6 Struggles Of Being A Totally Normal Person Who Happens To Love EDM
1. “So….are you like…a rave girl/guy?”
No. I am not a rave girl. I am a normal human being who listens to electronic dance music. I get up in the morning and brush my teeth. I go to work. I wear sweatpants on the weekends and fancy clothes during the week. I have EDM playlists on my cell phone for when I go to the gym. I pre-game to EDM. I play EDM before sporting events and before nights out with friends. I attend concerts and shows. Sometimes I dress up in bright colors with glitter and bracelets on my writs. But most of the time I’m a regular girl with a regular life.
2. “Why do you like that robot music?”
This comment typically comes from parents, relatives, and older folks. Number one, it’s not ‘robot music.’ It is music made out of electronically created and modified sounds, melodies, and beats. There are verses. There are choruses. There are highs and lows, parts that will make your heart pound, and music to hum along to. Number two, I like it because it makes me feel something. Just like any music, it is emotional. If there are words, they will pull at your heart. Lyric-less, the music will be fast, slow, intense, calming. And EDM connects people. From sing-along-on-the-radio to tracks remixed for the first time at shows, this music is meant to unify hearts and minds (much like other music…weird).
3. “Do you do drugs, like, all the time?”
Yes, I attend shows and festivals, wear rhinestone-y outfits, dip-die the ends of my hair bright pink, and take lots of crazy, wide-eyed, hysterically laughing Snapchat selfie videos. But I am definitely not constantly doing drugs. Are there EDM fans who do lots of drugs? Sure. Are drugs a part of the EDM culture? Uh-huh. (As they are in every music genre). But can you appreciate the genre without molly-popping 24-7? Absolutely.
4. “Oh, so you like bands like Calvin Harris?”
First of all, Calvin Harris isn’t a band. Second, just because I listen to a certain dj on the radio when his/her songs are playing doesn’t mean I’m a huge fan. And it doesn’t mean that I automatically have to like that dj just because I’m into the genre (though I’m not going to lie, Calvin Harris rocks).
5. “So do you go to concerts wearing just a bra?”
I do not wear bras. I wear rave bras. They’re colored with gems, beads, rhinestones, glitter, bows, flowers, seashells—you name it, it’s on there. What’s the difference? Well, rave bras are totally blinged out, cuter, and totally more acceptable. And no, I don’t wear them to every single show or concert. I wear them occasionally. And no, this isn’t weird.
6. “When are you going to your next rave?”
I go to concerts and shows and festivals. Call me ‘mainstream’ or ‘not really a raver’ because I go to some of the ‘basic’ festivals and concerts, but I’m just a normal person who likes this style of music and I’m not ashamed. I’m an EDM-music-festival-dancing-laughing-hugging-people-smiling-concert lover. Before you roll your eyes at my excitement over discounted Hardwell tickets or a group to travel to EDC Orlando with, come with me. Take my hand and we’ll walk through crowds of people laughing, singing, and dancing. Come share cotton candy with me and we’ll lay in the grass by a trance dj’s set and close our eyes. Before you judge me and my fellow EDM-lovers, give the music a chance. The sounds and the people aren’t as crazy as you think. 
