The person to blame for my love for all things music, would have to be my dad. My mom loves music, but my dad was the one who blasted music so loud that my mother had to teach me to go to sleep based off of whether the light was on or not. That never faded by the way, I can still fall asleep in some of the loudest settings. As a black girl, I grew up in a racist world where people made derogatory remarks in reference to my skin tone. I hadn't always coped with it well, but eventually I began to listen to music. I listened no matter how I felt, and it would just make me feel so much better. It would lift me up, regardless of how upset I was. One of my favorite things about my family is that we're all musically inclined. I love to sing and dance right along with my parents, older brothers and younger sisters. Birthday parties tend to feature karaoke almost every year. It ranges from Lauryn Hill to Nicki Minaj. The generation doesn't matter to us, it's just a matter of whether it's good or not. Music is a huge part of my life, and I wouldn't change it for the world.

– Khalilah Irving

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