My Thoughts Written Out Loud

Hello friends,

So lately I have been feeling creative and there are a few things that came to my mind. I decided to share them with you so hey, here you go!


Friends

What is a friend really? Is it someone who you talk to every single day? Or someone who waits for you, even when you're late? Perhaps it is someone that you can tell your biggest secrets to? Or is it that person that makes you feel better when you're sad? Maybe, a friend isn't. Maybe your friend doesn't talk to you every day. Maybe your friend hates to wait. Maybe you just can't tell your secrets to your friend. Maybe they are never there when you're sad. In the end, what is a friend really?

Family

For years and years I used to hate the word. People would always talk about family. Humans like to give words a meaning, but some words have a different meaning to everyone. I believe that 'family' is one of those words. To me, family isn't about being blood-related. It is about sharing love, dreams, happiness and sadness. It is about having faith in each other, about supporting each other. That is what family is to me.

Home

Home is not a place to me. I'll never say that I'm going home when that place doesn't feel like home. Home is my favorite city in the world. Home is the people who I admire. Home is the songs that I love. Home is not where you live, it is where they understand you. Home is a million different things to me and yet people define it as the one thing it is not.


XO

My Playlist: April

Hello friends,
April is making place for May and as my last playlist post was a great succes, I decided to keep the tradition! I am going to list the songs that I listened to this month and tell again why I liked hem so much. Feel free to do this yourself (it doens't have to be as long as mine). But I think that music is a great way to let people know something about you and to get to know other people.
Alright, let's do this:

1. House Of Gold - Twenty One Pilots

I must say that I just discovered this song yesterday, but I haven't stopped listening to it yet! 

This month I started listening to Twenty One Pilots and I really like them. (So expect them to be on this list a lot) I don't get how bands can make cute songs with such a sad meaning.  

Man, this song is just pure beauty.

2. Missing You - All Time Low

DON'T MAKE CUTE SONGS WITH SAD MEANINGS. I don't know whether to cry or smile... So, All Time Low will probably be included a lot on this list as their new album called 'Future Hearts' came out this month and I really, really like it!

3. Love In The Middle Of A Firefight - Dillon Francis feat. Brendon Urie

I just discovered this song at the beginning of April and I really loved it. I must say, I decided to check it out because Brendon Urie was featured on it. There is something about him that just make me go "FUUUUUCK YEAAAAH". 

4. Fire - PVRIS

PVRIS came to Belgium last weekend and as I sadly couldn't go, I decided to listen to their latest album the entire evening and sob violently. May I add that I totally kill this song when it comes to singing ;)

5. Holy - PVRIS

While I'm at it I'm going to leave this one here... 

6. Tear In My Heart - Twenty One Pilots

Told you I was going to put some more songs of them on this list! Their new album 'Blurryface' is coming out soon and I am already digging the released songs! 

7. Collide - Howie Day

When I first heard this song I was kind of speechless... This song reminded me of my truly amazing best friend. I don't think that a love song needs to be about a lover, I think it can always be about someone who's very dearly to you. 

8. Ignorance - Paramore

This song just makes me want to jump around and scream at people.

(I don't actually do one of those)

(Figure out for yourself which one I'm talking about)

9. All Apologies - Nirvana

Last Thursday my friend invited me to join her to the exclusive one-time showing of Cobain: Montage Of Heck and I thought it would be nice to see who Kurt Cobain was, as my friend really likes him. I got such a great view on who he was and the documentary is truly beautiful and one of a kind. Throughout the whole movie there was this one song that I seemed to adore, and it was this one. 

10. Smells Like Teen Spirit - Vitamin String Quartet

This version of the song is truly stunning! I cannot believe how great it is.

11. Hallelujah - Panic! At The Disco

So Panic! At The Disco released a new song and WHAT DID I TELL ABOUT MAKING CUTE SONGS WITH SAD MEANINGS? 

12. Cinderblock Garden - All Time Low

I really loved this song. That's just really it. I just like it. Yup.

13. Dancing With A Wolf - All Time Low

(Last All Time Low one: I promise)

When I wanted to listen to the album for the first time, this was the song that had caught my eye. I love wolves and the moon and so on... I was quite disappointed about the meaning of the song, but I enjoyed it a lot!

14. Fairly Local - Twenty One Pilots

Something about this band attracts me and I don't know what it is...

15. Crash - You Me At Six

This song feels like a friend to me. A friend who's just there for you, no matter what. A song that tells you how everything is okay.

16. Let The Flames Begin - Paramore

I always loved this song, but lately I am DIGGING it. This song is so amazing, I swear to god, listen to it. Feel it in your bones.

17. Addict With A Pen - Twenty One Pilots

This was the song that got me into Twenty One Pilots, so I kind of had to include it in this list. This song is so beautiful. It makes me feel something. Something indescribable.

18. Howl At The Moon - The Script

This is a very personal song to me and I thought I would share it with you. This is so personal to me as I dream of standing on a stage for a living. I always sing at my window when it's already dark outside and I will look at the moon and stars and they just give me so much strength and faith. I feel like this is a song that was written about me.

19. Where Did You Sleep Last Night - Nirvana

This song is so special. It's simple, but difficult. Nirvana, man.

20. Buddha For Mary - 30 Seconds To Mars

So this is a song about religion and honestly: this song becomes amazing once you get to understand the lyrics (even if it's just a bit). I never really got them but then I saw this video and now I enjoy this song a thousand times more!

Wow, I can't believe I already hit 20 songs! I hope that you might check out one of these songs and I truly hope that I can keep doing this each and every month. 

Much love Xo

the Spotlight: Female Fronted Bands (FFB)

HELLO FRIENDS!!!! (wow, this is SO violent, I am so sorry, just a little bit enthousiast I think... Or I drank way too much soda...)

Anyways, I am here to do this little series, that I decided to give the title: 'the Spotlight'. It is where I'll take the chance to talk about an artist, album, tour, person, movie, book, etc. that in my opinion deserves a spotlight. I really wanted to kick-off with a very special one, and no better way to start with this one!

I hope you'll enjoy all of these series as much as I love to write them! Let's do this:

I decided to start off with talking about Female Fronted Bands (or FFB as I'll refer to) because they are so important to me. Bands are huge these days, but 9/10 of the bands you'll hear about won't have a woman in them. It is quite upsetting as it honestly is my dream to become a lead-singer in a band and representation is so important. There are huge female bands out there like Paramore and Evanescence, but I also want to focus on bands that are a little harder to find (as Paramore and Evanescence get played on the radio). As I don't listen to Evanescence (sorry!) I'll focus on 4 FFB that I do listen to: Paramore, PVRIS, Tonight Alive and We Are The In Crowd.

Paramore

Paramore is a band from Franklin, Tennessee. The band was formed in 2004. They are probably the most famous with hits like "Misery Business", "Decode", "The Only Exception", "Still Into You" and the Grammy-winning "Ain't It Fun".

Their front singer is the beautiful Hayley Williams (who has a golden voice, let's be honest). She always wanted to be in band and she was offered a record deal when she was only 14 (!!!!). She refused because she would get in the pop industry and she didn't want that.

Paramore is the biggest FFB on the planet and Hayley always makes sure that Paramore gets seen as a band, not as Hayley Williams and others. She is totally kicking it as a band and they are HUGE. I hope that one day I'll be standing in her shoes (kind of, like she is smaller and probably has smaller feet, but I wasn't talking about real shoes. This was an unnecessary comment. Please, read on).

Paramore is a strong band, about to keep growing and growing... Some of the places that I'd love to play one day (that they've played!):

*Madison Square Garden
*Hollywood Bowl
*Reading Festival
*Rock Am Ring

Hayley Williams shows to me that if you have a message, a voice, and a dream you can be in band and you can make it. 

Tonight Alive

Tonight Alive is a band from Sydney, Australia. The band was formed in 2008. They are doing a great progress in the rock industry. Their last album The Other Side was amazing and they have been supporting All Time Low on their latest tour.They have also played several festivals and done several tours. Their most popular song is "Lonely Girl" which I absolutely love. 

The lead-singer is Jenna McDougall and to be compeltely honest with you guys... I don't know much about her. I do know that she is a very strong and beautiful person. She totally kicks it when she's on stage. She has an amazing voice (I'd so sell my soul to have a voice like hers) and if I were you I'd keep an eye on her and Tonight Alive because these will be even bigger than they already are!

Jenna McDougall has taught me that if I want something I should fight for it no matter what and that I have a voice worthy to share with the world.

We Are The In Crowd

We Are The In Crowd is a band from Poughkeepsie (this is a real thing omg), New York. The band was formed in 2009. They are honestly amazing. Their most famous track is "The Best Thing (That Never Happened)" and their latest single "Manners" is pretty fucking good. I know them from "Grenade" (a Bruno mars cover that is so worthy listening). They have a collaboration with Alex Gaskarth (lead-singer of All Time Low) on one of their singles (they actually did a remake of it just to feature his voice) and that song is called "Kiss Me Again".

Their lead-singer is Tay Jardine and she is amazing. I totally love her because she is so cute yet so punk. She has a beautiful voice and she knows how to treat a crowd (and her clothing is always on point, just like her hair)

Tay Jardine taught me that my differences are useful and that I should work really hard on what I really want.

PVRIS

PVRIS (pronounced "Paris") is a band from Lowell, Massachusetts. The band was formed in 2012. I only discovered them recently and they are amazing! They are still small but man, they'll get their big break... They have a unique sound that is really attractive. They have only one EP out called "White Noise", with "St. Patrick" and "My House" being the most famous songs of the record. Recently, they released a new video for "White Noise". 

The lead-singer is Lynn Gunn. She is still very young (21) and she has a soft voice BUT ALL OF A SUDDEN SHE CAN SOUND LIKE A BADASS WOMAN YOU DON'T WANT TO FUCK WITH. I would love to see her evolve on stage but she already kicks it! (PS: I love her hair)

Lynn Gunn has taught me that hard work takes its time to pay off and that being weird is a cool thing.

So that was it! Those where the 4 bands that deserved a spotlight! I hope you'll check them out and I can't wait to see them grow! All by all these women show to me that girls can also rock. Representation by this women means the world to me and I take a lot from my inspiration from them. One day I hope that I'll be on one of these lists as well.

Lots of love,

Xo

#ChooseBeautiful

Hello friends,
as soon as I saw this video I just knew I had to write about it. This video is made by Dove, which is spending so much time and effort to make women feel beautiful (and I absolutely love that!). As I am someone who has struggled a lot with self-image (and sometimes still does) it is important to share this message with the world.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DdM-4siaQw 

So this is the video I'm talking about. The concept seems easy: you have two entrances, each with a different name. You go through the door that you define yourself with and that's all. But it is heart-breaking to see this. Just imagine how much worse everything would've been if the 'Average' door said 'Ugly'. Can you just imagine how many people would go through that door? This is not okay. I want to speak up for those who don't feel beautiful.

Source

 Beautiful is a feeling to me, it's all in the mind. If you keep telling your mind that you're average, then you will keep believing that, which is not the truth. It is hard to erase such a thought, but it is worth it. Tell yourself every single day that you are beautiful and say 3 things you like about yourself. It doesn't matter if it's something on the inside or outside. Focus on them for a while. Smile in front of the mirror. Sometimes I still look at myself as a person with an ugly smile, but I want people to know that I'm not sad anymore. I am not sad anymore. I am happy to be alive and that is so important. Be happy that you are alive. 

Source

People tend to romanticize insecurity: that is so wrong. Trust me, the most beautiful thing is to love yourself and be confident about who you are. Confidence is the sexiest thing in the world. Society will also associate "ugly" with fat. Stop there. Fat people exist, some people happen to be fat and some people happen to be skinny. But fat can be beautiful, I mean, just because society tries to fool you in thinking that only skinny people are beautiful, doesn't mean that that's true. Anyone, from skinny to fat, can feel ugly. Don't base it on someone's weight. Skinny people don't want to hear that they're "not that skinny" and fat people don't want to hear that they're "not that fat". No. Tell them how pretty they look. Tell them how much you like their personality. Tell them how you love that new dress that they bought. Praise the things that they are in control of.

Source

I used to struggle a lot with my weight and looking back it is weird to even think about it. I used to hate myself because I was fat. I never was fat. I still am not and who knows if I ever will be. Sure, I am not skinny, but just because I'm not skinny should mean that I am fat? No. I choose not to define myself with that. Not because I assume it as a bad thing, just simply because I am not fat. It is the same as I would define myself as a dark-toned person. I am not dark-toned, but I am not snow-white, so why would I identify myself with it?

Source

To get back to the subject: every woman should feel beautiful no matter what. It is so wrong that people have such a hard time appreciating themselves. I remember once in class, our teachers asked us to write down 3 things that we liked about ourselves and 3 things we didn't like about ourselves. I think that I almost cried because I was so proud of myself that I had a hard time finding 3 things that I didn't like about myself. It just means the world to me that I am feeling happy with who I am right now.

Long story short: you, reading this, are beautiful, whether you figured that out yourself yet or not.

Much love 
Xo

My Playlist: February

Welcome, welcome!
Today I am going to talk about music. I am so passionate about music: it basically is my life. I promise you, I love nothing more than music. I listen to it all the time and I enjoy every single second of it. I hope to do something with music later in life, but let's focus on this post right now! I've been thinking about posting a little playlist with my favorite songs of that month. There are a few songs this month which I fell in love with so I am so excited to share them with you! Here are my most played songs of February:

1. Lovesick Fool - The Cab

This was one of those songs that I'd always skip, but then I listened to it and I fell in love.
I love the piano on this song and the lyrics are beyond amazing.

2. More To Me - Milestones

Milestones was one of those bands that out of nowhere messaged me to promote their music.

I gave it a shot and when I first heard this song, I didn't like it. But now I love it.

The lyrics are so relatable to me and I don't know how I lived without it.

3. Room To Breathe - You Me At Six

I thought that this song was kind of alright and I had listened to it a few times. But now 

I feel the lyrics more than ever so I'll listen to it as loud as I can.

4. Hero - Family of the Year

I heard this song a few times on the radio and I always thought that it was such a lovely song, so I was really happy to hear it in Boyhood! I absolutely loved that movie and this song keeps me reminding of it.

5. The Sharpest Lives - My Chemical Romance

I don't even know where this one came from, but again it was one of those songs I'd always skip. I listened to it once and I fell in love with it, I remember listening to it all week. This song is gold.

6. Immortals - Fall Out Boy

So this is the second song that Fall Out Boy released of their latest album and I completely loved it. I was also extremely happy to hear it in Big Hero 6 (kind of the reason why I watched the movie). This song shoiuld be known by everyone.

7. World Of Chances - Demi Lovato

This was once again one of those songs that I always used to skip (I should stop skipping songs) and when I heard it, I was crying because that is how badly it hit me. I love this song so much. You really should give it a listen.

8. Nobody Puts Baby In A Corner - Fall Out Boy

So the boys announced a concert in my country and I'm going so I went on a spree to celebrate that and I fell in love all over again and this song is life. Yeah.

9. Irresistible - Fall Out Boy

I always loved the song but the music video is 100% better. This song is so catchy, you'll love it. I love it. *shouts it from the rooftops*

10. Flares - The Script

Hey, it is one of those songs that made me cry this month! WOOOHOOO!! 

But seriously, give their entire new album (No Sound Without Silence) a listen because I want to marry it. Flares is my favorite by far though.

11. House Of Wolves - My Chemical Romance

I started listening and crying  to My Chemical Romance again and this is such a nice song because it reminds me of my friend. She has like this game on the PS3 and we always play it when I'm at her place and this is one of the songs that is on the game's soundtrack so we'll be playing and it will come on and I always smile so big. Memories...

12. The Kids From Yesterday - My Chemical Romance

Did I tell you by that one time I started listening to My Chemical Romance again?

WE ARE THE KIDS FROM YESTERDAY...

13. S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W - My Chemical Romance

Guess what? I cried. A lot. 

14. Temporary Bliss - The Cab

This song is pure gold in my opinion. I just love how it starts and how smoothly it goes into something else. The lyrics are beautiful and I am in love. If my favorite person was a song then this is the one it'd be.

15. I'm a Wonder - The Cab (feat. Patrick Stump)

This was (once again) one of those songs that I always skipped. STOP DOING THAT, YOU IDIOT!

This song is amazing and the fact that Patrick Stump sings on it makes me wonder why you haven't listened to it yet.

16. Novocaine - Fall Out Boy

Fall Out Boy their new album is life, but this song is everything. Out of all their amazing songs this one is by far my favorite one. Fight me, because I am ready as fuck.

17. Twin Skeletons (Hotel in NYC) - Fall Out Boy

I couldn't get over the lyrics on this song and I even thought of an entire music video for this one. Call me Fall Out Boy, this is going to break YouTube.

18. Man On a Wire - The Script

LISTEN TO IT. GO LISTEN TO IT. You're welcome.

19. Nothing Left - Milestones

I fell in love with it from the moment I first heard it. These guys have their first EP coming out in April and I am really excited!

20. I Want You To Know - Zedd (feat. Selena Gomez)

So, you might feel as this song doesn't belong in this list, but I do love Selena Gomez' work and so I've been following it for some years now. Zedd is honestly my favorite DJ and this song is gold, though I didn't like it when I first heard it. Just listen to it later if you don't dig it and then just form your opinion.

I hope you enjoyed to read about these songs (and to listen to them) as much as I did! Music is amazing and eternal. I hope you're having a good day! And is there a song you really love at the moment? Make sure to tell me :)

Much love,

Xo