Vocally, she is Australia’s Beyonce. Vanessa Amorosi’s single, This Is Who I Am (2009), debuted at No.1 on the Australian Singles Charts[1] and when we combine the pungently truth-filled lyrics with the determined, pumping, resilient sound we know why. It is such a different and strikingly stark song full of triumphant ‘end-of-journey’ proclamation. I couldn’t help reflect over what this song means for all of us, as individuals; intrepid travellers over the journey of known time and space i.e. this life... a journey toward self-discovery and self-acceptance.
The more I look in life the more I see a pattern to it that this song attends to. I see two kinds of people: people running from themselves and people running to themselves; one denying, the other affirming—gritting the teeth, working quietly and busily on themselves. And, importantly, being in accord with themselves.
Listening to the song we can only imagine voluptuous Vanessa as the latter kind; a person who hit the music industry all of a sudden some ten or more years ago, and then seems to have almost vanished to perhaps re-discover herself—this might be somewhat off the mark in reality; but this is what the words and music of the song say through Vanessa Amorosi to me; she has such congruence through the recording.
‘It’s alright to be myself, now I’ve learned to stand.’ This is a statement we all need to believe in, truly, I mean. It’s no good putting on a front if the front’s not real! ‘Just who we are,’ is how it is and it’s how it always will be. The quicker we accept this wonderful reality, rejecting the spiritual anorexia of a precious form of self-hate, the quicker we’ll find the resources of courage and faith and confidence that are designed to power us through, onward and upward in life.
And it takes courage to say to the world, ‘this is who I am,’ and when we can truly say that, we find the world hesitatingly saying back to us, ‘Well... okay... no big deal... we can live with you like that.’ This is a response that says, ‘If you believe in yourself, who are we to argue?’
To get to a place where we can willingly and enthusiastically run toward ourselves in self-acceptance takes for many much trial and error; much failure prior to success. But, it’s worth it in the end. Meeting us, our true selves, is the best moment; it eclipses almost everything else.
Take hold of that emotional baggage of self-consciousness and challenge it; contend with it—bring it to order, and then throw it on the scrap heap! You’ll never regret it.
© S. J. Wickham, 2009.
[1] “This is Who I Am (song),” Wikipedia, Retrieved 20 October, 2009. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Is_Who_I_Am_(song)
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