February 2019
Galaxy
★ Troye Sivan ★ De'Wayne Jackson ★ Camera Cult ★ KONGOS
★ 8123 Fest ★ Walk The Moon ★ Jesse McCartney
+ more!
Photo: De'Wayne Jackson by Claire Doherty
Galaxy Magazine
Photo by Yising Kao
We're all stars that make up the galaxy
Welcome to our February issue and thank you for your support! We believe in authenticity and expressing our passions, and we support all types of artists. Everyone shines uniquely in their own way. We hope you enjoy our magazine! Executive Editor: Yising Kao Executive Editor: Photographers: Yising Kao, Sean Photographers: Gardner, Emily Lopez, Claire Doherty, Caitlin Meaney, Sarah Rodriguez Writers: Yising Kao, Sean Gardner, Writers: Emily Lopez, Lexee Shapiro, Makayla Harr, Kelsey Hyde
Stay updated with us! www.galaxy-mag.com Twitter: @galaxy_mag Twitter: Instagram: @galaxymag Instagram:
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Photo: De'Wayne Jackson by Claire Doherty
Table of Contents
3 Star Spotlight: De'Wayne Jackson 5 Concert Review: KONGOS 7 Interview: Camera Cult 12 Artist Spotlight: Angelina Singer 14 Interview: Troye Sivan at USC 21 COVER Interview: Alan Chow 26 EP Review: Don't Try This by Chase Atlantic
28 Concert Photos: 8123 Fest 30 Concert Photos: Walk The Moon 31 Concert Photos: RKCB & Shoffy 32 Concert Photos: Jesse McCartney 33 2 Concert Photos: Vince Staples
34 Concert Photos: KONGOS 35 Concert Photos: COIN 36 Playlist: season of hearts
Star Spotlight:
De'Wayne Jackson Article & Photos By Yising Kao
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Originally from Spring, Texas, De’Wayne Jackson is a soulful artist whose music is a fusion of alt-rock, hip-hop, and R&B. His lyrics are LOUD and convey powerful messages. De’Wayne recently opened up for Waterparks on their Entertainment Tour last Fall, after lead singer Awsten Knight discovered him opening up for Set It Off at their Anaheim show. With his exuberant energy and confidence, De’Wayne is definitely one of the best performers I’ve ever seen. His energy is contagious and spread throughout the crowd, and I can feel his passion through the way he delivers his lyrics. Also, De’Wayne’s dance moves are just FANTASTIC. There isn’t a moment where he’s not moving around and expressing his vibes. I recommend everyone to check out his music, no matter what genre you usually listen to. I really admire artists who write their own songs and have genuine lyrics. Some of his hits include “Top Man,” “Adios” featuring Chase Atlantic, and his newest one, “Let It Bang” (which is indeed, a banger!). De’Wayne has been breaking into the music industry with a unique and eclectic style, so look out for more new music.
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Concert Review: KONGOS at Bowery Ballroom Review & Photos by Sean Gardner
In early 2019, four brothers from South Africa, collectively known as the alternative rock band KONGOS, embarked on a tour called the 1929 tour. On the 29th of January, they played the Bowery Ballroom in lower Manhattan. It was a very, very old night, but the band rocked out so hard that you could almost forget just how cold it really was outside. Their punchy and diverse alternative sound with the uniquely added layer of accordion solos, made for a show that was damn near impossible not to sway and groove to. They opened with a song from their new album 1929, which later in the show they announced would be the first of a trilogy of albums, though they did not share when the two follow up albums, to be titled 1929 Part 2 and Part 3, would be released. That announcement left the crowd very excited as they played a lot of the new songs in their set, including the singles from the album “Pray for the Weekend,” “Keep Your Head,” “Everything Must Go,” and “Real Life,” along with others. As the night went on, they played jams like “I Don't Mind” from Egomaniac and my personal favorite, “Come With Me Now” from Lunatic. The last couple of songs the band played during their encore were really something special. Before they started the first song of their encore, the bassist Dylan, joked that they had written the next song in the sixties, which obviously suggested that they were about to play a cover. It was not until the first verse, where the lyrics and vocal melodies started, that I realized that they were doing a wildly original rendition of the legendary Beatles classic, “Eleanor Rigby.” It was surprising to me how long it took me to realize they were playing a 5
Beatles song, but they really brought their own distinctive flavor to the tune. Towards what would usually be the end of the song, a friend of the band hopped up on stage to rap an original verse over the reggae influenced jam that the band was playing. Overall, the show KONGOS put on was very memorable. Their newest album 1929 Part 1 is available now, and keep an eye out for Parts 2 and 3 which are presumably coming soon as well, and they are still on the 1929 tour, with support from another really cool band called Fitness. Check it out and see if they're playing a city near you, because it's definitely a show worth checking out.
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Interview: Camera Cult Interview & Photos by Emily Lopez
Camera Cult is living proof that Houston, Texas has a solid music scene. Made up of Ricky Vasquez (vocals and guitar), David Gonzalez (launchpad and drum machine), and Skyler Scholtes (drums), the indie-synth-pop band has good beats and mesmerizing lyrics. The band is currently signed to Wormhole Records and is going further in the industry with the support of their friends, family, and fans. Their latest EP, Talk Nice, is made up of five songs that you'll keep singing for days, along with their other singles. The band plays every show with their hearts, giving so much energy and interacting with their supporters in between. They’ll have you dancing, singing and jumping around with you the whole night. With their bright lights, retro aesthetic, and captivating atmosphere, they’ll have you feeling nostalgic with not only their sound, but also their style. Clearly set on having a good time on stage and putting things out there that their fans will love, this band is one you’ll start to love in a short amount of time.
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How did you guys meet? RICKY: David and I have been friends since RICKY: freshman year of high school and that was a long time ago. DAVID: Yeah, ninth grade, ‘08? ‘07? DAVID: RICKY: Maybe ’06-ish, ‘cause it starts there. So, RICKY: me and him, we've been friends since all through high school. We've been in and out of bands together ever since and then we started Camera Cult, when, 2014? Yeah, just me and him, we had another friend, our lineups kinda changed but we were always the core members, and then Skyler joined a year and a half ago. And we met him through a mutual friend who had introduced us, and we were going to play a show, and our drummer at the time had sprained his ankle, like day before show. So, we called Skyler 'cause we knew he played drums and he was super down to learn our songs like in a day, and he did – he did a great job and he was our drummer ever since then. Yeah, we had to let the other guy go. So, he sprained his ankle and then you were just like “So, you're out?” RICKY: Basically, there were a few other things RICKY: that kinda led to it but it was kind of our way – no disrespect to him at all, sweet guy, great drummer but we were just like not really vibin’ with him as much as we wanted to, but we got along with Skylar pretty well.
that. Does it mean anything to you, Skyler? SKYLER: No, I always heard the name and it just SKYLER: seems to stick with people. Everyone kind of just remembers that name. I've always liked it. EMILY: Well yeah, how many bands have “cult” in EMILY: their name? SKYLER: I mean, how many people can pull off SKYLER: that and not scare off people?
So, what is Camera Cult, like why’d you choose that name and what does it mean to each of you? DAVID: Well, Ricky came up with the name. DAVID: RICKY: Yeah, we were just kinda throwing RICKY: together, trying to see what fit and it really was just a random thing. It doesn’t really mean anything. I think we tried to make up a meaning for it but we were just like “Let's not fake it.” It doesn’t mean anything. We put two words together, we Google-searched it to make sure it didn’t exist, it didn’t, so we kept
Lyrically, who inspires you? RICKY: I don’t know...I guess in the recent years, RICKY: Toro y Moi, Neon Indian. We just kinda started getting into the 1975. SKYLER: Oh yeah! Matt Healy, The 1975! SKYLER: RICKY: Over the last few years yeah, I guess I RICKY: write a lot of the lyrics. David helps me a lot, you know? To like rewrite, them and piece them together, he's definitely my toughest critic, lyrically. Actually, he inspires me the most. ‘Cause I always spit out something that I think might
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Your music has such a dope aesthetic, so how did you guys go about finding themes for your songs? RICKY: Well, for the last EP, we were listening to a RICKY: lot of like hip-hop records, you know, like Lil Uzi Vert. DAVID: Kanye. DAVID: RICKY: Oh yeah, lot of Kanye, even though he’s RICKY: all psycho now. But yeah, we were just vibin’ off a lot hip-hop records and so we just took that aesthetic of like, you know, drugs and like sex and heartbreak, you know, things like that and we just kind of put it into our perspective and we just like to write about what we know in a sense. DAVID: We were just playing around a lot on the DAVID: sense, trying to find a cool sound, kind just went with the vibe. RICKY: Yeah ‘cause we wanted to be like a pop RICKY: group but not like I don’t know like a traditional one per say so that’s just kinda how we did it, just really vibin’ off hip-hop records and then we just put on our own spin to it.
sound cool and then he gives me this look like “that's not it.” DAVID: Yeah, we’ll check on each other on stuff DAVID: like that. I’ll try and say something, and he'll be like “nah this isn't working.” RICKY: Yeah and lyrically, I pull a lot of RICKY: inspiration from things around me – things we hear people say, maybe. Certain phrases and then we kinda just make notes of it and then try to turn it into something later on. When and why did you pick up your first instrument? RICKY: I started playing guitar when I was about RICKY: maybe eight, just 'cause it always kinda been around in my family. My dad played a little guitar, my grandpa was a musician back in the day, so it was just a love of music was always around me and it's kind of cliché to say but yeah it was, just always really cool and so yeah, I started guitar then to like drums and bass - stuff like that, keyboard later on. SKYLE SKYLER: Yeah kinda the same thing. My dad was R: really involved with music, like he played bass and stuff like that. I kind of started playing drums I guess around like freshman year of high school, like eighth grade ‘cause everyone else played guitar and nobody else played drums. I was like alright, I gotta step up and do that. DAVID: I bought my first instrument because of a DAVID: band, a hardcore band, named Enter Shikari, that’s really why I bought the instrument. RICKY: Enter Shikari? RICKY: DAVID: Yeah, Enter Shikari, a very good band. DAVID: And then the other stuff also just came from YouTube videos, too. RICKY: That’s true. RICKY: Do you think music can change the world and how people perceive things? how people perceive things? RICKY: Definitely! I mean it already has in a lot RICKY:
of ways. Like for example, my favorite band of all time, The Beatles. I think just their influence in their short amount of like eight years they had their career going as a band, really shifted the way everything works and even now, Soulja Boy has been in interviews lately talking about his influence on modern music, which is so true. DAVID: It does put a perspective on things like DAVID: woah, you're right. RICKY: The way he shifted and used the internet RICKY: to his advantage to blow up and literally everyone does that now. Music definitely has the power to like shift the way things move and the way. DAVID: Can make you feel a type of way, too, DAVID: sometimes. RICKY: Yeah, that’s true. RICKY: 9
They invoke emotions that maybe you didn’t know you had or something. What message do you want people to receive from your music? from your music? RICKY: “Get lit, die lit.” RICKY: Honestly, the best message. RICKY: No, I’m kidding, I don’t know. I remember RICKY: saying like the main reason we started our group back in the day was 'cause we just wanted to make people dance and we really make music for ourselves because we weren't hearing enough of what we wanted in our surroundings so we created this group to kinda serve that channel of like emotions and soundscapes that we wanted to hear and all we ever really wanted to do is just make music that people can relate to, and ultimately move to and dance to. Whether it's at a show or if they're just listening to our music at home, or in the car or something. I just want people to feel the urge to like dance or move. DAVID: Yeah, I think people will grab their own DAVID: message. RICKY: Yeah, whatever people pull away with it is RICKY: fine. Whatever they get away from our music. DAVID: Yeah! That’s our message. DAVID: SKYLER: Whatever you take from it. SKYLER: RAPID FIRE QUESTIONS Who are your greatest influences in terms of artistic aesthetic? artistic aesthetic? RICKY: Chance the Rapper. RICKY: SKYLER: I just want to say Chon- no not even them SKYLER: - I don’t even know. RICKY: The Beatles influence everything I do. RICKY: SKYLER: Yeah! Honestly. SKYLER: DAVID: Honestly, The 1975. DAVID: SKYLER: Oh yeah, The 1975! SKYLER: What's your favorite 1975 album? DAVID: Album? I only really listened to the last DAVID: 10
two, the one with the long ass title. RICKY: You look really cool- RICKY: DAVID: You look so beautiful- DAVID: SKYLER: When you’re asleep. SKYLER: DAVID: Yeah, that one and then the brief inquiry. DAVID: That one’s so good. RICKY: Yeah, I would say their second album. RICKY: SKYLER: With “She’s American,” yeah. SKYLER: Do you write the music or lyrics first? RICKY: It changes every time. It’s different every RICKY: song. SKYLE SKYLER: Depends on what the ghost writer wants R: to do – nah. DAVID: No. All of our newer songs all have all DAVID: the musical instrumentals down right now. RICKY: Half lyrics, but when we started, all music. RICKY: If you weren’t doing music right now, what would you be doing? RICKY: I’d be an electrician. RICKY: SKYLE SKYLER: Yeah, I’d be a car salesman. R: DAVID: Looking for a job. DAVID: What are your top three songs right now? RICKY: Toro y Moi’s “Freelance,” I would say RICKY: “Love It If We Made It” – you wanna throw one in there? SKYLE SKYLER: I mean I'm on a 1975 kick right now. R: “She's American” – a jam lately. RICKY: Also – oh are you going? RICKY: DAVID: Actually no – that one Foster the People DAVID: song they came out with; Late Nights? RICKY: “Worst Nites?” RICKY: DAVID: “Worst Nites.” That song goes really hard DAVID: right now. RICKY: Oh, I’m really into that song “You Oughta RICKY: Know” by Alanis Morrissette. It’s a super old song but I got introduced to it by listening to "Time Crisis" by Ezra Koenig, and he brought it up and I just think it’s a really cool song. What’s your favorite 80s or 90s album? What’s your favorite 80s or 90s album?
SKYLER: Oh, probably the Stevie Nicks. I'm trying to think what album it's on with the- SKYLER: RICKY: The White Winged Dove? RICKY: SKYLER: Yeah – forgot the name of it though. SKYLER: RICKY: You're gonna have to fact-check that. Okay, my favorite - I RICKY: guess I’ll say 90s – no 80s album would be like New Order’s Substance which, I'm not sure if it came out in the 80s. I think like ’86. RICKY: Let’s Dance came RICKY: out in ‘84. DAVID: Yeah that was a really good album. DAVID: What’s a song you wish you wrote? What’s a song you wish you wrote? DAVID: I wish I wrote that “All My Friends Are Dead” song by Lil Uzi Vert. DAVID: RICKY: It’s a great song – Lil Uzi is really one of my favorite rappers. Everyone else is just clones after him. RICKY: SKYLER: It would be cool to write a classic that like everyone knows. SKYLER: RICKY: I actually really love, because you brought up Stevie Nicks, that song, “Dreams.” RICKY: SKYLER: Oh yeah, that’s good. SKYLER: RICKY: Fleetwood Mac, yeah, that’s a sick song! RICKY: Is there anything big planned for this year? Is there anything big planned for this year? RICKY: Yeah! So, we’re currently in production of a new music video for “Location” which will hopefully RICKY: come out February, maybe March, the latest. We also have a bunch of new music that we’re writing. We’re going to be recording really soon. Definitely, maybe a new EP or if anything, a bunch of new singles are going to be dropping. DAVID: Hopefully a summer tour. DAVID: RICKY: Yeah, we’re looking towards that. It takes a lot of money to tour, so we’re working on that. So, new RICKY: music video, new music, and a tour for 2019, yeah, it's going to be a lot.
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Artist Spotlight: Angelina Singer
Interview by Yising Kao Photos by Angelina Singer Meet Angelina Singer, an amazing Amigurumi artist based in Boston, MA! What inspired you to start crocheting? What inspired you to start crocheting? When I was about 12 years old, I remember being pretty lonely and bored as I didn’t have a ton of friends at the time, so my mom taught me a couple of simple crochet stitches. After that, I took it from there and fell in love with amigurumi art (the Japanese style of small stuffed crocheted or knitted toys). Since then, I’ve made countless types of different animals, dolls, and even food (like mini donut keychains), and I sell them in person at craft shows or digitally through my crocheted Instagram. And the craziest thing about all this is that my lookalike dolls specifically, get a ton of attention - I actually made one for Dalton Rapattoni (3rd place finalist of American Idol season 15) and one of the fans subsequently made a whole Twitter page for the doll. It was pretty wild - and then Alternative Press even got wind of my art - probably through the dolls I brought to Warped Tour for Awsten Knight, Remington Leith, and Janick Thibault - and included them in their “12 of the Most Unconventional Pieces of Fanart” article. What's your crocheting process like from start to finish? What's your crocheting process like from start to finish? My crocheting process is pretty standard: I start with a pretty basic pattern either in one of my books or from an online PDF, and then assemble it as written - but I often will adapt them as I see fit. For example, my custom dolls are based off of a really great pattern book, but I often embellish them with custom jewelry, pocket chains, eyeliner, and sometimes even fabricated props (like the laser gun, holster, and mask I made out of felt for my Party Poison doll). There is also often complex embroidery involved, like the tiny stars on Vic Fuentes' tank top or Alex Gaskarth’s signature jean jacket. The best part about the dolls is the details, and I go all out whenever I can and the results (usually) come out as planned. Smaller items like unicorns or dragons are usually made as written, except that I make them in a range of neon bright colors. My customizable dogs are also based on a pattern book, but I usually study the picture of a customer’s actual pet to get the fur and details just right. The weirdest thing about yarn is that it doesn’t always translate the way I think it will, so there are sometimes slightly frustrating moments, but I usually find a way to make it work. You crochet a variety of subjects like animals and artists. What's your favorite thing to crochet? You crochet a variety of subjects like animals and artists. What's your favorite thing to crochet? My favorite thing to crochet might have to be either the unicorns, mermaids, or custom musician dolls (I can’t pick just one). I think those items really speak to my loves of fantasy fiction (as seen in my author page and novels available on Instagram), and music (especially of the punk rock / alternative rock genre). I also have been playing guitar for over a decade, so music is just a really big part of my life and I love being able to take something rather mundane like crocheting and bring new life to it. I never anticipated how hilariously awesome the mix of plush yarn dolls with punk rock music could be. And the coolest thing about all of this is that the musicians 12
themselves seem to really enjoy it - Awsten Knight literally couldn’t stop looking at his doll when I gave it to him (I like to joke that it stole my thunder), and Janick Thibault actually recognized me from my Instagram page when I first met him at Warped Tour this past summer. I wouldn’t say I’m anywhere even close to famous but it sure is fun getting even just a bit noticed by these bands that I really admire! This is the one and only Awsten Knight of Waterparks holding his custom crocheted doll, made in the style of the "Stupid For You” music video! I can’t believe how excited he was when he first saw it. I have a whole series of pictures that my friend took which capture all the amazing faces he made, LOL.
Here’s a good sampling of my work! There are the ever-popular unicorns, a panda bear, dragon, mermaids, hamsters, Avril Lavigne, Vic Fuentes, and Party Poison for your viewing pleasure. This is me with my table at the Marion Arts Festival this past summer.
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Troye Sivan Interview at USC: music, inspiration, collaborating with Lauv & Ariana Grande, & more! Article & Photos by Yising Kao
On January 28th, I attended a communications class focusing on the entertainment industry, at my college, University of Southern California, where the professor, Mary, interviewed Capitol Records artist Troye Sivan. He's one of my favorite artists, so I was really excited to hear that he was coming to speak to us, along with his manager, Dani Russin. Here are some of the interview questions, including some questions from students. It was inspiring to hear about his journey and his perspective on working in the music industry! Following his debute album, Blue Neighborhood, Troye released his second album, Bloom, in August 2018, which hit the fourth spot on the Billboard 200 chart. The Australian artist has a synthetic-pop style and writes his own music, and has collaborated with artists such as Alessia Cara, Ariana Grande, and Lauv.
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How was your experience getting nominated for the Golden Globes for “Best Original Song” for “Revelation” featured in Boy Erased “Revelation” featured in Boy Erased? ? I got a part in the movie as an actor and was so over the moon about it. I was immediately like, “I have to weasel my way into this movie as a musician as well,” so I told anyone who would listen, “I’m also a musician I’d love to make some music for the film, and you can use any of my old music that I put out, or I can write something new, whatever you guys want, take me, I’m yours.” We shot the movie and I just kept writing based off of the script and finally, there was this one scene the director had with a piano backing by Jónsi of Sugar Ros; There were no lyrics or melody to it, and I went in and wrote the melody with my best friend. We went in for like an hour, which ended up being “Revelation.” It was a tender and sweet moment in the movie, and I wanted to capture the spirit of that. I’m so proud of everything the film stands for, and anything that I could’ve done to amplify the message and conversation that the film was trying to start, I was so proud to be able to do it. The really exciting thing about getting that call saying the film was nominated, was being able to scream it from the rooftops to even more people, and try to continue the conversation about the film, but more importantly, the conversation about conversion therapy, so it was a really exciting day for me.
have company, so she was like “You’ve got a sty, so you should stay home.” I loved the internet growing up and I found YouTube, and I also loved video editing like I added reverb to my voice and thought it was the coolest thing in the world. At that point I was singing in my local community and I uploaded this video and checked it a few days letter, and it had like 2,000 views. I remember thinking that’s so many more people than I’ve ever sung for in real life. This was my way out of where I was at that time. I had so many big ambitions and so much I wanted to do and say. I just loved making music and singing, and I loved the computer. It all happened in this perfect time and I found this perfect profession of making YouTube videos. I really don’t know where I’d be without the internet. My parents gave me advice to go for any opportunity to practice. I used to take my CD player with bad backing tracks that I ripped from YouTube and went to sing in downtown Perth; I performed in school talent shows and my shul.
We watched Troye’s first YouTube video of him singing “Tell Me Why” by Declan Galbraith. It may have been embarrassing for him, but everyone loved it and he was so talented at such a young age! He’s living proof that if you work hard for what you want, you can achieve it. hard for what you want, you can achieve it. So, how did you do this and how’d you gain the courage to sing acapella? courage to sing acapella? I had a sty in my eye and my mom loved any excuse for us to not go to school so she could 15
What did your friends think of all that? What did your friends think of all that? I think for me what's ended up being a blessing later in life. It never scored me cool points at all and I wasn’t a cool kid. I never played a sport and I wasn’t the smartest kid in the room either. That made me feel like this was for myself. I didn’t think my friends would find my videos, so it gave me a space to be creative without thinkingabout what anyone thought. I didn’t care ‘cause I kind of already lost the battle, like I wasn’t going to become the most popular kid by singing on YouTube. It just wasn’t really a thought. You’ve really touched a lot of lives. I’ve received emails from so many students about what you mean to them. You came out through a video to the whole world and you said it was the most the whole world and you said it was the most 16
nervous you’ve ever been in your life. Can you talk about the impact it had afterwards? I don’t think I could’ve ever anticipated the reaction to that video. I knew how sacred that part of YouTube was. When I was deeply in the closet, I would turn on private browsing and go on YouTube and search up “boys kissing” and “coming out.” I used to watch these people who would share their coming out stories. Suddenly, ‘cause I didn’t know any LGBT people in real life, so seeing these people who seemed well adjusted, happy, and normal that had also come out, and seeing them share their experience online, it made me feel like I had a community, when in reality, I really didn’t, but I felt like I found one. Each one of those videos felt like a building block of confidence and I started to feel better about myself. I think that’s what's so cool about
the internet. You have the opportunity to buildyour own self as a person based off of the content you consume. I started to formulate my own opinions and it got to the point where I felt safe enough that I was like, “Even if my family doesn’t accept me, there are all these people online around the world who will.” Without that, I don’t know where I would’ve found that sense of confidence and sense of self that I was ok and it was everyone else who had to adjust.
Dani: Troye’s music reached someone at Capitol Dani: Records about 5 years ago, so it was sort of a new time for people making a name for themselves on YouTube, with the exception of Justin Bieber. You had this YouTube career 7 years of vlogging and you had this whole other side of you that was really meaningful, almost serious, beautiful, and amazing music that I was a fan of. I heard it and asked if I could get your info, so the person put us in touch.
From all of that, what was the song that came through that helped your career take off? through that helped your career take off? I kept making YouTube videos and it became this thing. I uploaded an original song that a record label in Australia saw before I had any management, so they reached out, and I got signed and made an EP. Then, I got an email from Dani a few weeks later. How did you find me, Dani?
Can you talk about how you manage your stardom and stay grounded? stardom and stay grounded? When I put out my first album, doing all this for the first time and being a signed artist, it’s the best job in the world but it’s a job. There’s a lot to it that you don’t realize. I’m thankful to have such an amazing team behind me. It’s about finding your confidence in yourself and the experience. I
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feel like it’s easy to feel like an imposter, and I think that it’s a good feeling sometimes because it means you’ll work hard to stay where you are or keep moving forward, but it also can really mess with you and eventually it feels really nice when you get to that place where you can feel proud of yourself and where you are. There a lot of weird little mind games that you have to play with yourself. You still get stage fright? You still get stage fright? It depends. I will the first show and in really big cities. As soon as anything is slightly different, like if I have a friend in the crowd or if the show is outdoors, or if something doesn’t work, it feels like your first show all over again. When you get into the routine of it, the stage fright goes away, but the buzz doesn’t, thankfully. 18
Writing is essential and it seems to me that deep inside of you are all these words you write. Tell me about how you write and what the process is like. You just had this video with Ariana Grande where you’re dancing in the cafeteria with older people. How did you write that and how do you collaborate? collaborate? For me personally a lot of it comes from being a student of pop music. I’m a huge pop nerd. So, almost everything I do is like regurgitated information that I’ve retained from personal experience and songs that I’ve heard, sounds that I’ve heard, if anything inspires me ill write it down on my phone. If a song inspires me ill add it to a playlist. How long did it take for you to write “Dance To This” with Ariana Grande?
I like to cowrite and I write with my best friend, Leland, a lot. Writing’s a really vulnerable experience and it's one that’s also a crazy emotional roller-coaster. You have days where you get home and you feel like you’re just so terrible at what you do. When you write a good song, that high for me is unlike anything else in the world. You need to trust the people around and you need to trust yourself. It takes a long time to figure out the language, like in the studio, how to take an idea from inside your head, or worse, if it’s not even in your head; It’s like an emotion that you know that you want to communicate, and you have to know how to communicate it to other people in the room. I don’t produce, so there’s at least one other person in the room that I need to be communicating this to. But then when you get it right, it’s the best feeling in the world when you feel like you’ve created something that’s uniquely you, that you’re really proud of. So, this song started with a Janet Jackson song called “All Night” that I played in the room. It has this really sexy beat; That sounded so lame, but it does! It has always made me want to dance and I've just always loved that song, so we used it as a very rough reference point for the way of how I wanted the song to make me feel. At the time, I just moved in with my boyfriend and we were living together, and really just enjoying playing house and being domesticated. All that stuff was really fun. So, we started writing a song about the joys of staying at home and how these nights out that seem really tempting when you first move here, start to become one in the same and start to blur. It was a song about staying home with the person you love. We got to the end of the session and I was like, “This song needs Ariana Grande on it.” Thankfully, I have her number, so I texted the song to her. Within like a minute and a half, she started typing and I was like, “This either means she really likes it or really hates it.” Thankfully, she really liked it and she was working
in the studio I worked at all the time, and told me to come by. We chatted through what I wanted to do, and I explained to her that “There’s a moment in the bridge where I want you to do this really bratty voice.” She tracked the vocal and sent it back to me. It was so much fun. Being able to share experiences with people, especially friends, makes everything a lot more fun and a lot less stressful, and that was what I wanted to capture with the music video. It’s just these two kids who have dreams that are much bigger than where they are, and living the fantasy of being a popstar in that moment. What was it like working with Lauv on your new collaboration, “i’m so tired?” collaboration, “i’m so tired?” I have a goal to write for other artists as well. I just want to be a pop writer and enjoy writing so much. I heard that he was writing so I asked if I could go in and write with him on his thing. I have this habit of hijacking sessions a little. I told myself, “Troye, don’t hijack this song, even though it’s really good and you really want to sing on it. Don’t do it.” So, he played me the chorus and I was like “This is so amazing, and I don’t want to put any pressure, but I’d love to help you write it if you want me to. If you don’t, that’s totally cool.” We wrote the song together and he tracked the whole thing, and it was his vocal on it. Then, he asked me if I wanted to be on it, and I was like, “YES!” I tracked the verse and stuff like that, so that’s how it came together. I love it so much. We watched Troye’s performance of “My My My!” on Saturday Night Live on the screen behind him, and it was his first time seeing it! He did incredible and it’s awesome how he finally achieved his goal of performing on SNL; he deserves all of his success. deserves all of his success. Can you tell us how you felt about getting to perform on SNL? perform on SNL? 19
It was a surreal experience. I don’t know what it was about that show, I guess it was the iconic status of it that really spooked me. I couldn’t think about it in the weeks prior because my heat would sink and my knees would get weak. I was playing mental games with myself. During rehearsals, like if this was the room, I'd be lookingat the clock in the back and thinking, “Wow that 7 looks weird” or something. How did you transition from making YouTube videos for fun to uploading videos of you singing? I was making so many silly videos, but sometimes they would lack substance. At the same time, I’d want to write these songs and making music was like, so serious. I just kind of went for it and hoped the audience would like it, and be willing to go on that journey with me. The thing that has kept that relationship strong, between me and the people watching, has been the fact that I’ve always wanted to treat them with respect. I think that they know the second I do something disingenuous or doesn’t feel genuine to me, that they can feel that and I never want to do that. So, I’m always going to push myself to do what's exciting to me and hopefully, they’ll enjoy that too. Do you have any advice for artists who are trying to get noticed through media platforms? Do you have any advice for artists who are trying to get noticed through media platforms? I wouldn’t recommend Tik Tok, haha. The internet is the craziest tool in the world so just start making stuff. Reach out to people and really put yourself out there and find beats on SoundCloud and do whatever you need to do to keep pushing yourself to keep creating. It definitely doesn’t happen overnight unless you become a meme or something. Between me uploading my first YouTube video to getting singed was about 10 years. Do it because you love it and hopefully one day, somebody will react.
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ALAN CHOW
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Alan Chow
Interview by Lexee Shapiro ★ Interview by Lexee Shapiro ★ Photos by Yising Kao With his charming personality and ambition, Alan Chow is achieving his dreams as a rising actor in Los Angeles, originally from Dallas, Texas. After modeling for JC Penney, he started acting and has worked on shows such as ABC’S Grey’s Anatomy, Disney Channel’s I Didn’t Do It, and Funny or Die’s Tales of Titans. We got to chat with him about his work, and the importance of representation of LGBT and Asian-American roles in the film industry! How do you feel knowing that you represented and gave a voice to the Asian population on one of primetime television’s most popular shows, Grey’s Anatomy most popular shows, Grey’s Anatomy? ? How do I feel? Oh my gosh! It feels really, really great. I think it’s really important, first of all, to have representation, to have diversity, because growing up, it allowed me to think bigger. So, I worked for a production company that was all about creating productions that were involving people of color and LGBT representation. We all would talk about how we learned about other cultures that we never had real experiences with through TV. So for example, I had some friends that were Hispanic, but the first time that I ever learned about a Quinceañera was from the George Lopez show, and if the TV shows were to inaccurately portray something like that, then I would think it would be like that, like how it is on TV, because it would be the only time that I would ever see it. So, I think representation is really important. I’m so happy to be an Asian face on TV, and the role wasn’t written specifically for an Asian guy. It
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was just like, all ethnicities. It’s called color-blind casting. Sometimes it doesn’t have a name and just says it is for all ethnicities, like whoever does the role the best does it. That’s what I loved about the role: it wasn’t about race. What do you think needs to change in the entertainment industry, specifically with regards to gay representation and stereotypes around LGBT youth? I think that for a while, I didn’t think it was that important for the leads themselves to be nonstraight, white men. For a while, I thought their faces are still there, and that’s good because it’s diverse and everyone is being represented, but, because of the way that stories are told, if the protagonist is always a straight, white male, the supporting characters always end up being stereotyped because there is not enough room to 24
tell their stories. I do think that the thing that needs to change is that the people who are safeguarding the stories, like executives and producers, need to realize that the idea that the straight, white male will appeal to the most amount of people is not correct. Human stories are human stories. Everyone is gonna watch people from all different backgrounds. That idea needs to change. I think that’s the biggest issue right now. In terms of LGBT representation, I think it’s frustrating that if a lead character is LGBT, then it turns into a gay story, when we want it to just be a human story. A show that portrayed the community well is How to Get Away with Murder. Viola Davis’ character is bisexual, she’s had a girlfriend, but the show is not making it out to be a show about gay rights or this is only a gay story. Her character just happens to be bi, and Viola Davis is an incredible actress. Shonda Rhimes’
shows do that very well. What is your dream role? My dream role would be something that I created for myself, because I also want to write and produce my own stories. I’m currently writing a story called “Average Asian” and it’s about this guy that goes to a super high-tech Bay Area high school. He has no academic talent whatsoever, he’s the worst student in school, but he’s a really good performer and rapper. He has to beat out the top student in the school in order to win a scholarship to college. So, that role that I’m writing is my dream role. I wanted to incorporate a lot of different types of humor, it would be a comedy. Lastly, do you have any advice that you would like to give our readers that might be aspiring actors? Yeah, I think that first and foremost, know why you are doing what you are doing, because if it is for fame or any of those other reasons, it’s really not the right path. At the end of the day, how you affect society is more important than all of that fake stuff. Have a goal in mind for how you want to change society. That’s really important because it will help you to never give up. Always remember to have fun because I know a lot of actors who are really struggling, they stopped having fun, and that is not the point of it. A lot of people lose themselves in the industry, so remember why you started doing it.
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EP Review: Don't Try This EP Review: Don't Try This by Chase Atlantic by Chase Atlantic Review by Makayla Harr ★ Review by Makayla Harr ★ Photos by Claire Doherty
On January 25th, 2019, Australian-based band, Chase Atlantic, dropped their first release of the year with the EP, Don’t Try This. The band prides itself on lacking a genre, combining rock with R&B, hip hop, and jazz synth, as well as being completely self-produced. They’ve grown tremendously over the years and have managed to find their sound and gain many fans since they started out. 1. WHAT U CALL THAT 1. WHAT U CALL THAT Given the name “Cocaine Stains” by fans, this song was heavily anticipated and managed to exceed expectations. It acts as a smooth introduction to Don’t Try This with an upbeat backing track. Many teasers for this song included an elusive Instagram video from lead singer, Mitchel Cave, as well as a “seven headed snake” hoodie being sold during Vans Warped Tour 2018. With all the hype, this song more than lived up to it. 2. YOU TOO. This song was the first song released back in October of 2018. It differs from every 2. YOU TOO. other song on the track listing in that it’s a slower paced song. Mitchel Cave’s voice flows softly with the trance-like saxophone in the background. Cave and guitarist, Christian Anthony sing of a broken relationship whilst the instruments accentuate the story they’re telling. 26
3. LIKE A ROCKSTAR 3. LIKE A ROCKSTAR Dubbed “Rockstar” before it dropped, this single was played by the band on their world tour before it was officially announced part of the track listing. As the second release from this EP, it’s on the opposite side of the spectrum from “YOU TOO.” Faster paced with a catchy chorus, “Take drugs, stay high,” this has become a fan favorite. 4. DEVILISH 4. DEVILISH Before this EP was even released, this track was already my favorite. The band used it as an interlude on their world tour and it offered a sneak peek into what was to come. It also signaled the beginning of a new era for the band. This song is similar to their songs ‘Okay’ and ‘The Walls’ in the aspect that it has an energetic sound. I always listen to this song when I just feel like screaming the words to music! 5. GREENGREENGREEN 5. GREENGREENGREEN This song, without a doubt, makes you want to dance! It has a heavy beat paired with Cave’s fluid rap. It’s the perfect mixture of Chase Atlantic’s past slower paced songs with their new use of rap verses. If you’re looking to just have a good time and dance with your friends, this song is the perfect match. 6. LUST 6. LUST Out of every song on this EP, this song in particular stuck out the most to me. Lust is different than any other song the band has ever made with Mitchel’s raw vocals, flooded with emotion. Cave yells the lyrics “Fuck love, we can do this shit forever if it’s love,” creating a breathy heartwrenching feeling within the tones of the song. Although each song has a different feeling, they all come together to form the Don’t Try This EP. It’s without a doubt, my favorite EP they’ve ever dropped, and the band has developed a new sound that fans have never heard before. If you’re looking for music to listen to when you just feel like letting loose and forgetting about all of your worries, this EP is perfect for you!
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8123 Fest hosted by The Maine Claire Doherty ★ Claire Doherty ★ Phoenix, AZ
Twin XL
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Twin XL
THE MAINE
WE THE KINGS
TECHNICOLORS
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Walk The Moon
Caitlin Meaney ★ Caitlin Meaney ★ Louisville, KY
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RKCB & Shoffy
Emily Lopez ★ Emily Lopez ★ Houston, TX
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Jesse McCartney
Yising Kao ★ Yising Kao ★ Los Angeles, CA
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Vince Staples
Christi Balderas ★ Christi Balderas ★ Houston, TX
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KONGOS
Sean Gardner ★ Sean Gardner ★ New York, NY
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COIN
Sarah Rodriguez ★ Sarah Rodriguez ★ New York, NY
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Playlist: season of hearts
by Kelsey Hyde
★Who Do You Love (ft. 5SOS) by The Chainsmokers ★Without Me (Pâquerette) by With Confidence ★Violet by Bad Suns ★Fallin' All In You by Shawn Mendes ★Holiday by The Aces ★Let Me Down Slowly by Alec Benjamin ★Happy by Julia Michaels ★The Story Never Ends by Lauv ★Still in Love With You by Jonas Brothers ★Living Louder by The Cab ★Lavender Bones by Stand Atlantic ★Say Love by James TW ★NASA by Ariana Grande
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Photo: Walk The Moon by Caitlin Meaney