All right. This is something that has been bugging me for the longest time, and it might get off-topic/complicated/whatever, but just bare with me here.

I am SO SICK of my "friends" telling me to stop listening to *N Sync, how much they suck, that not listening to them, does wonders for the soul, etc. To which I reply, "Why?" Why should I stop listening to music that I like just for them? I personally do not like Ja Rule and Sum 41, yet the majority of my school does. I was probably the only person in the entire school who could not stand "What's Luv?" But I don't go around telling them, "Oh, Ja Rule sucks. Why do you listen to him? I can't stand Sum 41." I don't do that because I respect their opinions, and the fact that everybody has different tastes. Then how come I don't get the same respect? And when I explained all of that to one of my friends, she was all, "Sorry...PMS?" NO! I'm sorry, but that's the way I feel.

*N Sync's music has really helped me through some tough times, from the minor every day little problems to the bigger ones, like losing a best friend, among many other things. It is music that makes me feel good, that makes me feel better about myself. For those reasons I know that I will remain loyal to them, even long after they are no longer "cool." Contrary to what some people say, I do not just like them because they are popular. When I first started listening to them, it was when they were recording Celebrity, so they weren't even really doing anything to maintain that popularity status. I honestly enjoy their music, their voices, their harmonies. I should not have to give up that enjoyment for anyone.

Also, it irks me to no end when I hear people saying that pop music isn't "real." There is NO SUCH THING as fake music. I may not care for Ja Rule's music, but I don't go around calling it "fake." All music is real. As long as what the artist is singing/rapping/screaming, it comes from the heart. If there is a beat, a melody, harmony - that is real music. Not liking a type of music and calling it "fake" are two entirely different things.

And tell me this: Which is more fake? Listening to music that I like, that makes me feel good, that has gotten me through the bad times? Or listening to music that I honestly can't stand just to get my friends off of my back? In a way, are my friends telling me to be a person who really isn't me? Isn't that fake?

Finally, song writing. Don't get me wrong, it's great if a singer writes his own music. Good for him. But I don't see why people start saying how terrible it is if somebody else writes an artist's songs. Big deal! What are you going to say? "Hey, this is a great song! Grammy-winning material. But, oh, sorry, I can't use it because I have to write my own music?" No, that's stupid. So many great singers did not write their own music: Judy Garland, Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra. But nobody minds now, and nobody minded then. They're legends, and they had beautiful voices. I play the flute, and I consider myself to be a pretty good flutist. I have had people across the country compliment me, and I made 6th out of 88 in All-State Band last year. But I don't write my own music, and does anybody hold that against me? Does that ruin my credibility, lessen my talent or skill? Of course not!

In conclusion, I would just like to say this: I respect everyone's opinion, their taste in music. All I ask is that they respect mine.