A bit of a creative introduction to me…through my musical journey from genre to genre. It is something I am really passionate about and I really think it defines who I am. So…voilà! 

My name is Rikki and I consider myself an avid listener to various genres of music, and I have been since I was very young. In my small Canadian town, there is a strong presence of folk music as part of our culture and heritage. It has always been around me, but there are other genres I prefer.

 C’est Moi!

Still on the topic of folk music, I was introduced to The Rankin Family at a very young age, and I also learned that they are my distant cousins. The band were more of a folk-country crossover and I have always loved their songs- they will always be special to me because that’s what I grew up with, and grew to love. The only instrument I ever played was the fiddle when I was a little older, but I gave it up to focus on other things.

 Photo from Google Images.

Next, I was introduced to country music by watching the CMT channel faithfully in the early 2000s. This is when I realized how important music is, and made a major impact on my life. I constantly listened to and talked about my favourite country artists, Faith Hill and Tim McGraw. I used to pretend I could sing like Faith Hill, and that made me want to become a singer in my future.

 Photo from Google Images.

Music was a large part of the elementary school experience, whether it be Christmas concerts or variety shows. By now, my music taste was shifting into what was popular at that time: Disney Channel. Hilary Duff was my idol and when I got her album one year- my first full-length CD- I could not stop listening to it. I got to see her in Halifax in 2006- my first real concert!

    “Hilary Duff” (2004)  http://www.allmusic.com/album/hilary-duff-mw0000713538 -Check it out! Seriously, it’s still one of my prized possessions…almost 12 years later!

When it came to fourth and fifth grade variety shows, I pushed my shy self to sing the songs of the latest fads- High School Musical and Hannah Montana- in front of a real audience. What made me do it? The music. I became so passionate about music that it let me take risks to do something that I loved. I remained passionate about Disney Channel music throughout elementary and junior high, right into 2010 when I discovered the Much Music countdown. This signifies myself transitioning into a teenager, discovering artists such as Ke$ha, Lady GaGa, and (as cringe-worthy as I find this nowadays) Justin Bieber. I have always enjoyed popular culture and it was mixed in with my Disney Channel phase, however this discovery of Much Music really turned me more into a electro-pop junkie and I pushed Disney aside as the new generation flooded in.

 Photos from Google Images.

The ElectroPop of “Today” vs. Disney Channel tween tunes? Gosh, I’ve done it all!

(Pssst! By the Way: I had the privilege to see Avril Lavigne- a long-time favourite of mine- live in Halifax in 2011!) Photos courtesy of my terrible LG Rumor camera:

 It’s Avril, I swear!

   Later I started looking into other genres such as Indie Pop and found some interesting styles that my friends had never even heard of, which further pushed my love for music. It became part of my everyday life- listening to it while walking, doing homework, even laying in my bed and listening intently to every part of the song. Meanwhile, my parents always had old music on in the car and the house. They exposed me to so many styles from the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s. I didn’t realize how much I enjoyed this classic music until my discovery of the band Queen in 2012.

 Photo from Google Images

My parents had a CD of their hits that I always heard, but never clicked until I was bored one day and looked them up on YouTube. One video led to another, and one song downloaded led to another. I told my parents and we watched some concert videos, and listened to more music. I was immediately hooked. I fell in love with, not only their music, but with their personalities. In March of 2013, I took a trip to Europe with my school and we made a stop in London to none other than the We Will Rock You musical, based off of Queen’s music- a most unbelievable experience. I listened to their music on my iPod anytime I was feeling lonely during the trip. Later in the year led to more events- seeing the official tribute band live in Halifax, and starting my record collection right with the Sheer Heart Attack album from 1974- a gift for my sixteenth birthday. I would listen to their music even more intently, focusing on each instrument individually and really studying the techniques of Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon- in my opinion, four utterly brilliant musicians.

 “Sheer Heart Attack” (1974)  http://www.allmusic.com/album/sheer-heart-attack-mw0000191374 -You may think I’m biased but I’ll be straight up honest: this album is pure brilliance. (And I’m not just talking about the cover photo…)

Not only has this band impacted my love for music and made it stronger, I started looking into more classic rock- The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Janis Joplin, Blondie, Elton John, and John Lennon, to name a few. I love an artist that can really show off their true potential through their music with little technology. Presently, I have done enough research to call myself a classic rock junkie, which may sound strange from an eighteen year old, but classic rock honestly calms me and just makes me so happy. My record collection, which I understand is quite small but it works, now consists of sixteen original albums including my favourite Queen albums (all from the 70’s), Blondie, Paul McCartney, The Pretenders and The Doors. One could say these are my favourite albums, though I could list them all day- they are currently on my iPhone. Who knows what will happen in twenty years? All in all, I do love a variety of music styles, but now my go-to style is definitely classic rock along with others from the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s, and will be for years to come.

 Photo from Google Images.

Not only do I have a girl-crush on the ever-so fierce Debbie Harry…Blondie as a whole is all power, unique, and just purely awesome.

 Photo from Google Images.

I’m all about fierce feminine rock&roll leaders and The Pretenders fall into that category. So rad.

I certainly haven’t mentioned everyone I admire in every genre, from classic rock to indie, even some of the music of today, I’ll save that for another post. But yeah, that’s me in a nutshell. Every person has a passion that they can either dream or pursue. One could say I am passionate about music and I cannot stop talking about it, but that is what I enjoy. Music has always played a major role in my life, pulling me from the lowest to the highest points every time I listen.

Stay fab!

Rikki xx