I just watched Begin Again for the second time tonight. The first time was last Saturday. Honestly, I knew nothing about this movie. I hadn’t even seen the trailer. I just spotted the poster and thought, “Why not?” I’m not going to write too much about the plot, because I don’t want to spoil it in case you want to see it.

When I stood up and walked out of the cinema, I felt overwhelmed in the best way. The first thing I did was open the iTunes Store to buy the soundtrack. It was still on pre-order, but four songs were already available. One of them was my favorite, Tell Me If You Wanna Go Home. I have to admit, I originally went to see the film because of Adam Levine and Mark Ruffalo, but I walked out absolutely loving Keira Knightley. She’s gorgeous, and her voice is just perfect for every song she sings.

So please, if you love music, you’ll love this movie. It’s beautiful, inspiring, and guaranteed to make you feel good.

Anyway, enough about the movie. Let’s go back to my story. On my way to the SkyTrain after watching Begin Again again tonight, I couldn’t stop smiling. In that moment, I realized something: music has saved my life too.

I never thought I’d be able to speak another language besides Thai. I never imagined I could read, write, listen, and speak English fluently without going to university abroad or taking private lessons with native teachers. If it weren’t for music, I wouldn’t be where I am today.

Apart from the classic “Happy Birthday” song, the very first full English song I learned was Santa Claus Is Coming to Town. Back in grade 5, my teacher played Christmas music and taught us how to sing along. That teacher was Miss Warin Cheewadutsadee, and she changed my life forever. I loved her class. She’s the reason I fell in love with the English language.

I can’t remember exactly when I started listening to English music on my own, but one of the first songs I remember singing was Stay the Same by Joey McIntyre. The lyrics had such a powerful meaning for me, and I lived my life by them. From there, I kept listening to English music, and the bands of the 90s became my true English teachers: Steps (yes, I know all the dances!), Westlife, a1, 5ive, 911, Backstreet Boys, The Corrs… Don’t you just love 90s music?! On top of that, I also watched American TV series, which helped my listening skills even more.

Music calms me when I’m angry or sad. It makes me smile, sing out loud, and dance like no one is watching. I can’t live without it. And honestly, without music pushing me to learn English, I don’t know where I’d be right now.

With the right mindset, anything is possible.

So thank you to everyone who creates music. You’ll never know how many lives you’re changing.