By: Rob Brayl
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

I want to share a story with you.

I started BiggerThanBeyonce.Com because, as a writer and artist, I wanted to create a space with my fingerprints all over it — one in which my voice (along with countless other musicians and artists who I felt deserved the recognition, specifically those who are NOT rich and famous) could be heard. A place that wasn’t shallow or lame, but was full of purpose and meaning and yet still entertaining as hell (without having to resort to showing paparazzi crotch shots)!

BiggerThanBeyonce.Com, the name, is a play on this idea that there’s more to life than celebrity and fame — hence why there’s a focus on the humanitarian aspect featured throughout the site as well as music related to our spiritual journey as human beings (but don’t worry, there’s silly entertainment galore thrown into the mix, too). It’s also a play on the fact that there are many artists who could be just as big (horrible word choice, but I’ll use it in this instance) as someone like Ms. Knowles if only the right outlets of creative exposure would develop. Thus, why you’ll see numerous articles sharing the spotlight with the up & coming.

I should also state that Beyonce is my favorite pop star. I say this because I am a huge BK supporter and the reason I felt her name fit well with BTB is the fact that she often uses her platform to give back. Besides this reason and the fact that I love her music, I also admire her stance to stay humble out of the hype.

It has taken some time and serious hard work for the site to catch on, but I am getting there. WE are getting there. Together!

[Sidenote: We have never once claimed to be machines and thus you may find grammatical errors here and there. We try our best to make these limited for I am a perfectionist and it drives me freakin' bananas, but it's a blog and it's not that serious. So, if you happen to see an error, please get over it! We are not the New York Times.]

Also, I want to state (as most of you may already know) that I am in my 20s and living in one of the most expensive cities (NYC) in the world. I bring this up because I wanted to say that this idea has been built from the ground up. There has been no advertising other than what I’ve created on my own, no gigantic budget for publicity, and no PR agency behind the scenes to make sure millions of people see the site. And in all honesty, I am happy this is the case. I knew from the start that I wanted BTB to find its own wings, and although we haven’t fully arrived, I feel we are getting there, thanks to readers just like you who most likely stumbled upon the site via Google (searching something Beyonce related or perhaps Eminem’s sobriety or “Glee Gay Sharks”, among various other random keyword combinations).

To everyone who reads this little site: THANK YOU. I speak not only for myself but for the other writers (Maria Ciezak and Caitlin Hoffman) as well, and for all the wonderful artists we have had a chance to interview, meet, and expose to the audience we’ve worked so hard at building here at BTB.

We are still a fairly new site and have a long ways to go, and so we ask that if you enjoy what we present to you daily (Monday through Friday), that you share this website with friends. It would also be cool if you joined the Facebook fan page. Of course, these are all things that are a lot less important than what lies underneath…

The promo/teaser you’re about to see is a concept I constructed for the site quite some time ago, so it’s wonderful to see it finally come to life. This is such an incredibly personal project for me as I feel I have lived the life of every message you see in the promo — all insecurities and hurdles I’ve faced (or still face) throughout my life to some degree — hurdles and insecurities that I knew were universal. I am very pleased with the outcome but I am most proud of the message in the promo — this idea that music has the power to wake us from our own hibernation, a sleep that often has us living obsessed with our flaws in a way that isn’t nurturing to what can be a “good life”. The song featured in the video is ‘Good Life’ by One Republic. If you read the blog you probably know that Ryan Tedder is one of my favorite songwriters/producers and I felt this particular track meshed perfectly with the message of the piece.

A huge thanks to the entire cast, which includes (in order of appearance):

(Rob Brayl – I’m seen in the opening/ending frames)
Tony Cortopassi
Andrea Shannon Young
Rafaele Rivera
Theo Sarcasmo
Edo Tastic
Alicia Fajardo
Jantra “Jo Jo” Silbert
Jessica Brasfield
Zackary Brett Hemenway
And puppy “Roscoe” (Isn’t he the cutest thing?!)

Also, a major thanks to photographer/filmmaker Jordan Lindsay who shot the project.

Y’all are sexy on the inside and out!

Above all, thank you God for the love you give, even when the love I return is often broken and fragmented.

Enjoy the promo + a teaser from the shoot below. Please spread the word and feel free to post to Facebook, Twitter, Myspace and whatever else you turds may be using these days!

Nothing but love,
-Rob B.

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