Hey guys! Since I'm still working on my music, I wanted to share with you something I worked on with my husband's best friend, Sean (Lil Sean as some of you may know him as), awhile back. He goes by the name of Yung Proof in the music industry. His music really speaks about the things he's gone through and I think we can relate in some way or another.

The first song we wrote together was called Play the Fool. It kinda doesn't sound like me because I made the hook on the lower range of my voice, but I wanted to try something different that people wouldn't exactly expect of me. We just let the beat play out, I wrote my parts, and he wrote his. This song is about a guy who's always in and out of the love in the relationship because he lies way too much. Take a listen...



This second track we made the next day. It's completely opposite from the first one because it talks about a ride-or-die kind of love. Once I heard the beat, I automatically thought of driving down PCH in a classic convertible, you know... JLo and Ja-Rule style. (lol, I know. just bear with me.) He wrote all his verses and I just vibed off of his lyrics to make mine. It was so much fun to do!


 
I'm not on this last one, but I wanted to add this because I really love this track. It's his latest song on SoundCloud and it talks about not worrying about everyone else, and loving what you have and what you're doing. Kid X, which is his brother Xavier, and his friend who goes by Scott Susej, are featured in it.



Follow him on SoundCloud to keep up with his music! Hope you guys really enjoyed it. :)
-Gardenia Rose

Happy Monday everyone! Well I finally finished a song & I wanted to share it with you! Like I mentioned, I wrote most of this song back in September, but I never got around to finalizing the feel & vibe of it all. Being purposeful in my achieving my goals for the year, I sat down and just laid it all out!

This song stemmed from a time where I was struggling with my faith in Jesus. I don't want to say that I doubted him, but I just got so busy asking why things were the way they were instead of just trusting in Him. Basically, I got caught up. In this life, and all those questions that you're not suppose to ask God, I did.

Then, in almost like an epiphany (which is sometimes how God speaks to me), I said to myself, "I just have to believe." So even if I wasn't in the mood to, I started telling myself, "I believe in Jesus. I believe he's gonna come through for me. I believe he'll give me peace..." and so on and so forth. I heard a good friend say that sometimes when you're not feeling it, you have to speak it into existence. Whether you need joy, hope, faith, or peace, you have to say it. You have to proclaim it. And if you say it like you mean it, you'll believe it.

So even if you don't feel like it, make a choice to believe. Even if it has to be a daily (or even hourly) choice, just put your trust in Him. It is amazing what God can do for you, if you simply let Him. And I am absolutely living proof of that.

Hope you guys love it. Have a great week, friends!
-Gardenia Rose

Five women. All in the entertainment industry. So beautiful. So flawless. We know that... or at least I think that. But more than their physical appearance and their show, music, or movies, I admire them most for their courage. They chose to use their talent as a platform to make a difference. They chose to stand up for what they believe in... and that's something to aspire to.





Beyonce has done at lot in paying it forward and she's done her share of standing up in what she believes in. From partnering with foundations like Make-a-Wish and donating to organizations like Chime for Change (as shown above), she definitely does all she can to help others in need. A year or so ago, she started the #BeyGOOD movement. Click here to read what it's all about.


Topping the dosomething.org's list of celebrities who have "done good," Taylor is not one to shy away from spreading the love around. To name a few of her good works, she donate $4 million dollars to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, which led to the opening of the Taylor Swift Education Center. All profits from her current single "Welcome to New York" are actually going to the New York City Public School system. She even gets personal with her good deeds. Just today, the world found out r (thanks to her #taylurking) gave $1,989 to a girl for her student loans. Read all about it here.

Source: wordpress.com

I'm the kind of person that likes my holidays in order, so I don't like to listen to Christmas music until the day after Thanksgiving. (I like giving Thanksgiving a time to shine, unlike retail stores, but let's not get into that.) I'm so excited for this roundup of my fives faves so let's get to it!


Seriously, this WHOLE album is FREAKING AWESOME. I was a high school choir nerd so this hits the spot for me. But even if you didn't hang out in the choir room in your high school years, I definitely recommend this album to get you into the Christmas mood wherever you are. Their a Capella chops never cease to amaze me & it's just so glorious. My fave songs are Mary, Did You Know, Silent Night, Hark! The Angels Sing, and their newest music video, Dance of the Plum Fairy. View it here or watch below.

I stumbled on this thanks to iTunes and fell in love. It's so different from most renditions because of that chill, reggae feel to it. Usually, this song is full of intense high notes, with someone (usually a woman) wailing throughout the whole thing, but this is just so soothing to listen to. Have a listen here or below.




I've always loved this song, so I was thrilled when it was remade by two amazing voices of our time. Both have their own holiday albums, which are both great, but them together just creates a new classic. Even more amazing, they did a music video to this song with kid versions of themselves in a Gatsby themed scene. It definitely put the cherry on top of this sweet duet. Enjoy it here or below!



I know, I know. Justin Bieber?! BUT I CAN'T HELP IT. Just with this song though. Love the beat and his smooth riffs are, let's face it, undeniably good. I'm not a fan of the music video, but just close your eyes and listen here. :)



THIS. SONG. IS. IT. Honestly, if this wasn't your Christmas jam in 2001, it better be now. This timeless a Capella diva-esque version is just LIFE. I listen to this every year and I just get so into it! Love that there's just three of them and they bring it! I know it's mastered for their CD, but they do it just as sick live as well. Listen to CD version here or watch them kill it live here or below. Sorry for the bad quality. HD wasn't on national television yet. lol.



And that's my top five Christmas songs! I have a LOT more faves, but this would go on forever. I already cheated with putting the whole Pentatonix album so... whoops! lol. Hope you guys enjoy my list. Tweet me some of your faves if you want or comment below!

Merry Christmas everyone!
-Gardenia Rose

Source: tumblr.com

-Gardenia Rose

I always love when Scott and Mitch aka Scömìche of Superfruit (who are also 2/5 of Pentatonix, an AWESOME a cappella group) talk about what they're obsessing about that week, so I'm claiming Wednesdays as Weekly Obsessions Wednesday! Here's this week's obsessions...