This article explores the disconnect between academic, interview-based research with adolescents and the actual lived experiences of teenagers. I advocate that through long-term relationships, community partnerships, creating safe and creative spaces and empowering youth to understand and make meaning of their own experiences, we can truly begin to investigate the issues relevant to their lives. Through personal reflection and analysis of the words and experiences of girls who participated in a performing arts program, I propose creative ways to invite silenced voices into the research process beyond interviews and surveys.