NKD Mag - Issue #62 (August 2016)

ISSUE #62 - AUGUST 2016

by Catherine Powell

LIZ GILLIES

AUG. musicians: 04 KALIE SHORR fighting like a girl for success

16 CASSADEE POPE on milestones, summer and success

22 FINISH TICKET

48 HALEY & MICHAELS

on songs, love and cats

50 KANE BROWN country music’s new bad boy

56 TRENT HARMON running a marathon, not a sprint

building an authentic audience

actors:

26 KANDACE SPRINGS

08 DEREK THELER

a soulful voice you won’t forget

on baby daddy and superhero dreams

30 BEFORE YOU EXIT

14 JENNA ORTEGA

keeping it in the family

becoming a voice for young latinas

36 COURTNEY COLE

38 LIZ GILLIES

country’s not-sogrowing up with ladylike newcomer her characters

publisher: CATHERINE POWELL

editors: CATHERINE POWELL

writers: MARY BARNES SHELBY CHARGIN TAYLOR DOUGHERTY IAN HAYS STACY MAGALLON NARUEEN NASHID CATHERINE POWELL VANESSA SALLES RILEY STENEHJEM ELIZABETH ZAVOYSKIY

photography: CATHERINE POWELL

design: CATHERINE POWELL

kalie shorr Words by ELIZABETH ZAVOYSKIY Photos by CATHERINE POWELL

“I wrote my first song when I was 6, it was during history class. I remember it really clearly. It was in 2000, on this neon purple starred paper,” Kalie Shorr states assuredly. From that moment onward, it seemed as though her fate had been sealed. By age 11, Kalie had taught herself to play guitar by watching Taylor Swift instructional videos on YouTube (obviously) and shortly after became enamored with the art of songwriting, drawing inspiration from songwriters whose names she’d find inside CD booklets. By 18, having graduated high school early and with dreams of a publishing deal, she made the move to Nashville. Having quite literally thrown herself into the world of country music, nothing happened overnight and after 2.5 years of hustle, Kalie has just begun to see some pay off. Last month, she signed her first publishing deal shortly after releasing her single “Fight Like a Girl”, and she has no intention of slowing down.

The hook for “Fight Like A Girl” starts with “perfume sweet and whiskey strong, I damn sure ain’t no underdog” and she’s most certainly right about that. With songwriting capabilities beyond her years and a bravado similar to that of a young Taylor Swift during the “Teardrops On My Guitar” era, the young musician attributes a competitive spirit to her recent success - a trait that was able to flourish in Nashville by being surrounded by the best of 04

talent. Reminiscing on days of wandering into venues alone at age 18 and sitting at the bar drinking diet cokes and evading being carded just to listen to music every night, Kalie recalls that the early days weren’t easy. “If I liked what someone was doing, I’d hand them my business card to see if they’d want to write with me, and they never did because I was the girl who moved to town two weeks ago,” she briefly pauses to giggle, “But I think just getting myself out there, meeting a lot of new people, hearing a lot of ‘no’ and finding a way to turn them into ‘yes’”. And while the yeses were few and far between, the friends that Kalie made in her early Nashville days have managed to have a huge impact on her career. Enter Todd Cassetty, one of Kalie’s first acquaintances and mentors in Nashville as well as fellow feminist and founder of Song Suffragettes, a movement encouraging visibility for female country singers and songwriters which immediately resonated with Kalie. As evidenced by the tremendously successful rise of female stars like Dolly Parton and Taylor Swift, Song Suffragettes encourages creativity and strength for women aiming to be the next big thing in country music.

“We’ve created so many good co-writing relationships, some of the girls go on tour together. It’s just such a cool thing to watch blossom and to watch girls’ attitudes towards each other change. And I’ve changed so much.

When I first moved at 18, I looked around and thought, everyone else has to be my competition, right? But they don’t, and Song Suffragettes is teaching every girl that lesson and just giving them places to play and a really great platform,” Kalie says. It was from this movement that Kalie’s single “Fight Like a Girl” was unintentionally born. Kalie, a great endorser of the 10-year plan, never thought to release a single so early on in her career - though when the song was created there was no way she wasn’t putting it out into the world. The music video for the song, made alongside Song Suffragettes, features Kalie getting ready to literally throw a few punches around in the boxing ring, lacing up her sneakers and tightening the boxing gloves.

What followed was a call from SiriusXM asking for permission to play the song on their radio. And so a hit was born.

A self-proclaimed Type A personality and control freak, Kalie’s publishing deal was just another step in the ladder of success. Admittedly, as soon as signing the deal the gears in her mind were already turning for what was to come next now that her one big goal had been accomplished (though she did save some time to celebrate with a happy dance around her apartment). And while the focus has always been on songwriting, Kalie acknowledges how lucky she is that her band also coincidentally makes up the majority of her favorite co-writers.

“It’s super hard to find that balance and it’s scary because if you take time off from songwriting it’s hard to get back into it. Songwriting is why I’m a musician so I couldn’t stop doing it.

If I took a break from songwriting, I’d probably implode,” a statement which likely explains why Kalie’s lyrics are miles beyond her physical years and are able to stand firmly alongside country giants on the radio. Having just reached a million streams on Spotify, Kalie’s songwriting ability, born of necessity rather than desire, has clearly resonated with the masses and for good reason.

“Right now, I’ve been writing a lot.

We’re going into the studio and cutting stuff as it comes but that’ll get incorporated into the live set before anything else. Right now, we’re still pushing

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‘Fight Like a Girl’, which I hope has a long life ahead of it. I really want to see that be the song. And it’s done great so far but I want everyone to hear it, from the little 6-year-old getting bullied in school, to the woman going through cancer treatment. I think everyone needs to hear it. And just thinking of the impact that it has had and that it could have - I want to keep pushing it forward,” Kalie says.

Now that the goal of a publishing deal has been accomplished, the next step for Kalie is growing her team and eventually finding the right label to call home - a resource she thinks is necessary to hit the top of the country charts.

With initial interest on the horizon, Kalie understands that her skills are as an artist, rather than in marketing,

publicity and the finer details that go into crafting a brand though nothing is more important than having patience and waiting for the right opportunity.

With so many accomplishments already behind her, the to-do list of things to accomplish in the future only grows longer. Just recently, she was able to check off another goal from her to do list - seeing a banner of herself on Music Row which she documented in full across her Snapchat. Dreams of a musical guest appearance on Saturday Night Live and seeing her name on Billboard charts top off the list, and though seemingly far off, Kalie’s trajectory is fast moving, ambitious, and leads us to believe that her ten year plan will be as fulfilling and robust as she dreams it to become. NKD

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jenna ortega

Words by VANESSA SALLES Photos by CATHERINE POWELL Hair & Make-Up by ANGELA CALLISTI Styling by CARAVAN STYLIST STUDIO At age 13, Jenna Ortega already has a resume that’d make most people wonder how they can catch up with her. From playing a younger version of Gina Rodriguez’s Jane Villanueva on The CW’s hit show Jane The Virgin, to nabbing the leading role in Disney Channel’s breakout show, Stuck in the Middle, Jenna’s truly made a name for herself. Although she’s only been acting for a few years, it’s something she knew she wanted to do since the mere age of 6. “When I was younger, I wanted to be everything,” she laughs. “I wanted to be the first female president, an astronaut, and so many more things. I had all 14

these crazy ideas and phases that I went through!”

However, once she settled on wanting to become an actress, nothing else could change her mind. “When I told my mom that I wanted to be an actress, she kind of just left it alone because she assumed it was just another phase of mine,” she recalls. “Two years later, I was still bugging her about it and so she realized it was something I really wanted to do.

She got me a monologue book and I did a dramatic reading for her where I was crying and had all these tears running down my face. She uploaded the video on her Facebook page and a casting

director saw it and signed me up with an agency. So, basically, social media got me my start.”

Having grown up the middle child in a house of seven (Jenna has six siblings and a nephew), Jenna inevitably found a lot of common ground with Harley, her character on Stuck in the Middle. “Harley is super creative and determined,” Jenna says. “She can be a bit bossy sometimes but that’s only because she loves her family and truly wants what’s best for them.

When I found out that my character was also the middle child of seven kids, I thought, ‘Wow, Harley is SO me.’ The fact that I can relate to her so much

makes it such a fun set to work on.” The Stuck in the Middle cast is another big factor that makes filming enjoyable. “Being on set with so many kids is really a blast,” Jenna shares. “I’m surrounded by so many different personalities and they all kind of remind me of my own siblings so I feel like the cast is my second family. I love being with them everyday!”

If seven siblings seem like a lot, imagine having fourteen. That’s exactly what it’s like when Jenna’s on-set family gets together with her real family. “It’s always so much fun to get everyone together,” she says. “They all get along so well!”

Another thing Jenna cherishes about her SITM set is her time for education.

“A great thing about our set is that everyone finds our education to be the most important thing,” she says. “We have time slots dedicated to school work and we’re not allowed to focus on anything else during that time. I’m really grateful for that. Like Harley, I’m really into math and science.”

Of course, the show is a lot more than just having fun on set. For Jenna, it means giving young Latinas something to relate to. “Being apart of this big Latina cast, for me, is a dream come true,” she says. “When I was younger, I couldn’t really relate to a lot of Disney characters because I felt like they weren’t really like me. I did, however, relate to Alex Russo of Wizards of Waverly Place; that was definitely my favorite show to watch. Now, to be apart of a show that younger Latinas can watch and feel connected and represented, makes me very happy!” With Stuck in the Middle returning for a second season, Jenna promises a lot more heartfelt moments. “The show is all about celebrating being apart of a big family,” she says. “That’s why it’s so important to have those heartfelt and relatable family moments; you can expect more of that next season!”

As for what Jenna’s been up to lately, the actress made her Radio City Music Hall debut early this summer for New York Spectacular, featuring the Rockettes, and the show will run through August 7th. “The whole opportunity came together really randomly, actually,” she reveals. “I got a call from my agent and manager saying that I was being asked to audition for it and I was totally shocked. I had never even done

theater before so I was nervous. I knew that it was a big deal and that I had to at least try. So, I decided to go for it and I went to New York to audition. When I came back, I got the call that I booked it!” That’s not the only impressive thing Jenna’s been up to lately. She can also be heard lending her voice to Disney’s new series, Elena of Avalor, as Princess Isabel, sister to Disney’s first Latina princess, Princess Elena.

Having had accomplished so much already, Jenna has big ambitions for her future. “I’d love to be in more feature films,” she shares. “For now, I think I’m

just going to stick to what I’ve been doing but I have a lot of career goals. I would love to become a writer, producer and director, and still remain an actress.

The ultimate goal is to be a leading lady in a big feature film and to win an Oscar for my performance.” With her track record, it’s only a matter of time before Jenna accomplishes her goals. “I’m so thankful for it all,” she gushes. “I always wanted to be on Disney and here I am on such a special and amazing show with such great people. To be able to work with such a talented, sweet, and funny group is really a blessing.” NKD

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cassadee pope Words by MARY BARNES Photos by CATHERINE POWELL

Even though summer is nearing its end, it has only begun for Cassadee Pope. The former The Voice winner is bringing Summer - her new EP - to the country music scene. Still riding a wave of success from her single, “Think of You”, a duet with Chris Young for his latest album, Cassadee is hard at work discovering her sound and learning from the best in the country music.

Almost a year after winning The Voice in 2012, Cassadee released her debut solo country album, Frame by Frame. While her first single, “Wasting All These Tears” may have gone platinum in the U.S., Cassadee was still nervous about branching out on her own in a new genre.

“I felt like I’ve got to prove myself.

I’ve really got to let them know I’m going to stick around,” she says. Releasing this album felt “like vindication” for Cassadee, who noticed a large amount of her Hey Monday fans joining her for her new endeavor. “It was really awesome to see the old fans play so nicely with the new fans,” she says. “They understand what I want in this career and that’s to make it a long career with 16

as many listeners as possible. They’ve been on the same page as I am.”

It seems like that goal isn’t too far out of reach for Cassadee, whose music has been gaining in popularity. “Over the past two years, I’ve just accumulated this massive, awesome fan base that has been rooting for me,” she says. She is exponentially grateful for the support of her fans, who have stuck with her despite not releasing new music for over a year. “It feels like they’re excited to get some new stuff,” she says of her fans.

Though no new music was released during that time, Cassadee was busy working on Summer, which reached No. 14 on the U.S. country charts. The title track, as well as the track “Alien” were written a year before the EP was completed. The other two of the four songs on her EP were more spur of the moment. “Piano” was written only a week prior to recording. “I went into the studio to do the four songs,” Cassadee recalls. “There was another song in its place and I remember getting the demo back and being like ‘I want to switch that song out for ‘Piano’ because

it means a lot to me.” She describes the lyrics as being “raw and genuine,” which made it a better fit for the EP. “Kisses at Airports,” the only song on the EP not penned by Cassadee was also added on a week prior. “I heard [it] a week before and I swapped out a song for that,” she says. When she heard the song, it brought her to tears.

“It takes a lot for me to cry when I hear a song, and I cried the first time I heard it,” she admits. The song piqued Cassadee’s interest because of how closely she can relate to the lyrics. “I’m in airports half of my life so I see military come and go,” she says. “I see kids just welcoming their families. I know the feeling when I leave somebody I love.”

Even though “Summer” was one of the first songs she wrote for the EP, Cassadee wasn’t sure if it would be the single. “I think this song is amazing and it’s been this interesting roller coaster ride,” she says. An issue she faced in creating the new release was finding the message she wanted to send out. “As soon as I realized [it was] time, I knew what I wanted to say, I knew

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the vibe of this new direction. ‘Summer’ was just a great reintroduction,” Cassadee says.

The video for Cassadee’s single “Summer” was released shortly after the EP hit iTunes, and has over two million views on YouTube. “It’s just a very bold and daring video but I’m so proud of it,” Cassadee says. She came up with the concept and was very specific about wanting the video to match up to the vivid lyrics in the song. “I told [the music video team] that I want it to be on the beach, I want the romance between me and whoever the guy is to be realistic. If I have to make people feel a little uncomfortable by how intense it is, so be it because that’s how it feels in real life,” she says.

Even though Cassadee is now a fixture in the country music scene, she has not forgotten her days in the rock world. The songs “Alien” and “Piano” were written with a bit of her old school roots in mind. “I love rock music. I love pop music. I love country.

It would be so weird to come out with stuff that doesn’t have those elements,” she says. “I felt like I did have a lot more creative freedom in that process.”

While working on and promoting Summer, Cassadee has also been flying high on the success of “Think of You”.

For Cassadee, there was no hesitation in deciding to collaborate with Chris, who personally chose her for the duet.

“I heard the demo and it was pretty immediate,” she says of her decision to lend her vocals to the song.

According to Cassadee, her talent was the main reason she was requested to work on “Think of You” with Chris. “[His choosing me] was based off my voice, which is awesome and how it should be, but you never know,” she says. Despite not being signed the same label, or having any overlap in management or agencies, the collaboration went through without much interference from label politics. “For him to have me on a song just based off of talent is so rewarding. It means a lot,” she says.

The crazy success of “Think of You” was a new experience to Cassadee, who was glad to have Chris by her side to make sense of her growing popularity.

“He’s had so many songs go to No. 1 20

and I haven’t,” she says. “I’m used to keeping track of all the radio stations that add the song and making sure I text everybody but I couldn’t keep up with it.” Chris helped her navigate through the process of getting a No. 1 hit. “He’s superstitious about it almost,” she says of Chris, “He’s like ‘I don’t say thank you. I don’t announce it until it’s official.’”

Cassadee got the official notice of the record’s standing on the charts right before going on stage with Chris to perform at the iHeart Country Awards. “We were backstage and he poured a shot of Jameson and said ‘Congrats. The song is officially No. 1’ and it was the coolest moment,” she says.

Going on stage and performing their song after receiving that news was a magical moment for Cassadee.

“It wasn’t just us in front of these massive Chris Young fans. It was us in front of country music fans and they were singing it back to us. It was just very cool,” she says.

Performing isn’t something new to Cassadee, but performing solo is.

Developing a live show for her solo career after years of performing with Hey Monday was difficult, and Cassadee admits to being more comfortable with the band around her. “I do play off my band still and that will never go away,” she says. “It’s a group effort. We’re creating a sound together.

When we are playing live it’s a joint effort. They’re like family. It’s fun for me to feed off of them.” Her band members have been with her since before the peak of her popularity with the success of “Think of You.” “For them to sign up when they weren’t sure what the future holds just told me so much. They’re in it for the long run,” she says.

Cassadee is spending the summer mostly playing festivals and sporatic shows, but will be out on tour with Chris Young again in the fall, and is working on her next full length album. “I have this track list all ready to go. It’s just a matter of when it’s crunch time,” she says. She hopes to have her album out by the fall. For now, she’s just working on writing the best songs possible. NKD

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derek theler Words by NAUREEN NASHID Photos by CATHERINE POWELL

Currently in its second half of the fifth season this summer, Baby Daddy is continuing to please its viewers with quality humor, steady romance plotlines and its ability to stick with the original premise – which a lot of shows aren’t able to do. Having first premiered back in June of 2012, it has been able to keep its original core fan base and even picked up a few along the way. With the success of its fifth season, the network, Freeform, has announced that it is now being renewed for a sixth, allowing fans to rejoice at the prospect of seeing more of Ben, Danny, Tucker, Riley, Bonnie, and of course, Emma.

“This season is as good as any season we’ve had prior, and we’re having a good time with it,” Derek Theler, who portrays Danny Wheeler says.

The second half of the season picks up where we last left off with Riley and Danny breaking up after Riley caught Danny in a lie regarding a past hook-up with Sam, who was last seen pursuing Ben, Danny’s brother and Riley’s ex-boyfriend. Ben, on the other hand, was trying to pursue Zoey, who had just gotten back together with her own baby daddy, 08

despite having had a crush on Sam since high school. As if all that isn’t crazy and hilarious on its own, there’s Tucker, Danny and Ben’s best friend and roommate, who is trying to work waves with his job, and Bonnie, Ben and Danny’s mother, who is getting everyone in even more trouble with her antics. “The boys are just getting themselves in more trouble. And Bonnie making it worse and getting them in even more trouble,” Derek says with a laugh. “We’re also still trying to figure out how to take care of Emma [Ben’s daughter] with not too much knowledge on how to do that.”

Having worked with each other for the past four years, Derek attests that the whole cast and crew are super close.

They’re all friends and stay connected even when they’re not shooting or are on hiatus from the show. They also support each other regarding outside projects.

“We’re family,” Derek says. “We’re more than just co-workers who enjoy going to work together. As a cast and crew, we want to make the best product we can and it shows through the television, I believe.” In fact, back in the day JeanLuc Bilodeau, who plays Ben Wheeler,

and Derek used to live together, making their bond as brothers seem even more authentic on the show.

However, what keeps bringing the viewers back regarding the show is more than just the jokes and family moments between the Wheelers - it’s the romance between Danny and Riley. Danny and Riley both grew up together along with Ben, and while Riley had always had a crush on Ben, it was Danny who pined away for her for years until she finally came around. “There’s still a lot of feelings there,” Derek says. “Danny has been in love with her his whole life and he’s trying to prove he’s the right guy. It’s going to keep growing forward, that relationship.”

The Danny/Riley pairing has grown so much over the past few seasons that fans of the show are going as far as writing fan fiction about them. However, it took a while for them to initially get together.

Riley dated Ben in between, and was flip-floppy about her feelings for Danny.

“Personally, I think they belong together,” Derek says in terms of where he wants to see Danny and Riley down the line.

“She’s his dream girl. She has love for him now, too. I think they’re trying to figure

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out exactly how this relationship works.”

He goes on to say, “There’s some very exciting news at the end of the season, and Danny and Riley still have a chance to figure out where they want to be in the future.”

Looking past the Riley aspect of his character, Danny is also a professional hockey player, which we get to see more of this season. His character is known for his great physique, but he’s also not the brightest crayon in the box. It goes to show how well Derek plays this character, though, because Derek actually graduated from Colorado State University with a degree in Pre-Med. When asked if people tend to compare his own personality with Danny’s, Derek responds, “I wouldn’t say that it’s much people meeting me and thinking I’m stupid. I think it’s more that I shock them with the way that I speak. I think I’m very well spoken and Danny is not. When it comes to his heart and his morals, I think that those are the things that I really relate to.”

Another change in the last couple of seasons is the growth of Emma. The character is played by a pair of twins, Sura and Kayleigh Harris, both of whom are often given lines now for each episode. “It’s an interesting time on set when you’re waiting for the babies to say their lines. And they say it over and over and over because they learned it throughout the week,” Derek explains.

“They’re pros. They’re doing a great job.

They understand that they’re playing a part in a show, which is making it even more fun to play with them.” He adds, “On set they say it several different ways, and sometimes they’ll say something funny or different and you run with it, but it’s cute. It’s cute to have actresses that are that young bring something to the scene.” As it is, babies tend to do what they want, and often times the actors do have to improvise their lines and work with them to make it seem more real. On the other hand, now that the babies are getting older, they’re more conscious of their surroundings and the adults have to make sure that they’re more careful with what they say around them. Derek spilled that while he wont’ reveal who, there is a member of the cast who has has to watch his or her mouth around the babies.

Now, usually with sitcoms like Baby Daddy, the viewership often wanes a bit 12

by losing its rhythm or becoming repetitive. This show, however, has kept that steady, which is rare nowadays when new shows are popping up every year to take the place of previous ones that couldn’t stick around. “I agree,” Derek says in regards to that. “We’re very proud and happy that our fans have stuck with us. I think that part of that reason is because we have stayed such a unit as a cast. We want to make the best show that we can.

And we’re all growing and changing as well as our characters. It’s an interesting time when you’re in your mid-20s to see how you grow as a person and how your character has to grow, too. I think that’s part of the reason why it’s stayed interesting.”

Something that most don’t know about Derek is that he was on an episode of the late MTV hit reality show, The Hills, which just celebrated its tenth anniversary. In the episode, Derek came as Lauren Conrad’s date to a New Years Eve. party. “That was my first day in Los Angeles. I was in college,” he laughs.

“First day in Los Angeles and I landed a date with Lauren Conrad and kissed her. I’m not going to say it was scripted, but I met someone who was on associate with the show, and he introduced me to her.” Following that, he had to sign several contracts before he was allowed to meet her, which was the day before they filmed.

Aside from Baby Daddy, Derek also wants to continue to do more movies. “If I had it my way, I would be a superhero,” he says. His goal is to work with Marvel or DC and be an action hero. It was what he initially came to do in Los Angeles, but he feels blessed that he has the amazing job that he does. In addition, he’s also been more open about his Type-1 Diabetes, which is what prompted him to study Pre-Med in college. “I actually just had a People article come out recently that focuses on Type 1 Diabetes. I want to bring awareness to it - not only to the kids who are diagnosed with it and are scared about it having it, but I also want their friends and family to understand how to help someone in need with low blood sugar level. And know how to help their child or friend regulate that.” He strides to be a part of charities that work to bring more technology, awareness, and hopefully a cure to the disease. NKD

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finish ticket Words by IAN HAYS Photos by CATHERINE POWELL

Meet Finish Ticket. The five-piece pop-rockers have garnered a following with recent tours. But even with this new found attention, the band has been chugging away 22

for years, making music, and putting on live shows.

Founding members Brendan Hoye (vocals), Alex DiDonato (guitar), and

Michael Hoye (bass) met in high school around 2008. They played in other bands at the time, but they formed a connection that overpowered that fact. They decided to give playing together a try and formed the first incarnation of Finish Ticket with other friends. The band realized they all wanted to do more than just play school talent shows.

They craved for more formal gigs. Residing just outside San Francisco, Cali., the band knew how established the music scene there was. They would go to shows every weekend and revel at all the great bands coming out of the Bay Area. Finish Ticket wanted a piece of that action.

According to Brendan, “[Finish Ticket] quickly became the first band where the chemistry was there.”

With the previous acts the guys were in, there was no drive. There was no desire to ride the tumultuous wave that is pursuing a music career. Those early bands they played in were content with keeping music as a hobby. But, with Finish Ticket, legitimately breaking into the industry was a goal right off the bat.

Alas, like any good story, there were setbacks. For starters, the guys were still in high school. Showing up to play gigs at 15 and 16 years old, it was difficult for them to

be taken seriously. They played alongside older, more established acts. There was the stigma of high school bands they actively fought to destroy. The band longed to prove people wrong. They weren’t some lame teen band. This is where their focus on live shows come from. They had to learn early on how to engage an audience when they had already made up their minds before even listening to what you got. The band utilizes this knowledge to this day.

With most young bands, they reached a temporary impasse. College rolled around and they all went their separate ways.

During that first year, they attempted to still

play music. But the magic wasn’t there. So, Brendan, Alex, and Michael quit school to pursue Finish Ticket full-time. The other members decided to stick with school. This is when the band brought in Gabe Stein (drums) and Nick Stein (keyboards). Soon after, they independently released their debut album.

For many years, the band did not want a record deal. Finish Ticket was content with remaining indie. They had already jumped through hoops to “woo” record labels and were not fans of the process. Instead, they focused on building up their fan base and following. Next thing they knew, they were NKDMAG.COM

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selling out shows in San Francisco.

“That was a huge deciding factor for us,” says Brendan. “We weren’t going to pursue to a record label and were going to stay independent. We had already accomplished what we had set out to do.”

But, life is funny. Once they had made this decision and started planning larger tours, they were approached by Atlantic Records. It was an offer they couldn’t refuse.

The fit was perfect. The label saw eye-to-eye with Finish Ticket on aspects of music and future plans that other labels had brushed aside. Finish Ticket found a partner.

Signing a record deal didn’t change the band’s heart though. Curating their local fan base and expanding outwards was always first and foremost.

As Brendan explains, “I think with YouTube these days, that’s where everyone goes.

And frankly, it pisses me off a little. I think some of the best bands are the ones who start off learning how to put on a good live show and work crowds. It builds character and makes you a better band.”

Establishing a personal connection with fans is top priority. Establishing these old hometown fans invites new fans into a better, more comfortable setting. And while the band does not want to discredit great acts that have been discovered through social media, there’s a disconnect they believe happens when taking that approach. But when you take that live approach, it makes it easier in the long run to connect with new audiences.

Finish Ticket have recently been on two separate tours. The first, supporting twenty one pilots. The second, supporting Fitz and The Tantrums. These bands have two very different audiences and fans. But for Finish Ticket, that is all part of the fun. They don’t want to curate their sound for different crowds. They don’t need to. Finish Ticket want to be themselves. “We just try to put out the best possible version of what our music is,” says Nick.

The band does not want to give off any wrong impressions of who they are. If the audience doesn’t like them, at least the guys can hold their heads high knowing they were true to themselves. They do not wish to trick new audiences. There will always be difficult crowds, but those are few and far between. Even so, the experience they gained form those early gigs when barely teens comes into play. Putting on electric live shows and winning over crowds is in 24

their blood.

Although, this is not to say that they are not conscious of various approaches they need to take depending on the crowd. When opening for Twenty One Pilots, the crowd was open and eager to give them a chance.

Their fans were there to get their faces melted off and rock out all night. When it comes to opening for Fitz and The Tantrums, they knew they had to take a different approach.

The crowd was older. So, the focus was on interactions. The band utilized any opportunity for audience participation. With Fitz, they were the only openers so it was up to Finish Ticket to get the audience from chit-chat mode to concert mode. And while the guys are used to headlining, they like the challenge of opening.

But, the boys will get another shot taking the lead. They just announced a new headlining tour.

“We’re just going try and step it up, for sure,” says Nick. “This is our first real headlining tour and this one is our chance to show our fans how we put on a show.”

They are excited to show fans their openers. They want their fans to hear the music they love, as well. The goal is to create a refreshed vibe. The band is revamping some of the stage production, reworking some songs, and may throw in some new covers.

They are looking to change it up. This also includes possibly debuting and testing out new material. The goal is to record after road testing. It will allow them to work out the kinks and discover new directions the songs can go. This is a reaction to typically hitting the studio first.

“We always want to capture the live show in the recordings. And I don’t think we’ve ever done that to our standard,” Brendan says.

For example, ‘Bring the Rain’. It has consistently been a live staple for the band.

The song is the climax of each show. But to them, you never would have guessed that listening to the original recording. The song has evolved since then. So, when it came time to re-release their debut, the re-recorded the song. A gutsy move.

But that is the Finish Ticket aesthetic.

It is about authenticity. The song should accurately reflect who they are and how it interacts with the audience. And while there is no timeline set for a new record, they are eager to work on new music during tour breaks and bring to the world a new full length album. NKD

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kandace springs Words by MERISSA BLITZ Photos by CATHERINE POWELL

Kandace Springs grew up in Nashville, TN, where her mom was in the medical field and her dad had been singing her whole life. He influenced her love for certain styles of music and eventually the type of music that she performed.

“He always sings soul music and stuff like that so growing up I listened to a lot of soul and jazz,” Kandace explains.

Being surrounded by so much music it was almost inevitable that Kandace would eventually get into the industry herself. When she was 10-years-old, she began playing the piano.

“My father had a friend who fell on hard times and she had this old upright piano that meant so much to her,” Kandace explains. “She was being let out of her house so they were going to throw the piano on the street so my dad was like, ‘I’ll take it in until you get on your feet.’”

Kandace start playing around with it one day and her dad could tell she had talent. He got her to take lessons with one of the Wooten brothers, Regi, who showed her her first jazz chords and that’s when she knew she fell in love with the piano.

Her dad kept pushing her to do more and more with her talent. He knew that singing added another layer to a performer and that’s what would get her noticed.

“At the time I just wanted to be a keyboard player and play in bands here and there but my dad was like,

you need to sing,” Kandace says. “He would make us sing when we didn’t want to, me and my sisters, and he’d get us in a room and he’d be like, ‘alright now sing’ and we’d sing some gospel hymns.”

Kandace explains that she wasn’t confident about singing at first but as time went one, she felt her confidence level going up. It was when her dad gave her a copy of Norah Jones’ first album, Come Away With Me, that she knew this is what she had to do forever.

“I was listening to it one day and the last song on the album came on, which is ‘The Nearness of You,’ and it touched me,” Kandace remembers. “Listening to Norah’s voice, it’s so soothing and she was a young women and I was young too so it was really cool seeing her as a young women playing and singing with her instrument with a stripped down production, I really loved it.”

Because she loved the song so much, Kandace actually went to the music store and bought the sheet music to “The Nearness of You” and taught herself how to play it. She ended up performing it when she debuted herself as a musician, performing in front of a crowd for the first time while attending a camp called Kids on Stage in Nashville.

Around the age of 15, Kandace began taking classes at the Nashville Jazz Workshop where she developed a love for Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald and grew as an artist,

crafting her own sound.

She eventually signed with SRP Records (“the guys that actually found Rhianna”) who led her to Blue Note. She auditioned for Don Was, the president of Blue Note Records, with Bonnie Raitt’s song, “I Can’t Make You Love Me.” Little did she know, Don was actually the one who produced that song, and the entirety of Bonnie’s Luck of the Draw album. He told Kandace that her arrangement of the song was the best he’s ever heard and offered to sign her.

Her most recent album, Soul Eyes, came out at the end of June and is a project that compiles songs that Kandace had been working on for the last 5 years or more. “Rain Falling” is a song that she wrote when she was 16 and “Place to Hide” is a song she’s had with her for a few years.

“Place to Hide” is actually the song that Kandace believes has the most appeal out of all the songs on her album. She used to be a valet parking attendant for four years at a hotel in Nashville. During her down time she would go to the lounge upstairs and play around on the piano.

One day she was playing “Place to Hide” and someone who worked there overheard and asked her if she wanted to play in the bar.

“People would be up there getting crunk and checking in but when I would play that song, ‘Place to Hide,’ people would stop what they’re doNKDMAG.COM

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ing, it would just go quiet and they would listen,” Kandace says.

Judie Tzuke (based in the UK) and Lucie Silvas (based in Nashville) actually co-wrote “Place to Hide” and SRP found the song and gave it to Kandace to sing. “The lyrics on it are just gorgeous,” Kandace says.

She’s worked with many musical talents of the jazz music industry including Vinnie Colaiuta, Dean Parks and Terence Blanchard – who played trumpet on “Soul Eyes” and “Too Good to Last,” and it was all produced by Grammy-winner Larry Klein.

Kandace also got the chance to work with Grammy award winning songwriter Jesse Harris on “Talk to Me” and “Neither Old Nor Young.”

Jesse was actually the one who wrote “Don’t Know Why” for Norah Jones – talk about coming full circle.

In January, Kandace had the honor of playing the record for Prince only two months before his passing.

“He picked me up from the airport and he was like, ‘where’s the record I want to hear it!’” Kandace says, remembering the moment.

“Novocaine Heart” was one of his favorites.

Kandace is extremely proud of this record and is working hard to get people to listen to it.

“I want the whole world to hear this record. I want the whole world to want to embrace it for the next 100 years or so,” Kandace says.

“Timeless music is my goal.”

Kandance has been busy performing and promoting the songs off this new album. She just came off tour with Blue Note label mate Gregory Porter – having done an extensive UK tour with him and then rejoining him on a West Coast tour in June. She celebrated the release of Soul Eyes with a show at Hotel Café in Los Angeles and another at Rockwood Music Hall in New York City.

The future holds great things for Kandace – being able to work with many music greats and having her music heard by many. Maybe her ultimate goal will eventually come true – being able to write a song with Norah Jones. NKD 28

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before you exit Words by NAUREEN NASHID Photos by CATHERINE POWELL

Joining the ranks of band of brothers, such as Jonas Brothers, Hanson and Kings of Leon to name a few, Before You Exit formed in 2007 in Orlando, Flo. The band consists of Connor, Riley and Toby McDonough, three brothers with a passion for music and performing. However, at first, it was only Connor working with two others -- Braiden Wood and Thomas Silvers. A year later, Riley joined them, and then down the line, Toby decided to get in on it as well. It was then that they decided to become a three-piece with Braiden and Thomas joining them only on the road. Soon after, Braiden left the band to pursue a solo career with Thomas following in 2015. Currently, Chris Kamrada and Josh Barker plays with them as live members.

“Ever since we were really young, we’ve always had a love for performing and being in front of an audience,” Riley explains in regards to how they got introduced to music. “When we were 30

all really little, we did community theater, and then that just naturally transitioned into picking up guitars and playing music.” It was all the three of them really wanted to do. During their community theater days, they also dabbled in a bit of acting along with singing. They would put on plays that they worked and planned out themselves and perform it for the neighborhood. They also did a lot of home movies, which they’re scared might end up leaking to their fans, embarrassingly so. “It was a lot of acting, but it naturally transitioned into playing music,” Riley says.

Riley and Toby were doing their own thing at first while Connor fronted Before You Exit. It wasn’t until the two younger brothers got a bit older that they realized that they wanted to do this together. “Brothers are super reliable and we all have such a love for performing,” Riley says. They were already working together on the side as it was and knew that

doing this professionally would be a good move. “We’re always having a blast,” Riley says. “If it wasn’t fun, we wouldn’t be doing it. When we’re on the road together or making music, it’s fun and always different for us.”

Prior to 2016, the band had released three EP’s titled A Short Story Long (2009), Letting Go (2011), and I Like That (2013).

Over the years their sound has developed as they find it fun to change things up. “We’re constantly listening to new music, which is influencing us and changing up our sound. It all kind of comes into our music now,” Riley says.

“It’s kind of evolved over time, which has been a natural process.

I think it’s a mix of stuff we grew up listening to and stuff we listen to now.” In terms of where they draw their inspiration from, he adds on that they used to listen to a lot of classic rock as well as pop, like the Backstreet Boys, as well as current bands like Coldplay and Maroon 5.

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In April 2016, the band released a new EP called All the Lights, which has received a great response. “It’s been amazing. Fans are always singing along to all the songs at the shows and it’s pretty mind blowing to me since it just came out and they already know all the words,” Riley says. It’s been a blast for them to be able to play these new songs because they’ve been dying to do so for a while.

“We’ve been writing the songs and trying to figure out which direction we wanted to go in,” Riley goes on to say in terms of the process of making this EP. “So we’ve been writing on the road and off the road. We’ve even co-written with people and were just trying to figure out what our sound was.

And I think the moment we wrote ‘Model,’ we knew what direction we wanted to go in.” It was clear from that moment on how they wanted to go about the rest of the EP. It was important for them to do this because they wanted to develop an original sound that they were most happy with and once they did, they were able to take it and run with it.

When it comes to how they go about writing their songs, Riley says, “It’s definitely different for every band. For us, I do think we try and work in personal stories.

Not every song will be about all three of us, but a lot of times we’ll all kind of relate to one story because we’ve lived through it or we have felt a similar way.” For example, sometimes Riley will want to write about something, and Toby and Connor will jump in with their thoughts and own experiences to add to the mix. In addition, they also enjoy writing with other people. They’ve previously written with Alex Gaskarth of All Time Low as well as Patrick Stump of Fall Out Boy. “It’s always amazing to write with experienced songwriters. You can always learn so much from everyone you write with. Everyone has such a different style of how they write,” Riley says. The boys believe that you NKDMAG.COM

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can never be at the end of your range as a songwriter because there is always so much to learn.

“There is always more to say and always more to learn,” Riley adds.

Over the last nine years as a band, they’ve toured with several different acts, such as All Time Low, Cody Simpson and Fifth Harmony to name a few, all of whom are of different genres.

“Music these days, more than ever, is all different sorts of genres blending together,” Riley says.

“There are totally different genres that are touring together and I think it’s awesome.” They find it cool to be touring with so many different acts even if their sound doesn’t line up with who they’re playing with. It adds variety and gives the fans something different. “Music is music at the core. I think that no matter what genre it is, if people are enjoying what they’re listening to that’s all that matters.” The boys had nothing bad to say about any of the acts they’ve toured with as they had fun with all of them. In the future, they’d love to tour with bands like Maroon 5.

Now that the tour is done and EP is out, the boys have a bit of free time in their hands. “We just want to keep writing the best music possible. But we don’t have anything set in stone or planned for the future at the moment,” Riley says. “I don’t think anybody really does. We just want to keep making best music we can and keep putting stuff out. And keep touring.” In terms of putting out a full length album, Riley adds on, “We’re definitely working on music all the time, but there’s nothing announced as of right now, so no.”

With nothing but love for their fans, Riley goes on to say, “I just want to thank anybody who has come out to these shows. It’s been really amazing to see all these familiar faces again. And everyone we’ve seen online talking about the new music, it has been really cool to see them out and in person at each show.” NKD 34

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courtney cole

Words by SHELBY CHARGINPhotos by CATHERINE POWELL

Hailing from Shreveport, Louisiana and growing up in New Orleans, Courtney Cole was surrounded by country music and hard work her entire life. At 5-years-old, her father entered her into her church talent show, and “when I got on stage for the talent show, they said I just like hammed up and I never looked back,” she confidently states. From there on, Courtney continued to do that talent show each year and was soon put in musical theater around the same time she started working on her songwriting. “I was always making music videos in my bedroom and sang to my karaoke machine and taught myself how to sing,” she says. After that, she was put in voice lessons and continued to perform in musical theater in musicals like Annie and Little Shop of Horrors.

For Courtney, high school was a bit different. Spending half the day at a regular high school, and then going to the creative arts school for the other half, she was able to immerse herself even more into music. “I just loved being on stage, I loved performing, and I loved telling someone else’s story,” she says of her high school experience. As she grew and went off to college, Courtney began to really hone her craft, and before she knew it she started to enjoy telling her own story. “I was getting into songwriting even more,” she states.

Amongst the getting into songwriting, she was continuing to pursue her education at Belmont University. “It was really important for me to get my education,” she explains.

It took about 3.5 years of studying performing before Courtney was truly able to see where her path in life was taking her. “I started messaging my favorite songwriters on MySpace. I was like ‘Hey can you like, write with me?’” she recalls. With only two people responding, she met up with an older man who had just recently got a publishing deal at a company and offered her an opportunity to meet his boss for an internship. Af-

ter getting into the almost-stranger’s van, (“I remember sitting with my hands on the door handle in case I needed to jump out,” she says) Courtney got hired on the spot at the publishing company and moved up the ranks up in the company very quickly, but writing music was still her first love. “I’d work 9-5 and then I’d write 6-10 you know, just trying to get better,” she says. On top of that, she worked retail to help pay her bills.

She eventually landed a publishing deal at the company.

That publishing deal lasted a couple years before she moved on to a different company, and finally started travelling and playing shows. Since she secured a booking agent, she’s been “travelling the country now for two years just trying to grow a fan base and it’s amazing,” she says. She seems to be born for this lifestyle, and has prepared for it since she was young. “When I was little I used to play this game called ‘touring,’ she laughs.” Courtney’s babysitters would wrap her in a blanket and then bring her to the front of the room, and she’d get out of the blanket and sing to them. “To see that that actually came to fruition today… What you put out there comes back around,” she says.

A lot of Courtney’s successes in this industry she credits to her college education and taking classes on publishing, artist management, and more. “It was like, I knew what I was working with, and I still have a lot to learn,” she says. She’s under the impression that you never do truly learn until you’re out there actually doing it, but that going to college gave her the jumpstart she needed. “It wasn’t until I got thrown into that I truly knew what I was doing, but because of the background and the knowledge I had from college, I was able to do it better,” she says.

“Doing it better” is the best way to describe Courtney’s career. She currently has a lot of support from Spotify and understands the way streaming can work for an artist

and loves what Spotify aims to do for smaller artists. “Especially for the younger generation there.

That’s how they’re finding music.

And it’s hard for girls right now to get on radio, so these other means are helping us get heard, and that is huge for me,” she says.

She’s well aware of the situation at hand with women in music, but she knows the past year fighting to get on radio is worth it. “Actually it’s been really good, I feel like there’s been a bit of a release,” Courtney says. Crediting Kelsea Ballerini, Cam and Maren Morris with making waves for the comeback, she feels as though the “90s are coming back, with all these strong women. They’re starting to take over.” However, this doesn’t make her immune to the hardships of the radio push. “I definitely still feel the challenges of it, but I feel like it’s loosened up a lot.”

Much like her influences - Shania Twain, Martina McBride, Faith Hill and the Dixie Chicks – Courtney first and foremost wants to be an empowering female artist. “I love Shania Twain,” she says, “She like taught you as a woman how a man is supposed to treat you, like in every song. She was just strong and empowering and that’s something I want to be.”

It’s no surprise that from that ideal she vibes with Cam, Kelsea and many of the other female country artists who dive in with her. Her single “Ladylike” is cheeky and is about “being unapologetically yourself and not taking life so seriously.” Inspired by burping in the middle of recording another song, and having her producer tell her it wasn’t “ladylike” she went into another writing session immediately after. “That’s my song,” she enthusiastically explains. “I’m going to write this as my anthem, and that’s what it kind of became.”

With the unapologetically Courtney mindset and hard work ethic she possesses, it’s a no brainer that Courtney is one artist you need to keep an eye out for and never take your eye off of. NKD NKDMAG.COM

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LIZ GILLIES

Words & Photos by CATHERINE POWELL Hair by BOBBY DIEHL Make-Up by ROBIN FREDRIKSZ

“Should we get cocktails?”

23-year-old Liz Gillies asks as we sit in the restaurant of The Crosby Hotel in New York, where she quickly decides on a South Side.

While she technically resides in Los Angeles, New York is very much a home to Liz, who grew up just north of Manhattan in Bergen County, New Jersey and films her FX show, Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll throughout the boroughs. What brings her back this time is the second season premiere of Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll, which will air into September.

Liz’s interest in acting was sparked simply by watching plays and movies as a kid and finding herself a little more interested in the process than her peers. “My earliest memories were that I want to be this,” she says,” There was

the passing veterinarian thing, but no one actually does that.” As a kid, all of her training was in musical theatre and improvisation, both which have served her well as an adult. One of her first roles was on Broadway’s 13 in 2008, alongside fellow Nickelodeon alumni Ariana Grande and Max Schneider. Since then, she has almost exclusively done television and film.

Liz reunited with Ariana a few years later when the two booked the Nickelodeon fan-favorite, Victorious, where Liz portrayed Jade West for four seasons. “At the time it was a real dream for me to be a part of that type of world and to be on Nickelodeon – especially on a Dan Schneider show,” Liz reflects. She and her cast mates – all of whom were in the same age group – grew up together on

the show, and Liz cites it as the most memorable time in her life.

“I think that’s why we have such strong, lifelong bonds, because we went through a lot together,” she says. The group – rounded out

by Victoria Justice, Leon Thomas, Matt Bennett, Avan Jogia and Daniella Monet – make an effort to get together as often as possible and consistently share their reunions on Instagram. “If too many months go by, no matter where everyone is, we will always make a point to see each other and to hang out,” Liz shares. She notes that none of the Victorious cast members ever had a “club kid” faze and that common ground has kept them all very close.

Beyond the group hangouts, Liz and Matt get together four times a week. “I’m sick of him,” she jokes.

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The two collaborated on a pilot script that they recently wrapped up after a year of work, and have plans to start a new project soon.

“It’s fun to write with somebody, and it’s a challenge. But it’s something I really want to get into, because I do feel like there’s a shortage of roles that I’m interested in,” she admits.

Her role of Gigi on Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll, however, is one that she was extremely interested in from the first time she read the pilot script. Following Victorious – which finished airing in 2013 – Liz was being sent a lot of scripts that would put her back in the role of a high schooler. “They were like ‘Well, she was good at that, so let’s just keep that going.’ I was ready to move onto the next thing,” she says, “But just because I’m ready doesn’t mean everyone else is ready to accept me as an adult. Two years passed before Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll arrived in Liz’s mailbox, and in those two years she worked sparingly – only choosing projects she really liked. Within an hour of finishing the script, she memorized her lines and made an audition tape. At the same time she was auditioning for Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll, Liz was in the running for a role on a network comedy. She couldn’t screen test for both, and the network show said the role was hers if she didn’t test for Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll – which is an unheard of offer for a network. Blowing off the promise of job security, Liz tested for Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll and ultimately earned the role. “I put all my eggs in that basket,” she says.

The first season of Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll was focused

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on establishing the relationship between Gigi and her father, Johnny Rock (Denis Leary), and laying down the groundwork for the stories they wanted to tell. “It’s so different this year. It’s all the same characters but we’re all sort of split up into our own worlds,” Liz says. The season started out with the death of an old band member and sets off a chain of midlife crises among the rest of the characters, except Gigi, who has a quarter-life crisis. Within that crisis, Gigi finds herself building a friendship with and being attracted to a girl. It’s the first time the audience see Gigi nervous and shy, because she is normally very confident. “She’s completely caught off guard. She doesn’t know how to stand, she’s fumbling and this girl breaks down her walls, slowly, and they have this really interesting friendship,” she says. In addition, Gigi is still dating Flash (John Corbett) and developing a deeper relationship with him. Liz says Gigi will go through a whirlwind of emotions this season, and is excited for fans to watch her grow.

Throughout her career, Liz has often been cast as a very confident, popular and sassy girl. This season on Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll is the first time Liz has really been able to show a different side of her – one that feels a little closer to home. “I am a confident person, but I’m also a nerd,” she laughs, “I

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trip all the time and I’m goofy. I’m kind of like a clown.” Last year, Gigi was forced to be the adult and keep everyone around her in line. This year, she has the ability to calm down a bit and be more of herself. “I think this is a truer version of Gigi,” Liz says.

One thing that truly excited Liz about Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll is the fact that she would get to sing.

She sang a bit on Victorious, and was signed to Sony Music at the time, but never formally released music. “I had a certain vision for myself and they had a very different vision,” she admits. She was being pushed in more of an Avril Lavigne route, but personally listens to ‘70s rock, folk rock and jazz. “I think this fear of my first release has stopped me from releasing anything,” she admits.

For this season of Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll, Liz had the opportunity to write two songs using Gigi’s voice. The response has been great so far, and Liz is very happy with the final results.

“It’s encouragement for me to man up and put out my own music,” she says. While the songs are not a perfect reflection of what she wants to do genre wise – as they were written specifically for the show – it is a nice taste of her songwriting abilities. “They’re written from Gigi’s point of view, but they’re totally songs I relate to,” Liz says.

When she’s ready to release her

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own music, Liz is not interested in partnering with a label again. She feels like she knows enough people in the music industry that would help her put together an EP and eventually reach her ultimate goal of playing live shows. With everyone on the cast being as musical as they are, Liz isn’t ruling out the possibility of them all getting together and performing the songs from Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll live, but nothing is in the works yet.

While Liz has been promising her fans music for years, she still doesn’t want to rush into anything. She has a firm understanding of what she likes and doesn’t

jokes.

Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll will be airing through the rest of the summer, and past that Liz isn’t sure what her next project is. She is fortunate to be in a position where she can be picky with the scripts she receives, now. “I have to be really careful with the next thing I do,” she says, “I turn down things because I don’t think they’re the right moves.” She believes in building her career slowly as opposed to reaching for overnight success. “I do feel like I’m heading in the right direction, though” she says.

What’s been nice for Liz about

written a certain way that don’t relate to me, usually,” she admits.

She points to Trainwreck and Bridesmaids as recent films that have done a great job of creating rolls for women that are flawed and a little messy – not just the “girl next door” or the villain.

“When you don’t get the girl next door role, it’s immediately like ‘Oh go out for the bad girl’,” she says, “I don’t need to be the bad girl.” As a kid, Liz obsessed over Girl Interupted and would love to be in a film like that. Now, she’s attracted to films like Blue Jasmine and Silver Linings Playbook. “Not the good girl or the bad girl – the

like, and what type of music she wants to make, but doesn’t want to put out anything she’s not certain about. “Songs are like tattoos. You write it and I think you have to live with it for a little while before you put it out,” she says, “I have a couple songs now that I’ve loved for three years and I think I can put them out.”

Liz’s fans have been extremely vocal about their interest in her music career. “I went on a full trip where I was like ‘Coming this summer!’ and that was like four years ago,” she says, “I have to put out music, if not just for guilt,” she

playing characters very close to her own age is that her fans have truly been able to grow up with her. “I’m happy that I was able to do a show that they’re into,” she says of Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll, “It’s a hard sell for younger girls.

I’m the youngest one on the show by about 20 years.” She thinks that some of her fans who were maybe on the fence about the show last season will be excited about the romantic cliffhangers this season.

Moving forward, Liz is eager to continue writing and create a strong role for herself that way.

“Right now, female roles are being

in-between,” she says, “There’s so many complex women around.

You can write a complex role.”

The gap of time between Victorious and Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll was necessary for Liz, as she doesn’t believe she was good enough for a role like this immediately following her time on Nickelodeon. “I had more life experience by the time [I got this role],” she says. She feels that throughout her career, every year she was given the subject material she was ready for. “It keeps getting harder and harder, which is great,” she says. NKD

“SONGS ARE LIKE TATTOOS. YOU WRITE IT AND I THINK YOU HAVE TO LIVE WITH IT FOR A LITTLE WHILE BEFORE YOU PUT IT OUT. I HAVE A COUPLE SONGS NOW THAT I’VE LOVED FOR THREE YEARS AND I THINK I CAN PUT THEM OUT.”

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haley & michaels Words by STACY MAGALLON Photos by CATHERINE POWELL

They say two is better than one. And it really is when it comes to country duo Haley & Michaels.

Shannon Haley and Ryan Michaels noticed an unquestionable spark when Ryan first invited Shannon to sing on stage with his band at The Roxy, a small concert venue in Los Angeles. After that night, their duet was all anyone talked about.

Prior to their meeting, Shannon was always singing in Los Altos. After joining her high school choir, she developed an operatic voice and went to UCLA as an opera major.

She spent her weekends writing original songs and performing at country bars. It didn’t take long for her to realize country music was her calling. “I started making my way to Nashville where I was gaining popularity on MySpace,” Shannon says. “I was still playing some shows in L.A. and that’s when I met Ryan.”

Coincidentally, Ryan grew up a few miles away in Palo Alto. He was raised in a family-owned instrument store and spent most of his childhood surrounded by Rock n’ Roll musicians. Ryan admitted to singing often in high school, but outwardly focused more on athletics. “I was a closeted musician,” he says.

That passion became public when he started a rock band as well as a country duo with one of the musicians from the instrument store.

Ryan went on to Belmont University in Nashville to major in Music Business and minor in Music. After he graduated, he and his band remained playing shows in Los Angeles. It was then he received a MySpace message from Shannon, who was writing her own music in the meantime. “I invited her on stage to sing a song with us and after that no one wanted to talk about my band again,” Ryan says, laughing.

Ryan’s and Shannon’s chemistry was instant and inarguable. Once they started writing their own music, that’s all they ever did. The first song they ever wrote together, “Price I Pay,” was written and produced in a week. It was then nominated for two

Nashville Independent Music Awards in 2013, winning both Song of the Year and Best Video. “Winning a NIMA forced us to come up with a name,” Shannon says. And so, Haley & Michaels was born.

The duo rely on the small success that carved their monumental accomplishments.

Shannon and Ryan believe in being present every day and taking each moment in stride.

“Little steps taken with passion, integrity, and focus create the big break,” Ryan says. “What we’ve done is shown up and worked really hard.” They credit those steps for earning them a performance slot on The Today Show in 2015.

They’ve had the right people involved, too. Their current production team have given Haley & Michaels the opportunity to experiment and translate their ideas into song. As radio grows more prominent in country music, Haley & Michaels have continued making themselves known as a force to be reckoned with. In the past year, they’ve met with 80 different radio stations and networked their way into the airwaves.

“When you’re an independent artist and sincerely trying to get to know the people at these stations, they always have your back, but timing is everything,” Ryan says. “There’s a huge process behind building and maintaining those friendships even if you’re not playing your songs.” Fortunately for them, SiriusXM’s The Highway station has aired three of their singles in the last year.

A nationwide radio station is fruit in the hands of an independent artist.

“We’re just lucky that we had SiriusXM get behind our backs,” Shannon says. “Having that direct exposure to premiere your music is amazing.”

Haley & Michaels currently stand as independent artists, but are eager to join a label if the fit was undoubtable. “There are obviously some industry politics when it comes to radio,” Shannon explains. “Sometimes people have their hands tied because they need to receive music from a label.”

With the airwaves expanding in the genre,

there is room for people to hear different vocal arrangements, much like the harmonizing of Haley & Michaels. The duet love experimenting with innovative ways to use their voices — singing together, apart, or in a lyrical conversation.

Since then, the duo have expanded their craft into writing for other artists. “Shannon wakes up in the morning and thinks about writing songs,” Ryan says. Sometimes those songs are for other people. Sometimes those songs are for Haley & Michaels. Their latest single, “Drinking About You” was released in July and their new EP will likely be available at the end of August.

Shannon and Ryan, who have now been married for a year, try to set aside time for their personal life when business isn’t taking up the agenda. Most recently, they visited the Empire State Building — without their guitars. It was an accomplishment. “Neither of us feel neglected because this is our life together,” Ryan says. “We’re both so passionate about what we do so music doesn’t seem like a job for us.” They share a laugh when they realize they’ve completely dismissed the concept of a backup plan.

Shannon and Ryan’s life together is authentic and open, as seen on their social media platforms. They share photos of what they’re actually doing and not what they want people to think they’re doing. They initially wanted their social media to achieve a certain aesthetic and overthought every detail. “We’re perfectionists, which isn’t conducive for success,” Ryan explains. The most crucial aspect is that they connect with people on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

As of recently, Snapchat has been a personal favorite for Ryan. “It was dangerous for the world once I figured out how to use it,” he says. They’re open to sharing with anyone who is interested, but they draw the line at the bedroom or the bathroom. Anywhere outside of that is fair game. “Our two cats have taken over the master bedroom anyway,” Shannon says. “Haley & Michaels, live from the bedroom, featuring cats.” NKD NKDMAG.COM

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kane brown Words by TAYLOR DOUGHERTY Photos by CATHERINE POWELL

Social media has been such a defining factor and game changer for so many artists this decade.

Where it took some years to build large followings can now take only a matter of days – hours even.

Kane Brown is a perfect example of just how much the internet can influence a budding career and in turn change your life, practically overnight. The 22-year-old singer/songwriter and Georgia native is one of country music’s newest voices, and had a loyal and devoted following of millions before he was even signed. “I grew up listening to Shania Twain, Sugarland, George Strait,” Kane said about why he chose to go into country music.

“That was my passion because that was all I knew. I just felt like this was my path.” During his junior and wenior years of high school Kane’s goal was to audition for The 50

Voice, hoping to be on Blake Shelton’s team, but never made it. He also auditioned for The X Factor and American Idol following the success of friend Lauren Alaina, who he went to school with. He secured a place on The X Factor but decided to not continue with the show when they wanted to put him in a boy band – so he took matters into his own hands. “I started posting covers to Facebook and it took a couple years, but eventually a breakthrough happened overnight.

I got a huge following. A month later it happened again where I broke even bigger and that’s where I got my first million followers…

I was posting covers every day.

Sometimes I’d post two or three a day,” he says. These covers included songs by the likes of Alan Jackson and Brantley Gilbert, with his cover of George Strait’s “Check

Yes or No” amassing over 7 million views.

In 2014, with the help of a Kickstarter campaign Kane recorded his first EP, a six-track set entitled Closer, and self released it on June 2, 2015. The EP reached #7 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums and #40 on the Billboard 200. That’s when the labels began to take notice. But when they came forward looking to sign him he honestly thought it was a joke, especially seeing as how labels before had denied him. “At first I thought it was fake, that I was getting ‘Punk’d’ or something,” he laughs. But he soon found that these offers were indeed legitimate and it only fueled him further. “After that I was just anxious to get signed,” he said.

“I’m a very impatient person. I was just trying to make it come faster.” Kane signed with Sony Music

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Nashville under the RCA Nashville division on January 27 of this year and re-released “Use To Love You Sober,” a single he’d self-released in October, as his first single under the label. He released his first EP under the label, Chapter 1, on March 18th, debuting at #9 on the Billboard 200 and #3 on the Top Country charts.

This summer he’s been opening for country mega stars Florida Georgia Line on their Dig Your Roots tour and Kane’s the first to admit that performing on such a larger scale has been a challenge.

“We’re still learning. Our set is not even close to perfect. We’re still trying to add lights and pretty much just work on all of our performances because my whole band is use to bar performances so they don’t really have to move much,” he says, “They’re used to doing hour-long sets now having to go to FGL and do a 20-minute set and still make an impact. It’s such a bigger arena to try and give a show to the people who are all the way in the back. That’s one of the things I’m working on too, because you can’t really see anybody back there but you have to act like you do.” But smaller sets also do have their advantages. “Honestly, I feel like a smaller set, 20 or 30 minutes, I like those the most because I get to pick my most fast-paced songs, the most in your face, and jam out,” he says, “But 60 to 75 minutes, I’m so laid back that it drains me and I feel like I can’t always stay 100% energetic.” Tour mates Florida Georgia Line have even offered to give him some pointers about how to work larger audiences. “They dance a lot,” he laughs.

“So I’m trying to do that more and interact with the crowd. BK [Brian Kelley] never turns his back to the crowd and I think that’s something that’s important. They’re still going to teach me a lot. Tyler [Hubbard] messaged me the other day and sent me a video and said ‘I’m watching your live show. It’s good, but there are a lot of things you can improve on. So maybe whenNKDMAG.COM

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ever we go back out together I can tell you.’ I’m excited and interested to see what he’s got to say.”

Aside from the Florida Georgia Line tour, which runs through November, he’s also headlining his own dates and working diligently on his upcoming debut album, which is set for release on October 21st. “I’ve been working on the songs since December, since I moved [to Nashville]. I’ve had a pretty strong list but then I started writing better songs than what I had. It really just depends on how many better songs I write before the actual cut date for the album, to see if I can out-write any of the other songs,” he said. “But it’s cool because we have a bunch of different ones. I don’t feel like the album sounds generic. I have song called ‘Illusions’ that has a reggae feel.

Not your ordinary country song.

I’ve got old school country songs but then I have newer country, so it’s going to be a mix of a bunch of different stuff. I’m excited.”

In a year of many new firsts and “dream-come-true” moments was getting to work on a song called “There Goes My Everything” with his favorite country artist, Chris Young, for his EP, Chapter 1.

“That’s my favorite artist, and to just have him in a room with me wanting to write a song it was just amazing. When he sung it back

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to me I felt like a little girl,” Kane laughs. “He’s just a great writer all around. It was just an awesome experience. Our process it really the same. He comes up with lyrics a lot faster than I do. He’s good with coming up with melodies, and with him just being a great singer you’re not in a room with somebody who has a melody but they can’t sing it.

We have another song we the other day called ‘Set The Night On Fire’.”

He’s also collaborated with friend Lauren Alaina on a few songs but isn’t sure when or if they’ll see the light of day. “We have two songs together, but we don’t know if they’re going to be released yet. I think they’re great songs, they’re just not very country. So if we did release them they’d probably be on pop radio. She might put one of them on her record though, so we’ll see,” he says It’s clear that right now Kane is having the time of his life, and it’s all been on his terms. He turned a Facebook following into a major music career and he didn’t have to sell himself out to do it. He’s stayed true to himself as an artist, performer but most importantly, a person. He is at such a pivotal time in his career. He’s accomplished so much in less than a year, but he knows there’s still much more left to do – and he’s ready for the challenge. NKD

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trent harmon Words by RILEY STENEHJEM Photos by CATHERINE POWELL

Just one day before Trent Harmon auditioned for the final season of American Idol, he was sitting at a camp in Belize, telling his friends and colleagues that he was planning to quit pursuing music once he returned to the States. But as burnt out as he felt, music seemed to be pursuing him. That same night, three young Belizean boys approached him with a guitar. The boys didn’t speak any English and the guitar was missing strings, but they asked Trent to teach them an American song. “They had the most beautiful, high tenor voices. They sang perfect three part harmony and didn’t even know that they were doing it,” he recalls. The next day, Trent landed in Little Rock, Ark. Near the airport, at The Verizon Arena, they were holding auditions for Idol. “I went into the bathroom, changed clothes, got in line, and auditioned,” he says. Three months later, one year to the day after Trent moved out of his parents’ home to work on his music career in Ark., he won the 16th and final season of American Idol.

Trent grew up in a small town in Mississippi, twenty minutes south of Tupelo, the birthplace of Elvis Presley. He worked on his family’s farm and restaurant in Tupelo.

“Really, if you have a farm, you’re not ever off the clock. If something goes down at two o’clock in the morning, if you happen to be in church, wherever you are, you’re on the clock,” he says. Despite that, Trent found

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time to learn and play music. Growing up, he played a lot of gigs in Tupelo, and eventually moved to Arkansas for college, where he really laid the foundation for his music career. He moved back home after school, but quickly realized that he had left his music connections behind. “They were around Arkansas, where I set up shop for four or five years and did music and then I left it,” he remarks. “April 7th, 2015, I moved out of my parents house. I had no idea where I was going. I told them on [that day] that I was moving and then I proceeded to move, right then. I wound up back in Little Rock. I didn’t really mean to go there. I just drove around until I found somewhere.”

He spent about ten months in Little Rock before leaving for his yearly trip to Belize, where he went to work with his friend. By that point, Trent was feeling discouraged.

His years of work hadn’t seen any payoff. He was fully prepared to stop playing, but after his audition for Idol, he stayed on the show, week after week. “I don’t care what anybody says, you can interview the Top 7000 from Idol or whatever, but at some point, everyone wanted to quit,” Trent says. “I wasn’t upset or anything, I just decided that I didn’t want to do this anymore.” Instead of stopping right then, he kept putting in work, and did his best to keep a glass half-full mentality. “I would have to consciously remind myself, ‘Okay, everything you’re doing is on bor-

rowed time. You can quit, but as long as you still have the opportunity, make the most of it. When it’s over, technically you’ll get what you want,’” he remarks. “So if I got cut, or if I got sick and couldn’t perform at my highest capacity, essentially that’s what I wanted to do anyway, so I couldn’t be mad either way.”

He was definitely working hard for the show, but he wasn’t giving it his full potential, and music wasn’t ready to let him go just yet.

When Trent got to the Top 8 on Idol, he had a change of heart about his future as a musician. He got a phone call from his father in the middle of the night. “He said, ‘What are you doing?’ And I said, ‘I’m asleep.’ He said, ‘No you’re not, you answered on the first ring. Don’t lie,’” Trent recalls. “I said, ‘Okay, I was about to go to sleep.’ He said, ‘No you weren’t. Are you having fun?’ I said, ‘No sir, I’m not. It’s not fun anymore.

It’s really hard, like, hard regular work.’

And he said - I’ll never forgot this - he said, ‘Good. Now go to work.’ And he hung up the phone.” After that conversation, Trent realized he had been looking at his time on Idol with apprehension. “I really turned up the heat. That middle section [of the show], I just worked hard enough to stay in it,” he says. “It’s a marathon. It’s not who can run the fastest. It’s who can run the longest and maintain. So that last month, I was like, okay, I think I can do this. I didn’t expect to win, but I prepared to win every point.”

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When Trent heard his name called on the final night of the show, it was like all of his hard work was finally being recognized.

“Music is such an investment — your time, your money, the lack of money, your family.

You put everything on hold, and it’s an investment with no guarantee of a return, and that’s like the number one rule that everyone tells you going into it,” Trent explains. “When they called my name, it was like, a big return on that investment.” A lot of people view the winners of singing competitions as having a free pass into the music industry. Trent debunks this misconception. “No, capital N-O. For me, that’s not true. I’ve been playing my crappy gigs, I’ve been begging people to help me make an EP. I’ll mop the floor at the label, I’ll pay it out of my pocket, I’ll do all of these things, and nothing would ever come to fruition,” he says. It took years of unrewarded labor to get Trent to the Idol stage, and he finally saw a reward for his efforts.

Now, a few months post-Idol victory, Trent is heading out on a radio tour to promote his new single, “There’s a Girl.” The song was co-written with Jimmy Robbins and Laura Veltz. “I’d never written with [them] before, but we were chilling, and we were listening to other music, and we just started writing this song. Before we knew it, within about two hours, we had a song put together,” Trent says. The song is written on a real-life experience Trent had with a girl he once drove 600 miles to see. “It was actually a really sad story,” he remarks. “We tried to write that, and we were just having so much fun that it wouldn’t stay sad. We flipped it, and we wrote a happy story.” The songs gives homage to Trent’s two hometowns, one in Mississippi and one in Arkansas, but more importantly, it’s about the stupid things people do for others. “ I think we all have [done something stupid for someone]. You just do it. Why, we don’t really know,’ says Trent.

Following his radio tour, Trent plans to begin work on an album. The full-length is set to have eleven songs, some of which are already written. “The only goal that I had, ever, in music, was to complete some kind of body of work that was my music. Whether it was an EP or a full length, I didn’t care,” he says. Following Idol, Trent finally has the backing to do it. “I knew that the only way I got to check this box of completing the album was to win. That’s such a hard thing to obtain, to get in that room and make it happen,” he says. Now, with the help of Big Machine, Trent is making it happen. NKD NKDMAG.COM

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