My Favourite...

So today's theme is favourite. Just one favourite. My ultimate favourite. My favourite of favourites. Yeah I've done it, favourite doesn't look like a real word anymore...

I hate choosing favourites, it's something I have steadfastly refused to do in the past but here we are and I need to decide what is the one thing I love most in the world. And I think I have to choose Green Day.

When it comes to music I was a pretty late bloomer. When I was younger I didn't know anything about the charts or what music was popular, hell the only singer I even knew the name of was Britney Speares and I didn't really know any of her music. All of my friends would talk about new songs that were out and their favourite singers and I'd pretend I knew exactly what they were talking about and agree that the new Beyoncé song was the super catchy. I was about ten when I first started listening to the radio at home and singing along to the current chart toppers. My first love was Rihanna and Avril Lavigne but I then discovered a slightly more rock station that didn't constantly play the newest pop. This was where I first heard of Green Day.

I fell in love with their music and Billie Joe Armstrong's voice immediately. It honestly was love at first listen. Everything about their sound enchanted me and awakened something in my heart that no other music ever had before. They opened my mind to a world outside of the romance focused pop I was used to. So after that I spent hours listening to the radio waiting and hoping that they would play Green Day. And when they did I sang along as loudly as I dared with my bedroom door closed hoping my siblings wouldn't hear and come to mock me. (The joy of having older brothers.)

Billie Joe was my first celebrity crush. Before I even knew what he looked like I was obsessed. He was the first person I ever idolised and still remains a massive role model to me. I don't remember when I eventually saw the band for the first time but it only increased my love for them. Their look matched so perfectly with their sound and it was everything I had expected. Everything from Billie Joe's hair and guy-liner to Tré's slightly creepy, cheeky smile and Mike's tattoos escalated my obsession until they were practically all I thought about.

I remember when their album 21st Century Breakdown was released and to my ecstatic delight, their songs became more frequent occurrences on the radio. I learned to recognise their songs just by the first guitar cord and would immediately jump up to turn up the volume. I could even recognise a song I'd never heard before by Billie Joe's voice after a single syllable sometimes. He has incredibly unique vocals and the most beautiful, mesmerizing voice I've ever heard.

Green Day has shaped who I am today, the music I listen to, my sense of humour and many of my values. I can't imagine the person I would be if I had never discovered they're music at such a young age because they introduced me to such realism and authenticity that defines this world. They have been the single most influential thing in my life so it's only right I name them my favourite. My favourite favourite.