Music is and has been a form of expression for centuries; music is a powerful source and it is also scientifically proven to stimulate brain activity. Without further adieu, here are 10 songs that define me.
1) Going to Hell – The Pretty Reckless
2) Kill Me – The Pretty Reckless
3) Viva La Vida – Coldplay
4) I Don’t Like – Kanye West
5) Absolute – Thousand Foot Krutch
6) Wish you were here – Avril Lavigne
7) All Around me – Flyleaf
8) OneRepublic – Secrets
9) Ghost In a Machine – B.O.B
10) New Soul – Yael Naim

For me, the type of music I choose to listen to usually defines where I am in my life as well as my general mood for that time. The top 10 songs all play a significant role in my conscious and subconscious thinking. For clarity sake, I will explain every song significance separately.

1) Going to Hell by The Pretty Reckless is a song about a young teen girl that’s going to hell because of her sins, mostly due to sexual promiscuity. To me, this puts into question the quality of people in Heaven and Hell, and gives me closure when my death comes because i’m not too worried about about whether I go to Hell or Heaven.

2) Kill Me by The Pretty Reckless is a song about a girl who fell into a bad crowd and woke up everyday wanting to die. I remember when used to I wake up every morning wanting to die so this song is important to me. Also, it was the song for my high school alarm.

3) Viva La Vida by Coldplay is a about someone who used to have it all but lost everything and that’s how I felt in school, I tried to cater to everyone, though I had many admirers and was overall liked, as time went on and people matured (as did I), smoke and mirrors all became meaningless and I was ultimately left with nothing.

4) I Don’t Like By Kanye West (with verses by plenty of irrelevant rappers) sits very closely to my heart because I don’t have time for fake people.

5) Absolute by Thousand Foot Krutch is a song about people with nothing to lose and fighting to find the truth. This ties closely to my political beliefs, as i’m sure the government is always hiding stuff and i’d like to know the truth.

6) Wish You were Here by Avril Lavigne – is a song I listened to over and over again when I made a big mistake in choosing my friends during high school and it messed me up extremely hard.

7) All Around Me by Flyleaf is a beautifully crafted song, when i listen to it, I can feel the lyrics ,the passion, be in the exact position of the singer and that kind of talent is something I appreciate a lot.

8) Secrets by OneRepublic is a song that I like a lot because I feel like it’s secrets and uncomfortable confessions that keep relationships alive and life interesting. Also, it means a lot to me when someone will share something personal with me.

9) Ghost in a Machine by B.O.B is a soundtrack used in my favorite episode of Gossip Girl where the guy loses the love of his life and runs away, unable to define who he is. I’ve also had trouble defining who I was at one point in my life so this song is significant.

10) New Soul by Yael Naim is a song about a new soul discovering an unknown place. This song is very upbeat so it taught me that not knowing who you are and being in an unknown place is not always a bad thing, but it can be a very happy and exciting experience.

Hey everyone, my name is Bryan Campana. This is a picture of a forest, obviously. I’m from the country, always will be, and it’s a big part of my life. I find that I’m most at peace when I’m outdoors whether I’m going hiking or walking in the park. I think our world is beautiful if we’d just take a second to look. Simple things like the sun rising in the morning are overlooked. Earth is beautiful! Enjoy it while you’re here!

Moving to New York was a huge change for me but I’m making the best of it. I love commuting in the trains, but I absolutely loathe when it’s crowded. I have to admit though, it’s kind of hilarious watching people try to squeeze in. And it sucks when you’re the next person and there’s no more room. This always makes me laugh 😀

Okay, so this picture … I don’t think I’m shy, I’m just an introvert. I think this pretty much sums up my entire personality, haha.  I apologize if I ever come off as rude, I just don’t like to beat around the bush with social pleasantries. Let’s be friends!

I love to draw, paint, etc. It relaxes me and it allows me to express myself more freely. I also like to write poems (I kind of suck though). I love art museums, my favorite type has to be pop art. One of my favorite artists is Roy Lichtenstein. I like to draw in black and white because I think it gives the mind more space to think creatively – or at least, my mind.

Yes, I am actually gay, and I don’t see the need to shout it from the rooftops. However, I do believe it’s important to be honest with yourself. Taking a line from a favorite play here, “to thine ownself be true” – Shakespeare

I love music. there are no words to express how much I love music.  I think everyone pretty much understands how amazing music really is. I listen to all music, but my favorite genres are something along the lines of Rock ‘n’ Roll, Indie, Alternative, and also EDM. I think music is powerful. The song that’s stuck in my head right now is Say it ain’t so by Weezer. One of my all time favorite bands are The Black Keys.

I’m pretty good at computers. I love taking apart old computers, that’s how I learned actually, I’m self-taught. In Atlanta, I used to fix my friends’ computers and then we’d play video games together and through that I learned the software. One of my goals is to learn programming because why not? It’s on my bucket list. Also, it’s a pretty cool and useful skill to have.

I love adrenaline activities like bungee jumping or skydiving (Sadly, still on my bucket list) I went on vacation to Ecuador recently, where I was able to jump off a bridge.

I think we should enjoy it while we’re young, to keep life from becoming one long exaggerated sigh.

***These songs are in no particular order***
Children’s Story- Slick Rick
Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Theme Song- Will Smith
Juicy- Notorious B.I.G.
Brooklyn (We Go Hard)- Jay Z
Thinking Out Loud- Ed Sheeran
Leave Me Alone- Michael Jackson
Isn’t She Lovely- Yami Bolo
Bow Wow (That’s My Name)- Lil Bow Wow
No Sleep ‘Til Brooklyn- Beastie Boys
Beautiful- Eminem
-Children’s Story by Slick Rick is a song that my dad used to rap to me as a baby, and also as I got older. I never really understood what the song was about until I got older and I could listen to the lyrics, but regardless, whenever I hear the song, I hear it in my dad’s voice.
-Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Theme Song is a song that my mother used to sing/rap to me as a very small baby before she passed away. Even though I don’t remember her, I feel nostalgic every time I hear it.
-Juicy by Notorius B.I.G. is a song that was not considered appropriate for a little girl back in the late ’90s, but I grew up listening to that song, and it actually became the song for my senior class in high school. Despite the vulgarity, that song remains in my heart and I know all the lyrics.
-Brooklyn (We Go Hard) by Jay-Z is a song I grew up listening to. Being from Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, born and raised, I have a lot of pride about where I am from and what I have accomplished thus far in my life despite the negative connotations about where I am from.
-Thinking Out Loud by Ed Sheeran means a lot to me, even though it is not an old song. I feel that it represents my relationship with my boyfriend who I plan to marry and start a family with in the future.
-Leave Me Alone by Michael Jackson was my “theme song” from the age of 14 to about 16. I felt alone and I felt as if I had no one on my side anymore. I became a recluse and I had a small circle of friends. That song clearly expresses the feelings I was having, but wasn’t able to express them.
-Isn’t She Lovely by Yami Bolo, a recreation of the song by Stevie Wonder, means a lot to me. My mother danced with me in her arms to that song at my Christening as a baby. It is one of the few things I have in my life to remind me of her, even though I don’t actually remember; I can feel it.
-Bow Wow (That’s My Name) by Lil Bow Wow was a song that I had on repeat as a young girl. I was in love with Lil Bow Wow, I even thought I would marry him (lol)
-No Sleep ‘Til Brooklyn by The Beastie Boys is another song that I identify with being from Brooklyn. My little brother and I used to play that song on repeat on Guitar Hero because we felt so much pride about where we were from.
-Beautiful by Eminem was a song I identified with all through high school, and I still identify with it. I’ve been told multiple times in my life that I’d be “more beautiful if…”. I felt as if being myself (a tomboyish girl) made me seem not beautiful to people because I was always criticized about the things I liked to wear and the things I liked to do. I loved to play basketball with the boys and wear Jordans; which I still do. I was often called gay, even though I know I am not. This song helped me deal with the criticisms and basically ignore the negative comments by having the “f*ck you” mentality. I realized that life was not about impressing anyone, but about being happy in my own skin despite what other people may think of me.