I was watching YouTube the other day, as I do every day and a specific video came up in my news feed that gave me an idea. It was from content creator, Emma Blackery, and she was talking about albums that have changed her life. They're albums that made her love music, or see the world differently, and I thought it was an awesome video. Then again, anything regarding the love of music is something I love. Seeing her video though, made me want to talk about the albums that have impacted me as well. I am positive I've done this in the past, but I thought it would be fun to do it again, with some more albums and much more detail. As I've said previously all over the website and probably on Facebook as well, music has always been something I have loved. It just developed a lot over the years, and the taste also changed. I went from being your standard fangirl to the journalist I am today. This is a rambling timeline of that, if you just would like a list, head on over to Facebook. I may just put a list there, or I may not, and you'll just have to read it to find out. We shall see. The first album I remember really enjoying was the Backstreet Boys Millennium album. My mom bought it, and I was only six when it came out, but I remember playing their music over and over again. I had to look at the track listing to remember which albums I really liked, because I only actively remember singing along to some of the hits and being convinced I was going to marry Nick Carter while a friend of mine was going to marry Aaron Carter, and then we would be sisters. I sincerely remember saying that to someone when I was under the age of nine, and I laugh at it now. Its sort of funny now because BSB reminds me of when I was little, but looking at the track listings, I literally only remember maybe four tracks from each album, and I kind of lost interest around their return in 2005. The next album I remember loving was Hilary Duff's Metamorphosis album. I loved her so much that my parents honestly thought I was a lesbian for a while. They actually thought that until my next musical obsession came in and I will get into that shortly. When her album came out, I was already a fan of her because of Lizzie McGuire, as most 90s girls were. I heard "Why Not" on Disney Channel, partly in promotion for the Lizzie McGuire movie and somehow I ended up completely obsessed for a couple of years. In my memory, it was like four years, but looking back at it, it was only like two. Hilary Duff was my first concert when I was eleven years old and sadly, I barely remember any of it! We only have one picture that turned out at all from that show, and its of me screaming. Lovely, right? All I remember from that show is what she was wearing, questioning how she could run in heels, and that she played "Wake Up", "Who's That Girl" and I wanna say she played "Rock This World" but I could be dead wrong. I can't even tell you if she played hits like "So Yesterday" and "Why Not" because I honestly don't remember. Then came what was my worst and last real music obsession. The Jonas Brothers. I actually laugh at how this began because when I first heard them, I thought it was total crap. My best friend had just gotten their debut album, It's About Time, and I remember she would not stop playing it on repeat! I actually remember saying, "Turn this off, its crap." She turned off the CD, and then promptly turned on their "Year 3000" video on the television in the living room and kept that on repeat for an hour while we baked some cookies. By the time I got her to turn it off, "Year 3000" was stuck in my head, and then she caught me trying to work her CD player so I could get it out of my head. The rest was history. The It's About Time album was the first album I remember buying with my own money, and I honestly am proud that I own that album. Its semi rare to have, and I got it just at the cusp of it becoming hard to find. I remember I did have to order it from the internet, because I couldn't find it anywhere, and then set out on the four year fangirl life. I own every single one of their albums, hundreds of posters from teen magazines, learned everything I possibly could about them, and saw them live on their World Tour in 2009. While now, you cannot actually tell I was once a massive Jonas Brothers fan, you still see inklings here and there. The facts are so engraved in my head from all those years of obsession that every now and then one will just randomly slip out. Though now I usually back it up with, "Or at least that's what the internet told me." Because I don't know if any of the useless information I remember is actually factual at all. But anyways, this wasn't about me being a fangirl, this was the love of music. It was their second album, which is was their self titled album that I think really made me fall in love with them but also grow more of an interest in music. Well, that one and a bit of the third album, A Little Bit Longer. The lyrics on those albums really drew my attention, and I began wanting to know more about the situations that inspired them, and more about them as people. That's when I started looking up interviews, now that I think about it. I don't think I had actually bothered to look up a single one for any artist back then, until around this time. By the way, Jonas Brothers (the album) came out in 2007, and A Little Bit Longer came out in 2008. Something else that I hold close to me is I honestly think the Jonas Brothers are what kept my best friend and I close after she moved away. We really bonded over them, and I do think they lent a hand in the fact that I still talk to her ten years later. I actually did listen to other bands around this time, but as I've discovered over the years, nobody was aware I liked any other bands that weren't the Jonas Brothers. Friends had been exposing me to Fall Out Boy for years, but I kind of just didn't pay much attention for a while, but I got where I would turn them on for myself. Same with My Chemical Romance and Simple Plan actually. I think this was also around the same time I discovered bands like Good Charlotte, All American Rejects, Cartel, The Maine, A Day To Remember, maybe Mayday Parade, but I feel like Mayday may have come a bit later too. I can't fully remember. I also, now that I think about it want to say this was around the same time I found All Time Low. In fact, now that I really am thinking about it, I know it was because I got into them before Nothing Personal came out. I only remember that because I pre-ordered it, and I want to say that was the first album I ever pre-ordered. So 2008 was the turning point for me with music. I started shying away from the Disney stars, and pop over all, and getting into pop punk and rock music. I remember some of my friends kind of teasing me about that fact that I only really liked people from Disney Channel, so I started forcing myself to get into other music. Given how I am today, apparently that was a good choice. I actually remember sitting at the computer and thinking to myself, "What bands do I know of that I could look up?" Only three names came to my mind at the time, and that was Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance and Three Days Grace. I probably looked up FOB and MCR first, because of friends, but Three Days Grace became one of the most special bands in my life. I knew who they were because of the movie Raise Your Voice, which circle back to what I said about Hilary Duff for a second because I literally only saw the movie because she was in it. Its a beautiful movie and they go to a Three Days Grace concert in the movie. I honestly thought they were not real when I saw the movie because my silly eleven year old brain thought that if it was mentioned in a movie, it couldn't be real. I don't know where I came up with that honestly, and to this day I think its hilarious especially because of how important they became to me. Its a bit hard to say which Three Days Grace album means so much to me. I want to say Life Starts Now, but it wasn't out yet when I got into them. So really, its a mix of Three Days Grace, One -X and Life Starts Now. Transit Of Venus not so much, though I do have that album as well. Honestly, they spoke to me so much that I really do thank Adam Gontier for changing my life. Looking back at it, obviously it was a slow process over many years, but his lyrics, and his voice are what have gotten me through a lot. There's actually been many times over the years where nothing would calm me down except Three Days Grace. I actually remember the first time I turned to music because things weren't going right and I know I've told this story before but its worth telling again. I had just walked away from people I had called my friends for several years, and and was heartbroken. I couldn't quit thinking about it, and needed to just drown it out. So I shoved my earbuds in my ears and turned on the loudest stuff I had, curled up on the front seat and just listened to it in tears. At the time, I didn't really have that much yet. I still remember what this playlist had in it, it was parts of Bullet For My Valentine's The Poison and Scream Aim Fire albums, Three Days Grace's self titled and One X albums and a few select songs here and there from a band called I Am Ghost. An internet friend had told me about them, and BFMV actually. Anyways, so I was just sitting there in the front seat of my mom's car with my earbuds in and very upset. I remember at the time I had no idea what Matt Tuck was screaming in a couple songs, I had only just found them not long before that but I liked what I was hearing so I had it on my iPod. So I thought if I focused hard enough on trying to figure out what he was saying, I would just forget something was wrong, and feel better. I remember doing that specifically with "Waking the Demon", and then it switched to Three Days Grace. I don't remember what song exactly, and because there was more TDG than anything in the playlist, it primarily played them. It calmed me down so much that I nearly fell asleep, and after that I never looked back. Fast forward a few years, because while I have loved music this entire time, and constantly find albums I grow attached to, I wouldn't say there's been a ton of newer ones that have really had a massive impact on me. That is until last year. Last January Papa Roach released their F.E.A.R album. That album is incredible and really gets you to stop and think. Ever have find yourself staring at a screen with your mouth open in shock because the artist seemed to literally be speaking your feelings or thoughts? Yeah, that's what I did with this album. Particularly "Skeletons", and "Broken As Me." "Broken As Me" was because it felt like a follow up to "Scars" which is my favorite song. Now I realize I actually didn't mention Papa Roach at all through all of this, and to be honest, I have absolutely no idea when I got into Papa Roach. It was late in the game, though I had always heard of them. Funnily enough, my dad has had their Infest album since it was new and I can remember thinking it was gross. Not because of the music, I hadn't heard it when I was little, but because it had a roach on the cover and I didn't like bugs. I laugh my ass off at this now because they were the first band to ever get their lyrics on my body. I think I actually started listening to Papa Roach because of "Scars" but it was far from new when I found it. Like it was probably 2010 when I found it an the Getting Away With Murder album came out in 2005. Given how popular "Last Resort" and "Getting Away With Murder" are, I obviously had already heard the songs, but I didn't actively listen to Papa Roach for quite some time. (Disclaimer now, I don't just like their new stuff, but the FEAR album really is a work of art and yes is my favorite Papa Roach album.) Now for the most recent album that I would say has had some sort of impact on me. This one is still fairly new, only came out in September of last year and was Bring Me The Horizon's That's The Spirit. First, I want to say I'm sorry but this is the first BMTH album I have truly loved. I enjoyed Sempiternal as well, but honestly all of their other work has given me a headache. I've listened to most of it and would love to enjoy it but just don't. Lyrically though, they've always been very talented and I really do wish I enjoyed the early music. BUT That's The Spirit is so good! I admit, I am that person that's been playing it on repeat pretty much since it came out. I relate to some ofi t, and just love the rest that I don't relate to. Also "True Friends" really reminds me of that time I told you about previously where I first turned to music. Its also proven to be really relatable for today, but I won't get into that. That's just me being bitter, but moving on! And "Throne", its so empowering! I just love it. The whole album is great, and I really do encourage you to go listen to it right now if you haven't yet. Or even if you have, do it anyways. I honestly feel like there's something I forgot, but I kind of just let myself write about whatever albums came to mind, and the stories surrounding them. So, maybe its more genuine that way, maybe this whole thing was super annoying. I don't know but I had fun writing it and that's what matters to me right now! I may actually write a list of songs specifically that I have had some sort of impact on me because that sounds like fun but be prepared, its also going to be very long! Let me know what albums impacted your life here or on Facebook and Twitter, I'm really curious! Its a lot of fun to talk about this stuff.
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