I’m proud to say that I am an aspiring musician. Ever since I picked up an electric guitar for the first time, the dream of performing music on stage has been bubbling in my mind and fueling my creative process. However, the process of brainstorming, writing, and performing music isn’t easy to accomplish on your own; you need someone to inspire you. For me, one of those musical inspirations was the late David Bowie.

When I was younger, my father would often listen to classic rock radio stations in the car wherever we went. The first time I was exposed to Bowie was when I heard the song “Space Oddity.” The psychedelic, spacey vibe the song gave off instantly captivated me, and in a way, it set the foundation for the type of psychedelic indie rock music that I plan on recording and performing in the future. I would hear “Space Oddity,” “Changes,” and “Heroes” on the radio for years before I finally decided to sit down and listen to a Bowie album in full.

The first David Bowie album I listened to was one of his arguably most infamous albums, “The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.” I wasn’t quite into it at the time; I was in eighth grade was more into modern indie rock music than classic rock. However, now I look back and appreciate it a lot more for how it opened my eyes more to of Bowie’s work. Over time I began listening to some of his other work, most notably “Heroes,” which I’d say is my personal favorite Bowie album. Although I often paid more attention to other artists, Bowie’s musical work still had a profound effect on my aesthetics as a musician.

One of the most amazing things about David Bowie’s work was that it was almost never the same for every album. From his first self-titled album to his very last, “Blackstar,” Bowie would always experiment and tinker with his sound, creating a very different experience for each album. While Bowie’s death shocked, confused, and upset many, his music will live on as an inspiration to aspiring musicians like me for years and years to come.