Hey guys, how’s it going?

I’ve been crazy busy with work. From hosting makeup launches to more makeup product judging, to meeting awesome bands and artists who I never in this lifetime thought I would meet (which I will talk about in my next post), right down to my everyday struggle of “how to style my hair”, learning how to apply eye shadow (I am still struggling with that big-ended up looking like the Phantom of the Opera the other night), and trying to lose that extra kg I gained from my overly enthusiastic social life.

Basically I have been trying new things every week. It is all part of my “Do new things in 2011″ agenda. So far so good! This week I flushed a pear down the toilet (not such a good idea), I memorized a bunch of big pretentious English words, and I also got to know the world around me better.

When I say “got to know the world around me better”, I mean finding out what is happening outside of my own comfort zone. I can easily stay in my room and paint my nails, but what is living if I am unaware of the issues that other countries are facing?

I got to know more than I did previously about MTV EXIT. EXIT, by the way stands for End Exploitation and Trafficking. We see it in shows and in movies like Taken, where girls get sold into prostitution and such but how aware are we of it’s happenings in this day and age? This is exactly what this campaign is all about. Produced by MTV EXIT Foundation (formerly known as the MTV Europe Foundation), it is aimed at raising awareness and trying to put an end to human trafficking.

In Asia, MTV EXIT has also been active in spreading the word, organizing concerts to raise awareness throughout SEA amongst other efforts. Working together with MTV on this campaign are various bands, one of which is The Click Five. Earlier this week, i had privilege of speaking to Kyle Patrick, the lead singer of the band to chat about their upcoming video “Don’t Let Me Go” which was filmed in line with the campaign, as well as to find out some of his own thoughts on the situation.

According to Kyle they’ve been writing music, feeling creative, and getting ready to record some new stuff. They’re also about to tour which is tres-exciting for them and for fans everywhere!

I then asked a question that, kind of threw me off the map. Literally. The world map.
Holly: “You guys started your long tour in England, and it’s gonna end there this year right?”
Kyle: “England?!”
Holly: “Yeah”
Kyle: “You might have gotten us confused because we haven’t toured England in some time.”
***awkward***
Holly: “Oh right. So tell me about you current album?”
Kyle: “Oh hahaha okay so the subject’s changed?”

But geographically, I was close! Their record is about to come out in UK and Europe.

And this record is none other than their current album, TCV. The recording process Kyle said, took a while as they spent time on each individual track: “It started in 2008, finished in 2009, and now it’s just only coming out! That’s longer than I thought it’d take…we’ve done everything substantially ourselves, completely independent. And we are about to get it out in many countries all over the world…we are very excited and super super psyched”

I was told to look out for a special MTV Exit single by Kyle & turns out, “Don’t Let Me Go” was the track that they chess for the campaign. “We’re just ecstatic that we can be part of that and that we can send the message to prevent human trafficking. We’ve had a very long history with MTV Exit and this song in particular was one that really moved me…”

One of the first times the band performed it was in Cambodia (where Human Trafficking is prevalent), and even though many of the crowd did not speak English, the song spoke to them. People were crying, the band was crying. Kyle described it as an “incredible moment”. When asked why this song was chosen in particular, Kyle said that “it is very impactful, and when performing this song, it was extremely intense and moving. People were crying, and when the song finally got translated, it was even more moving” which is why the band decided it should be part of the campaign.

The blindfolds in the video, what’s the significance of that? I wondered. When I asked Kyle, he said that it just shows how people are blinded by the issue. Not everyone is aware of this and this is just a stepping stone to show what is really going on.

Urging people to just go to MTV Exit’s web http://www.mtvexit.org and read about it and see what’s happening, Kyle really feels that awareness is the first step.

“Awareness really is key”, said Kyle. Prior to this campaign, Kyle had no idea that human trafficking was this major. Growing up as a normal kid in Atlanta, he had no idea that even in his own hometown; it was prevalent for years and years.

From a musical standpoint, he feels like music is a break from reality. “Music can be anything you want it to be. Like for instance, this song was actually written as a relationship song and not specifically for this issue. Yet, it is still suited for such an issue and that’s what I love about music, how you can let it be whatever. The fact that it resonated with them in that setting is the coolest thing ever. Music is just a break from reality. Those twenty minutes performed for them was just like a break from reality for those girls in Cambodia. At any concert we performed too, it’s nice to see that people are having a break from reality. It doesn’t matter the amount of time,” said Kyle.

I totally agreed with him on that. Music really can bring your mind to a different realm. However I found it interesting how the song “Don’t Let Me Go” was not written for the campaign and actually for a relationship, but the magic of music is that it can mean so many things all at the same time!

Given the option of where in Asia he’d like to visit next, Kyle said “I would wanna go everywhere to see everyone.” They’ve been to a lot- Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Japan, Korea, Cambodia, Vietnam. They’re helping out with Japan. They have songs on a compilation album called Power Pops for Japan and all the proceeds from that goes to International Red Cross.

It’s great to see bands participate so actively in these causes because outside the glitz and glamor of being a celebrity and being an icon, there is so much going on that has to be looked at and dealt with seriously.

I felt touched after speaking with Kyle. His and his bands passion really made me feel as human as human gets. That is humanity after all, isn’t it? Seeing/knowing of someone in trouble and helping and/or trying to make an effort to save.

For now, check out http://mtvexit.org and find out more about Human Trafficking or check out the official facebook page www.facebook.com/MTVEXIT. Hopefully when awareness is raised, help will also be raised.

And yes, don’t forget to check out their video “Don’t Let Me Go” right here.

PS: With the release of The Click Five’s latest music video to raise awareness about human trafficking, “Don’t Let Me Go,” MTV EXIT in partnership with The Click Five have launched a video contest to inspire people to remove their blindfolds and to make a difference. Winners will have their video featured at MTV EXIT events. To learn more go to: http://vimeo.com/groups/tcf