As the coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic continues to rock the music industry, the Recording Academy reached out to a few musicians to see how they were spending their days indoors. Today, "Friday" viral sensation Rebecca Black, who has recently released two brand-new songs, "Self Sabotage" and "Closer," shares her Quarantine Diary—on a Friday.

Friday, March 27

[6:07 a.m.] Good morning! I wake up to a sound that is unfortunately familiar: the screeching, borderline ear-deafening blare of an alarm is now ringing through the house. My mom has a habit of accidentally setting off our home security system when letting the dogs out first thing in the morning. I haven't had the pleasure of hearing such a sound since I moved out after high school, but now that I’m home for the foreseeable future to spend time with family during this quarantine, I might as well get reacquainted. I fall back asleep within a solid 30 seconds.

[7:30 a.m.] Good morning, again! This time the only alarm (kind of) blaring is a little twinkle sound coming from my phone’s alarm. I don’t like to sleep in much because I really enjoy taking my time in the morning rather than feeling rushed (not that I have anywhere to be right now, but still). I find it nice to be able to spend time checking in on the world through my phone, making breakfast in peace and spending snug time with my dog Marlowe. 

Being back home and out of L.A. especially has made me appreciate the silence and serene-ness of mornings. I've realized I’m definitely a creature of habit and love routines, so I spend the next couple of hours getting myself sorted for the day as I normally would, all while dragging my laptop around to the kitchen, just outside the shower, literally wherever I go so I can watch "Tiger King" and multitask. I wish I was kidding but OH MY GOD I am obsessed. Also, no one is around to judge me for this. 

[10:49 a.m.] My mom is a veterinarian, and her work is considered an essential business, so her being off to work keeps things pretty chill around the house. My brother is also home trying to manage college from home now so he keeps to himself for most of the day. I’ve been spending the last hour in my new favorite little sitting spot editing an upcoming video for my YouTube channel. Another thing that has been on my mind has been reconfiguring how I do my YouToube series, "Blacking Out with Rebecca Black," where I would normally have a guest over to my house and get to know more about them that we wouldn’t get to know elsewhere. So now, I’m sorting out logistics to continue filming whilst being able to do so remotely. 

Trying to find the positives in all of this, I have definitely found a new creative energy here at home, with tons more time to myself. I've already started to learn new things about myself and the things I want to create. I've grown up as a child of the internet, and so honestly I have really been turning to my audience and community online to keep me sane. Just being able to hopefully provide some entertainment and uplift those who need it right now feels right to me.

[12:36 p.m.] In the midst of editing, I get a text from my team about doing a concert livestream with Paper magazine later today. I’ve just started doing "At-Home Friday Happy Hour" streams with my own audience on my Instagram Live, so doing this with Paper is an immediate yes! My brain quickly shifts from editing to rehearsing the songs I plan on playing since I've only got a few hours to prep. 

[2:42 p.m.] When I play any instruments live it's usually on my upright piano that sits in my living room at my home, so when I came down to be at home with my family I took my guitar with me that I’ve been learning to play over the past six months. I’m still so new with it and so many things about it feel so different to the piano, but I’ve decided to do a little challenge with myself to play this whole livestream on guitar. So spending a good amount of time nailing these songs down best as I can. My cat is my audience for now, and she’s a brutal critic. 

[4:00 p.m.] Live stream starts now! I play my new songs "Closer," "Self Sabotage," as well as "Do You?" And yes, a little bit of "Friday." Being able to have direct conversations with my audience is something I really only appreciate more and more each day in this state of the world—some of these people and I have at this point essentially grown up together, so seeing familiar names always make me smile. 

[7:37 p.m.] Definitely not taking for granted the fact that I’m able to be home with family and get some good ol’ home-cooked MEALS right now. My mom and I always end the day with a drink and cook something for the fam together. I know she's also been happy to have me home to gossip with at the end of the day and also an extra pair of hands to help cook. The rest of the night is filled with a lot of pet wrangling (we have my dog, a mastiff, a pomeranian and my three-legged cat at home), more editing and me trying to explain the premise of "RuPaul’s Drag Race" to my mom and brother. Quality time!

I’ve come to understand that when we are forced to spend so much time in solitude, and without the usual daily distractions we give ourselves, we are really forced to face how we actually feel about ourselves and the world around us. It can be so daunting at times, but I’m trying to seek comfort in the fact that this time is helping me get to know myself more and more. And it gives me hope to see that as a community I think we are learning how to put our own wants and needs aside in order to help an issue that is much greater than our individual bubbles. I hope we can see some real positive changes for us as a whole when we come out of this. Be kind and patient with yourselves. Sending my love.  

If you wish to support our efforts to assist music professionals in need, learn more about the Recording Academy's and MusiCares COVID-19 Relief Fund.

If you are a member of the music industry in need of assistance, visit the MusiCares website.