The MTV Video Music Awards were held yesterday, and Tori Kelly graced the stage with her presence for one of the performances. Now because this post was written before Sunday I'm not able to fully comment on her performance, but I wanted to use her story for todays Music Monday motivation.

Unlike most of us who have grown up in the 9-5 world and now want to escape the cubicle, Tori began her singing career at a young age. Although one might say it was to her advantage to have started at a young age, she was also exposed to rejection at that tender age. I don't know about you, but if someone basically said I wasn't good enough in my pre-teen years, my confidence would've been shot. However she didn't only pick herself back up, she went on to audition for the American Idol, and was once again rejected. (I did read however that the choice to exit the show was her own. Feel free to read about it here.)  

When it comes to music, a gift that can seem a dime a dozen, it's sometimes hard to keep the conviction that it's actually what you are meant to do. A scene from the movie "Sister Act 2" comes to mind when Lauren Hill's character's mom expressed that every other girl in the neighbourhood can sing, what makes you special? So I pose this question to you, what makes you special? You need to believe and have the conviction that what you have to offer is special enough to keep pushing regardless of popular opinion (including your mama's). 

That conviction is what will enable you to see possibilities where others don't. And let me add to that that social media is the way of the future. Gone are the days of SWV who recorded their demo on a cassette (remember those, lol), mailed it to a bunch of record labels, and were lucky enough to get a call back. Todays artists are being found on YouTube. That's how Tori Kelly eventually got picked up, and that's also how Usher discovered Justin Bieber. 

So there's two takeaways I want you to walk away with. One, your self-belief and conviction need to be on fleek, as in, can't nobody tell you nothing! Secondly, put yourself out there. With the help of social media you can tweet execs directly! Find the twitter account of whose attention you're seeking, then tweet the link to your material that you want noticed. Sound simple? It is. Is it easy? Not necessarily. But if you dig for something hard enough, you'll eventually come out with something. 

Be blessed!