’t help that everyone goes to the sameschool except for Haru. She’s almost an outsider who somehow managed to wormher way into their friendship circle. So, Kyoko has a big advantage here, andshe doesn’t really have much. Most of what she does, it’s usually also paralleledwith Kyoko.]

 Count on me

Haru is a very dedicated and loyal person. Once you becomeher friend, she is more than willing to help. Canonically, it’s been seen thatshe’s willing to risk herself for the sake of her friends. She can be ratherrash, but it shows that she’s someone who cares a lot for others, sometimes evenif it could be to the detriment of herself. From what I’ve read in our threadso far, I get the vibe that while Rentaro doesn’t seem to mesh well with otherpeople (of his age group) very well, he’s kind and caring to those he caresfor.

He’s got a sense of responsibility if him making food forothers means anything. The way he wouldn’t take advantage of Haru’s kindnessalso shows that there is a moral backbone that stems from justice. From this, Ifeel this song fits the two of them as I feel that Rentaro may reciprocate someof Haru’s feelings here. If she’s a dedicated friend who is willing to alwaysbe there for him, he likely would return the favor? If I’m wrong (sorry!),consider the song to be Haru’s one-sided feelings then. She’s a very dedicatedfriend.

Being that he’s helped her heal (whether he knows it ornot), Haru would feel very inclined to be supportive of him. She’s the type ofperson who would die for her friends, and Rentaro would also fit into thiscategory. Essentially, this song, you can say, primarily notes Haru’s wishesfor him to count on her. She wants to help him like he did for her.

 I’m glad you came

I know that this song sounds more romantic but HEAR ME OUT,FRIEND. This song more accurately can be used to explain Haru’s feelings ofgratefulness. She’s truly grateful over the fact that Rentaro came into herlife and became her friend. To her, it’s amazing how things have changed in herlife for the better. I really like how the song starts out slow, but then itgets fast paced. It’s almost symbolic of how Haru’s mental/emotional state wasbefore and then after he came into her life.

She loves spending time with him, and she hopes that he doesn’tregret becoming her friend. Hopefully they can stay friends for a long time. Nomatter how much time passes, she’ll always be grateful towards him, and she’sso happy that he came into her life. This song is one of thanks. He truly didchange her universe (the emotional one).

 Stand by you  [&]  I will be here

I liked both of these songs, since I think it can fit Haru’sfeelings of wanting to be a source of support for him as well, like he was forher. If he ever feels hurt by something, she wants to be there for him tosupport him. Maybe life is being tough on him, or maybe something is going onwith the crush of his. If he needs someone to talk to, she will be there forhim. Whatever he needs, she wants to do her best to help him in any way she can.Ignore the fact that the songs sound romantic. Just focus on the ‘I will bethere for you’ aspect of the songs. Shhhhhh. At this point, I don’t think Haruhas realized any romantic feelings yet. She thinks of it all in terms ofgratefulness.

 Heartbeat song

LOL okay but—I found this song and I found it rather funny.Like with the beginning where there is a lyric like: ‘You, where the hell didyou come from? You’re a different, different kind of fun, and I’m so used tofeeling numb” had me like—Haru suddenly realizing “WAIT—what is this. What arethese feelings? Am I--?? Do I--? OMG I caught the feelings TM” It’s interestinghow crushes and love works. Sometimes it seemingly comes out of no wherebecause you didn’t realize it, or you were in denial. I feel that over time asthey spend more time together, Haru will eventually come to have feelings forRentaro—romantic ones that stem from gratefulness.

“This is my heartbeat song and I’m gonna play it. Been so long,I forgot how to turn it up up up up all night long.” These are the very firstlyrics and I think it’s great symbolism of how Haru forgot about how it felt tofeel in love for a moment and she forgot how to work with these feelings ofhers. So, this is basically a ‘HOLY CRAP- I CAUGHT FEELINGS’ sort of song. Lol Sorry,as soon as I found it, I needed to add it to this playlist. It’s not verydeep;;;;;

 Can’t blame a girl for trying

;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; So this song sounds prettyupbeat and kinda… funny to me? To me, this song sings about how Haru isderisively judging herself now that she’s accepted the fact that she likesRentaro. Like mentioned previously… Haru is… uh… passionate. She’s very… yeah…when she likes someone. So this song is about how she feels like this isn’tgoing to end very well because she’s dumb af. She can be her worst enemybecause of how passionate she is. Why didn’t she just keep quiet? What if shecares him away with how passionate she can be? To put it simply, this is literallya song of her worries that now that she realized she likes him, he’s going toend up scaring him away. Whoops. Even so, she can’t really blame herself fortrying. She’s a go-getter type and she knows it. OTL

 Teardrops on my guitar

Haru is a person who loves to talk about love, so I’m surethat during their friendship, she would have asked many times about the personRentaro likes. She’s already talked about Tsuna a couple times in our threads,so you know that Haru is not shy about talking about love. She would definitelyask him about the girl he has a crush on.

IF he would tell her about her, Haru would support him asmuch as she can. Give him advice and all that. When she finally realizes herfeelings for him, then it’s like—oh no. I already resolved to be supportive ofmy friend. So it’s like – I gotta be supportive, but at the same time--- OUCH.So she’s pretty jealous about the person that he likes, but there isn’t afeeling of hatred. Rentaro is a good person, so surely the person he likes willequally be a great person.

If she makes him happy, she’d happily congratulate them. Ifhe’s happy, she’ll smile and hope for the best. So yeah, this song is aboutconflicted feelings, I guess?

 Just the way you are

Yo—Haru is that kinda person who accepts almost everythingabout the person she likes. Hm? Yep, ignore the pronouns of the song. This isHARU’S song about Rentaro. She would totally be like ‘oh wow you did a thing.Amazing! You’re so wonderful!’ I guess you could say she gets blinded by lovelol. She’s not very judgmental that way. If she falls in love with someone, sheaccepts them for what they are. She will learn to love everything about them.

HOWEVER, like seen in the case with Tsuna in one instance,she WILL drop you like a hat if you do something that she can’t morally agreewith. In canon, there was a misunderstanding, and Haru thought that Tsunabecame a person who abused children. This is something that Haru would NEVERstand for. Children are innocent and she believes that they should beprotected. She’s very protective of children, so the moment she thought he wasabusing kids, she was more than ready to drop him like a hot rock.

Other than that, she doesn’t care. He’s famous for being a ‘nogood’ guy with little talents, and he’s not particularly known for any goodlooks either. Still, she was always very supportive and loving towards him. Shethinks that he’s an amazing person because she looks at the inside. Assumingthat Rentaro is a good and morally standing person, she truly would likeeverything about Rentaro. No matter what, she wouldn’t want anything to change,because love is about learning to accept someone and also compromise. Love isn’twhen you try to change someone to suit YOUR needs or preferences.

If you are going to change someone, you do it because youthink it will make them into a better person. I wholeheartedly feel that Haruwould agree with that statement. As such, this song is pretty accurate to how Harufeels when she falls in love with someone.

 Give your heart a break

//MASSIVE SWEAT, okay so like—I don’t know much about the mediathat Rentaro is from, so I actually have no idea what his relationship is likewith his crush. I’ve no idea if they are canon or what—but because this is aValentine’s day meme--- I’m going off the premise that things didn’t work outbetween Rentaro and his crush. Sorry Rentaro;;;;;;; I’m rooting for you,honestly.

Now being serious here, let’s pretend there is a bit omissionhere. Going off the idea that things didn’t work out for Rentaro with hiscrush, Haru would in theory try to help him feel better about it by supportinghim the best she could.

He would need his own time to recover from the failure, andhe’d need his own time to notice Haru. I will not try to assume I would knowenough about him to choose songs about his POV, therefore this playlist willhave a big empty space.

All because Haru knows how it feels to not have your lovereciprocated, she’d heartedly support him. She wouldn’t take this time to tryto get him to like her. Heartbreak really hurts, and she won’t do something socowardly as to use the situation to her benefit. Haru’s really the sort to tryher best to help people, and she normally doesn’t even think about HERSELF. Thisis a girl who was more than willing to risk her life to escape from a safetyzone to try to find medicine to help a child who was very sick.

This is also the girl who was willing to fall to her deathif it meant that her two other friends wouldn’t fall with her. She was morethan willing to die for their sakes. There was little to no hesitation there. Whenher loved ones are in danger, she won’t even consider herself and she’ll do allthat she can for their benefit.

In canon, in a future arc, Haru did her best to be strong,to not allow her fear to show. She’d cry and be afraid in secrecy as to notbother the guys who were busy training for an upcoming battle. Even though shewanted nothing more than to tell them to not fight, she knew it would breaktheir resolve. She and Kyoko both had to hold back and tell them to do theirbest and to please come back safely. It’s not easy having to be thrust into adangerous situation and keep your own feelings hidden. Both girls had to remainstrong and try to be calm for their sakes.

When being told the truth about how dangerous theirsituation is, she purposefully brushed it off so she wouldn’t worry Tsuna. Shedidn’t want to start panicking at that moment or whatever because that’s notgood. It would put more of a burden on him. Instead, she walked away, and endedup crying to someone else. She mainly felt ashamed of herself for beingselfish. For context, Haru and Kyoko had gone on a strike, saying they wouldn’tcook or clean until they were told about what was going on.

On one hand it’s selfish, but in my opinion, it was theirright to know. They were suddenly thrown into a chaotic future where friendsand families were dead. In some cases, they didn’t know whether the missingpeople were still alive or not. The guys are training hard, always coming backbattered and hurt. During all of this, they were told nothing. Nothing. That’sunfair to them when they were dragged into the situation due to associationwith them. They deserved to know the truth, regardless of how scary the truthis.

They wanted to know, and so they went on strike. After beingtold the truth, Haru cried for her selfish feelings. The guys were going throughso much, but the girls selfishly went on strike because they wanted to know thetruth. She cried over this. I think this really goes to show how she tends toprioritize other people over herself with how she felt ashamed of herself. Understandablya strike is pretty intense, but they were so unwilling to tell the truth andwhen you’re caught in such a crazy environment, you’ll want to know what’sgoing on. Families are missing, friends are dead, they have to live in hiding,etc.

Not telling them the truth when they actually wanted to knowis cruel in my opinion. Sorry for the tangent, but essentially—Haru isn’t thetype to use that situation to her advantage in my opinion of her charactertype.

So I think somewhere down the line, maybe they both start torealize they have feelings for each other, but they hesitate. They haverecently recovered from heartbreak, but can they move on?

With the way I think this story plays out, they both helpedeach other with their own heart break, so they have an understanding of theother person and their pain. I think that this song is excellent in meaning. Neitherof them wants to hurt the other. They know how hurt the other was, and by what.They wouldn’t do the same things to hurt them.

Both would likely think about the other “let me give yourheart a break” because I’ll treat you right. I can treat you better than theperson who hurt you.

 Can you feel the love tonight?

This is already super long, so I’m going to make this onethe last one. Arbitrarily I chose a song about how they decided to reciprocatetheir feelings for each other. Basically, a love song. It’s the last song andfinally it’s a love song lol.

Even if it is, it’s Disney. I’m sorry to be corny. I just… Ilove Disney. Forgive me. I think I chose it because it’s a cute song, but alsobecause I somehow can imagine them watching Disney movies together. Simpledates are great, please. Watching Disney together is great, please. Who doesn’tlove Lion King? Look Rentaro, you can animal watch. OTL||||||||||

I really tried to find a song that I felt would work to endthings off but it’s really hard? Trying to find a good duet song is HARD. I’vealready been working on this for over 3 hours and I’m tired QuQ Sorry for thelackluster ending. //sobs

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Haha this was pretty long, and I’m sorry about that. I justget really heated about explaining my thoughts and I love to go into deep thinkingabout stuff. That’s why I ended up writing so much about this, because therewas so much to consider. If you read this, I hope it was an interesting read! Itried not to talk too much about Rentaro since I don’t have a good understandingof him. I was kinda just going off lil hunches based off what little I know of him.If this is very wrong, just consider this some weird AU ahahahha;;;;;;;;

I hope the playlist I made is good enough. Sorry if it wasn’t. QuQ

[zukadiary]

Beside the Foggy Elbe / Estrellas ~ Star Troupe 2019

First show of 2019! My home base in Japan is usually Kansai, but for the first time I’m in Tokyo for a lengthy stay. I saw Elbe/Estrellas twice in the theater plus the senshuuraku live view. Spoilers, because the ending of Elbe was one of my favorite things about it.

Beside the Foggy Elbe [Summary]

I caught Elbe quite late in the run, and most of the feedback I heard from talking to other non-Japanese fans beforehand was fairly negative, but I found it VERY enjoyable. Elbe is one of the most historically famous original Takarazuka works. While I haven’t seen more than clips and photos of the older productions, I was already familiar with much of the soundtrack, and I always love seeing and hearing classic Takarazuka elements live, especially as a relatively young fan coming in late in Takarazuka’s 105 year history. It’s a special kind of fun to be able to sit in the theater and sing along (even if only in my head) to a show I’ve never even seen. The story is most definitely dated, but I love the vintage-ness of it (if anything, I wish they’d pushed the aesthetics even more vintage). And because it’s an old classic, I was able to suspend my disbelief of the unlikely love story in the same way I can with old Hollywood musicals (is it believable that Dale Tremont falls in love with Jerry Travers three seconds after finding out he wasn’t actually Horace? No but I’m here for it). I also love that they don’t get together!! The first time I saw it, I looked at the clock when Margit and Florian began yelling for Karl on the docks, and went sort of wide eyed when I realized there wasn’t TIME for it to end any way other than heartbreak. I think it’s much more interesting that way.

Quick complaints out of the way first: while the show isn’t really hard to follow, I did find both Beni and Airi quite difficult to understand. Beni uses a very loud, slurred voice to play the foul-mouthed Karl, and while it’s in keeping with her character, I couldn’t untangle a lot of her words, even though they weren’t lines I’d find complicated if I read them. Airi put on a shrill voice that I also found difficult to understand. I get that her character is an ingenue to the extreme so it makes sense, but I still feel like she could have landed somewhere between that and her natural voice and been ok. Additionally, there is a parade in the beginning that I think was an UeKumi addition. I didn’t DISLIKE it, and I understand its usefulness because it’s a very top heavy show and the parade gives the secondary players a bit of fun extra spotlight, but it didn’t really fit the look or vibe of the rest of Elbe. 

I do think you need to like Beni and Airi to enjoy this show, because it is so top heavy (if you love them, I think this will be a really great show for you). I especially liked the role of Karl for Beni. Beni’s Karl was an extremely insecure person who disguised his self-doubt in brash mannerisms and generally poor behavior, which made his moments of sincerity very poignant. Since Beni is known more for her comedic roles than her serious ones, and sometimes seems to be questioned by fans re: her ability to be serious, I thought this really suited her in kind of a meta way. She leaned hard into the brashness because that’s more her strength, but for me she also nailed Karl’s vulnerable moments, and that made them sting extra because it felt like it was coming from a real place. I’m also kind of a sucker for the cross-social-class love story trope. Karl’s behavior for the most part is truly unattractive to the point where it can be hard to sympathize with him, but there are several scenes where you can feel his deep discomfort toward being amongst the wealthy, and how traumatized he is about his ex leaving him because he wasn’t rich enough, and Beni makes them hurt sooooo good (shout out to Otoha Minori who had the very small part of Karl’s ex but really helped succinctly convey that backstory in a way that impacted the whole show).

Margit is a hard sell for me because I don’t find her likable as a character, but I think Airi did a great job hitting the necessary notes. For the story to work, Margit has to be unhappy, but also sheltered, spoiled, frivolous, and naive enough to fall in love with someone she met in a bar at first sight just because he was a little nice to her and the polar opposite of the life she’s trying to escape. Airi made it plausible. She also plays the piano for real a couple of times (angrily!) and I was VERY impressed (Coto also does, but she can’t surprise me with unexpected talents anymore). I think Airi’s strength is sexier more mature characters and I hope she gets to flex that muscle in their taidan show, because in that sense Elbe left a lot to be desired.

As much as I think Karl suited Beni, Coto is the one who made me think it wouldn’t have been quite the same if they’d given Elbe to any current lineup other than Hoshigumi. The least believable part of the entire story is that Florian is too good. There are no men who are that good. Even for the not-men of our 夢の世界 it’s a stretch. But I completely believed that Coto was that good. I don’t even know what to say about her... she can do anything and it’s stupid. Muster up heartbreaking sincerity for a truly unrealistic character? Sure. Play the piano flawlessly while speaking? Why not. (And the way she brushed her coattails out of the way before seating herself at the piano bench made me feel A Way).

The newly inserted Tobias was a nice sendoff for Kai. Not quite as delightful and meaty a role as Kiroku, and not as strong of a goodbye present as Sho Fu Kan, but lovely nonetheless. Tobias was not inherently a remarkable character, but he was an excellent blank canvas on which Kai painted herself, making him cool, hot, and everyone’s big brother—all around lovable. Her costumes made NO sense (cowboy hat??) but she wore them so well I loved them all against my better judgment. Stage time dropped off pretty hard after Beni/Airi/Coto, but the scenes with the other sailors were my favorite, and Kai’s involvement in each was prominent enough (and CUTE enough) to make Tobias feel like a juicy role. She gets a lovely bridge solo toward the end, and fittingly leaves the ship crew to get married (to Mizuno Yuri/Karl’s sister), exiting separately in dramatic fashion to everyone else’s tears and well wishes. 

I found myself charmed by the supporting cast—including (especially??) the nameless lurkers of the background—more than usual. Was it the giant food props? Were they just exceptionally silly back there? I don’t know, but unfortunately the recording won’t illuminate them regardless. As for the named support, Mao Yuuki, Seo Yuria, Shidou Ryuu, and Amahana Ema made up the rest of the sailors with lines and stuff, and while there was barely anything for them to do, I (for reasons not entirely known) found Mao and Seo in particular extremely charming. Amato Kanon played a bratty screaming kid, the exact type of role I’d normally find annoying as hell, but she even managed to make HIM charming; she had a lot of very entertaining wordless interactions with some of the bigger players on the outskirts of various scenes while something else was happening in the middle. Mikkii used 5 of her 7 seconds of stage time prowling through the audience, and seeing her angry face advancing head on toward the gaijin seats was indescribably intimidating. The biggest surprise was I fell a little in love with Mizuno Yuri, who, to be fair, did not have to sing OR dance, but who did play a weird lanky adorably awkward country bumpkin with a stupid accent from Karl’s middle-of-nowhere hometown in a way that I for some reason could not stop watching. She, as Tobias’s bride, also bawled her eyes out on raku when the two of them ran off together. 

So far I still think Another World is the crown jewel of Benigumi, but I’d place Elbe second.

Estrellas

Seeing Estrellas was an odd experience because it got the New Year’s NHK broadcast, and I watched THAT before I saw it live—how often do you see a Takarazuka video BEFORE seeing the show live?? It’s my personal favorite Benigumi revue thus far. I fell in love with it pretty instantly, and interestingly I think a big part of that was the NHK cinematography, which combined with the song selection made it feel more like a concert or a FNS-style big televised music program. I found that fresh. It didn’t have QUITE that same vibe live, but still a good impact. I can see it being polarizing though; it’s very pop and not very Takarazuka at times, and I probably like it so much because I happen to personally like the song choices. 

Allowing for the fact that she was still performing very much within her own quirky style, Beni (up until Tokyo raku) seemed very on point to me, which I was glad to see; my last live Hoshigumi experience was Another World/Killer Rouge in Takarazuka toward the beginning of the run last year, and in Killer Rouge especially it seemed like she was being extremely cautious with her movements in a way that made me wonder if she was nursing or avoiding an injury. Every time I saw Estrellas though she danced full force. Airi had more than one sexy number to make up for Margit, most notably an all musumeyaku dance in the finale portion that I feel like I see pretty rarely from Hoshigumi. Beni and Airi’s duet dance was also VERY cute and very them.

Kai again got a lovely sendoff, a big long 3-song progression with perfectly chosen lyrics. The way she drank in the theater on the last day, like she was really trying to burn the image of the audience into her eyes, was SO much. 

Coto is stupid. She paints with her voice and that gets me real bad. There’s a solid handful of siennes in the top tier of vocals in Takarazuka, and while many of them are gorgeous singers, the only two I’ve heard play and emote with their voices the particular way I’m thinking of are Coto and Daimon. Her vocal control while she’s violently dancing is also astounding. She’s stupid.

Senshuuraku was an ordeal! Estrellas opened with Beni doing what I initially thought was some weird attempt at a sexy breathy thing, and then maybe thought she was trying not to cry, till it became abundantly clear that something bigger was wrong. She got hoarser and hoarser till some notes in “Tonight is What it Means to be Young” failed to come out entirely. She used her chuuzume ad lib time to apologize for her voice... sad, because that was the prime slot for cute and touching moments with the retiring actresses, but she was clearly too panicked and struggling to think of that. Then she explained during the curtain call that she broke her voice at the end of Elbe—and it must have been on the VERY last note, because the entirety of Elbe was COMPLETELY fine (I didn’t even notice a weird crack or anything at the end). I didn’t know you could break your voice that badly on one note, but I guess you can. She was very flustered and apologetic—also full on crying—though every curtain call, and while I can’t blame her for feeling remorseful I wish she’d dialed it back after the first couple of apologies and let the retiring actresses have their moment. But considering her state it was pretty remarkable that she powered through, and I hope she has a chance to recover before the next show.

I’ve lived through my share of Takarazuka retirements, including ones that turned a whole troupe’s vibe completely upside down, but somehow Kai’s feels unusually odd (I imagine Miya’s will as well). I think it’s gonna be a downer of a year. 

[rksakura]

🔊: run it ( 1:10~2:49 ) performed by 💖 sakura miyawaki! trigger warnings: some anxiety. mentions: @yuzurk, @rkxkikwang, @rkgray, @yienrk, @rkchoutzuyu, @rkmason, @hyojinrk, @rkyq

sakura likes to start with the good news first, she’s got the call back to make it past the first round. she’s stepped up in another territory, one she thought she wouldn’t come far to at first but she was proven wrong. she shouldn’t be storing disbelief to herself, but fill up with much more confidence if she wants to push through the battle. that’s the hard part though is being separated from some of her friends like tzuyu and kikwang. she didn’t cope up with letting go quite well as shown in her past mannerisms. she wishes that they could be on the same stage as her performing but sometimes, life doesn’t always work that way.

lies didn’t align with the australian gal, she wasn’t one to display her anxiety that’s written all over but she’s practised generating the proper facial expressions when up on the stage. it seems silly but body language was essential when performing on the stage. she couldn’t just be another body count, sakura’s made them believe that she was a vocalist at the start but offered a different dish on the table with some rapping fire! in fact, she was more of a rapper than a high-note belting singer ( she wasn’t at that peak at all ). so she spends most of her days, other than tending to the aquarium and her daily dose of school, she was working on what song she should perform next.

when it comes to rapping in front of a huge stage and the whole world watching then she best prepares to give it all she’s got. most importantly, keep up the same energy and flow when on the stage! she couldn’t break the chain of the words she’s about to memorise, sakura ran trial through the verses a couple of times and tried out styles that complimented her vocal mixture with rapping and how the instrumental went. that’s how her nights pass by until the bright lights and cameras are flashing all over the area. she’s not coming up first in the short line of female rappers, sakura was one of the few last as her last name started with an m. thank god for now, it serves as a good excuse pass but she shouldn’t rely on that too much.

she has to break the bad habits of letting anxiousness overwhelm her, she can’t deliver that on the stage when she’s meant to perform a rap that’s the polar opposite of her physical epitome and markings! sakura wants to break the poor judgments about her, being called too soft and cute to even rap. the only way that she can cut through is by continuing what she loved to do. the assignment, from what she’s been told is to showcase an ( ultimately, dominant ) skillset. sakura’s prepared her resources efficiently. she’s ( somewhat ) ready for the big day!

since facial recognition serves with influences on votes, she can’t look dead. she rises from her bed with a decent amount of energy but it isn’t enough to deliver a good verse. once she sips down her green tea, it’ll wake her up eventually. she doesn’t consume a huge meal in the morning as it takes some energy to muster eating a great portion but she’s good with a blueberry muffin and her everyday tea. it’s time to at least look like a presentable human being, sakura needs to cover her dark circles that are formed over the past few nights as she’s become obsessed with her work. she puts on some bb cream and concealer to cover it, lip gloss at the shade of light pink, natural to her colour. with her choice of attire, she fits something that’s comfortable with the weather today, a light blue denim skirt and some high ankle socks, her top was an off-shoulder pastel purple blouse that was tucked in her denim skirt. she’s wearing a pair of sneakers which won’t be too hard on her feet standing all day in long queues. when she leaves her house, it’s taking the commute down the building! she shoves her earphones gently in her ears and makes it to her desired destination.

after some time, she’s reached the grounds and greets some of the familiar faces she’s spotting right off the bat. hyojin makes her days better when it comes to this setting, sometimes it’s unsettling but she escapes that torment of anxiety when she sees his gorgeous smile. mason’s also there, she greets the older brother figure and stops by for a brief hug ( his presence was surely enlightening as she’s known him for like forever ) before she turns her direction elsewhere then catches yuqi, a fellow rapper and one she doesn’t intend to make an enemy out of. despite the mnet global auditions being regarded as a highly competitive stake, she’s still able to manage the joy she finds in her friends. she’ll never toss anyone over a reality television show. she can only show support and that’s about it!

hope for the best, after all? she pulls yena into a reassuring hug prior to walking out on the stage, the music playing as sakura makes her presence known. “hi guys! sakura again here and today, i’ll be showing you guys something else!” she puts up two fingers, showing off a ‘peace’ sign, winking and holds the mic tightly closer to her mouth to start spitting out her lines. the instrumental plays, she’s rapping over the beat.

ya hold up 구름다리 굴러가듯 무음 걸어 뭐든 힘든 거니까 라고 말한 무책임 성공가는 계속 들어 백기 들어 백길 언제 들어 걸어 야 뺏긴 후에 안 뺏길 걸 ya i know it big boy 얘 앞길에서 비켜 ya i know it big boy 니 이마에 비췄어 뒤쳐 지기도 지쳐서 너는 노를 저었지 각을 재기 전에 각을 잡았지 make it boogie make it boogie switch move it make a movie

the beat was moving at a much faster pace, one that’s at a higher tempo than she usually raps to but she’s learned to adjust to this kind of technique. it’s all about breath control which she’s learned a trick or two from her choir classes. she’s jumping up on the stage, smiling but with a serious expression on her face as she couldn’t be overflowing with aegyo with this kind of theme. sakura has to communicate with her charisma she’s been taught by her mentors, gray. other influences like yien and luna keep her up to become a strong rapper. she only takes a slight break but then hits it back with another verse!

일동 홀렸지 백문이 불여일견 보기 전에 부정이 널 가로막으니까 넌 그걸 부숴 두벌식의 키보드가 만든 편견 check it 누구에겐 폭력이지 쳇바퀴만 도는 하루 어때 너넨 이게 제 자리로 보이니 잿밥에만 고이는 쟤 침이 못 이긴 땀이 너를 바꾸지

she’s led to the path of a singer for a couple of seconds but it’s a nice switch, smooth and the transition clean with her soft vocals complementing the track. before she hits the notes, sakura pulls the microphone away and releases a breath and pulls her control back together. the singing isn’t going to overshadow any of her rap, hopefully. she’s got some of her australian colours unveiling, the english part covered easily.

baby oh the world is yours i'll give it to you can you hear me tell me oh your visions you make them come true you know we run it run it

we run it yah 챙길 건 챙겨 너를 위해 we run it yah 지금부터는 너의 시대 we run it 정상을 향해 boy where we at i just do it i just do it i just do it i just do it

it seems that the last few verses are much easier than the opening, she seems to catch her breath control easier when it comes to this time. she’s not getting all tongue-twisted with the korean lyrics, she’s able to enunciate it correctly along with the occasional english. she isn’t afraid to show any of her foreigner roots off, sakura lets her australian accent emphasize on her rap when it’s switching over to english. it makes it a unique attribute and kind of a signature mark as there weren’t many female australian rappers in south korea.

chasing dreams i got the feel 멈출 순 없어 i love the thrill i'm a beast i got to kill 두렵지 않아 i got the will 내 꿈을 향해 달리고 포기 따윈 없어 never no grind it out just lose control when it all falls down it's dominos you know i'll get up and try again i can see the light again 날개를 펴고 fly again winning is my vitamin yeah run this game i just get it once i got it i don't lose it grinding through these bumps and bruises i'm the best and i just proved it

she wants to end the day with nothing but good vibes. but the last few lines take her back to when her hopeful friends dreams are shattered due to the process of elimination but she’ll strive and fight on for them. sakura can put her name out there on stage and not just be another cute face. once the song ends, the lights dim out and then the light’s on sakura once more and all she can do is smile, “thank you guys for your time! thank you for your support and please support my friends!” she still wants to share generosity by involving the ones she cares for. before she takes the exit door, she bows to the judges and other contestants politely. “have a good day everyone!” the cuteness aura catches up to her, for sakura it’s something she can’t avoid.

[playitbyear-laz]

Hope everyone out there is feeling good today, despite the craziness around us still feeling abundant. I’m super grateful that there are still so many of you who tune into this every other week and even share with others around you. Like I’ve said before, my guiding principle for this brand is to do what feels good to me in each and every moment. I realize how much trust you, as a listener/reader, must have to still support me through that unconventional approach of brand development, so again, I appreciate you all for being here to witness and support this journey.  I’ll be announcing a new aspect under the PLAY IT BY EAR brand very soon that I know will bring a positive new energy to the space. Until then, much love always. 

                       PLAY IT BY EAR 015

                               curated by laz

                      Link to all platforms HERE.

Must Be Love - Blxst feat. City James

WHERE: One of the many Blxst songs I’ve been bumping like crazy as of late.

WHY:  A lot to love about Blxst, dude is proving to be one of the most highly anticipated artists coming out of LA right now, and I think it has a lot to do with his range/lyricism. I’m currently reading a book right now that touched a bit on the messaging from the hook of this song, “all this hate it must be love.” I know that’s been a commonly used phrase, but the idea that all emotions can and should be able to exist as one experience together is an interesting thought I’ve been contemplating on. 

I Feel For You (Acoustic Demo) - Prince

WHERE: IG Story - Markpeaced (@markpeaced)

WHY: This song made me realize how sick Prince is actually when his production is completely stripped down to just him and one other instrument. His playful melodies feel so effortless next to the upbeat guitar strumming, reminding me of the early YouTube days where cover artists dominated with acoustic versions of popular tracks; *Siri play “Gabe Bondoc’s Cover of ‘Neon’.” 

Beautiful - Rhye

WHERE: Not sure, but I think this was on another playlist by Chef aka (@smervana of Throwing Fits)

WHY: Was surprised when I found out Rhye barely released this track in 2020. I remember adding “Open” to my library in high school and that was the last time I heard about Rhye. His voice and production style give me strong Sade vibes, who could be mad about that?

Olbass All Bass 004 (140 BPM) - Vegyn

WHERE: Random Spotify playlist I came across called “Kisses In My Ears.” Pretty sure I was just looking for late night deep thinking music lol. 

WHY: I’m not sure how this track does it, but the beat goes pretty hard in the most low key ways. I get elements of trap/drum & bass but only the most essential and not in-your-face parts about those genres. For me, these days it’s all about the blending of different styles of music in new and interesting ways. 

Silent Treatment - The Roots

WHERE: This song has always been one of my favorites by The Roots, and I’ve been wanting to include it on a playlist for a minute. 

WHY: I like how this song is mixed, especially the way the vocals in the hook are a little quieter and given that weird filter to them. The song is the perfect expression of the feelings of unrequited love. Random times throughout the day sometimes I’ll just start humming it to myself lol.

When U Loved Me - Hether

WHERE: N/A

WHY: Feel like it’s been a while since I included a lo-fi indie pop track like this into the mix. I really like the melodies on this track, especially when the singer hits the falsetto portions -- pretty rare from what I know about this genre. 

Sink Into The Floor - Feng Suave

WHERE: IG Story - Evan Wang (@eedubss)

WHY: Again, I find that this track does a great job at blending different genres into a cohesive song. I might be trippin, but the verses and hooks almost feel like they shouldn’t be on the same song, but work together nonetheless. 

EXPECT - Jess Connelly 

WHERE: Jess Connelly has been on my radar for a few years now (s/o @abvgrnd), and her artistry overall just keeps getting better with each release. 

WHY: The production on this track is INSANE, especially how dramatically the hook comes in every single time. Really hoping to see Jess pop off soon as songs like this make it easy to believe she could be up next in the Alternative R&B space.

[melpomenecokr]

﹟ ♡  THIS MONTH IN MUSIC  :  MAY 2019.

                                  ♡♡♡

May was a month that happened and I guess we need to talk about it. 

As barren as the month seemed for impressive releases, there were a few diamonds in the rough, thank God, and as I’m sure you’ve figured out by now, it’s my job to bring them to light, and talk about why these hits stood out among the many (many) misses this month of May had to offer. All complaints aside, I present to you my top five musical recommendations for the month of May. 

Just as they always are, links for purchase and streaming services will be provided at the end of each segment for their respective release. Please remember to support these artists and their music so we can hear more from them in the future. 

#005. “DDU-DDU ddu-ddu (뚜두뚜두)” - SINGLE BY ETUDE♡ (습작) RELEASE DATE: 03 MAY 2019

You all often like to joke with me that I am, for the most part, boy group illiterate, so it may not come with much shock when I say I’ve only knowingly heard a few songs from this group in the past. I tend to listen to almost anything and everything that drifts into my recommended or that I stumble across while browsing MelOn and the like, and I believe that’s how I discovered ETUDE♡ existed in the first place. In the case of “DDU-DDU ddu-ddu” (like the professionals we are on this blog, we’re going to shorten that to just “DDU-DDU” from now on, thank you), however, I actually sought this release out after seeing the video teaser the day prior, because it seemed very intriguing -- and for once, I wasn’t deceived. 

(Just to preface, we’re only going to be talking about the title of this release since this is not an in-depth review, but I would definitely recommend listening to the other two songs, if you’ve got the time.)

“DDU-DDU” is a pop-rap song heavily influenced by trap and EDM with its heavy bass and almost peculiar-sounding beat. Right from when the song starts and the group screams their name into your ear on the first beat drop, you get the sense this is going to be a power anthem about how great and capable they are and how they’re better than everyone else; and as eye-roll worthy as that sounds, that’s actually what makes the title track of this single so great. It knows exactly what it is and it accomplishes its goal perfectly with gutsy raps and surprisingly solid vocals. 

The aforementioned raps are really where this song finds its footing because the chorus isn’t much, but that’s perfectly fine, because with a song like this, the chorus doesn’t have to be groundbreaking. The first rap is delivered by member Yejun, with a slow and suavé kind of flow to it; the kind of rap you would expect to play while the final boss of a video game or the big bad of an action movie makes their first appearance. The punchlines are a little weak, but I think the way this rap flows in itself makes up for that in earnest, it just sounds so good, you don’t really care much about what he’s actually saying. Then, the second rap, delivered by member Saint, follows the chorus and it’s the antithesis of what the preceding rap was; it’s fast-paced, hard-hitting, and really drives home the point of the whole song. I still don’t know that ‘that ddu-du ddu-du du’ is but I fully believe I was hit with it. 

Not to undermine the vocalists, though, because they really did an outstanding job, despite this type of beat and vibe being more fitting for rappers. The main vocalist, Seongwoo, stood out to me because of the way he sang his lines. It’s hard for a lot of k-pop vocalists to portray bravado and confidence with their voices because they are trained to sing in very distinct ways, but he captured that vibe perfectly while still managing to sound stable and light. “DDU-DDU” is the kind of song you play when you need a confidence boost, no doubt about it, and it’s definitely made its way onto my playlist. 

Listen to “ DDU-DDU ddu-ddu (뚜두뚜두)” here and stream the music video here.

#004. “BLAME IT ON YOUR LOVE” - SINGLE BY CHARLI XCX AND LIZZO RELEASE DATE: 15 MAY 2019

These two getting together was completely unexpected on my part, but it was the match made in Heaven that I never saw coming. A snippet of this song actually leaked sometime last year, which had many living in the XCX-verse on the edge of their seats waiting for the project to come back ‘round, and Charli and Lizzo made quite a wave on Twitter when they announced they were doing this piece together. Though I was definitely thrown, I was excited; both artists have a way of being so wonderfully simple and straightforward with their lyrics, but combine that with complex arrangements and composition and messages that it leaves you trapped between two different feelings, and it’s great when music can evoke that strong of a response. 

“Blame It On Your Love” is no exception to this formula these two ladies employ in completely different ways, and their radically different styles come together with a harmony that makes this such a good, and unique song. I wouldn’t be against them forming a duo or doing a collaboration album, to be honest.

Anyway, “Blame It On Your Love” is an eccentric pop song about nervous jitters and different wavelengths making a relationship difficult -- the feelings seem unrequited but it’s hard for Charli to tell because she can’t get close enough to the object of her affections without turning into a nervous wreck, and sabotaging herself when it comes to opening up. Charli’s vocals are broken and slow and create a sense of nervousness and tension that the listener can resonate with, while Lizzo is confident and straightforward (as always) while delivering her short verse near the end of the song. She seems to be giving a completely opposite message than Charli, but because her high-energy rhymes are so different from Charli’s cautious vocals, it works. It’s not detached, either -- it doesn’t seem like it comes out of nowhere, as the production sets the dong up perfectly to have Lizzo give Charli this reality check. Her banter-like ad-libs really make this song so fun and enjoyable, too; despite Lizzo’s contributions seeming relatively small on the surface, she really did her part to make this song the summer-night anthem that it is. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this release, as I knew it was going to be great the moment they announced via social media that they were working together, even if I didn’t immediately know what to expect. I hope these ladies collaborate again in the future; I think when wildly different artists come together and vibe the right way, it can make a memorable spectacle. We need more of that. Some artists are way too full of themselves these days. 

Listen to “Blame It On Your Love” here.

#003. “DEDICATED” - STUDIO ALBUM BY CARLY RAE JEPSEN RELEASE DATE: 17 MAY 2019

If I could only recommend you one underrated artist to stan this year, it would be Carly Rae Jepsen. This is the first time I’ve discussed her on my blog for a while because she sort of fell off the radar after “Call Me Maybe” had the whole world singing in 5-syllable sentences for the better portion of 2012, however she came back onto my life on a better note when “Cut To The Feeling” was pretty much the Pride Anthem of last year. I went back and listened to pretty much everything I had missed from her and when I tell you this girl is not only talented, but pretty much dedicates her career to true retro-esque pop music, I mean it, and I couldn’t mean it more. While I’m sure none of us were as excited to hear “Dedicated” as my best friend’s boyfriend, there was a lot of anticipation surrounding Jepsen’s fourth studio album via her cult following. Now that it’s here, I can verify it was not only worth the wait, but that it didn’t disappoint in the slightest. 

Carly (I’m going to call her by first name for the rest of this segment because I feel foolishly close to her) has the energy and ambition of a pop star with the innocence and modesty of the girl-next-door, and I absolutely love that about her. As much as I need to hear a good, old-fashioned pop song about having sex with a stranger in the back of a stolen SUV every now and then, there’s something so refreshing about Carly’s innate curiosity about love and how desperately she wants to experience it as a young (33 is young, shut up) woman with a big heart. I believe “Dedicated” is the clearest glimpse into her world she’s ever given, and with that, the songs I would like to highlight from this 13-track (not counting the bonus tracks) wonderland of an album are “Now That I Found You”, “Right Words Wrong Time”, and “Real Love.” 

If you haven’t heard “Now That I Found You” by now, I want you to know that I am deeply disappointed in you. This song is everything you’d expect from CRJ and more -- the retro vibes, the high-energy, the stellar vocals and the addictive lyrics blend together to make this not only the song of the summer, but the song of every summer. The delivery of the lovesick lyrics is so earnest and bright that it not only puts you in a great mood, but makes you want to go outside and dance in the rain, regardless of who’s watching, or your high chances of catching a cold. This is exactly the kind of pure, unadulterated pop that Carly delivers consistently without getting stale; it’s so easy to get lost in her world that you won’t even realize 3 minutes and 20 seconds has gone by and you’ll want to replay it 20 times on your drive to work or while sniffing melons at the supermarket. I know this sounds oddly specific, and that’s because it is. I listen to every piece I review 3 times over at least, and this was one of the easiest songs to follow that rule with to date. 

“Right Words Wrong Time” is the second-to-last song on this album, and I think that was done with a concerning degree of intention. It’s a slow, melancholic track about a relationship that just isn’t working because the two lovers are on two different wavelengths. It rings consistent with Carly’s desire for passionate and confident love, as she’s frustrated with her lover for not prioritizing her enough to know what she really seeks in their relationship until its too late. I was considerably surprised by this track, but I think it works so perfectly for this album’s overarching layout and themes because it teaches the listener that you should never settle in a relationship, and you should know when you’ve given enough chances. It’s not a song you could break out in a full-choreographed dance to at any given time, but it doesn’t need to be for the message it’s trying to convey. Carly’s soft vocals and the simple, tastefully-repetitive beat amplify what she’s saying in a way that really resonates with the listener, which is exactly what the lyrics of this song demand. It works perfectly. 

Remember that point about “Right Words Wrong Time” intentionally being toward the end for a reason? Well, “Real Love” ends this album and that same concept must have been employed here, too, because this song ties this album together so perfectly, it could honestly work as a formal outro. It sums up what Carly has always been about, wanting “real, real love” in a cold and unforgiving world when she doesn’t know who to trust or who is telling the truth. It’s such a wholesome desire that I think most people can relate to in one way or another, because at the end of the day, a lot of humans just want real, honest relationships that give them a reason to get out of bed on a particularly tough day, or to reassure them that they’re worth something when the world gets them down. This energetic pop song and earnest ballad hybrid showcases just how much CRJ makes music for normal, everyday people who aren’t glamourous rich pop stars constantly feeling like they’re the best. It’s so honest and I can feel how naked she must have felt writing and putting out a song like this, and it shouldn’t go without appreciation. 

Listen to “Dedicated” here and stream the music video for “Now That I Found You” here.

#002. “90s BXTCH” - SINGLE BY KKUMA (꿈아) RELEASE DATE: 26 MAY 2019

If I had been on top of my game this month, this song almost certainly would have missed the cutoff date to be included in this list -- so I guess my turmoil was a blessing in disguise (though it could have always been included in next month’s, I know, but I like to be optimistic sometimes). 

Kkuma is one of those artists that, even if by some tragedy you don’t like her, you have to respect her because of how iconic her style is, what she stands for, and the fact that she’s probably produced some of your favourite Korean artists’ biggest hits. She’s really been outdoing herself this year by releasing so much music after leaving her fans with very little the last year and a half, and nothing she’s put out has been bad. Period. 

(The reason I haven’t been reviewing them all individually is because I’m nearly certain that she’s gearing up to release an album this year, by the way. I’m not a fake stan, I promise). 

“90s BXTCH” stood out to me this month because of how utterly Kkuma it is -- she’s basically pioneered the 90′s aesthetic in the Korean music industry and she knows that with a song like this, from the descriptions of classic 90′s aesthetics and imagery to the way this song sounds like it could have been ahead of its time during its release in 1996. The chorus references “Sade,” though I’m not entirely sure if it’s referring to the solo artist or the band she was in that was named after her -- either way, Sade is a 90′s icon known for her soulful vocals and unique style, and Kkuma mirrors that in 2019 in a way that is indescribable. It’s a perfect allusion.  

As the single description states, the track is an ambitious mix of 90′s R&B and contemporary hip-hop, and it works so beautifully, showing that old trends really never die because they always come back in one way or another. Kkuma makes it clear through this song that while she’s a simple woman, she isn’t basic; she enjoys the finer things in life but they’re not all she cares about. The song has an underlying message about being true to yourself no matter what everyone else is doing, and also that it’s a beautiful life when you mind your own business and do things your own way. The seamless blend of vocals and rap is done so well that it’s nearly undetectable when she’s switching from one to another, and I love that this woman literally has no rules when she puts out a song -- that she can do whatever she wants and still make something incredible. 

The beat of the song is just as relaxed and confident as the lyrics, and given that Kkuma writes and produces her own music, I’m not surprised by this, though I am impressed by how in-tune she is with her own aesthetic and her own music. Kkuma prioritizes aesthetics a lot in both her visuals and sound, and “90s BXTCH” is like the final boss as all of that culminates and she shows you exactly who she is and what she’s about in just one song. It takes strength, confidence, and self-awareness for an artist to do that, and Kkuma’s got all of that and more. I really hope to see this included on a future album of the same caliber. 

Listen to “90s BXTCH” here and stream the music video here. 

#001. “DUSK V. DAWN (황혼 대 새벽)” - REISSUE ALBUM BY NINEBANG (나인뱅) RELEASE DATE: 03 MAY 2019

If you’ve spent more than five minutes on my blog at any given time after NINEBANG’s debut in May of last year, this probably is no surprise to you. Especially when his age bracket and status as a rookie is considered, NINEBANG is one of the best artists out there right now, and the best male vocalist in the industry, by far. I was elated to see that his second mini-album “Eclipse” was being repackaged into a full-length album, and boy am I satisfied with the new material sprinkled into an already-great work. 

Whenever K-pop artists do repackage albums, I get a bit nervous that they’re either going to add bland remixes or re-hash the same song structure they had in the initial release, or completely destroy the synergy of the original release, if it had any to begin with. As much as I admire NINEBANG, I couldn’t evade those worries with him, and I was pleasantly proven wrong as the new material fits like a glove among the original material in terms of themes and structure. Whoever arranged this tracklist deserves a gold medal, as I especially appreciated how the new songs weren’t just tacked onto the end like an afterthought. 

So, that considered I want to exclusively focus on the new material, as I reviewed “Eclipse” in the past. The songs I have selected to pitch to you are, of course “WANT”,  “Artistic Groove”, and “Nightdrive.” 

Starting with the title track, “WANT” is perhaps the best of this dark, sultry image NINEBANG is exploring with both this album and it’s initial release. It’s a contemporary R&B and Pop hybrid, drawing the listener into NINEBANG’s sultry charms and powerful yet versatile voice. The lyrics are actually pretty simple and somewhat repetitive, but the way they are delivered makes this song the great listen that it is. I actually recommend you watch live performances of this song, too, because they are really something. I’ve never been a good dancer but watching someone not only outsing the industry but move so fluidly while doing so is beyond my realm of understanding. Anyway, “WANT” does its job to make you horny but it also incites this sense of curiosity in the listener, too; like the feeling you get when you know you’re about to indulge in a sinful pleasure but you wonder what the consequences will actually be, and if they’ll even be worth worrying over in comparison to the pleasure itself. This song spells out temptation with bold letters between NINEBANG’s seductive vocals and the spell-like lyrics. It’s not a listen for the faint of heart, but it’s a great song by a great artist, and that’s always worth your time.

Next is “Artistic Groove,” and if you thought “WANT” was a little dirty, we’re just getting started. This song is packed with innuendos and suggestive tones, to the point where my eyebrows were almost flying off my face the entire time I was listening to it. It’s so good, though; the way he lays out his sexuality and sensuality for the listener to explore. It, in turn, can make the listener feel confident and sexy, on top of being the kind of song you just have to move to. It makes a fleeting attraction feel like something deep and profound, like the excuses you make in your head before a hookup, and while that can be a little dangerous for the weak-willed (like me), it’s the kind of unapologetic self-expression and view into the artist’s mind that I like to see in music. I like to know that I’m listening to a person sometimes, and not some untouchable god, as much life as that can give me, too. 

Finally, let’s end this segment right by talking about Nightdrive. I actually wasn’t sure how I felt about this song the first time I listened to it, but it grew on me by the second time, and by the third, I was belting out the chorus to my neighbours’ dismay. This track features another great vocalist, June of GEMINI, who you may remember from last months’ TMIM post. I can tell these two are friends because they work together really well; their singing styles are pretty different and wouldn’t work together in even a slightly different setting, but they made them work in this suave R&B track about a blossoming attraction in the confined space of a car. The way the verses and bridge build up to the loud and funky chorus via both the lyrical structure and the arrangement of the song itself is so smooth and easy on the ears, while it simultaneously builds anticipation in your chest, and I really enjoy getting invested in a song like that. Their chemistry is really what makes this listen so enjoyable, because I honestly feel as though if anyone else released this song, it wouldn’t have been that great. It just goes to show how specific music can be. 

Listen to “Dusk V. Dawn (황혼 대 새벽)” here and stream its music videos here and here. 

This concludes May’s installment of “This Month in Music”! I hope you found something new or learned to appreciate something you may not have before through these recommendations. Please remember to support the artists by visiting their respective links, and enjoy their music legally. Also, be sure to tell me about your own recommendations from this month in the comments, and feel free to respectfully discuss any of the points I’ve made here, whether you agreed or disagreed. 

Love always, see you next month!  ♡ 

[deandraepowellintellectualm-blog]

Freedom or Liberation 3/30

For the topic Freedom or Liberation, I decided to use India Arie’s “Video”. As I set back and though about what song or artist to use for this section, India Arie seemed to be the best choice. India Arie’s music is the true definition of freedom and liberation, everything piece of art she has every performed or recorded has always had to do with being true to yourself.

This piece begins with the relaxing sound of a wind chime dancing in the breeze, then it introduces an acoustic vibe. When pressing play to start this song, one of the first things you will hear is India Arie’s voice and a guitar. As the music progresses, a soulful bassline is introduced which coincides with the percussion beat. The bassline and percussion present a small element of blues and hip hop which forces any listener to move their head or get into the groove. What I love the most about the music in this piece, is the piano melodic movement is not introduced until the chorus of the song which forces the listener to stop and actually pay attention to the message presented in the song without too many extra distractions. The music also constantly moves through its changes which allows it to start fresh each time the musical phrase ends.

The lyrics to this piece is really what makes it so liberating, this piece is simply about excepting your beauty without having to compare it to some else’s standard.  I do believe this piece is more so a message to women. We live in a society where at one point natural beauty was frowned upon unless you were a specific skin complexion. Which ultimately sets us as African-Americans back to the Civil Right era. At one point in history where it was taught that dark skin was considered to be trouble. Throughout this song Arie breaks down a message that living up social norms doesn’t make you free, intern it places you in a bondage because you never except who you are. This mentality places a hindrance on your growth mentally and spiritually. In this piece Arie says, “I not the average girl from your video, my worth is not determined by the price of my clothes, No matter what I’m wearing I will always be India Arie.” In this portion of the song, Arie breaks down that she is not the average girl, yet everything about her still is still unique. She also talks how her clothing doesn’t determine her characteristic or begin to describe the depths of who she is. What I love about this piece is that she is breaking walls for out Black women and all women in general to help them understand that the images that we see in entertainment or in social media is not the definition of beauty or the standard, but the standard is when you look in the mirror.

Today we live in a world where young women believe that plastic surgery or other unhealthy alterations to their bodies are needed to allow them to be beautiful. In this simple phrase India Arie slaughters that stigma, she says “Don’t need your silicone, I prefer my own, What god gave me is just fine…”. The key point in that phrase is, “What god gave me is just fine,” because when you are comfortable with who you are as person your beauty will flourish. Always remember Genesis 1:27; “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”, because if God made you in his image you are beautiful beyond measure.

"Video" [Verse 1] Sometimes I shave my legs and sometimes I don’t Sometimes I comb my hair and sometimes I won’t Depend of how the wind blows I might even paint my toes It really just depends on whatever feels good in my soul [Chorus] I’m not the average girl from your video And I ain’t built like a supermodel But I learned to love myself unconditionally, Because I am a queen I not the average girl from your video My worth is not determined by the price of my clothes No matter what I’m wearing I will always be India.Arie [Verse 2] When I look in the mirror and the only one there is me Every freckle on my face is where it’s suppose to be And I know my creator didn’t make no mistakes on me My feet, my thighs, my Lips, my eyes, I’m loving what I see [Chorus] [Verse 3] Am I less of a lady if I don’t where panty hose My momma said a lady ain’t what she wears but what she knows… But I’ve drawn the conclusion, it’s all an illusion Confusion’s the name of the game A misconception, a vast deception, Something got to change Now don’t be offended this is all my opinion Ain’t nothing that I’m saying law This is a true confession Of a life learned lesson I was sent here to share with y'all So get in when you fit in Go on and shine Clear your mind Now’s the time Put your salt on the shelf Go on and love yourself ‘Cause everything’s gonna be alright [Chorus] [Out] Keep your fancy drink, and your expensive minks I don’t need that to have a good time Keep your expensive cars and your caviar All’s I need is my guitar Keep your crystal and your pistol I’d rather have a pretty piece of crystal Don’t need you silicone, I prefer my own What god gave me is just fine… [Chorus]