I talk a lot about how I believe that the music we love is a much bigger part of you than you can ever put in to words. I also think that it's only natural that the artists behind those jams become some of the most meaningful people in our lives. What makes that even better is living in a time where those artist are more accessible than ever, and so is the opportunity to be able to tell them thank you.
Everyone always says that you shouldn't meet your heroes because they'll let you down, but I am thrilled to report that in my experience, that couldn't be farther from the truth. I look up to a lot of people for a lot of reasons, and recently, singing/songwriting LEGEND Julia Michaels has been a big one for me. The other day I got to meet her.
I've seen a lot of different meet and greets go down in my time, but never one that took so much care to make sure that everyone got what they needed out of it. Most of the time, you're lucky to get a full minute with your fav, but with Julia, that wasn't even close to the case.
When my turn rolled around, I walked in thinking that the person in front of me would still be having their time and I'd get a second to process what was about to happen. NOPE. As I walked through the door, someone said "go say hi" and I was immediately face to face with an icon. I honestly blacked out and don't remember exactly what we talked about, but what I do know is there were lots of hugs, she literally got down on the floor to sign my shoes, and she loved a tattoo I have so much that she took her own picture of it and posted it on her Instagram like W H A T. I got to hang with her for about five minutes (which is like an hour in meet and greet time), said everything I wanted to say, and walked out of there feeling happier than I have in a long time. Also, shout out to me for not sobbing like I thought I was going to. Honestly probably because I'm all cried out from listening to If The World Was Ending on repeat since it came out but that's another story.
The concert itself was equally as special with a banner promoting a judgement free zone on stage, moments of encouraging hugs throughout the audience and taking a minute for everyone to scream away all of the negative emotions they were feeling. What amazed me the most is that during one of her more emotional songs, Julia noticed two girls crying in the crowd, hopped off the stage, and went over to hug them all while still singing.
There is something to be said about artists who truly care for and value their fans, and Julia Michaels is exactly that. The moral of my story today is this: don't be afraid to have heroes that don't fit the stereotypical definition of a parent or sibling. Most importantly, don't let anybody try to make you feel bad about it. Look up to who you wanna look up to, stan who you wanna stan, and live your best freaking lives kids. I promise, it's worth it.