Let it be known that the men of VoicePlay have a crazy way of making me alter my writing plans. I was going to write a few more country related posts before writing about them again, but then they released this. After watching it for the first time, I knew it had to be my next post. "I Love Me" has already become one of my favorite videos of theirs; in fact, it may actually be my overall favorite. This, my friends, is saying something.
Not having ever heard the song before, I had no thoughts about it going in. That said, there were two things that made me really excited to watch it. The first one being that if you've been paying attention, you'll know that Tony has been MIA from the last few videos. Long enough to send a good portion of the VoicePlay fan collective into a serious case of Wakim withdrawals. Well, let us all rejoice because Houston? We have a Tony!
To that end, if you haven't already been made aware of it, Tony and Layne have started a video production company called Patty Cake Productions. They released their first video last month. It's the first in a series of Unexpected Musicals and it's incredibly well done, so go check it out, would you? You can watch it here. If you like it, be sure to share it. Like their Facebook page, follow them on Instagram and subscribe to their YouTube channel. Okay? Okay.
I must admit that I didn't realize how much I'd missed hearing and seeing all five of them together. Or how much I'd missed Tony's voice in general. It did my heart good to have them all back together again. What could possibly be better?
I'll tell you what could be better. All of the men of VoicePlay with the fabulous Emoni. Some of you reading this are already familiar with her, so y'all know that she's wonderful. I'm excited for those of you who have never heard her sing. Oh boy, are you all in for a treat. Emoni is not only a gifted vocalist, but an all around beautiful human being. Here's the thing: you're going to watch this and think you know what an incredible singer she is, but you won't. Not completely. Because as wonderful sounds in this, she sounds better live. Plus, there are some people who just radiate light and love and Emoni is one of them.
Here's how this is going to go down. You're going to watch this video and you're going to watch it all the way to the very end. Both because you should always watch until the very end, but especially because Emoni has a very important message for you. Yes, you. The person reading this right now. This is something that you need to hear. Maybe it'll be the first time anyone has said anything like this to you. Or maybe it's just been a while and you've forgotten. Either way, you need to hear it.
I've already lost count of how many times I've watched this. I can't seem to get enough. Maybe I'll be watching it yet again whenever you read this. In which case, we'll be watching together. We'll giggle a few times together. Maybe dance along because this song is super catchy. And when Emoni comes back on at the very end, we'll all be crying together. It'll be beautiful. Go watch.
If I had to pick one video that I thought perfectly captured the magic that is VoicePlay, this is it. It has everything. A great arrangement, courtesy of Layne. Rhythm section on point. Great harmonies. You get to hear each person sing lead for at least a line. Lots of personality. Fun video concept. Silliness. And then, being a part of this movement. Giving Emoni a platform to talk about something so important. As much as all us VoicePlayas love them for their antics, we love them more for who they are. A group of good dudes with good hearts. We're going to circle back to what Emoni said at the end, but first, I wanted to talk about the musical portion of the video.
You know, this isn't the first time they've teamed up with Emoni. She was with them on their first Sing Off Tour and has been in two of their other videos: "Can't Believe It" and "Love On Top". They're both great, so I definitely recommend checking them out. Last month, I declared that Eli was the King of the Vocal Run and after watching those videos again? I obviously have no choice but to name Emoni, Queen of the Vocal Run. I could listen to her sing absolutely anything.
Did you watch all of the stories? Hmm? If you didn't, you really should because there's a lot of great moments that didn't make the main cut. At this moment in time, my favorite story is Layne's. I reserve the right to change my mind and imagine that they'll all have their turns as favorite. But right now, it's Layne. That shot of him holding up the comb and straightening iron just does me in. That said, Geoff's story is a very close second. Can we all agree that Geoff's dancing moves have been some of the greatest things to happen to their videos? There's the finger dancing in this one, lab coat Geoff ("Lightbulb") and my personal favorite: apron Geoff ("Still Alive").
Other favorite moments from this? Earl and Tony with their hairbrush microphones. Though not gonna lie, as a glasses wearer myself, casually throwing your glasses like Eli did? Bad. I don't wear contacts and have never tried, but I'm pretty sure that it would go exactly how it went in Eli's story. And I can definitely relate to Emoni's makeup woes in hers. From wanting to pack it on to hide all the flaws to having it not go on the way you wanted it to. All in all, this is a wonderful cover that's fun to listen to with a video that's fun to watch.
So how about that message from Emoni at the end? It's funny the way things happen. A few hours before I watched "I Love Me" for the first time, I was thinking about how much I hate my hands. If you know me, you know that I have rheumatoid arthritis. It's taken a toll on all of my joints, but my hands are where you can actually see it. Primarily the right; the left is more "normal". They're definitely one of the things I'm the most insecure about. There's others.
In fact, I could give you a laundry list of all the things that I don't like about myself. Of my insecurities. As a blogger, I probably shouldn't admit this, but I'm starting to think that sharing your insecurities could actually help you deal with them. So I'll say it: I'm insecure about my writing. Sometimes I'll hold off on sharing a post because of it.
You know, I came so close to not uploading my last post about VoicePlay. If you read it, you know that it was super personal. It was about what they mean to me and how they help me deal with my RA. I shared things about my battle with RA that I usually only talk about within the RA community. The thought of other people reading it made me want to throw up. But after all that worrying, I ended up getting a couple of the sweetest comments I've ever gotten about anything I've written. There's something amazing about opening up about something you're dealing with and having it well received. Even if only by one person. But I'd also be lying if I said the thought of other people reading it didn't still made me a little queasy.
Is any of this resonating with you? Do you, too, have a laundry list of your flaws? Of the things you don't like about yourself? If asked to come up with things that you do like/love about yourself, do you struggle to come up with any? Are you like me in that you tend to add a "but" to whatever you do come up with? For example, my eyes are my favorite physical feature, but I think they're a little too close together. I like what color they are (hazel), but I think I'd like them more if they were completely green instead. Or hey, maybe someone liked something I wrote. But that probably has more to do with the artist I wrote about instead of my writing.
Do you manage to dream up flaws that don't actually exist? Here's one for ya: the other day, I was seriously contemplating whether my knees looked weird or not. Keep it mind that never have I ever looked at another person and thought, 'oh, well they'd be attractive, but what's up with those knees?!' Nor have I ever looked at someone and thought 'now those are some nice knees'. In fact, I can't say that I've ever given knees any serious thought. I'm not sure what constitutes a "weird" looking knee, but there I was, judging my own anyway. Do you do that? Maybe not with knees, but with anything?
Do you think that you matter? Or do you feel like a waste of space? Do you find yourself expecting people not to like you; not because of anything you did, but because you think there's something wrong with you? Do you ever feel like you have to apologize for simply existing? Do you sometimes not speak up because you don't think anyone cares about what you have to say? Or that there's no point because it wouldn't come out right and you'd just sound stupid? Do you think that you are stupid? Do you think that you're ugly or that you don't deserve to be loved? Do you feel alone?
Emoni made me think of something I heard author Jon Acuff say a while back. It was along the lines of how kids grow up thinking that they're awesome until they're told otherwise. I think he's right. My dad told me about a time we went to some kind of festival our school was having. I must've been pretty young because I have no memory of it. There was some guy dressed as a dragon or something and he popped out of somewhere growling at us. And I apparently growled right back at him. I also used to walk around backwards and tell everyone that I was stuck in reverse. I didn't care about whether anyone else thought it was weird or not. I just did it.
I was fine being myself until I wasn't anymore. I don't know exactly when it happened though it must've been sometime during my teen years. I don't remember how exactly it happened, but it happened. Those questions I asked you? They're things that I struggle with. All of them. So if you answered yes to any of them, here's the good news: you're not alone.
Did you listen to what Emoni told you? You are fearfully and wonderfully made. You. The person reading this. Read it again: you are fearfully and wonderfully made. Let that sink in. I don't know when you stopped believing it or why. I don't know what it is that you struggle with, but whatever it is, I know that you're not the only one. I know that whatever it is that it doesn't define or decrease your worth. I know that you were not a mistake. Oh, you may have made some; we all have. But you're not one yourself. You have a purpose. I know that there is a plan for your life, even if it doesn't feel that way. I know that you're beautiful and that you deserve to be loved. I know that you're enough and always have been. I know that you always will be. I know that you matter and that your life matters.
It's okay to be yourself. And it's okay if you're not okay right now. Just know that there's help. 1-800-273-talk. http://www.wemattermovement.org/ You heard her: Emoni loves you. The men of VoicePlay love you. And for whatever it's worth? I love you. You matter. Don't listen to anything or anyone that tries to tell you differently. You matter. All of us matter. Believe that.
Stay in touch and up to date with Emoni and VoicePlay below.
Emoni's links:
Website
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
VoicePlay's:
Website
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
YouTube
Patreon
To that end, if you haven't already been made aware of it, Tony and Layne have started a video production company called Patty Cake Productions. They released their first video last month. It's the first in a series of Unexpected Musicals and it's incredibly well done, so go check it out, would you? You can watch it here. If you like it, be sure to share it. Like their Facebook page, follow them on Instagram and subscribe to their YouTube channel. Okay? Okay.
I must admit that I didn't realize how much I'd missed hearing and seeing all five of them together. Or how much I'd missed Tony's voice in general. It did my heart good to have them all back together again. What could possibly be better?
I'll tell you what could be better. All of the men of VoicePlay with the fabulous Emoni. Some of you reading this are already familiar with her, so y'all know that she's wonderful. I'm excited for those of you who have never heard her sing. Oh boy, are you all in for a treat. Emoni is not only a gifted vocalist, but an all around beautiful human being. Here's the thing: you're going to watch this and think you know what an incredible singer she is, but you won't. Not completely. Because as wonderful sounds in this, she sounds better live. Plus, there are some people who just radiate light and love and Emoni is one of them.
Here's how this is going to go down. You're going to watch this video and you're going to watch it all the way to the very end. Both because you should always watch until the very end, but especially because Emoni has a very important message for you. Yes, you. The person reading this right now. This is something that you need to hear. Maybe it'll be the first time anyone has said anything like this to you. Or maybe it's just been a while and you've forgotten. Either way, you need to hear it.
I've already lost count of how many times I've watched this. I can't seem to get enough. Maybe I'll be watching it yet again whenever you read this. In which case, we'll be watching together. We'll giggle a few times together. Maybe dance along because this song is super catchy. And when Emoni comes back on at the very end, we'll all be crying together. It'll be beautiful. Go watch.
If I had to pick one video that I thought perfectly captured the magic that is VoicePlay, this is it. It has everything. A great arrangement, courtesy of Layne. Rhythm section on point. Great harmonies. You get to hear each person sing lead for at least a line. Lots of personality. Fun video concept. Silliness. And then, being a part of this movement. Giving Emoni a platform to talk about something so important. As much as all us VoicePlayas love them for their antics, we love them more for who they are. A group of good dudes with good hearts. We're going to circle back to what Emoni said at the end, but first, I wanted to talk about the musical portion of the video.
You know, this isn't the first time they've teamed up with Emoni. She was with them on their first Sing Off Tour and has been in two of their other videos: "Can't Believe It" and "Love On Top". They're both great, so I definitely recommend checking them out. Last month, I declared that Eli was the King of the Vocal Run and after watching those videos again? I obviously have no choice but to name Emoni, Queen of the Vocal Run. I could listen to her sing absolutely anything.
Did you watch all of the stories? Hmm? If you didn't, you really should because there's a lot of great moments that didn't make the main cut. At this moment in time, my favorite story is Layne's. I reserve the right to change my mind and imagine that they'll all have their turns as favorite. But right now, it's Layne. That shot of him holding up the comb and straightening iron just does me in. That said, Geoff's story is a very close second. Can we all agree that Geoff's dancing moves have been some of the greatest things to happen to their videos? There's the finger dancing in this one, lab coat Geoff ("Lightbulb") and my personal favorite: apron Geoff ("Still Alive").
Other favorite moments from this? Earl and Tony with their hairbrush microphones. Though not gonna lie, as a glasses wearer myself, casually throwing your glasses like Eli did? Bad. I don't wear contacts and have never tried, but I'm pretty sure that it would go exactly how it went in Eli's story. And I can definitely relate to Emoni's makeup woes in hers. From wanting to pack it on to hide all the flaws to having it not go on the way you wanted it to. All in all, this is a wonderful cover that's fun to listen to with a video that's fun to watch.
So how about that message from Emoni at the end? It's funny the way things happen. A few hours before I watched "I Love Me" for the first time, I was thinking about how much I hate my hands. If you know me, you know that I have rheumatoid arthritis. It's taken a toll on all of my joints, but my hands are where you can actually see it. Primarily the right; the left is more "normal". They're definitely one of the things I'm the most insecure about. There's others.
In fact, I could give you a laundry list of all the things that I don't like about myself. Of my insecurities. As a blogger, I probably shouldn't admit this, but I'm starting to think that sharing your insecurities could actually help you deal with them. So I'll say it: I'm insecure about my writing. Sometimes I'll hold off on sharing a post because of it.
You know, I came so close to not uploading my last post about VoicePlay. If you read it, you know that it was super personal. It was about what they mean to me and how they help me deal with my RA. I shared things about my battle with RA that I usually only talk about within the RA community. The thought of other people reading it made me want to throw up. But after all that worrying, I ended up getting a couple of the sweetest comments I've ever gotten about anything I've written. There's something amazing about opening up about something you're dealing with and having it well received. Even if only by one person. But I'd also be lying if I said the thought of other people reading it didn't still made me a little queasy.
Is any of this resonating with you? Do you, too, have a laundry list of your flaws? Of the things you don't like about yourself? If asked to come up with things that you do like/love about yourself, do you struggle to come up with any? Are you like me in that you tend to add a "but" to whatever you do come up with? For example, my eyes are my favorite physical feature, but I think they're a little too close together. I like what color they are (hazel), but I think I'd like them more if they were completely green instead. Or hey, maybe someone liked something I wrote. But that probably has more to do with the artist I wrote about instead of my writing.
Do you manage to dream up flaws that don't actually exist? Here's one for ya: the other day, I was seriously contemplating whether my knees looked weird or not. Keep it mind that never have I ever looked at another person and thought, 'oh, well they'd be attractive, but what's up with those knees?!' Nor have I ever looked at someone and thought 'now those are some nice knees'. In fact, I can't say that I've ever given knees any serious thought. I'm not sure what constitutes a "weird" looking knee, but there I was, judging my own anyway. Do you do that? Maybe not with knees, but with anything?
Do you think that you matter? Or do you feel like a waste of space? Do you find yourself expecting people not to like you; not because of anything you did, but because you think there's something wrong with you? Do you ever feel like you have to apologize for simply existing? Do you sometimes not speak up because you don't think anyone cares about what you have to say? Or that there's no point because it wouldn't come out right and you'd just sound stupid? Do you think that you are stupid? Do you think that you're ugly or that you don't deserve to be loved? Do you feel alone?
Emoni made me think of something I heard author Jon Acuff say a while back. It was along the lines of how kids grow up thinking that they're awesome until they're told otherwise. I think he's right. My dad told me about a time we went to some kind of festival our school was having. I must've been pretty young because I have no memory of it. There was some guy dressed as a dragon or something and he popped out of somewhere growling at us. And I apparently growled right back at him. I also used to walk around backwards and tell everyone that I was stuck in reverse. I didn't care about whether anyone else thought it was weird or not. I just did it.
I was fine being myself until I wasn't anymore. I don't know exactly when it happened though it must've been sometime during my teen years. I don't remember how exactly it happened, but it happened. Those questions I asked you? They're things that I struggle with. All of them. So if you answered yes to any of them, here's the good news: you're not alone.
Did you listen to what Emoni told you? You are fearfully and wonderfully made. You. The person reading this. Read it again: you are fearfully and wonderfully made. Let that sink in. I don't know when you stopped believing it or why. I don't know what it is that you struggle with, but whatever it is, I know that you're not the only one. I know that whatever it is that it doesn't define or decrease your worth. I know that you were not a mistake. Oh, you may have made some; we all have. But you're not one yourself. You have a purpose. I know that there is a plan for your life, even if it doesn't feel that way. I know that you're beautiful and that you deserve to be loved. I know that you're enough and always have been. I know that you always will be. I know that you matter and that your life matters.
It's okay to be yourself. And it's okay if you're not okay right now. Just know that there's help. 1-800-273-talk. http://www.wemattermovement.org/ You heard her: Emoni loves you. The men of VoicePlay love you. And for whatever it's worth? I love you. You matter. Don't listen to anything or anyone that tries to tell you differently. You matter. All of us matter. Believe that.
Stay in touch and up to date with Emoni and VoicePlay below.
Emoni's links:
Website
VoicePlay's:
Website
YouTube
Patreon
Comments
Post a Comment