My first post...

It's my first blog post so I suppose I'd better start off by introducing myself...

Hi, I'm Nicola. I'm 18 years old and I was born on the 10th February (make a note of that, I expect presents or at the very least, a message). I currently live in a little unknown village called Ramsbury, which resides in Wiltshire, England. I work as retail assistant in a bakery called Parsons. It's awful and I hate it, but it gives me money so that's a plus. Well, anyway, that's enough about me, let's move on to my blog...

Why "Young, Foolish and Happy"?

It is based on a song called "Be Young, Be Foolish, Be Happy". This phrase has definitely resonated with me. I think it's a motto we should all live our lives by. I hope it's what my blog is. "Young" because obviously, I'm still quite young. "Foolish" because being serious and right all the time, just isn't much fun. And I think the "Happy" sort of explains itself.

Why I created this blog...

My two passions in life have always been music and writing. So, now I've reached the ripe old age of 18, I thought, why not combine these two loves of mine and share it with the world? This blog is a place for me to give my opinion on things. Whether it's a new album, a single, an article, a film, a television show, a concert or just something that happened in my day, I want to share these things with you. One of the main reasons I'm doing this is my English teacher's reaction to a music review I wrote back in 6th Form. For part of our coursework, we had to write a review on something. I chose an album (I won't say which, in case I decide to review it again) and spent a good couple of hours on it. After my teacher had graded it, she asked to see me. She had given me an A* (the equivalent of an A+). However, she then accused me of plagiarism. I was stunned. Mainly, that she thought my writing was good enough to have been written by a professional. So although what she said hurt me, it also inspired me. So whether you want to listen to me or not is down to you. I'm not going to sit here and pretend I know everything about music. Technically, I know very little. I don't play any instruments (unless you count the recorder when I was 9), I can just about read music, and I only sing in the shower or my bedroom. But what I can promise you is a 100% honest opinion on whatever it is I'm reviewing. If it's bad, I'll say it. If it's incredible, I'll say it. 

When you search for reviews online, I find the independent reviewers seem quite snobbish. They make it hard for normal music listeners, like myself, to understand. Then you have the big music reviewers. The ones who own magazines and possibly television channels. The ones who get paid by artists for good reviews. They claim an album is a 5/5, so you buy it, and it ends up being, at best, a 2/5. Obviously, not everyone has the same music taste. I'm not going to pretend I know a lot about heavy metal music or classical music. But I like to think, I know a good song from a bad song. A lot of my music reviews will be in the Pop/RnB/Hip-Hop/Rock genre. However, if anybody does have any album they'd like me to review, I'd be happy to give it a listen and give my opinion on it. That is if anybody actually reads this blog which seems very doubtful to me at the moment.

Where I'd like this blog to go...

In life, I'm a planner. I set myself goals because then, when you achieve them, you feel a sense of accomplishment, no matter how small the goal was. My first goal, is to get some readers. So, if you've stumbled across my blog somehow, and you like it, please pass it on to someone else. The more readers I get, the more likely it is that I'll do more reviews and broaden my music horizon.

My second goal, is to start a YouTube channel and do a face review (and no, I do not mean a review of my face, I mean a review where you can see my face). If I do get some readers, this is definitely something I would love to do. I do feel that sometimes, blogs can seem a bit faceless (I swear I've used the word face too many times in this post) and I want this to be as personal as possible. So again, if you would like this to happen, please tell your friends, share on Facebook/Twitter and just spread the word.

Another goal is to make this a place to share music. If you are a musician or you're in a band, I would love to give your music a listen and review it. If I can help in anyway, no matter how small, I would be happy to. 

Also, if you have any ideas for my blog, again, leave me a comment. I will get back to you ASAP. I'm not one of these people who think they're better than others. As long as it's said constructively, I'll take all criticism on board.

Okay, so I think that's it for now. I'll try and get my first review up within the next few days. Not sure what it's going to be yet, but I'll make sure I choose a good one.

Nicola x