To Anne-Marie
To Anne-Marie,
I will never forget the day I discovered you and your music. Scrolling through my Facebook feed, SB.TV shared your 'Boy' song on their page. I gave it a listen and fell in love instantly- not just with the song and with your voice, but you and your style. You were rocking a look so similar to the one I desired to achieve myself but was often mocked for. I particularly loved your big hoop earrings, an item I am almost never without myself!
After watching the video I remember tweeting you and being over the moon when you responded! And I've been following your journey since then, listening to your songs, engaging with you online and seeing you perform too. I saw you at Wireless, in the very front row, and introduced my best friend Alex to you- she's now almost as big of a fan as I am! Then this week, on Monday, we saw you perform at the Koko Club in Camden and you blew our minds all over again.
I wanted to write this post for you- to you- because you have honestly helped me through 2016 so much. When I started this year, I was heartbroken, devastated and felt like my life was over. The guy I had loved for almost 6 years who I was a "true ride or die" for (get it?) had cheated on me and broken my heart, leaving me on New Years Eve to start the New Year by myself. I have honestly never felt such heartbreak, such anger and such sadness. I honestly didn't know how I was going to make it through 2016.
And then I heard Boy. I listened to it over and over and over. Gentleman reduced me to tears, and then came Alarm, and I couldn't help but to be absolutely resonated with each and every one of your songs. Just before I saw you live on Monday, I heard your new song, Peak- yet another song that seemed to perfectly capture all of my own emotions.
On Monday night though, you hit me with a song that I had somehow never heard before. As I listened to it, I almost couldn't believe you hadn't written this song for me. I could feel my friend watching me, she asked me if I was okay and I thought I was until you sang the line
"Maybe you need some therapy, maybe you should lose a couple homeboys, give up on the home grown, look at me"
I genuinely stopped breathing, I felt like I'd been winded and I couldn't help but to cry. I'm not going to go into overly personal details but that one line, that one tiny part of one song, it hit me harder than a sack of bricks. It summed up everything I'd been through in the last five years, everything I'd spent the last year trying to get over and I couldn't believe that both you and I had gone through such a similar experience and that you'd managed to write such a beautiful song about it.
After I cried through this song, I vowed I would never cry over that situation, the last five years or that one nasty person ever again. It was like a weight had been lifted; you'd sung what I needed to hear and now it was over. Well and truly over.
In addition to helping me emotionally, you've helped me in other ways too. My body confidence has improved, and you inspire me to be more daring with my fashion choices and sense of style every day too! Your hard work and determination are also incredibly inspiring to me and encourage me to keep pursuing my own dreams too.
Anne-Marie, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. Without you, without your songs, I would not have been able to make it through 2016 as well as I have done. You have helped me get over the last five years and taught me that I am far better off without toxic people in my life dragging me down. Because of you and your music I am happier, I am stronger and I am definitely more confident too. I can't tell you how much I appreciate all you've done for me, without even realizing it, and I wish I'd got to meet you after your gig to tell you all of this in person (although me being me, I probably would have cried!) but maybe I'll get another chance to tell you one day. Your music has made 2016 a far better year for me and I hope that, now you've shared your feelings with us through your music, you start to feel better about it all too. You are amazing and I can't thank you enough.
Love from,
Florence Grace
I will never forget the day I discovered you and your music. Scrolling through my Facebook feed, SB.TV shared your 'Boy' song on their page. I gave it a listen and fell in love instantly- not just with the song and with your voice, but you and your style. You were rocking a look so similar to the one I desired to achieve myself but was often mocked for. I particularly loved your big hoop earrings, an item I am almost never without myself!
After watching the video I remember tweeting you and being over the moon when you responded! And I've been following your journey since then, listening to your songs, engaging with you online and seeing you perform too. I saw you at Wireless, in the very front row, and introduced my best friend Alex to you- she's now almost as big of a fan as I am! Then this week, on Monday, we saw you perform at the Koko Club in Camden and you blew our minds all over again.
I wanted to write this post for you- to you- because you have honestly helped me through 2016 so much. When I started this year, I was heartbroken, devastated and felt like my life was over. The guy I had loved for almost 6 years who I was a "true ride or die" for (get it?) had cheated on me and broken my heart, leaving me on New Years Eve to start the New Year by myself. I have honestly never felt such heartbreak, such anger and such sadness. I honestly didn't know how I was going to make it through 2016.
And then I heard Boy. I listened to it over and over and over. Gentleman reduced me to tears, and then came Alarm, and I couldn't help but to be absolutely resonated with each and every one of your songs. Just before I saw you live on Monday, I heard your new song, Peak- yet another song that seemed to perfectly capture all of my own emotions.
On Monday night though, you hit me with a song that I had somehow never heard before. As I listened to it, I almost couldn't believe you hadn't written this song for me. I could feel my friend watching me, she asked me if I was okay and I thought I was until you sang the line
"Maybe you need some therapy, maybe you should lose a couple homeboys, give up on the home grown, look at me"
I genuinely stopped breathing, I felt like I'd been winded and I couldn't help but to cry. I'm not going to go into overly personal details but that one line, that one tiny part of one song, it hit me harder than a sack of bricks. It summed up everything I'd been through in the last five years, everything I'd spent the last year trying to get over and I couldn't believe that both you and I had gone through such a similar experience and that you'd managed to write such a beautiful song about it.
After I cried through this song, I vowed I would never cry over that situation, the last five years or that one nasty person ever again. It was like a weight had been lifted; you'd sung what I needed to hear and now it was over. Well and truly over.
In addition to helping me emotionally, you've helped me in other ways too. My body confidence has improved, and you inspire me to be more daring with my fashion choices and sense of style every day too! Your hard work and determination are also incredibly inspiring to me and encourage me to keep pursuing my own dreams too.
Anne-Marie, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. Without you, without your songs, I would not have been able to make it through 2016 as well as I have done. You have helped me get over the last five years and taught me that I am far better off without toxic people in my life dragging me down. Because of you and your music I am happier, I am stronger and I am definitely more confident too. I can't tell you how much I appreciate all you've done for me, without even realizing it, and I wish I'd got to meet you after your gig to tell you all of this in person (although me being me, I probably would have cried!) but maybe I'll get another chance to tell you one day. Your music has made 2016 a far better year for me and I hope that, now you've shared your feelings with us through your music, you start to feel better about it all too. You are amazing and I can't thank you enough.
Love from,
Florence Grace
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