Kiss and Tell

MUSIC IS LIFE 03 February 2010

As you all know 'Music is Life' is the philosophy at the centre of everything that Kiss does. We wanted to explore what that philosophy means to young people out there in the real world.

We recently teamed up with the University of Creative Arts and set their students a challenge - to write a 1,000 word thought piece simply on the theme of 'Music is Life'. The students were free to interpret it however they wanted to. We received loads of fantastic responses which we whittled down to a top 4. Everyone who works at Kiss voted on their favourite piece. It was a hard competition but in the end, the winner, who received a brand new state of the art laptop, is Danni Murray.

Congratulations Danni! And well done to our other top 4 writers.

Have a read of the top 4 below - they are inspiring, moving and insightful and will remind you, if you needed reminding, of why people fall in love with music.

DANIELLE MURRAY

I'm 21, I'm studying Music and Lifestyle Journalism and I'm in my third and final year.

I find myself writing this under the guise of my 14 year-old self. You see, I’m in the process of battling the demon that is my little sister, yes, that one that lurks in your shadow, copies your every move, chats on the phone to her friend for hours about bands you were moshing to 5 years ago. Though I, of course, feel quietly (or rather, gloatingly) proud of this fact, I need something new. So I’ve turned to something old. And thus, the conclusion that music is, literally, my life…

My earliest music memory (okay, second, the earliest is Spice Girls at Wembley Arena) is sitting in my old best friend’s house listening to her mum’s records. These records mainly consisted of The Cure and Prodigy. Okay, yes, I was a bloody cool 9 year-old. Thinking back, these after-school music lessons probably carved a path in my destiny without me even realising it. This curiosity about music exists in me still and has caused me to go through a plethora of identities over the last 12 years…

As I’ve hinted, I went through the typical 90s boy/girl band era. Rarely has there been a fad to rival The Spice Girls, their army of admirers and their overabundance of merchandise. There was the DVD (I still can‘t believe they got Meatloaf), there was collectable DVD tins, there was the photo cards and albums, the stickers and the dolls. Every young girl worshipped at their homemade shrines and there began thousands of obsessive personalities. Including mine. I’m unashamed to admit that I owned Westlife and A1 posters, heck, I’m unashamed to admit I listen to The Backstreet Boys and Five now, at the same time as every young girl wanted to be Baby Spice, even if they were too young to realise it, every young girl wanted to **** Justin Timberlake (or, as it were with me, at this stage not owning a gaydar, Lance Bass).

In secondary school, however, I managed to pull myself away from the role of ‘sheep’ and put myself into the category of ‘individual’, AKA SUICIDE at 12 years old and attending a private girls’ school. I lathered eye liner on so thick I couldn’t see and I lived in an oversized, signed, AFI hoodie. Somewhat an anomaly among my peers, I managed to retain my friends whilst still looking like a corpse. This was my favourite ever period, and one I shall hold dear to me forever. Staying under this semblance for the next 3 years, and discovering punk along the way, I discovered bands such as Jimmy Eat World, Rancid and The Distillers, sometimes even attempting, and failing, at turning myself into Brody Dalle.

My first ‘real’ gig came in this period, and that, again, is something I’ll never forget. It was the month of March in 2003 and my mummy darling surprised me with tickets to see Something Corporate, a band I still adore now. I had my fingernail ripped off by a stage diver and I spent my favourite track crying at the back of the hall. But none of that could deter me…

…I went on to become an Indie anorak, or rather ‘music snob’ (see what I mean when I say “plethora of identities?”). I’m not sure what inspired this phase but I know where it’s high point was, a point in my life where I discovered that music was not only my life to this moment, but would be forever more. I was placed in the local radio station for my high school work experience and I’ll never look back. I ended up co-hosting my own indie show for two years and started DJ-ing along the way. Possibly the highest two years of my life, this was the point at which I changed forever. I knew music was my past, my present and my future. I got a high from seeing people’s reactions to the music I played and interviewing Good Shoes and The Mystery Jets and knew that legitimately talking to musicians felt far more comfortable than standing around in the cold and rain for a quick photo op.

At uni, I suddenly found that being musically broad minded was far more fun than being a ‘music snob’. I started listening to anything I could get my hands on, from R&B to underground Indie. At this point in time, I own tickets to see Owl City, The Maccabees (for the 11th time and counting) and, yes, JLS and Chipmunk. I may get ripped for being a 21 year-old (obsessive) fan of JLS but no one was laughing when The Kooks shot to fame 6 months after I pledged they would, did they?

I realise that you may not have been expecting, and definitely not wanting, a life story of me, some nobody you don’t know, but this is what I make of the title ‘Music is Life’. I haven’t yet mentioned what I mean when I say “I’ve turned to something old”… The bands my sister is twittering about now are Good Shoes and The Mystery Jets among others, hence the gloating and pride, so I’ve rebelled by rediscovering the magic of Lostprophets and Jimmy Eat World, turning myself into this 14 year-old me I loved so dearly. But it’s not repetitive; I’m still discovering genre’s I never thought I’d like, and songs from artists I though I knew all there was to know… The future of music is indefinable for this very reason, music is a constant circle, and for every new band or artist, another person is discovering The Beatles and Elvis.

The last 21 years of life have taught me that music is all-consuming and totally worth it, and it’s inspired me to find my destiny in life, do what I love and teach the world just how much there is to hear. 

ALEX CULL

 I'm 20, doing Music Journalism at UCA and I'm in my first year.

Music, no other art form quite conveys human emotion in such a pure and consistently innovative way. It is both uniquely personal and universally bonding, to share a song with friends or to listen quietly alone in contemplation, music has become virtually inherent to the human existence. Throughout my life music has always been there, it has captured the essence of my experiences and better yet has become one with them. You are exposed to music at a very young age, even if you are not aware of it, and it stays with you until the day you die.

The first time I ever felt truly connected to music was at a young age, perhaps eight or nine. It was a simple, summer evening and I had been fortunate enough to finally have my own radio in my bedroom. I watched the sun slowly set over the pine-shaped skyline of a rural landscape and as my room basked in the the ethereal glow of golden light, I decided to turn on the radio.

Of all the songs in the world that could potentially have played ‘Kiss Me’ by Sixpence None The Richer began humming transcendentally across the airwaves and I felt overcome with emotion. In retrospect it seems incredibly strange to me how a simple two-chord guitar part could so perfectly encapsulate the melancholy of that moment in my life. I sat there watching the sunset from a great distance knowing I had many years to discover the mysteries of the world before me, but it was still a finite amount of time and surely too short if anything.

As the years have passed there has always been music in some form or other in my life. It is inescapable and is somehow constantly there, be that in the form of a street musician you may pass one day whose rendition of an old standard stirs you in ways that the original never could, or a simple melody you hum in your head as you make your way somewhere you need to be.

Music has the power to alter a moment in your life or to simply ornament it and add to its gravitas. At the age of fifteen I remember first hearing ‘Vaka’ by Sigur Rós. I was alone in my car having just been for a hospital appointment and my mother had bought me the record to brighten my day. Whilst listening to the record’s opening ambient passage I could hear the softest harmony beginning to develop, this was then set in stone by the introduction of a piano figure that somehow perfectly framed the desperation in my head at that point. The song slowly developed into a lush, orchestral piece with Jónsi’s vibrato vocal line soaring above the musical thunder rumbling beneath, this was life and human emotion perfectly encapsulated. The fact that the song is sung in Icelandic, a language I have no knowledge of, but could still move me so noticeably speaks volumes of the power of music. It crosses language barriers and has the power to unite anyone.

As the music slowly faded out I could hear the sound of a child’s laughter and the link between music and life was completely fleshed out. The sheer range of emotion and expression available through music allow for it to be chameleon-like, adapting itself to any situation and giving beauty and poignancy to it.

Music can be an outlet for the feelings that you keep inside for the majority of the time. Simply singing along to a song that means something to you can reveal your joy or your loneliness, your fragility or your strength, your anger or your frailty. Many people have found an identity through music and raised their self-esteem through doing so. They have carved out a path in life, using only their emotion and their talent. The lowliest person can, in the space of a few well-constructed bars, rise to be adored by many for the art they have created. There can be nothing purer in this world than a simple song sung or played with honesty, integrity and meaning.

Music is, as it virtually always has been, constantly in our lives. Whether that be in the form of the gentle lullaby playing through your headphones, soothing you when you are weary at the end of a long day, or the song you remember hearing when you first kissed the one you love. Music decorates our daily lives, and can at the most insignificant moment catch you off guard and change the way you view the world. The versatility of music has led to it being part of the most important moments of our lives by default, be that a wedding march or a funeral dirge.

Music is life. It means something to everyone and it perfectly captures the essence of our existence.

HELEN KENNEDY

I've just turned 22 and I'm doing an MA in Fashion and Lifestyle Journalism at UCA.

I first encountered music in the mid to late nineties. Whilst the housing estate was torn apart over the “Oasis or Blur” debate, us young girls fought over which member of Boyzone we loved the most. It wasn’t until secondary school that music became a way of life. Two categories separated us: rockers and chavs. I played sport and loved Metallica, so there were a few of us who sauntered in between both groups, testing the water in each one to see which suited our personalities.

Unfortunately I don’t have one of those ‘cool’ music stories whereby I stumbled across my parents’ old record collection in the attic. Instead, I had to figure it out on my own. My music taste was conflicted between that of my friends, and the hip hop that was blaring from my sister’s bedroom. But no matter how brutal the music was in retrospect, it made me feel good. I could lash on System of a Down when I was in a terrible mood, or dance around to Britney when no one was watching.

The annoying thing about music is that you discover bands long after their sell by date. Split-ups, rehab and sad deaths all prevent us from seeing our favourite acts of time gone by live. Luckily for me, Neil Young still had a bit of touring left in him a couple of years ago and I got to witness the master at work on three occasions (I admit that perhaps it was a bit crazed fan-like of me to go to three different countries to see him). It was only then once I had purchased my tickets and was listening to Harvest in my room that my mother announced that she would come to one of the gigs with me. She admitted that she was a big fan ‘back in the day’ and handed me her collection of old records that consisted of The Beatles, Bowie and Dylan. Instead of feeling privileged or delighted that I had original vinyls from the 1960s and 70s, I was outraged that she had never given them to me before and relieved me of hand-banging induced headaches years ago.

Music is love, no matter how cliché it sounds. Everyone has a song that reminds them of someone else; be it an ex, a friend, a lover or a partner. The emotion a single lyric or melody can evoke is unfathomable. My first love introduced me to music properly the summer before university. He had had the advantage of two older brothers and he treated me as his protégé, giving me a new band every week and taking me to gigs of both new up and coming bands and golden oldies. From then on, I was hooked on music. Live music became quite a big part of my life, and my budget. I attended gigs whenever I could, some even required travelling around Europe. The feeling at a live concert can be electrifying, sometimes disappointing but always an unforgettable experience. Personally, music festivals are what I look forward to most, every year. The diabolical living quarters and the disease infested portaloos are quickly forgotten about as soon as a band steps out on stage. Complete nirvana. You are soon catapulted back to reality however whilst searching for your tent in the dead of night having tripped over empting beer cans and broken deck chairs.

Music is for personal pleasure; to inspire, to connect people, to split up and to reunite. Music is intertwined with art and fashion, such as Studio 54 or which song the models stomp down the runway to. It also has the power to inspire the listener, intentional or not. There are so many magazines, music moguls and blogs telling people what to listen to but I think music should be your own choice, not be forced upon you. John Lennon eloquently said, “Music is everybody’s possession. It’s only the publishers who think that people own it”. People can be very pretentious when it comes to music, not listening to it because they want to but because someone is telling them too or they think it’s cool. Music also unearths an argumentative quality in people, in me too, and that makes for interesting conversations. Discussing how much Kings of Leon have sold out or who the next big act are, are all well and good but music should definitely be a person’s own choice and should not be frowned upon or indeed discriminated against (even if they do still follow the Followill’s).

New music, like everything else, is more a reworked edition of what has gone before but with innovative sounds and beats. Technological advancements and financial backing have made it easier to experiment and come up with new ideas. With the grasp of the downloading phenomenon around record labels’ necks, musicians and managers alike have argued that the future of music is in danger. Record stores are being forced to close as the digital age takes hold but there is still an urge out there to buy a hard copy of a CD or vinyl, especially for die-hard music fans. There are so many different genres to listen to that will undoubtedly suit your personality and you may even find you’ve a wide eclectic music interest that will suit your every mood.

To quote CSS, music is my imaginary friend.

ROBYN LYNCH

I am 20 and a second year BA Fashion Journalism student from the University for Creative Arts in Epsom.

Music is everything to me, a constant friend and companion. Since I was old enough to understand, the only thing that has really followed me through life and remained a constant driving force and source of inspiration is music. She is the one that sees me through.

There is something about the language of music that is wholly universal. Like a smile, no matter which language you speak, everybody from every little nook of our planet interprets it as a warm and friendly gesture.

While not all music is written to evoke happiness, it is composed to express or compel an emotion. It could be a love song, written to uplift and comfort or tell a gutting story of heartbreak. A political poem backed by acoustic guitar can send a message loud and clear and a story of hate and wrong doing vents pent up anger. 

Music is a mistress of many disguises. She has so many genres and sub-genres, there is something new to discover about her every single day.

That’s what really does it for me about music. Her chameleon capability to be ever evolving from the way we discover her new faces to the gems we unearth.

Some of my most favourite acts came into my life while supporting another band I already knew and adored at a gig. You hear their music, their new sound and suddenly something clicks, like you weren’t complete until that moment, sort of like the very second you fall head over heels in love. And what a lady to fall in love with! 

Ever rewarding with new delights, music’s love is eternal, and once you’re in, it’s a done deal. From the new songs that change your outlook on life, to the old favourites who are always there to comfort you. The gravely depths of a voice that gives you a chill each and every time. The guitar rift that rings such a chord within you, it feels like a part of your soul, your very being, is being played back to you. And it’s the dirty base line that makes you convulse in the most peculiar and uninhibited ways.

The way in which you enjoy music is just as important, music is not a maiden to be mistreated with illegal downloads and ticket touts. She must be shown respect. What better way to show your affection than through walking into a record store and seeing that gleaming, shiny cover. Inside, a black vinyl imprinted with the track you love so much. 

You’ll make the purchase without a skip of hesitation, enduring the buzz until you get home. Joyous, you settle the needle down, snug in-between those glorious little ridges. The crackled, fuzzing sound that emits is the most gorgeous reward, a treasure to your ears.

There have been times when I have been to gigs and experienced the most beautiful thing. I swear the other people feel it too, and with every inch of my being, I hope the band know what it is they are capable of giving. A feeling that you’re a better person for what you’ve just witnessed, what you’ve just been a part of. Like your heart and soul is on fire because of the sound another human is making with a simple instrument.

To some, it may sound crazy that a silly little piece of music can reduce grown men and women to tears. But to me, it makes perfect sense and nothing could feel more right. It’s moments like those that I live for. The rush of the room as you taste the anticipation in the air, when every single body around you tenses, preparing to sing their heart out to every single word of the next song. There is true unity in those sacred moments, where you all jump and dance along together in one huge mass of inexplicable happiness. 

Listening to music, reading about music and going to gigs to see music is an addiction. It is an obsession that consumes many, and at times, makes life worth living. When we have been given such a delight, we need to cherish her.

Not all types of music suit all types of people, but that’s the hook. When you find a piece of music that you adore so much and find somebody who feels exactly the same way, nothing could be more perfect or completely bonding. 

The future of music is ever expansive and always eternal. As the one and only thing that can truly unite people from all different walks of life, it is the one thing we have to share. Music is a caring and loving mother of us all, she is there to pick us up when we are down, carry us through when times are tough and make us dance when there is nothing else to do.

Music is life, she is the driving force behind us all.