Growing up, I was always thought of as someone who loved to learn. I was a teacher's pet, someone who nodded in class, or scribbled endless notes in a notebook. It wasn't that I wanted to know the information, I just wanted to be able to build something.
I think my teachers had figured out with what kind of student I was and usually decided to pair me with the "naughty kid" in class so we could support each other. Thinking back to a music class I had in year 7, I laugh remembering this experience and how impactful it was on my life.
I had been paired with the "naughty kid" and both of us had discovered Swedish House Mafia at the same time. Despite being fairly different people, we ended up bonding over our affinity for the same sound. We spent each class learning how to play the notes to "One" on the keyboard and figuring out what it meant to produce a track like that. We wanted to understand it, live it, breathe it.
Everything about Swedish House Mafia spoke to both of us. The power in the sound, the intensity and the rebelliousness made us both click. It was the first time I'd really met someone who understood the music like I did, and despite us coming from different worlds we both knew we had a shared appreciation for what this was. Swedish House Mafia blew everyone away when they first came on the scene, and their force on the world has been undefeated for decades.
Somewhere along this path, it affirmed to me that there were other people like me. A future where people felt this music the way I did, and that I wasn't going to be alone in this. Seeing the way the music affected him, made it seem like a door was open. Seeing his face light up with awe was what I wanted more of. I knew this was what I wanted to do with my life.
Our equal passion for that track bridged a gap between us. I love how music does this, and can help you build a connection with almost anyone.
It makes me laugh, looking back, that they partnered him up with me. I don't know if my influence tempered him down, but his impression certainly amped me up!
Comments