It seems like yesterday when I was a shy teenager, trying to find myself in this world, hiding in the shadows or as they call it "the closet". Until the day I first hear her voice, in the song "Mother and Father", I was 14 , and 10 of those without a mother. This song described every feeling I had for almost all my life, but at the same time It was empowering, that things get better, and that life goes on and there's no reason to give up.
So my search started, at the time internet at home was a luxury, so I head out to the local record store, and turns out that buying a record at the time, also was a luxury for me, so my last resource was to buy a copy on the streets, at this time I still feel bad about it. But I needed to listen to it, I needed to hear more about this woman that with the power of a song and her words made my life much better.
The album was "American Life", for many her worse album to date, but to me was an instant hit, I listened everyday, finding empowerment in every track, before that every other pop song to me was kinda empty, either a love song with cheesy lyrics or a dance track with the word "baby" every two bars.
But this album, filled with emotional tracks as well as social and political statements, it blew my mind, but still, I didn't know much about the woman behind it.
So I started to read about her, to my surprise, I realize that she and I had something in common, we both lost our mothers when we were little kids. In that moment I understood why I could relate so much to the song "Mother and Father", first I thought she was telling a story , but never assume that it was her story, that happens to be also my story. I have to say I felt pretty happy after that, knowing that after all that she's been through, she manage to become one of the biggest pop stars in the world, so from that moment on she became an inspiration, I realized that I could be whatever I wanted to be, that the sky is not the limit, and that my dreams are reachable if I work hard.
After that she putted out the great " Confessions on a Dance Floor", one of here greatest albums, which made me in a big fan.
Then in 2008 when she announced she will give a concert in Mexico city, I was more than exited, sadly at the time my family and I were going through some big financial decay, which prevent me to buy tickets, then a friend from another city who also wasn't able to go, ask me to go and buy him some merchandise, he send me some money for it, and as I went to the venue, I was so tempted to use the money to get a ticket, but I didn't, but I promise myself that next time , no matter what I would see her in concert, and so I did in 2012 (twice). It has been one of the greatest concerts I've ever been to, I always knew way before knowing about her that what I wanted to do with my life was being a performer, but that night when I saw her in concert, i was determined to do so.
A year later I moved to NYC, and 2 years after that, I had the opportunity to audition for her "Rebel Heart Tour" on may 6 of 2015, I was so nervous, I really wanted the job, and I guess the nerves got the best of me, I didn't make it, It was not only the hardest auditions I've ever made, but also one of the best experiences I ever had. I'm still working hard and as I've learn from her, I will never give up.
She still is one of my biggest inspirations, not only for her long lasting career, but for her work ethic, her humanistic point of view, and of course her artistry.
We all know that the music industry would be so different, without her; without all the passion, invention, empowerment and originality that she has as still brings to the table, but beyond that I think my life would be so different without her and her music.
For all this and more HAPPY BIRTHDAY MADONNA!
