By Priscilla Foreman
Welcome back! We have just come back from a much-needed fall break, and somehow we're over halfway through the semester.
Before you start fretting about finals or classes for the next semester, let's sit back and set goals and visions for the future. It can be hard to believe it, but after this break, this is a time of growth or time to correct some, let's just say early mistakes (assignments).
So let's take notes from five of music's biggest acts who needed a break and time to grow in their craft and artistry.
Fall Out Boy
My literal secret music group obsession is Fall Out Boy consisting of Patrick Stump, Pete Wentz, Joe Trohman, and Andy Hurley. They were known for their early hit "Thnks fr th Mmrs" in 2007. The group took a hiatus to "decompress", as the band stated. This break also gave them time to work on some personal projects. The group came back together in 2013 and released the "Save Rock and Roll" album filled with multiple charts hits such as, My Songs know what you did in the Dark.
As a fan, check out this youtube video of the Group narrating their history with the help of Brendon Urie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjmXSJ_onTk
One Direction
This British boy band had a presence of 50% of my playlist in Middle School. One Direction (1D) consisted of Nail Horan, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, and Zayn Malik. The group started in 2010 with multiple hits such as That's What makes you Beautiful and History. In just six years, the group became one of the top-selling boy bands and history. In 2015 the band announced their separation due to each member wanting to pursue personal projects, but each member has had a successful career as an individual artist since the split, also pursuing other interests such as acting.
Destiny’s Child
Can you pay my bills? Destiny Child was an early 90's girl group mostly known for the iconic members of Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams. Except for Michelle (who I love), the group members have been performing together since they were 8. The group broke up in 2005. Each member went on to have successful careers of their own. They ventured back together for a legendary 2018 Coachella performance, so maybe we can look for a Destiny Child reunion in the future.
Selena Gomez
You never know the quiet battles that people are facing. Behind a star-studded success, Selena Gomez was suffering both mentally and physically, adding to the fact that she started off as a child star made the difficulties even harder for a young Selena.
Battling these battles in secret, Selena finally made her hardship public to bring awareness to her issues. Now with a tv cooking show and a feature on Hulu's, Only Murders in the Building, Selena is finding more ways to grow and succeed. While also serving as an advocate for mental health.
Lady Gaga
Very few artists can say that they had the rapid-fire success of Lady Gaga. Her iconic album Fame gave way to pop hits such as Poker Face and Just Dance. Lady Gaga took a break from music after her 2013 album to focus on her mental health. Which she said she much needed considering she was thinking about quitting music. After this hiatus, Lady Gaga has realized multiple hit albums and won an Academy Award for her performance of Shallows in the hit movie A Star is Born.
So what have we learned? Well, breaks are needed. No matter the troublesome difficulties in the past, we can all bounce back and improve. These groups and artists did it, and so can you. Go out and achieve them! Set your goals and dreams for the rest of the semester and make them happen.