Rex.

I don't know what it is about him. Maybe, it could be the way he looks like someone who you went to college with. Our while you were rushing to work or meeting a friend, you passed him by. That's the allure of someone like him. He is an everyday man speaking about the pains and anxieties that come with life. Like many of us, he is confused and lost in trying to navigate his way through it. Ironically, at certain times in my life, I come to him for guidance - to tell me what I'm feeling because it feels so foreign to me. I seek refuge in him mostly because he puts what I'm experiencing into words all while making them catchy. This allows me to laugh at my situation - or to be a third party in the obstacles I am currently facing. I become a casual observer of a challenge in my own life through his songs.

The first time I listened to this wise soul - I was going through a rough patch. I had gotten out of an unhealthy relationship and I was wandering from one person after the other. "Relationship" is a generous word to use because it wasn't that at all. It was a series of companionships because I thought I needed someone to be truly happy. Little did I know that wasn't the case. I listened to "Uno" on a cold, Columbia night. Deep in my feelings -as I was walking back to my apartment. I was in "love" with someone who didn't love me. In the midst of a break down , I didn't know was really happening is a jarring feeling. I was unsure who I was or even what I wanted. I was severely unhappy - seeking happiness in lackluster relationships and other vices. Then the first line hit me:

Yeah, I don't know where to start

How do you admit that you're falling apart?

I mean, how will I admit that I'm falling apart?

Refreshing, right? It was like my inner consciousness seeped into my Spotify and shot back out at me.

The first part is admitting it - admitting you are on the verge of a breakdown. Finding the courage and the inner strength to admit something is wrong is the hardest part. And the second hardest thing to do? Work towards fixing it. This song was instrumental in making me step back and realize I was unhappy. This man's lyrics were simple, blunt and the weird wake up call I needed. The song reflected everything I was feeling - but it wasn't me who was singing. It wasn't me who wrote the lyrics. It was someone else. Someone else was experiencing this pain - I hadn't labeled for so long. I come back to him when I'm feeling a certain way. He gives me reassurance. He gives me hope that there is a new beginning - but in order to get there a want to get better has to be there. But the first step is that acknowledgement and self-awareness. From there, the real process of moving forward begins. Thanks, Rex. For putting those words on paper - the words I've been feeling for a while.