Before I begin, I'd like to remind you of who I am, besides professing my adoration, love, and appreciation of and for you. :)
When you were visiting Minneapolis this summer, I was one of the first people waiting to see you by the Mary Tyler Moore statue on Nicollet Ave. Here is a picture of me with the first three people there:
The package I am holding in the picture is the same package I gave to you before you left for the WCCO station. I noticed that I was one of maybe six people who was able to give you fan mail from the audience of over a few hundred people. But before this magical day (for me), I had sent you packages to your show, as well as writing in to you for years.
Recently, a little over a week ago, I mailed you a package and tweeted you (from @MaryNorell) the images of what to look for. I hope you got my package with the music video on DVD & my CD of cover songs I burned for you, as well as the poem I wrote you. :)
I sent you the only physical copy I owned of either one of my music videos that were up on the Youtube channels, karen24alloy and CalabooseCustoms. There have been some technical difficulties with my music videos & since they were not on my channel to begin with, I created a photo collage from my portfolio to go with my song in the meantime. I hope you like it. I recorded this song on GarageBand on my MacBook, & will eventually add some instruments to it, but wanted it to be completely raw & a cappella for it's introduction into the world. <3
Here's a little about me:
I was born in Fayetteville, North Carolina, on September 25th, 1989. When I was five, my parents moved me up north to live with my grandfather (due to some poor choices they made in NC).
In a nutshell, I raised myself & have no real familial support, at least not from my parents. Rather, I lived with and took care of my grandfather for a number of years, all throughout high school & for my first two years in college before transferring. I did all the grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning, baking and more while going to school, and sometimes working up to four jobs, as well as singing in the choir, participating in drama with an occasional play, and playing on the soccer team in high school and in college. My Opa, as I call him, means a great deal to me, and I know I've made him proud over the years.
Both of my parents made poor choices, and they divorced when I was seven years old. I spent most of my time around other kids trying to feel like I had a normal life, or running away to avoid being the scapegoat of why their marriage failed. I was told awful, awful things about the kind of person I was (there was abuse and alcoholism and misguided energy for traumas that were never coped with properly) and growing up wasn't easy.
Although I raised myself, as I had to be self-sufficient from a very young age, I feel like I did a pretty good job. I learned from the mistakes of others, as well as my own, I put myself through college with independent status, & I graduated with honors, receiving my degree in Communications in May of 2011. I was on the Dean's List of the University of Minnesota every year after I transferred there from a private school, Northland College, in northern Wisconsin.
My philosophy on life:
I do believe that there are blessings in hardship. Although I didn't have much of a childhood, because I didn't have parents who raised me and was essentially an orphan, I am very mature and carry a great deal of wisdom with me from the hardships I've endured. I'm a believer of the saying, "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger," however I firmly believe that it has its limitations. What doesn't kill you CAN make you stronger, but only if you let it. It can also define you and destroy you, and I feel blessed that despite the hell I've been through, I am not bitter, and I'm kind to everyone I know. I try to help others as much as I can, even if I am barely able to help myself.
Similarly, I find inspiration in anyone who has been through a very traumatic experience, one or many, and who doesn't let said hardships define the kind of person they are. I have a number of close friends who have also been through some very terrible experiences, and we help keep each other strong. It strengthens our belief systems, our philosophies on life, knowing in our hearts that we didn't add to the problem, but instead chose to live our lives trying to be the solution, trying to set an example.
What it all comes down to, for me:
Music is my life. It has always brought me comfort and I'm not sure I would have gotten through any of the hardships I've not only survived, but gained strength and learned perseverance through, without music to help me through them. I have been singing all my life, I was born to sing & somewhere there exists a tape from when I was a small girl, as I've been told by my godfather and my late grandmother, as well as other distant relatives, that I was born with the voice of an angel. It has truly been my saving grace in many life circumstances. I have healed myself through my voice, and now I wish to heal others with my voice.
I strive to be the best person I can be always, and to be a good influence, a good source of inspiration to others. If I were to sign a record deal, your label, "eleveneleven", would definitely be high up on my wish list. Thank you for everything.
Love,
Norell (Mary Norell Jackson)
