side effects: big head, ego, obnoxious behavior

for those of you who don't know, i write music and sing and play pretty much any instrument you thrust at me. and this is not meant to be bragging or anything, but i find that i have a fairly decent voice, and a pretty good grasp of the improvisational side of creating music. i also write well (so i think), and that definitely contributes largely to the lyrical side of things. - overall, i think i'm a pretty good musician. i'm not trying to boast here, there are definitely hundreds of musicians out there who are of a completely different caliber than i, but i'm saying that for my level, i'm pretty good. well, i think i am. and i've been told that i am. which brings me to the point of this post.

so often, when i play my music for people, or when i sing, or something, i get so many compliments... which is nice. being complimented helps me to think i'm a good person. :) the only drawback to these compliments is that oftentimes they are followed with things like, "you remind me of thus-and-such" or "your voice sounds just like so-and-so", and as flattering as it is to be compared with people like avril lavigne and the lead singer of evanescence (amy lee), (and others i can't recall at the moment), i kind of get tired with being "compared" in some small way to them. i will admit that music like that does influence certain styles i may portray, or possibly the way i sing a certain line, but how do i get compared with people? i'm kind of ranting right now, i know, but it's one in the morning so i hope you'll forgive me.

what gives someone the right to compare a person? i don't think that anyone has that right. and i know, they're being nice and complimenting my voice and my playing ability, but can't you just compliment someone and be done with it? when people ask what kind of music i play i say "my music", and when they ask what genre or style it is i say "it doesn't fit into anything", and they accept that and don't push it, they don't make me fit it into "yeah it's pop" or "folk" or anything like that. so why then do they stick me up with people who play music that yes, it's kind of like my music in that it's similar in style and stuff, but in the essence it's complete different? i think what bugs me the most is when the phrase "you sound just like so-and-so" is used - then i feel like i don't have my own voice, i'm just a mimicry of someone famous. and again, as nice as that is to be complimented by someone, i don't want to be complimented and compared to the point where i lose my identity in the process (funnily enough i have a song that talks about identity and such).

i guess what i'm trying to get at is that i appreciate being told i sound nice, or i am slightly reminiscient of someone, but why can't i just remind you of me?