I Am Who I Am

I understand perfectly well that many people find me difficult. But I have never reshaped myself to suit someone else, I do not do it now, and I am not going to start.

I am who I am.

If you do not like what I say, how I live, or the music I make, you are always free not to talk to me, follow me, or listen to my songs. I see no point in spending your life discussing someone you cannot stand. I will shake the dust from my shoes and keep walking. It makes no difference to me.

People have tried many times to change me, make me more convenient, bend me to serve their interests, or use me for their own purposes. But I have my own mind, my own position, and my own convictions. That is why those attempts have always been—and will always remain—pointless.

This does not mean I believe I am infallible or refuse to listen to anyone else. If someone shows me another side of a situation and I realise that I judged it incorrectly or failed to understand something, I will admit my mistake. I do not see that as weakness. It takes far more inner strength for a person—a man included—to admit he was wrong than to cling stubbornly to the need to be right.

But I will not accept things being imposed on me when they run against my convictions, my dignity, or my identity. I will never pretend to believe in something that is not real to me simply because it would make me more convenient for someone else.

There have been periods in my life that I call deserts. At times, it felt as though I were walking on thin ice, never knowing what the next step would bring. Those are precisely the moments when it matters most to preserve your inner core—your own understanding of honour, dignity, and decency.

For me, there is no grey area in this particular matter. And I mean this particular matter—not the whole world and not every situation in life.

I Am Who I Am was born after yet another attempt to make me become someone else. Perhaps some people find it easier to bend to circumstances or to other people. I find it easier to keep moving forward, holding on to my own mind and my right to remain myself.

If you want to remake me—well, go ahead and try.

Good luck.

— Alex Kryve