Let’s be honest, I’ve been awkward my whole life. I’ve laughed at the wrong time, floated off in conversation, tried to slink away while chatting, misspoke with like some odd fact or joke, and all kinds of other hilariously dumb things. I’ve done a pretty solid job at managing that part of myself, but now I’m facing a new challenge. Over the last few months, I’ve been doing a lot of really cool stuff, and one thing I’ve been struggling with is showing up completely and authentically in these fabulous newfound situations and just…showing up confidently. This might sound like a humble brag but please understand, when you’re naturally awkward, life can get weird real quick.

It doesn’t help that the people I’ve met over the last few months, I feel, are completely out of my league. They’re accomplished, ridiculously educated, influential, powerful and in many ways STOOPID wealthy. In conversation I find myself staring over their heads (or at their nose) and asking, what do I have to offer here? I know I should feel confident in the moment because at the very least, I’m well-dressed and have a cool role I can speak on. But yeaahhhh, that still doesn’t stop me from feeling all insecure high-schooler or like an outsider.

Am I crazy? Do you ever think about any of this stuff when you’re around “important” people? What do I have to offer? It rings like a church bell in my subconscious, but now I’ve been forcing myself to do a gut check. Smart– check. Amazing dad jokes– double check. A pretty interesting background– triple check. Ding ding dingggggg, I’ve got a lil sumn sumn to work with here!

It’s hard to believe channeling self-confidence can be such a challenge in the moment, but it is. Imposter’s syndrome is live and well in these streets folks but I refuse to let it take me out the game. And no more yelling “RETREAT, RETREAT!” or suffering from word vomit when people are simply trying to have casual conversation. I am aggressively working to just be. How? By slowing down, doing my gut check, and practicing these 5 things I picked up between my therapist and my mentor:

1. Take a deep breath.

2. Straighten your posture.

3. Pause to think before you respond.

4. Try to recall something you’re proud of yourself about. (You’re validating yourself here.)

5. If you get really nervous…excuse yourself to a quiet space to breathe a bit and gather your thoughts.

This all might sound a bit goofy, but social anxiety is real and manifests differently for people–especially if you feel weighed down by expectations from others. Getting more comfortable in your skin and confident takes work, but it’s well worth it. I’m finally starting to get a glimpse of the other side and it’s absolutely liberating.

Have any of you dealt with social anxiety, imposter syndrome, or even just being plain awkward? How do you deal? <3

-D.Wright

What up party peoppppppppllleeeee!?

Ok, it’s been a month and I will try to never do that again. I totes missed writing to you all and was keeping myself busy between the Sounds About Wright Facebook and Instagram. Anywho, all the things have been going on and maybe I’ll draft up a post for tomorrow to run it back but I wanted to tell you about my new fave…Rhyon Brown.

I mean COME ON! We’re both pocket-sized, we both have “boy” names, AND we both had the woes of our college years to build the drive for our musical aspirations. I was sold in like 2 seconds, ok five minutes but she’s adorbs. Rhyon sings dances and acts. Can we say triple threat?

Note: The only acting I plan on doing is voiceover work for Disney cartoons but this girl it the real deal!

This cute little nugget has apparently been on the scene in LA for quite some time, acting and singing on a couple very popular shows, and released her Pretty Girl film just last week! Needless to say it’s winning over hearts and ears with each passing day.

I don’t want to dive in too deep right now, but check it out! She has a great story that is so relatable and easy to follow. You can absolutely feel her authenticity which is definitely rare for me to experience from these cute little pop-tarts born and bred from the glitzy streets of Los Angeles. However, this girl is different. She’s got a good blend of slick and real going on here. Rhyon comes off as a young woman with a message, a journey to share and a spirit that can spread some much needed light in the ever so dark world of entertainment.

Let me know what you think! I’m excited to hear from you. <3

-D.Wright

Photo courtesy of Electric Guest’s iTunes.

We all have that one thing we’ve had a hard time letting go of and LA pop duo, Electric Guest, found a cool way to sing about it. Their rhythmic, yet troubled Summer banger “Oh Devil” draws you in and before you know it, you’re grooving like Kuzco. I enjoy it so much that I’ve officially made it my car jam until the Fall drops. I bump it with the windows down as if they’re talking about me being this irresistible vixen they couldn’t detox from. I don’t even want to be that person or know what they’re really talking about, but that’s how shexy (yes shexy) this track is. The crazy thing is this song is likely about any devil you might be dealing with. It’s deep, but sooooooo fun. It makes me want to bust out the red lipstick and fluff my hair for a night out on the town. I don’t care what devil it is, I just want to dance about it.

Photo courtesy of Billboard.

I mean when I first heard it, I was checking out the LA Pops playlist on Spotify (it’s amazing by the way, if you’re into discovering new talent). The song took me away and I immediately felt like I should be dancing somewhere with warm LED lights bouncing off my skin. Note to you: play this, if you want to get me going. It’s totally Ellen-worthy, she only dances to the best and I could see her busting moves on this one. And if you can get past the slightly creepy chant at the end, you’ll be fine. Just heed my warning, when you hear it, you’ll definitely want to get your groove on.

Photo courtesy of The Line of Best Fit.

Oh Devil naturally reminded of pop contemporaries from the 90’s/00’s era. It felt slick and familiar on the first listen. If you dig into the rest of the Plural album, it gets pretty interesting. This eccentric duo does not disappoint on bringing out colorful, warm sounds and moody mid-tempo tunes. They experiment with your vibe and tickle at your emotions. If you can’t sing, you will by the end of it.

And you might be wondering who these dudes actually are. Electric Guest is an indie-pop band from LA, comprised of two super eclectic guys (Asa Taccone and Michael Compton). They met by chance and immediately started collaborating on music. The duo released their first album “Mondo” in 2012, independently, and has steadily grown their base over the last five years. As for the obvious. I like them. There are a few songs on the album that might be a less relatable and oddly placed/selected but their music makes sense for me. Even if you check out their site, you’ll see that it all works in the favor of their interesting aesthetic.

If you’re someone who’s adventurous, I think you’ll like them. They are not too experimental where they fly over your head but too obvious to where you feel like you’ve lost brain cells because you enjoyed them. No guilty pleasure vibes here buddy, not at all. <3

-D.Wright