How Music Has Shaped My Life
A personal story on how music has inspired my life journey.
The Beginning
I can’t pinpoint the exact moment music started shaping my life, but I do remember obsessing over it when I was young. My Christmas and birthday wish lists always had at least one album from an artist I loved.
Growing up in Miami, I was always surrounded by sound, and my taste was never limited to one genre. I loved Eminem (which probably explains why my parents were not rushing to take me to concerts), and I also loved Destiny’s Child. At family events, I’d hear everything from vallenato to salsa to merengue. There was also this radio station in Miami that played dance tracks people now call classics, like “Better Off Alone” and “Castles in the Sky.” I didn’t have the words for it at the time, but something about those songs hit different. It felt like my nervous system recognized something before my brain could explain it.
And it wasn’t just that I loved music, I was creating it too. In elementary school, I participated in chorus for a year, and we even submitted a competition video covering the “Oscar Mayer Weiner” jingle to try to get featured in a commercial. We didn’t win, but I’ll never forget how fun that was. I also played the violin in 4th and 5th grade because I love how the violin sounds. It’s still one of my favorite instruments, along with the piano. I never learned how to play piano, but it’s on my bucket list.
Middle School
Middle school is when it really clicked. That’s when I discovered Tiësto, and I had “Love Comes Again” and “Just Be” on rotation on my MySpace page. I loved those songs because I wasn’t just hearing the music, I was feeling it. That was new for me. That was the moment I thought: I NEED TO SEE TIËSTO LIVE!!
Of course, being in middle school meant I was way too young for clubs, but then I saw Tiësto was playing a festival in Miami called Ultra Music Festival, and at the time, it was all-ages. I thought I found the loophole. My parents said ABSOLUTELY NOT! Not until I was at least 18.
My First Festival: Warped Tour
In high school, a friend invited me to Warped Tour in 2007, and my parents only said yes because my cousin had gone before and they felt like it was safe.
That was my first real concert/festival experience, and it felt like stepping into a whole new world. I wasn’t even a huge rock fan at the time, but seeing all those bands live kicked off my “emo stage” in the best way. I started listening to all of them, and even attended the festival again in 2008.
Looking back, Warped Tour didn’t just introduce me to live music events; it introduced me to the feeling of it. The energy, the community, and the moments that stick with you for life.
My 18th Birthday: Deadmau5
Then came 2009. Deadmau5 dropped “Ghost ’n’ Stuff,” Swedish House Mafia started gaining serious popularity, and David Guetta’s mainstream moment exploded with his album One Love.
Coincidentally, it was also the year I turned 18.
For my 18th birthday, I went to see Deadmau5’s “For Lack of a Better Name” tour at Revolution in Fort Lauderdale, FL. I didn’t know it then, but that night would change the course of my life forever. It was my first live dance music show, and it was better than I ever imagined. It made me hungry for more.
And once you experience that kind of moment, it’s hard to go back to the version of you who didn’t know it existed.
Ultra Miami 2010: My First Dance Music Festival
In March 2010, I finally attended my first Ultra Music Festival in Miami. It was my first dance music festival, and as crazy as it sounds, something shifted inside me that weekend. Life took a turn for the better.
After Ultra, festivals and shows became what I wanted to spend my time on, and honestly, what I wanted to spend my money on too. It wasn’t just entertainment anymore; it felt like direction.
The first time I traveled for music: Swedish House Mafia at MSG
By December 2011, I traveled for an event for the first time: Swedish House Mafia headlining Madison Square Garden (MSG).
They were the first DJ group to headline their own show at MSG, which made it historic, and I always say if I could relive one night, it would be that one. What made the trip unforgettable for me, though, was the full experience of being part of that night and exploring a new city for the first time.
That was also one of the first times I realized something important: music wasn’t just shaping my weekends. It was shaping my world.
Music gave me friendships that feel like family
One of the biggest gifts music has given me is people. I’ve made connections that lasted just one night, and others that have become lifelong friendships. I met one close friend at Ultra 2010 who is still in my life today.
I met another friend in an Uber on the way to Club Space in Miami, and we’ve now traveled the world together for events. I met someone else at the concession stand of a Swedish House Mafia show, and that turned into more trips and more memories.
One of my favorite “only music could do this” moments happened at Tomorrowland 2019. I met a couple at the Dreamville camp pre-party, and then the next day, I unexpectedly ended up being their proposal photographer when they got engaged at the main stage. We’ve stayed in touch ever since and have gone to Tomorrowland together in 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025. It’s one of those stories that will always stick with me because it proves how music can turn strangers into lifelong friends.
These are just a few examples, but they explain something I believe deeply: Music events are not just about the lineup. They’re about the bonds you build in those moments, the way someone feels like family because you both experienced the same event at the same time.
The hard seasons: when music became more than fun
I would be lying if I said music only shaped the fun parts of my life. It shaped the hard parts too.
In October 2023, my father suffered a severe stroke that changed his life, and my family’s life moving forward. The months that followed were the toughest times I’ve ever experienced in life. There was so much uncertainty, and he was going in and out of hospitals and rehab centers.
It was painful to watch him go through it, but I knew I had to stay strong for him and for my family. While I’m grateful for the support system I had through friends, music was one of the biggest things that helped me survive that season.
Music gave me release when I needed it. Comfort when I felt alone. A reminder that life moves in waves, and the wave always comes back around. Sometimes the most healing thing is not advice, it’s a song that makes you cry and then makes you dance right after.
Tough times are inevitable. But even in tough times, you still have to find the good. Music helped me remember that both can exist together.
The Louey D Experience
At some point, I realized I wasn’t just collecting memories. I was collecting proof. Proof that joy can be built. Proof that community can be created. Proof that life can expand when you follow what lights you up.
That’s where The Louey D Experience comes from. It’s my way of sharing what music has given me: the travel, the people, the lessons, and the real stories behind the moments.
Living Life by the Beat
Music has shaped my life in ways I never could’ve predicted.
It has been my outlet, my motivation, my reset button, and my therapy. It gave me nights that changed my life, friendships that grounded me, and a reason to keep moving forward when life got heavy. The best part is, it’s not over.
There are still songs I haven’t heard yet that will change me. There are still cities I’ll see because a lineup pulls me there. There are still people I haven’t met yet who will end up feeling like home.
This is the journey.
This is the soundtrack.
This is how music shaped my life, and why I’ll always choose to live life by the beat.
I’m Luis, the person behind The Louey D Experience. I’ve been going to festivals since 2007 and pretty much plan my life around music, travel, and the friends I meet along the way. This blog is where I share the festival stories, itineraries, and lessons that pushed me to live life by the beat, so you can feel inspired to do the same.