Advancedfirefly

“Despite the overall blur of touring, there are all kinds of moments that remain distinct and intact. In August 2013, I got an invitation to song my song Brave with Taylor Swift at her show in Los Angeles. Besides a flattering invite, this was an opportunity to become “Super Auntie” to my two young nieces, who I’m incessantly trying to convince of my coolness. At our afternoon rehearsal area, I learned I would be entering the stage from the elevator platform at the top of a giant staircase. I had never entered any kind of room from an elevator platform, so this simultaneously made me feel nervous and like a Power Ranger. After sound check, my family and I got ready for the show to watch Taylor. She danced and sang and bubbled over onstage like pink champagne. My nieces were in heaven.

It was then time for me to go backstage to get my in-ear monitors on. The stage manager escorted me to the back of the stage and I stood on the giant metal platform, waiting for my introduction. My heart was racing. I heard the drum introduction of Brave begin and then the ground beneath me started rising upward. Taylor called out my name on the microphone and then….

Nothing.

I couldn’t hear ANYTHING but the deafening roar of thousands of tweenage apocalyptic screams. I frantically listened for any music at all. I knew the drum had started but literally no other sounds could pierce the wall of “woo.” I couldn’t hear the beginning notes of the piano over the crowd, so I ripped out my earpiece to try and hear the speaker system of the venue at least. No good. All I could hear was an even louder girl-euphoria. It was time to start singing, so I basically just picked a note out of thin air. I could immediately feel in my throat muscles that it was the wrong one, and I’ll never forget the panicked look on the music director’s face on the side of the stage that just said “Nooooooooooooooooo!!” I tried a bunch of other wrong noted for the whole first verse but finally hunted down the right ones by the chorus. I was mortified, but I couldn’t do anything except keep singing for the fans cheering us on. I smiled and danced with Taylor at the end of the catwalk and pretended everything was fine. We got through the song, she hugged me, and I came offstage and felt awful.

ok i totally went gif-searching for mischievous-lauren gifs but there were so many other wonderful ones up in there i’ve never seen before  

fear her tiny ineffectual fists

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