Meredith O'Connor embraces her unique qualities in her album, "I Am"
Anti-bullying/mental health icon Meredith O'Connor is a role model to her fans around the world. Millions of people adore her music, and several of her followers have claimed that it helped them survive hardships like bullying and social isolation. Henceforth, the release of her album, "I Am" is primarily about overcoming obstacles and embracing one's individual qualities. It was released on Friday 23 October 2015.
Bullying is a topic that Meredith is incredibly passionate about since it is so personal to her. Meredith has travelled the nation as an anti-bullying crusader, speaking at schools about her own experiences being tormented in addition to her musical performances.
Meredith acknowledges that she has battled with bullying since she was young age 6, but she gives no further details, other than to claim that she has experienced abuse and taunting for being "weird," for being different, and for not conforming to stereotypes. She claims that one of the things that has set her apart from her friends is the fact that she always gravitated toward the theatre and performing arts extracurriculars in high school, never sports. She also noted that she is special,
“I wish I could tell kids that if you wait 2, maybe 3 more years, none of this will matter, and it will be the things that make you different that end up making you cool." Meredith O' Connor
She wanted to let everyone know that it is okay to be different. We often compare our lives to others and sometimes we try to copy them. We often ask ourselves if there is something wrong with being yourself but as we will see throughout the album, Meredith was brave enough to share her uniqueness with the world.
The Track List highlights her unique qualities.
One of my favorite songs is I Am. The song is catchy and upbeat mixed with a fast-paced piano instrument playing throughout the song. Moreover, the song is about Meredith realizing that she does not have to compromise who she is for anyone. She has learned to embrace who she is. Her light vocals throughout the song reflect that. For instance, in the lyrics, she says:
She changes her tone towards the bridge of the lyrics. Her vocals sort of become deep and powerful. Furthermore, she is starting to see that she doesn't need to change who she is hence why she says in the bridge of the lyrics:
Throughout the track, Meredith proves that she is indeed who she is hence the repetition of the phrase, "I am, I am, I am, what I am". Personally, I Am serves as a good intro for the album because it sets the tone for the album which is embracing unique qualities.
Meredith 0'Connor donated all her proceeds from the album to The Carol Galvin Foundation a women's cancer organisation. The song, "Guardian Angel" is written explicitly for the foundation as stated by Richard Galvin on LinkedIn. He is the founder of the organisation. Furthermore, the foundation is in honour of his mother, whom he lost to cancer when he was 11. As a result, the song, "Guardian Angel" is another significant track in the album. Musical instruments such as a piano and violin playing in the background set the tone to be deep. Meredith presents her calm and simple vocals as she sings in the chorus:
As she sings, it gives everyone a chance to remember their loved ones.
Another track that caught my attention is "Just the Thing". Meredith O'Connor opens up a lot more about her character. For instance, in the lyrics, she said:
Meredith decides to open up more about her mental health, OCD. Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental and behavioural disorder in which a person experiences intrusive thoughts (an obsession) and the need to repeatedly engage in certain behaviours (compulsions) to alleviate the distress that the obsession causes, to the point where it impairs daily functioning. Meredith is an advocate for mental health so this song makes it even more significant to listen to. Not to mention, the song is sweet and short to listen to.
Face That’s Perfect is also a nice track to listen to. The lyrics are also easy to understand as well.
Stronger was a meaningful track to listen to. There was a musical chemistry between Meredith O’Connor and Garret Clayton. However, I don’t see myself playing it daily but just hear and there.
Songs such as Distraction, 14 Miles and Unforgettable Night seem to be worthy tracks to listen to. As a first-time listener, I will need time to appreciate the tracks.
The Game was all right. However, I felt like something was missing. Plus, I kind of got lost in understanding the meaning of the track especially since it was my first time listening to the track.
In a nutshell, I Am is a significant album to listen to. It highlights the unique qualities Meredith O'Connor has. As an anti-bullying/mental health icon, I believe she managed to highlight the messages she wanted to send to her listeners. Songs such as I Am were worthy to listen to. Other songs such as The Game were all right to listen to. Therefore, I would rate the album around 6.5 / 10.
