Lady Gaga is playing at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane on the 9th Dec and my nibling (gender neutral term for niece or nephew) Aluna is going, and two of my carers are going as well.
Lulu chose this portrait as her favourite of my ‘Rainbow Bubbles of Collective Effervescence’ original ByShi portraits at my art exhibit at Montville Reflection Gallery in Nov 2025, so I made her a shirt to wear to the concert! I’m so ridiculously excited! I originally drew Lady Gaga to make a shirt for my friend Caitie who, like Lady Gaga and me, has Fibromyalgia. We’ll be cheering Lady Gaga on from our beds!
Lady Gaga lives with fibromyalgia and somehow continues performing and sharing her incredible music. We share grit with fibromyalgia and a passion for music, and we don’t let fibro take music away from us.
I was forced to give up my vocation with flute and piano aged 14 in 1994 because fibromyalgia makes it hurt too much to play. Still to this day, 31 years later, even *thinking* of music I imagine my fingers moving over the piano keys or choreograph dances in my head – and even *imagining* movement triggers pain.
However in the past 7 years I have written more than 40 chants. I slow… down… and… repeat…them… over… and… over… in… my… mind… I’ve also written over ten songs I lay down and transcribed using a keyboard on my lap and wrote sheet music I sent to some of my fave singers and Mum plays on harp at my local hospital! (I learned music theory in childhood). Chanting means even when I’m bedridden in pain, I can always have music, and sheet music means my music can live on through others playing it!
I imagine being at the concert with Lulu, my carers and Caitie too, and I hold Lady Gaga and all her fans – at the concert and at home with fibromyalgia – with me in collective effervescence in my contemplation. I pray Lady Gaga is always able to enjoy music. I thank her for helping me bond in such a special way with my nibling and my friend with fibro.