So… I’m dancing to Lady GaGa in my room, and I just danced to Bad Romance and I still remember every step of the dance she does in the chorus and the walk walk fashion baby part.

I bet Mother Monster would be so proud of me.

Music.

Pick 10 artists BEFORE reading the questions:

1) The Beatles

2) Cobra Starship

3) Lady GaGa

4) Katy Perry

5) Florence + The Machine

6) John Mayer

7) Gorillaz

8) Taylor Swift

9) Mike Posner

10) Maroon 5

What was the first song you ever heard by 6?

When You’re Dreaming With A Broken Heart

What is your favorite song of 8?

Enchanted

What kind of impact has 1 left on your life?

A pretty big one, I’d say. I’d very sporadically started listening to The Beatles, but just before this summer I finally got all the remastered albums on iTunes. And I fell in love with them ever since. I think The Beatles helped me grow up. Especially with their later albums (The White Album, Let It Be and such). There are never times when I don’t feel like listening to The Beatles. I always want to listen to them.

What are your favorite lyrics of 5?

I took the stars from my eyes
and then I made a map
I knew that some how
I could find my way back

then I heard your heart beating
you were in the darkness too
so I stayed in the darkness with you

(Cosmic Love)

How many times have you seen 4 live?

Once, last March.

What is your favorite song by 7?

On Melancholy Hill

Is there any song by 3 that makes you sad?

Speechless. Especially the one where she performs it at the Royal Variety Show.

What is your favorite song by 9?

Cooler Than Me. It was the first song I heard of him, when I was in California. I remembered hearing it on the radio when my sister and I were driving down Highway 1. And I remember thinking to myself: “Wow. What an unusually beautiful voice.” I looked him up later and he ended being one of my favorite artists of all time.

When did you first get into 2?

February of last year. I’d been wanting to go to a concert for a while. Then I saw they were performing at the Melkweg here in Amsterdam. The tickets were only about 15 euros. So I figured, why not?  I downloaded their music beforehand and listened to it non-stop. When the concert came, my love for their music grew more and more.

How did you get into 3?

I’d seen the Just Dance video a few times on the TV. So I Googled her and then I listened to all her songs and I instantly loved it. Then in the summer of 2009 I went to her concert which was the start of my friendship with my best friend J. I’ve been a fan ever since.

What is your favorite song by 4?

Lost. There was a time when I felt exactly like this song. I still do, partially. But this song really represented a time when I was just… lost.

How many times have you seen 9 live?

Once. And it was amazing.

What is a good memory concerning 10?

I was at a bookstore once (yes, I’m a nerd, I buy books) and they played “She Will Be Loved”. Naturally, I began to quietly sing along, gradually increasing my volume. As I searched the bookcase for the book I wanted, another customer went to stand next to me and, I guess, looked for his book. Then he began to sing along as well and then we reached for the same book. Our eyes met and we smiled. It was one of those very rare, but very magical moments.

Is there a song by 8 that makes you sad?

Forever and Always, the piano version. And Back to December can do that too.

What is your favorite song of 1?

I can’t, I’m sorry. I love all of their songs. Literally. Every single one.

20. Concerts you have attended.

Hmmm. Okay let’s see.

Il Divo. This was actually the first concert I ever attended. Il Divo was a male opera-pop vocal group. I was completely obsessed with them and when they came to Rotterdam I just HAD to go. It was a mind blowing experience and I loved every minute of it. Then their third album came and it was kinda sucky, so that was the last I ever heard of them. But still, it was great.

Lady GaGa This was the most epic one of all concerts. July 25th, 2009. I remember it well. It was the start of my friendship with J., so to me this concert was extra special. She played at the Paradiso in Amsterdam. I absolutely loved it. GaGa is such an amazing performer and I enjoyed every single second of it.

Cobra Starship The epicness continued when I decided to be generous to myself and buy myself a birthday present. That present being a ticket to my very first rock concert EVER. It was at the Melkweg, in a really really tiny room. My friend K. and I went straight past wardrobe and went into the room immediately. Anything to get close to Mr. Saporta himself. What a great night this was. It was the beginning of a new me. I stopped worrying about other people talking shit about me and telling me that I couldn’t do certain things. I stopped worrying about the little things and started enjoying more things in life. Such a very epic night.

McFly I’ve been in love with this band for almost ten years. The first time I ever saw them, I was in my pink pajamas, eating breakfast and watching a Sunday show for kids on BBC, called Smile. As I recall, Fearne Cotton was the presenter along with a guy called Reggie and a DJ whose name I forgot. Anyway, they showed a video clip of McFly for the song 5 Colours In Her Hair. It was the first time I ever saw them, and since then I was sold. I absolutely adore them and when I heard they were playing in Amsterdam for the first time, I just HAD to go. That night I dragged my friend K. along with me again (I am now officially dubbing you as my concert buddy) and we had an amazing night. Such talented young men. You’ve come a very long way.

Mike Posner If it was possible to marry someone’s voice, I would totally marry his. The first time I heard of Mike Posner, was when I was doing my roadtrip through California. They played Cooler Than Me on the radio and immediately I was hooked. His voice has so much character. It was so interesting. Unlike anything I’d heard before. Then his album came out, and I actually had this period that I listened to it non-stop. So when I saw he was coming to Amsterdam, I got me and my sister tickets to his show. It was MINDBLOWING. This guy is so incredibly talented it made me die a little on the inside. And then the meet and greet. Oh, good God! I was afraid I’d pass out. When he hugged me, my knees turned to jelly and I just kept thinking “OMG OMG OMG Mike Posner. He’s hugging me. OMG.” Such a great talent and I look forward to seeing him again here in Amsterdam. Remember our pinky promise, Mike. That shit’s legit.

Katy Perry Katy Perry seriously wrote the anthem of my life. Firework. Yes, I do sometimes feel like a plastic bag, drifting through the wind, wanting to start again. Plus, she wrote the anthem to my sister’s and my summer in California. When she sang California Gurls, I was back in that convertible, with the top down, cruising down highway 1. California was one of the best two weeks of my life and I wish I could go back again. Katy did that for me. She brought me back to California for one night. It was great. And her set, I mean the props, seriously. I want those giant popsicles in my room. Amazing.

06. What band or musician is most important to you?

I don’t really care for that word “or”. It implies I have only one option, when really I have two. So I will rephrase this question.

06. What band and what musician are most important to you?

The band that is most important to me, is Cobra Starship. Last year, for my 18th birthday I decided to be generous to myself and got me a ticket to see Gabe Saporta, Ryland Blackinton, Victoria Asher, Alex Suarez and Nate Novarro perform here in Amsterdam. It was my first real rock concert and I loved it. Who would ever think that little miss sweet as sugar Anlieka would ever go to a rock concert? I surely didn’t. That night, I was stuck in a sea of people with people sweating all over me. I fell over due to some crackhead idiots who started a mosh pit. And at one point I even had trouble breathing. But I loved every single minute of it. Even though I couldn’t really move around much, that evening I felt liberated. No stress, no worries, nothing. I had the time of my life. That night, I learned that dreaming and achieving your goals is something we all should do. But in the meantime we should also try to have as much fun with it as much as we can. Life is already serious enough, you don’t have to take yourself so seriously. The beauty of life lies in the all little things we enjoy. That is true happiness.

The musician that is most important to me, is Lady GaGa. Yes, she wears outrageous outfits and and does things that go beyond most people’s sanity, but if you look at the bigger picture, Lady GaGa has such an incredible message she spreads out to the world. I think most people think she’s about helping the gays, but it’s so much more than that. She’s trying to tell us that it’s okay to be ourselves. No matter our ethnicity, religion, sexuality or gender. And more than that, she’s trying to tell us that it’s not okay to judge other people based on those very same things. Her work is not meant to only provoke, but also to eradicate all thoughts and feelings of hatred, to be able to spread love. Lady GaGa has taught me that it’s okay to be quirky and still like yourself. There will always be people who will judge you and try to knock you down, but it is up to ourselves to tell those people to shut the hell up and to shove their poorly thought up insults up their asses. That is, what I think, the essence of Lady GaGa and her message. Her music and everything about her is empowering and inspirational and I sincerely hope that more people can look past the craziness and see the brilliance that hides within. Behind madness often lies genius, and that is, I think, also the case with our great Mother Monster.