Nicki Minaj's "Moment 4 Life."

Nicki Minaj - New Music - More Music Videos

A lot of people ask me why I decided to dye a strand of my hair pink. I'm not rebelling against society, nor am I mad at my parents. It was an act of individuality that I decided to pursue over Christmas break - half due to boredom and half due to well, Nicki Minaj. Yes, I am 20 years old.

When her video for "Moment 4 Life" debuted this week I was enthralled. She's only had one album out, but to me, she is so already incredibly accomplished. She's signed on Lil Wayne's Young Money record label and has worked with Eminem, Drake and plenty others. Minaj is an ambitious female rapper with an incredible vocal spectrum. She sometimes raps about her wild alter ego, Roman, but in this case, we see a softer side of Minaj that wants to be a princess for a night. She's so bold and willing to be vulnerable at the same time, and I think we can all relate to that. Minaj also made an appearance this week on SNL!

Totally unrelated to Miss Minaj: I wrote a blog post for Radio Milwaukee this week about the Smith Westerns new album, which is phenomenal.

Everyone needs to get on a sailboat.

Recently I was introduced to the band Tennis. The timing is very important because the winter has gotten the best of me and they remind me that there are four seasons. Patrick Riley and Alaina Moore spent a great deal of time traveling through the country on a sailboat, and if that's what it takes to make this kind of music, I'd recommend every musician check it out. Their music is in sync - so it makes sense that they're married. Plus, the New York Times likes them.