The struggles that come with trying to make it and actually making it

[Miguel]

One of Haley's cowriters on Listen Up! (“Hit The Ground Runnin'” and "Walking on Heaven")

aimeeproal

Let's have a real moment on Instagram, instead of how our social media appearances and fake likes would rather us be perceived.

A little over a year ago I was very bitter and frustrated with the industry to the point of depression. Too many let downs and "almost had it" moments to count. My jadedness expected them. I didn't care about co writing anymore as I didn't see the point, I didn't see myself as one of the "new cool kid" writers that seemed to get all the (radio single) opportunities and I also wasn't signed to Dr. Luke, enough said.

Music didn't pay my bills anymore and I needed to make rent, so I spent the majority of my time housekeeping and finding demo work... Money doesn't buy happiness, but it can make you miserable when you don't have enough.

It wasn't until I sat down with @samhollander one night over sangria at Adobe Cafe (which wasn't unusual) til things started to change. He saw it had gone very dark in my mind and offered to introduce me to @wndrbrd to see if we clicked. Grant was the exact opposite of me as you could imagine, the light ... always sees the good in every situation and excited for every little moment in life... I've never met someone with this much optimism, it made me suspicious, but this is who he really is. Maybe the balance was exactly what we needed.

The first song we wrote was "Deja Vu", we wanted to make music that made people feel good (really I think I wanted to feel good) and reminded us of the music we grew up on that gave us our happy memories. We kept writing, I declined almost every outside session that came to me. This was the only thing that made me feel alive. My friends could see a change in my attitude and that I was inspired again.

One song led to another and a few months later we hooked up with @thatkidcg and we were complete. Everyone had their own unique expertise to bring to the table and it just felt GOOD. If you told me a year ago I'd be signed, on the radio, and charting on Billboard, I would've laughed in your face. Once you know and see too much it's hard to come back from that, but I'm thankful to be the jaded optimist for now. #DamnIFeelGood #Heaven #BeautifulLife #Billboard

https://instagram.com/p/9otPxHx2Ei/

^ They have a dance-y upbeat song that's charting

Lady Gaga:

Lady Gaga Reveals Why She Almost Quit Music: 'I Became a Money Making Machine'

As part of the 29-year-old pop star's Emotion Revolution project, a partnership between her own Born This Way Foundation and Yale's Center for Emotional Intelligence, Gaga revealed that there was a moment where she thought about giving up music altogether.

"I have had to make decisions. 'Why am I unhappy? Okay, Stefani (her real name), Gaga, hybrid-person. Why are you unhappy? Why is it that you wanted to quit music years ago?'" she asked herself. "I feel sad when I’m overworked, and that I just become a money making machine, and that my passion and my creativity take a back seat; that makes me unhappy."

In an effort to find herself again, Gaga says she started to say no to things, including perfume sponsorships and long days of taking promotional photos and selfies. “It feels shallow," she said. "I have a lot more to offer than my image."

Once she took a stand, Gaga says she began to feel better. "Slowly but surely, I remembered who I am,” she continued. "Then you go home and you look in the mirror and you’re like ‘Yes, I can go to bed with you every night.' Cause that person? I know that person. That person has balls. That person has integrity. That person just doesn’t say yes."

http://www.etonline.com/news/174984_lady...uit_music/

Cranberries singer arrested for alleged air rage incident

...Dolores says she wore the mask on the plane because “stalkers” were following her in New York. She mentions John Lennon who was murdered by a stalker in New York.

I ask her about what happened on the plane. “It was very stressful. I am not used to being in a crowd like that. What happened was, people were scaring me. I was going into the corner and saying, ‘Please don’t touch me’. They said to me, ‘Do you think you are someone?’ I said: ‘You know who I am. You know I am the singer in the Cranberries’.”

...It is very clear to me and Dolores’ family that she needs to find help, but she can be stubborn.

“No, I’m fine,” she insists. “Don’t worry. I’m grand. This is my life. I’ll live it my way.

“I just block out the demons. I sing. I block them away. I put my pain into my music. I paint. I make my own videos. I direct myself. No one directs me any more. I am in charge of my destiny.

“People look at you and see a product. They don’t see a soul. They see an empty hole,” adds Dolores.

http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/...48193.html