Music is so much more than the lyrics and chords it contains. Each song has an unique, underlying meaning, one that people around the world can relate to. In eighth grade when I had spinal-fusion surgery, I was essentially isolated from my friends for over six weeks while I healed. This was an overwhelmingly lonely time in my life, and I felt like no one else understood what I was going through. However, with all my free-time, I could endlessly forage through Spotify. Through this scavenging, I found the artists and songs that helped me through that dark time and shaped me into the person I am today. They helped me realize that I was not alone in the way I was feeling. Although my music taste has changed since the days of Taylor Swift and Katy Perry, music has continued to act as a safe haven when I'm feeling down. In other instances however, music has brought me closer than ever with my best friends, literally. At a music festival in Atlanta, called Music Midtown, my friends and I spent all weekend surrounded by and squished between thousands of other music lovers. My friend Nicole and I are huge fans of Billie Eilish, an angsty seventeen-year-old with the voice of an angel. That weekend, she was set to play on the smallest stage of the festival, so Nicole and I got there earlier to snag a good spot. While we weren’t front row, we were close enough to clearly see our idol in all her glory. As her set time grew closer, more and more people began to show up, packing everyone together like sardines. The crowd moved as one, jumping to the beat and screaming all Billie’s lyrics. In that moment, I realized that music would always be a way to bring people together and make me feel happier.