There are always two sides to a coin. Living in Hollywood is no exception and it is like being buried beneath the ground who knows. There’s the glamorous side, where the media paints an unrealistic, over-the-top picture of what fame and fortune can be, but we often forget about the reality of it. The dark side that most people never see or hear about: living in Hollywood and being famous for celebrity sake…
The life of a celebrity isn’t all glamor and riches; you have to constantly watch your back, worry about who you’re around – even your own family members – because everyone wants a piece of what you have.
1. Family Members
These days, being a celebrity is so easy. You can have any person or small group of people sign up for 24-hour YouTube or Facebook access to their lives and suddenly they are famous. I get it; I really do, but that doesn’t mean I’ll be watching it.
My parents were never in the public eye, but my grandparents were. My grandparents lived out their life in the public eye on a daily basis, and we lost them both from the fame and attention that they loved so much – but was also the cause of their deaths.
My family has always been supportive of me, and I appreciate that because I know it’s a huge sacrifice. There have been times when I wondered, even felt trapped and trapped inside a way of living to look like the perfect person but was really miserable.
I was shocked to see how much my family had changed during my rise to fame. They acted as if they didn’t care at all, but in actuality they were more concerned than ever because they weren’t sure how and if they should help me. They didn’t understand how fame would impact my life as well as their family’s lives and reactions to me being “famous.”
2. Stalkers
I am not the only person that is affected by fame. When it’s your family that has to watch you go through this life of constant worry and danger, you are grateful for every day that you don’t have a brush with death.
3. Fanatics
There was one time I was signing autographs after a show in an airport, when a man approached me and asked to have a picture with me. Although he didn’t seem like he was leaving, I agreed and posed for a picture with him. After I walked away and resumed talking to my friends about what happened, the man snapped another photo of me right after we took the first one. He continued to follow me and snap photos, so I walked away with my friends to talk in private.
4. Media
Part of the reason I never felt like I was famous enough is because the media never really focused on me until recently. There are some people who are in the public eye that are worshiped by fans and given what they want every time, but I’m not one of them. You see, I don’t sell sex appeal or push a certain image for fans to fawn over; instead my songs focus on life and human emotions that anyone can relate to.
5. Enemies & Suitors
I’ve never been the type to back down or let anyone take advantage of me, but I soon found myself surrounded by “people” that were taking advantage of my family and friends, just because they were my friend. Most of them pretended to be on my side and even encouraged me to push the limits, but truthfully they did it just so they could benefit financially or get a bit more fame.
6. Random Strangers
Over time, I realized that many people struggle with their identity: who they are in front of others and what they want others to see versus who they really are inside. These are people who have a fake personality and try to live their life as a celebrity – by taking advantage of everyone, they hope they will gain fame.
7. Stalkers
I used to think that I was stalked because I was famous, but the truth is it happens to anyone who’s not in the public eye and can be recognized by fans or the public. It happened to me on several occasions when I was signing autographs after a show, and it happened sometime earlier when my family was in a restaurant.
Summary:
Fame is more than just having a pretty face and a powerful voice; it’s also about being able to handle the pressure of being famous on top of dealing with the public eye 24-7. That pressure can take its toll on anyone, so you have to always be aware of your surroundings and not just think that anyone who claims to be your friend is automatically there for you and will always be in your corner.
Like I said, there are two sides to every coin; for every one person who’s going to try and control you, there are always ten others waiting in line to help you out.
