April by Rose Gray

By Korie Houston

Love can exist in many forms. It sneaks in when you least expect it, not always as romance. Sometimes it comes as friendship. The people that lift you up when you feel yourself falling. Who is your April? It can be anyone: a friend, a chosen family member, someone who shows up and refuses to let you go.

 Her name was April, dressed like an angel. We came together soon as I met her.

This past summer I saw up and coming pop girly Rose Gray at West Hollywood Pride. She was ethereal. The song “April” was not released when I saw her perform, but once I listened, it took me back to the moment my friends and I put our problems aside and just danced. Her voice and energy turned what was a hard day into an unforgettable experience. I realized that day that love, the kind that anchors you and pulls you to the metaphorical and literal dance floor, can arrive in unexpected ways.

 The colors rising, we’re coming together. Feels just like we’re getting started, never felt better.

There is something remarkable about friends who know how to pull you back into yourself. They remind you, with laughter or late-night talks, that you are more than your heartbreak or your losses. They see you fully, even when you are not ready to see yourself. There is so much beauty within friendships that we can sometimes take it for granted, especially when we get lost in romantic relationships and overlook the platonic ones.

 She takes me by the hand and she pulls me to the dance floor.

I would not have made it through the biggest lows and losses of my life without friends to anchor me, the ones who reach out and pull you back when the world feels heavy. I have so many moments of pure euphoria when I call back to the memories I made during the past several years. But I truly never have felt more alive than in those moments with my loved ones after my heart was broken. My friends do not need to check on me in the same way anymore. It is a good thing because I am taking care of myself again in a way that I was not before.

 She wears her heart on her sleeve like she never been hurt before.

That line hits me. The lyric is a reminder that being open is not weakness; it is power. One of the greatest lessons on love that I have learned comes from friends who keep showing up, open-hearted, even after life has given them every reason to close off. Their courage is to not be hardened but to stay soft. In most songs I listen to, I find comfort in exploring the love an artist has in creating the piece. For Rose Gray, as much as her music has a sense of partying, there is also wonderment and longing to be seen. I have people in my life who do see me.

Playing with my feelings, I could touch the ceiling.  Move it like you mean it, serotonin reset.

Friendship has a way of turning pain into something bearable. A night of dancing, a shared meal, a simple check-in; these small moments feel like medicine. They do not erase the ache, but they let light in again. The desire to be happy is one of the most fundamental experiences we all share. As many times as I question the intentions of potential romance, I never once questioned my friends’ intentions and that is a testament to the people who I want in my life.

 So, show me what you want, what you need, what you live for…

Love does not have to look picturesque. Sometimes love looks like the people who wear their hearts on their sleeves, who show up, and who live out loud alongside you. The year is not over yet, but I would be remiss to not thank the people who have gotten me this far. I do not need to name them all, but they know who they are. As much as I want these pieces to be a love letter to music, to the ones I loved before, I also want them to be a declaration to the ones walking this path with me.

A good soundtrack comes from the people we met along the way. Their laughter, their honesty, and their insistence that you keep dancing, even when the music feels a little distant. Know they will be there taking your hand and helping you back up.