Blog With My Accent! No. 4 – Supernova 💥 This is what I’m talking about!!!! 🇺🇸

I’m sure you were left breathless, just like I was, after watching the performances I shared, right?

These are people who showed, in an extraordinary way, the very best of what they do. That’s it. They are: the Brazilian singer Gabriel Henrique with his rendition of “Run to You”, the English singer Sarah Ikumu and the Bulgarian singer Надежда Ковачева (Nadya Kovacheva) with their interpretation of “And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going”, the Parisian freestyler MB14 with some of his vocal performances and Spanish singer Cristina Ramos with her rock opera.

Let me say it again: THIS is what I’m talking about!!!!

And no, I’m not talking about those infamous “five minutes of fame” people say we all get once in a **** lifetime… I’m talking about a moment when your art makes everyone in front of you rise from their seats, because YOU, (yes, YOU), left them breathless.

Here’s something else: moments like these don’t come from follower counts, networks, trending topics or from acting like a walking commercial for your personal brand. None of that. It’s about your art. What you were born to do better than anything else in this life.

In moments like these, when people can truly see us, the bullying we went through in school, the people who hurt us, the punches life threw our way… all of it fades away (or shows up so we can finally face it)… and then: 💥 BOOM, a SUPERNOVA!

It reminded me so much of the Brazilian documentary A pessoa é para o que nasce (You Are Born for What You Are), directed by Roberto Berliner. It tells the story of three blind sisters who started singing in the streets of Campina Grande, Brazil, from a very young age to make a living. Their art became a beautiful way to cope with life’s hardships.

Truly, we are born for what we are, even if it’s not our main source of income. But it’s often where we draw the strength we need to get up and keep going, to make life possible, to create something we can be proud of, even if only our family and friends show up for our “concerts.” And no, it doesn’t have to be through music… I know anonymous people who bake so well they can’t even take orders anymore, but every time there’s a family gathering, people ask: “Are you bringing cake, right?”

I remember a seamstress from my hometown Niterói, named Sônia. I used to take her some clothes for alterations. One day, while she was finishing her flawless work and serving me a cup of coffee, I asked:
— “How do you do everything so perfectly?”
— “Alan, I guess I was lucky I had no other option. Ever since I was little, all my dolls wore dresses made by me — and their pants had real zippers and hems.”

Here’s a detail: besides being a seamstress, Sônia worked as a uniformed security guard at the city council. But her true art was at home, where her living room had become her atelier.

This is the beauty of living: finding something that gives you pride, joy and a deep inner thrill, no matter how many people try to say otherwise. And honestly? You don’t have to be famous or the best in the world to be someone. You don’t need a Goya Award to feel proud of what you do. I always love to remember the unforgettable Florence Foster Jenkins, the American operatic soprano who never gave up on herself or her art. What a noble way to live.

They say that for her last concert at the legendary Carnegie Hall, the line was massive the moment the box office opened, and the last tickets were fought over. Celebrities like Cole Porter were often spotted in the audience. Did people laugh? Sadly, I think so. But I also believe she was the only truly free person in that theatre, unshackled from society’s decaying expectations.

What’s the secret to success like this? This writer doesn’t believe there’s a single formula. But I do believe there are moments that help us find our way — just like the legendary Brazilian poet Mario Quintana, who wrote “Poeminho do Contra” after being rejected by the Brazilian Academy of Letters:

Everyone standing there
Trying to block my way,
They will pass...
I, little bird!

Or like American author Mel Robbins says in her “Let Them” theory, or even in that famous quote (long attributed to Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes), when Don Quixote says to his companion: “They bark, Sancho, a sign that we ride.”

Yes. Exactly. No ifs, ands, or buts.

This immigrant+ writer (LGBTQI+ / 40+ / non-white / vegan) is signing off now, because if you let me, I could write all day. 😇

Wishing you all a beautiful Sunday and a successful week ahead.🌟