Categories
College Lifestyle Music

Top 10 Unforgettable Singing Auditions

American Idol is back for their 16th season, so naturally we went scouring Youtube to compile the most memorable singing auditions we could find from our favorite singing competitions– American Idol, X-Factor, & America’s Got Talent. If you ever need to be reminded of why you should jump on the bandwagon of a show like American Idol, you’ve come to the right place. Here are a few auditions that rocked our world:

Carrie Underwood (American Idol)

Did you know Carrie had a ‘third’ nipple and clucked her way into being American Idol’s most successful winner ever? We didn’t, but we let Jesus take the wheel and he drove us straight to Carrie Underwood’s iconic audition.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Khsc-vH2wbs&t=317s

Josh Daniel (X-Factor)

One Word. Legendary. Josh brought Simon-Freaking-Cowell to tears with this emotional performance. Translation: He’s already won in our eyes.

Kelly Clarkson (American Idol)

Part time fashion designer, part time American Idol contestant, part time Grey’s Anatomy intern. She’s what we at Curtsy call a legit #GIRLBOSS. No seriously, Kelly, if we win American Idol do we get to be on Grey’s too? We’re just saying that’s something we can definitely get behind.

Paul Thomas Mitchell (Britain’s Got Talent)

When Tommy walked out the last thing we were expecting was for our jaws to drop, but hey, he sure showed us. Mitchell sang an original song for his Dad named ‘My Life’ and we’re positive the grass is greener after watching his performance.

Calum Scott (Britain’s Got Talent)

Did we mention we’re moving across the pond? Holy cow, the talented Calum Scott shook us to our core and had us screaming please for the love of God, let us dance with you.

Kimberley Locke (American Idol)

Somewhere over the rainbow you’ll find Kimberley singing her heart out to an in-awe judges panel. While season two of American Idol feels a lifetime ago, Locke still rocked our world and deserves hype for nailing this audition. Seriously, we’ve got a #girlcrush.

Grace Vanderwaal (America’s Got Talent)

If you don’t prime a ukulele after watching Grace’s performance how can you ever be sure you really know your name? This 12-year-old performing her original tune,  “I don’t know my name” is all the proof we need to believe in miracles.

Noah ‘WIG’ Davis (American Idol)

You can take a boy out of the farm, but you can’t take a boy’s dream of owning an alpaca from him. This Arkansas farm boy kicked off American Idol’s 16th season with a cover of ‘Stay’ by Rihanna and we’ve got one word for him: WIG.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bhck-t4adLU

David Francisco (American Idol)

Three weeks after moving to Nashville to chase his music dreams, David was hit by a distracted driver and paralyzed from the waist down. One day, he saw his foot wiggle while he was in bed, and since then he’s been in recovery and re-learning how to walk!  Try not to cry hearing him sing “Isn’t She Lovely?” to his fiance. Katy cried.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZgEOGLMgaI

Garrett Jacobs (American Idol)

Louisiana-native and his sweet grandma “Honey” are the cutest duo, and not to mention the voice of this 17-YEAR-OLD is one of the sweetest things we’ve ever heard. Lucky Garrett gets to Facetime his grandma with the American Idol crew to announce his trip to Hollywood.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cw5vhlPi23Y

Categories
Dating Netflix

How big of a commitment is Dating Netflix? It’s pretty BIG.

So here’s the deal friends, I’ve decided to date Netflix for a while.

To those who know me, please get your jaws off the ground. I was bound to settle down in my old age.

To those who don’t know me, I don’t know you but I can tell we are gonna have that ‘I love you b*tch. *guitar strum* I ain’t ever gonna stop loving ya, b*tch’ relationship.

So, that’s like, really cool ;D

I didn’t choose to date Netflix, they chose to date me. It happened in a blink of an eye. One moment I was studying for my midterms and then BOOM I had compiled a list of 587 movies to watch before I die.

When I came out of my procrastination fog, the realization that I just commited the worst commitment-phobe cardinal sin of all the galaxy hit me hard.  I had committed to watching 587 movies before I die. This type of commitment translates best to a Las Vegas elopement, because till death do us part, baby. 

Watch 587 movies before I die? Challenge Accepted.

Do it by myself?! Hell Naw, I’m bringing you netflix-bingers with me.

Wait, Really? Ya homie, like RLLY RLLY.

Each week I’m going to share my thoughts of a movie I watched.

NO, this isn’t a review, this is just someone venting to a friend about the latest in her dating life.

Let’s get venting, shall we?!  


Movie: BIG (1998)     Run Time: 2hrs 10mins


At this point, I’m totally in the honeymoon phase of dating Netflix.

They are buttering me up and showing me their best selves. I should care, but how could I when I just spent 2 hours of quality time with Tom Hanks.

So hey, don’t judge me but I think Netflix and I might be in this for the long haul.

BIG is about a 13 year old boy, Josh Baskin, who walked up to this creepy carnival machine called ‘Zoltar Speaks’ and wishes to be ‘BIG.’ Next day, you guessed it fam, he wakes up as a 30 year-old busting out of his PJs. Josh roughs it in NYC while he’s scared sh*tless before becoming a hotshot at a toy company.

I mean seriously this kid dances on a floor piano with the CEO, has a trampoline in his apartment, dates a girl boss, becomes a VP without a degree, hangs with Zoltar again, and heads back home 13 again.

Basically, the point of the whole movie is that Josh Baskin is a legend and we are all mere mortals.

The Vent:

  1. Zoltar is creepy AF and even 13 year old me would have been feeling squirmy so, dear sweet Josh, that was just so dumb. Like for real, take a look at Zoltar. 
  2. Josh should’ve taken a lesson from his alter ego Forrest Gump. Seriously dude,  ‘Run forrest run’ when he wakes up all man & sees his Mom.
  3. BIG is crazy good for a million reasons, but what solidified it as the real deal in my mind was Josh’s pure kindness. He may have got his wish to be ‘BIG’, but at the end of the day, Baskin was just a ‘BIG’ kid taking on the world with a bunch of jaded adults. Josh Baskin wasn’t jaded, thus making so many adults cooler because of that. Big comes down to this, as we age we are bound to experience the good, the bad, and the ugly. It’s our choice to let the ‘ugly’ jade us or to respond with pure kindness so that the world gets so much cooler for it.

Next time you’re looking to be inspired, I  recommend watching/rewatching/re-enacting BIG. The movie is a classic that everyone should see at least once in their life.

Already seen BIG? Comment your thoughts on the movie below.

Have a movie to add to my list? Email me at [email protected]

Categories
College Lifestyle INSPO

An Open Letter to My Freshman Year

Dear 3 AM,

Isn’t it funny, that you can go 18 years of your life feeling like you have it all figured out, just to find out you still don’t remember how to do your own laundry? And this is only the beginning.

Eight months ago, worries of what people might think would have kept me from putting my thoughts out for all who knew me. Today, I realize you do these things for you and not for anyone else. So here I am writing a letter, and somehow finding myself in the process.

In my first year of college, I truly realized how little I had come and how far I have to go. Leaving home for the first time eight months ago, set me out on a journey that I could have never imagined. That journey has been complicated, confusing and one heck of an adventure. This year, I have grown immensely in my understanding of myself and the chaotic life that surrounds me. These lessons have guided my freshman year and have turned in to persistent reminders on surviving life on my (almost) own.

2015-04-19-1429475568-6071687-IMG_4471.JPG
The friendships I have gained and lost in the past eight months have showed me the real blessings of the people God bestows in our journey.

To the friendships that have been lost: Remember that God has a plan and that people are truly sent into your life when you need them most and leave when their purpose is fulfilled. If your life is anything similar to mine, you will feel the absence of so many people who use to be your whole world. When you feel this absence, remember that they may just have finished their part of your story and be moving on to the next chapter of their life. Let them go, let them find their next chapter, let them become a better them, let them be great.

This lesson of letting go will be one of the biggest struggles that you will ever endure during your freshman year. You will feel like you know what’s best and that the advice of letting go is for everyone but you. You would refuse to accept the change and fight for these people to remain in your life.

One of the greatest lessons that you will ever learn is that if you actually care about these people, let them go. Let them go be great, let them grow on their own, and let them find themselves. Pray for them and be proud of them. Realize that you were blessed to know them and witness the beginning of their great life. Watch as they soar, and know you were a part of a chapter that got them to where they are today. Let that be enough.

To the gained friendships: This is what college is about (besides school, of course). Freshman year is the year you will gain the most wonderful and unique friendships in the world. You will make an abundance of those “friends for life” and you will be happier than ever to have them by your side. You will be severely confused on how you survived your first 18 years without them, and not so casually let them know that they are stuck with you for the next 60 years.

You will have your roommate who if you’re as lucky as I was, will become a best friend, your family, and the person you spend countless hours enjoying and accepting the severe Netflix addiction you both suffer from.

You will have Greek involved friends and not so Greek involved friends that will equally impact your life in all different ways.

You will have your much-needed classmate friends who will sometimes be the only reason you pass a class — be extra thankful for them, because they just took one for the team.

You will have your life of the party friends or as I like to call them “Meredith and Molly”, who will never let you forget that college is about having a good time and seizing every opportunity thrown your way.

No matter the assortment of friends you will inevitably make, you should know they are the glue to your college experience. Don’t be afraid to tell them their importance and never to let them forget how thankful you are for their existence. They rock, and they should know it.

Beyond the blessing of friendship, you will also ultimately realize the overwhelming importance of your parents.

As a freshman, you will discover that the people you couldn’t wait to not have bossing you around, are actually your rock and biggest fans. The countless hours you spent under-appreciating them will now have you spending the rest of your life letting them know how much you value and appreciate their support.

With a new found respect and appreciation of your parents, you can quite possibly make the greatest friends in the world in them. The friendship you bestow in your parents is the most genuine, empowering, and beautiful thing in the world that God gives us on earth. Sadly, it takes most of us 18 years to discover the true greatness of this friendship. With first-hand experience of having parents who have grown into my best friends, I can promise you that there is nothing more fulfilling.

In the past year, I transitioned from the daughter who all who knew me thought I would never call home, to a daughter that my parents hear from daily. These phone calls encompass some of the greatest advice, laughter, and love that I have ever experienced. Whether you’re having a rough day, a great day or even just running low on the summer cash that was supposed to last you all year, the phone call home will always be beneficial. No one on earth knows you better than the people that brought you here, so be thankful for them, and happy God gave you such a fantastic pair of built-in friends.

Freshman year is tough, yet amazing, and your biggest fans want nothing more than to know all about it, so don’t hesitate to share. Don’t take these guys for granted, they’re the most important people God has given you.

Lastly, if there were anything in the world that I could have engraved in my mind during these past eight months, it would be to love yourself unconditionally and never to forget to see your self-worth. When you begin a new journey and lose your comfort zone in a matter of seconds, your self-love is truly tested.

This is the time you should remind yourself that no matter what is happening in your life, loving yourself and seeing your value should always be first and foremost.

If you are anything like myself, you struggle with this concept and seeing the truth in those words on an almost daily basis. You constantly compare yourself to the skinnier, the prettier, and more talented people around you. These comparisons are nothing but a warped perception of judgments you make and have no serious meaning to anyone but you. In these moments, don’t lose sight of your great attributes. God gave you this life, body, and characteristics for a purpose, and we all should take pride in his work and not devalue oneself from a skewed perception in our head.

Loving oneself is a constant battle that requires constant effort and endless do-overs. I would tell myself to not let others define your value and always to stand up for the things that matter to you. You are in charge of loving yourself, and no one can or should be in charge of creating a value to you. In the end, freshman year is tough, and you must always fight to believe in yourself. You must not forget to love yourself as much as you love others.

This year doesn’t define who you will always be, but it’s a beginning of a great journey. Your journey isn’t always going to be easy, and in those not so easy moments you must remember to have confidence in yourself. As long as you have confidence, you will always be able to overcome the day on top. So remind yourself that you got this, and you’re killing it on your (almost) own.

To wrap up this never-ending, yet essential letter I have written to not only you, but also myself, I ask that we remember that this is just the beginning. You have only just begun this journey, and you have all the power in the world to make it the most beautiful, unique and impactful adventure. God has given you everything in his possible power to succeed and sore. Take advantage of the blessings of friendship, the great parents you have, and the value in yourself that he has bestowed in your life.

Laugh a lot, cry a little, and continue to make the memories of a lifetime. Always choose to live by your rules, and let others live by their own. This is your time, your moment, your life, and you’re going to be great. So be proud of yourself, you’re surviving on your (almost) own for the first time in your life.

You may not realize it now, but you’re leading only a life that you can lead, and freshman year is only the beginning of your kick-ass story.

Sincerely,

4 AM & exhausted.

Categories
Music

Drake’s God’s Plan Music Video Has Us Cryin In The Club

We didn’t think things could get any better after Drake taught us YOLO in 8th grade, but then he went and dropped God’s Plan music video just to remind us why he’s literally a legend. Seriously, never did we think we’d be cryin in the club over watching a rap video but even the hardest hearts would feel while watching Drake give away $1 million dollars.

We may all be cryin, but one thing’s for sure after watching the ‘God’s Plan’ music video, Drake’s making a comeback & we’re. all. here. for. it.  See for yourself…

https://twitter.com/jnthnwll/status/966701483784900608

https://twitter.com/juliettep0rter/status/965250847620952064

https://twitter.com/officialiskie/status/964905214598926336

 

 

 

Categories
INSPO

Don’t FORGET you are ALWAYS Somebody’s Role Model

So today I was checking out at Wal-Mart, and making small talk with the cute, little old cashier. During our short moment together I learned she was a retired professor from a small college in Oregon, her children moved her down to Fayetteville to be closer to her grandkids, and she often got bored during the day, so she applied to work at Wal-Mart to pass the time. She went on to tell me how she wanted to work at THIS particular Wal-Mart so she could meet ‘all the kids going to school.’

As my items were bagged and my total was paid, I said goodbye to the cutest old lady I had ever met. I begin to walk away with my bags in tow, when I heard her raise her voice and tell me,

“DON’T FORGET YOU’RE ALWAYS SOMEBODY’S ROLE MODEL”

It felt like an odd thing for someone I hardly knew to say to me, but it also felt empowering.

I chose to tell you all about this story because just like the cute old lady said to me, we are always somebodies role model. Maybe you are the role model for a younger sibling, a friend, a classmate, a teacher, a community, perhaps even a stranger. That is the beauty of the little old lady’s statement—we are role models for some we don’t even know. I hope we all take a note out of the old lady’s handbook and pursue our best selves.

I hope we pursue our best selves for so many reasons. When we are pursuing a better us, we are changing for the better. We are putting our best foot forward. When we put our best foot forward we have the power to impact so many beautiful lives.

LIVES that are struggling.

LIVES that are lost. LIVES that are thriving.

LIVES that are in need of a role model.

So take a chance on a better you because you are always somebody’s role model.

Categories
#GirlBoss Guide

An Open Letter to My Summer Internship

Dear Restless,

I’ve always been a question girl, but the thing about asking questions is you never know if they will be answered. Last Spring, I would jog through my college town. On these jogs, my mind would race with the questions I was scared to ask sitting still. Why am I restless in my life? What’s next?  God, can you open a door of opportunity?  I’d promise to sprint through any open doors of opportunity.

And then Curtsy called. I’d worked for them as a Campus Director over the past year at Arkansas. Curtsy is an app that lets girls rent dresses from one another in their area. The semester was over, and they were calling me out of the blue. They opened a teal painted door and offered me a summer internship in San Francisco. I wasn’t going to stand there and let it close. I hardly listened to them telling me the reasons not to take it before sprinting through my open door screaming  “heck yes.”

I was going to San Francisco. 

My first couple weeks, I constantly asked my team to push me. Give me more. Challenge me. I’d run after work and the city was covered in fog. Some days it would clear, revealing a beautiful sunset over the Golden Gate.  One night, I realized I didn’t need others to push me. I could push myself.  I felt as if my own fog lifted, revealing my own unmistakably authentic sunset.  I realized that the sun sets every day no matter what is blocking us from seeing it. If I could remind myself one thing everyday this summer it would’ve been to allow your sun to set regardless of the fog in your own life.

Be like those sunsets, relentless as hell and unmistakably authentic.

Katy Perry always told me I’m a firework but I never understood what she meant. Until this summer.  A firework is blindingly bright, daringly bold, and strangely inspiring. This summer I lived and worked in a crowd of exploding human fireworks. They believed the bolder the better. Their ideology was infectious: boldness is confidence. So often I get caught up in my own insecurities and am afraid to be daringly bold.

This summer I learned that surrounding myself with bold people made me believe in my own boldness.

There is nothing more beautiful than watching someone choose to become daringly bold. It’s freaking magical when we choose to let our ideas and dreams become fireworks in the sky.


To be friendly as hell looks less like a firework and more like a picnic in the park. Picnics are more than walking into the park and throwing a blanket on the ground. They take planning, intention, and sincerity to bring the magic to life. The same goes for friendliness. Without planning, intention, and sincerity your friendliness leaves no mark on those you encounter. For two months I was surrounded by people who approached every interaction with this type of friendliness. It changed my life. This type of friendliness fosters feelings of genuine value, utter awe, and pure magic within myself. I found myself spreading their kindness to all I could. It’s why I hope you & I  take time to be the wow in other’s days. I promise you, the road less traveled leads to the best picnic in the park.

I want to live my life like that teal house in San Francisco does. The teal house in San Francisco is unmistakably authentic, daringly bold, and friendly as hell.

Instead of feeling restlessness on my runs this summer, I felt awe and inspiration. I found myself taking the road less traveled to the best picnic spot in town, watching the sunsets, and staying for the teal fireworks.

Curtsy, you crept into my heart, you filled it with awe, sewed it up, and painted it with a fresh coat of teal paint. Thank you for the game changing, life changing, wow factor-ing, any other cliche way to say, the best summer of my life.


Sincerely,

Inspired