NKD Mag - Issue #43 (January 2015) by NKD Mag

NKD NAKED MAGAZINE FEATURES:

4 - JONATHAN JACKSON & ENATION 8 - OH HONEY 16 - RICKY DILLON 18 - JACK GRIFFO 22 -FICTIONIST 26 - PVRIS 32 - NEW POLITICS 36 - ANDREA RUSSETT 40 - ITALIA RICCI 52 - VICKY JEUDY 56 - TREVOR MORAN 60 - SET IT OFF 66 - ASTRO

EDITORIALS: 14 - BREAKOUT ACTS OF 2014 24 - TOP EPS OF 2014 38 - TOP NEW SHOWS OF 2014 50 - TOP ALBUMS OF 2014 58 - ONES TO WATCH IN 2015 70 - MOST ANTICIPATED ALBUMS OF 2015

DESIGNER:

CATHERINE POWELL

EDITORS:

JORDAN MELENDREZ CATHERINE POWELL

PHOTOGRAPHER: CATHERINE POWELL

WRITERS:

MERISSA BLITZ JOANNA BOURAS TARA DEVINCENZO ALEX LANE STACY MAGALLON JORDAN MELENDREZ SHINA PATEL CATHERINE POWELL RILEY STENEHJEM KATELYN THOMPSON

JONATHAN JACKSON Words by JOANNA BOURAS Photos by CATHERINE POWELL

Jonathan Jackson and Enation have always let their music guide them. Although the group has been together for over a decade, they feel as though they are just stepping through into the limelight. “After 10 to 12 years you learn not to have any definite expectations,” Jonathan said. “However everything pans out is how it will be. We put our heads down, work really hard, and go out and do what we do.” Without any set expectations, the band says, you save yourself from let down and disappointment. They have learned to exhale a deep breath, enjoy the process and take everything as it comes. Enation has been creating music together for about 12 years now. Jonathan, and his brother Richard started their music careers early. When they were growing up in Washington State, Jonathan first picked up at guitar at age eight. Richard began playing the drums in first grade. “At some point Jon and I realized we could play together,” Richard jokes. “It took a few years,” Jon says, laughing with his brother. The brothers met their third band member, Daniel Sweatt, when Daniel was 17. He got his musical start later on. Daniel was almost a teenager when he picked up his first guitar in Los Angeles. He also performed in musical theater and sang in choir. The Jackson brothers grew up in a musical household. Their father was a country music musician who made a record in Nashville. “It’s of mythical quality when dad goes off and comes back talking about this strange land called Nashville and touring the [Grand Ole] Opry and stuff,” Richard says. The band says they were always hesi4

& ENATION

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tant when it came to signing with major labels and hiring a producer. Jonathan describes it as a gut feeling where the band wanted to be in control of their music. They believed that if they did it right, it would pay off in the long run. Eventually they learned that it was time to expand and create a bigger team. That’s when Loud and Proud Records came along, an independent label created in 2007 by Tom Lipsky. Loud and Proud prides itself on independence and transparency between artists and the label, which is exactly the mantra the band wanted to keep. “We are really excited to be working with them,” Jonathan says. The three considered working with a producer in the past. They envisioned someone who knew instinctively what they were going for without them having to explicitly say. Jonathan explains that he is constantly writing new music. He says he prefers having 30 to 40 songs ready to go before he steps foot into the studio, which creates a smooth process. “It isn’t a separate mindset for me,” he explains. “Finding the time isn’t a problem either. I usually do it late at night or early in the morning. Robert says the band will let the piano and vocal breathe life into itself and then they go from there. The band met producer Greg Archilla for coffee after one of their live performances. “He was really excited and liked the music so much he talked about getting into the studio that evening,” Jonathan recalls. “He understood our passion and wanted to capture the live energy. The band really like Greg because he didn’t try to change who they were, which most major labels do. “He fit with our indie mindset,” Daniel explains. “He’s so instrumental in connecting the album sonically to itself,” he says. “Everything is possible.” The band said turning the record into one cohesive piece wasn’t easy considering they do a little of everything. They have everything: rock, pop, drum programming and more. However, Greg has also worked with Matchbox 20 and Collective

Soul, which the brothers love. “He is great at zeroing in on the arrangement of each song,” Robert says. “[Greg] helped us accomplish what we wanted to accomplish,” Jonathan adds. “He wasn’t coming out of left field with things we never would have thought of. We just wouldn’t have been able to execute it.” Greg loved the band’s music but helped them tighten songs and tie them together to create one cohesive record. The band admits that he played a major role in creating the record. “We had so many songs to look at, about 40,” Jonathan says. “When we finally started to narrow it down to top 16 it started to unfold to us what the record was about through lyrical themes.” The songs that made it onto the final product were written over the course of two to three years when the band members were experiencing a variety of emotions. “A lot of songwriting is instinctive,” Jonathan explains. “Stuff comes out, and you kind of look at it and go ‘What is that?’” Jonathan describes the process of editing one’s own music as extremely personal; one must have a great sense of trust. “Self editing is difficult for any artist to do,” Jonathan says. “Having the objectivity to help us ensures that repeat listening is not a drag.” Daniel says he wants to be able to listen to a record over and over again if he likes it, finding out more about the songs each time he listens. They explain that with particular artists and records they love, they can listen to them on repeat, whereas others become redundant. The name of the newest album is Radio Cinematic. The idea was coined from the fact that the band grew up in a world full of film and music. “People assume they are two different industries, but for us they have always been one,” Jonathan says. Their inspiration comes from the cinematic quality of music and live performances. The reason they often love a certain film is because of the soundtrack. The tape leads with the song “Young Worlds Riot,” which is about primordial joy and innocence experienced when one

is young. The song asks: “How do we get back to the young world’s riot?” The rest of the album teeters between the tensions of rediscovering optimism, a theme that is exemplified by “In The Hands of Your Drug.” “There is a push and pull throughout the whole record,” Jonathan says. The anchoring song on the tape is also called “Young World’s Riot (The End),” but it is in a completely different manner as the first song. Most of the band members are married with children. They compare their journeys with their families to their journey with their band family. “How do you get back to that first love state?” Jonathan asks. “Being in a band for 10 years, how do you keep that joy and passion for what you do in every different season.” They never expected that their first single from 2006, “Everything is Possible,” would stay with them. The theme of the song is a midnight prayer pushing against despondency. The song ties in beautifully with “The Future is Ours,” which was written in a completely different moment. But the themes matched what they wanted for Radio Cinematic, which is why they decided to add it. The band members pride themselves on their album providing a full experience. They say that in this day and age, everyone is solely focused on individual songs. “We wanted to make something that someone would sit down and listen to and, after the song ends, know what the next song is,” Jonathan says. “It’s a part of the experience.” While Jonathan continues acting during the year, the band plans to perform live concerts during weekends. “The weekend warrior is coming out,” Jonathan jokes. When the show, Nashville, goes on hiatus for the spring and summer seasons, the band plans on diving into a fullfledged tour. Although the band has always been a tight-knit group, having worked together for over 12 years now, they feel like they are at the beginning of the next stage to wherever they are going. And they are perfectly content with that. NKD NKDMAG.COM

oh honey Words by ALEX LANE Photos by CATHERINE POWELL

Stingers are not something you usually want to get close to. But a lot of the time, to get to the good stuff, you have to learn to live with the things that can hurt you. If it wasn’t for that logic, we may not have honey — or Oh Honey, for that matter. For Mitchy Collins, 26, and Danielle Bouchard, 25, taking the hardships in life and learning how to let them make you better is exactly what their message is about. Oh Honey was the perfect name for a group that was meant to have stick-to-your-ribs, good vibes — not to mention, it’s the name of one of Mitchy’s favorite episodes of the hit CBS sitcom, How I Met Your Mother. “‘Oh Honey’ is actually the episode where Katy Perry stars. We were going through band names, and I had a list of horrible ones. There was also this whole honey-harvesting thing going on [in Williamsburg]. Everything kept coming back to honey,” he says. The age-old ingredient is an organic, golden sweetener that can make nearly anything palatable. Likewise, the duo honed their craft in the bustling music epicenter of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and tends to create melodies, harmonies and lyrics that have a way of bringing out the best in the worst day. Mitchy and Danielle met just three years ago through mutual friends, but they didn’t start playing together until 8

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about a year and a half ago. “I was racking my brain trying to find this other person, and nothing was working,” Mitchy says. “My friend kind of turned me on to Danielle, and I was stubborn as hell, and I wouldn’t listen. He was like ‘Dude, shut up! Let’s see if this works’ and then I did, and Danielle, just worked,” he says. Once they started playing together, things just started to turn around. A year ago, Danielle was working two jobs, waiting tables, greeting visitors at the Harry Potter exhibit at Discovery Times Square — located just across the way from the Best Buy Theater. She would run between work 10

and the studio to work on the beginnings of Oh Honey. Mitchy remembers 2013 as being the worst year of his life. He just remembers thinking, “Something good has to happen. This year has been so shit.” So they started recording. They put out four songs on an EP called With Love, which they released in November of 2013. The standout single, “Be Okay” instantaneously attracted listeners with its infectious chorus, folky instrumentals and positive tune. “We try to keep things optimistic,” Mitchy says. “Try to keep things positive. Life is too short to be pissed off all

the time. The problems you have now aren’t going to be forever. It’s going to get better. No matter how shit your circumstance might be, someday it’s going to turn around.” For them, it did. In January of 2014, a tweet from a talking head at SiriusXM gave Oh Honey the boost they needed into the radio world. “Be Okay” was added to rotation on the station, and between that national attention, and the local intrigue that had already sparked as a result of the pair’s CMJ performances and numerous sold-out shows in the NYC area, Mitchy and Danielle realized they had created something great.

In February, the team at Atlantic realized it too, when they signed the duo. Danielle said the whole experience was “out of a movie.” “It was pretty wild,” she says. “Signing a record deal, you dream about it your whole life, and then it happens. It was pretty wild. Being able to be like ‘Mom I did it!’” “This band happened quick, but it was a very validating thing after grinding it out for so long,” Mitchy adds. While they may be validated in their work now, that grind hasn’t stopped. Since signing, they have toured with the likes of The Fray, James Blunt and

most recently, their old friends American Authors on the Honda Civic Tour. On Nov. 7, their work came full circle, when their names lit up the marquee at the Best Buy Theater in New York City. For the duo, this experience has been “best tour [they’ve] been on.” Danielle says that their favorite part of being on the road is just seeing kids sing along on “Be Okay.” “We do a little thing, where we teach the audience the ‘Ohs,” she says. “We worked really hard this year, and its just so gratifying.” For Mitchy, the tour has been more than just a space to showcase the music that he and Danielle work so hard

to create “The last show of this last tour, 2,000 people at Best Buy Theater. It was a rewarding, ‘we’ve arrived,’ kind of thing.” In the midst of traveling around the country for this tour, the pair has somehow managed to also write some new songs. On Oct. 11, 2014, as a follow up to With Love, Oh Honey released a second EP of original music titled Sincerely Yours. The band says that four EPs, With Love, Sincerely Yours and yet-to-be-released Wish You Were Here and Until Next Time would culminate as a full series called Postcards. “It’s sort of like, instead of going in NKDMAG.COM

and putting out a full-length record, because I know for me personally, when I hear a record from a band I listen to, I play the shit out of it until I get sick of it. So that, and then people being like ‘When’s more music coming, when’s more music coming?’ we wanted to break it up into three to four EPs,” Mitchy says. “We just wanted to keep music coming to the fans instead of being like ‘Here’s a full-length record. You’re not getting anything else for a few years or whatever.’” Each of the four EPs will have a name that is usually used as a signoff to a handwritten letter. The discography, Danielle says, is like a “personal letter to [their] fans.” When asked whether they plan to keep their “be OK” motto for the rest of their forthcoming tunes, the duo says, simultaneously: yes. “I know for me personally, I listen to music, particularly when I’m going through something,” Danielle says. “It’s sort of nice to know that someone out there has sort of been through the same thing. It’s reassuring. And it’s reassuring to hear a hopeful, positive message in music.” The hope, for Oh Honey and their team, is that they will be able to bring some of that reassurance, positivity and perspective to their audience through their music. The band, which is rounded out by drummer Robbie Ernst and guitarist Ian Holubiak, create harmonious, breezy songs that have a way of making things hurt a little less and giving listeners some perspective for the bad days. As for the future, they are eagerly anticipating the release of their next EPs and future touring. “We kind of just hope to get bigger - if we can make music and call it work,” Danielle says that would be ideal. As for the coming months, Oh Honey was lucky to wrap up their tour before the holidays and got to enjoy some time at home before gearing up for whatever 2015 may bring. NKD 12

With the release of two more EPs on the horizon, the pair will undoubtedly be on the road throughout most of the coming year. They are excited about potentially bringing new experiences to their audience, and connecting the places that they come from with the places that they go. In a recent interview with the Huffington Post, the pair said they might want to connect with some of the Brooklyn-based bee farms to sell some of the sweet stuff at their shows. They both agree that farming their own bees is not necessarily something they need to endeavor — because, well, neither Mitchy nor Danielle are really stoked about being surrounded by bees. But the idea of having people leave their shows with a new perspective and something to sweeten their tastes would be a great way to make the experience immersive and complete. Whether it’s sitting in the car after a long day, or starting the morning with a sweet and hearty breakfast, they just want people saying: “Oh Honey.”

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BREAKOUT ACTS OF 2014 11. HOZIER

8. BETHANY MOTA

WHAT’S NEXT?: A NEAR SOLD-OUT U.S. TOUR

WHAT’S NEXT?: MORE BEAUTY VIDEOS

“Take Me To Church” became one of 2014’s biggest songs and Hozier himself became one of the highest selling alternative artists of the year. The single went platinum in three countries and peaked as high as number two on the Billboard Top 100 charts. The song was nominated for Song of The Year for the 57th Annual Grammy Awards and his upcoming headlining tour is almost sold out in every city.

The YouTube star turned fashion designer was the first web star to ever appear on Dancing With The Stars - and she placed fourth! She released her first single “Need You Right Now” on iTunes this fall, and released multiple collections with Aeropostale. She won a Teen Choice Award for “Choice Web Star: Female” - making her the first person to ever win the award. She has almost 8 million subscribers on YouTube.

10. MKTO

“Classic” became one of the biggest songs of summer and truly put MKTO on the map as musicians to pay attention to. The song was certified platinum in three countries and their debut album debuted at number one in Australia. They headlined the American Dream Tour this summer before opening up for Demi Lovato on the U.S. leg of her world tour this fall alongside Christina Perri. Their new record will be out soon!

WHAT’S NEXT?: A NEW ALBUM IN 2015 9. HALSEY

Halsey was virtually unknown in 2013 but became a social media queen in 2014. The blue-/pink-/ silver-haired, fan-proclaimed pixie signed a record deal with Capitol Records just weeks after SiriusXM picked up her single “Ghost”. Her debut EP, Room 93, was uniquely paired with a visual component on YouTube and has racked up almost 300,000 plays. Her full-length record will be out by summer.

7. SHAWN MENDES

16-year-old Shawn Mendes started posting videos on Vine before signing to Island Records. His debut single “Life of the Party” instantly went to number one on iTunes, forcing Top 40 stations to take notice. He is the youngest artist to ever debut in the Top 25 with a debut song on the Billboard Top 100 charts. He performed to sold out arenas on the iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Tour and will join Taylor Swift in stadiums this summer.

WHAT’S NEXT?: CO-HEADLINING WITH YOUNG RISING SONS WHAT’S NEXT?: OPENING FOR TAYLOR SWIFT 14

6. SAM HUNT

First emerging onto the Nashville scene as a songwriter, Sam Hunt penned Keith Urban’s hit single “Cop Car”. His debut album, Montevallo, debuted at number one on the U.S. Country charts, and his single “Leave The Night On” also went to number one on the country charts. He spent the fall opening up for Kip Moore and will embark on his first headlining tour later this year.

WHAT’S NEXT?: HIS FIRST U.S. HEADLINING TOUR 5. MEGHAN TRAINOR

2. ANSEL ELGORT

WHAT’S NEXT?: TITLE HITS SHELVES 1/9

WHAT’S NEXT?: INSURGENT IN THEATRES 3/20

At only 21-years-old, Meghan Trainor has accomplished more in the past six months than most musicians will in their entire careers. Her debut single “All About That Bass” went to number one across the globe and has been certified 5x platinum in the United States. The song earned two Grammy nominations and a People Choice Awards nomination and her debut full-length, Title, will be released this January.

Ansel Elgort stole the hearts of many in 2014 following two blockbuster hits - Divergent and The Fault In Our Stars. His portrayal of Augustus Waters in TFIOS is wonderfully brilliant and he racked up four Teen Choice Awards and one Young Hollywood Award. He was also nominated for a People’s Choice Award for the role. The sequel to Divergent, Insurgent, hits theatres in March and in addition to acting, Elgort will continue focusing on his DJ career.

4. CHARLI XCX

Charli XCX has been making music for years, but 2014 was the year she finally started getting some recognition. Her hit song “Boom Clap” became the anthem for the summer blockbuster The Fault In Our Stars, and her collaboration with Iggy Azalea, “Fancy”, went 4x platinum. Her new record Sucker was released mid-December and is full of witty lyrics and catchy melodies.

WHAT’S NEXT?: OPENING FOR KATY PERRY IN EUROPE 3. ROWAN BLANCHARD

When Girl Meets World was picked up, Rowan Blanchard was an unknown name. After six months on air, she is on track to become Disney’s next big thing. The 13-year-old has transitioned seamlessly into the limelight and has become quite the trendsetter among teenage girls. She is delightfully quirky and portrays Riley Matthews perfectly. The girl also has some killer pipes and lends her voice to the show’s theme song.

1. 5 SECONDS OF SUMMER

5 Seconds of Summer took their second trip around the world with One Direction this year and teen girls across the globe latched on to them. Their debut album charted at number one in eight major countries and their singles “She Looks So Perfect” and “Amnesia” received heavy radio play this summer. The band will embark on a huge headlining tour this summer - most likely following some new music.

WHAT’S NEXT?: GIRL MEETS WORLD RETURNS 1/9 WHAT’S NEXT?: A SOLD OUT ARENA TOUR

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ricky dillon Words by MERISSA BLITZ | Photos by CATHERINE POWELL

Ricky Dillon always loved to entertain. But it wasn’t common in Alabama, where he lived until he was 18. He wanted to move to Los Angeles to pursue his entertainment career, so he left college to focus his time and attention on YouTube. The risky move ended up paying off. Ever since he relocated to California, Ricky has been making weekly videos, creating music and just enjoying life. 16

What are these events (like Playlist Live) like for you, meeting fans and other YouTubers? It’s my favorite thing to do. I love it. I love performing. I love meeting fans in person. It’s a humbling experience to see the people that support you. Why did you pick YouTube as your platform of choice in the beginning? Just because it was easy, I guess. I

was at home making videos with my friends and YouTube was just a really quick and direct way to put it out there. I didn’t do it to get noticed. I just did it because it was fun and I wanted it to be somewhere. How long did it take to build up a following to the point where people were excited to see you? It took about two years. I’ve had YouTube for about four years now but

career. Back when I was in school it was hard because I was in school, I was in band, I played tennis … so it was hard to balance all of that. Now YouTube is my main focus. I dedicate whole days to doing it. I know you collaborate a lot. How do you find people on YouTube to collaborate with? It’s really cool because we’re all so similar, so you become friends naturally with other YouTubers. It’s not like an awkward way of like, ‘Hey, will you be in my video?’ It just naturally happens. You make friends and then it kind of goes from there. When did you start playing and writing music? I was in band for 10 years — I played trumpet — so I’ve always been around music and loved it. This past year I’ve tried singing, and I’ve had great feedback, so I’ve been working really hard on it. I only have two songs out, but I’m making my EP right now. It will be out in probably two months. Are you working with a label at all? No, right now I’m independent. I’d love to work with [a label] in the future, but right now I’m just doing my own thing.

the first year was a video here and there every four months, it wasn’t like how it is now. The first two years was kind of a side hobby when I had time for it. But then after two years it became really serious, and I was getting an audience. Now I do videos once a week.

How do you stand out among the masses when so many people, especially musicians, are being discovered off YouTube? I think I stand out because I am doing it on my own. I want to be taken seriously, but I’m still fun. I’m a relatable YouTuber, my songs are more about having fun and having a good time, and I have a mixture of different sounds. I like pop and EDM.

How do you keep up with putting out a video every week for two years? Well it’s my main thing I do. It’s my

How are your parents about this? Did they understand what you were doing at first? They fully supported from the start

when I was like, ‘Hey I want to drop out of college and move to L.A. to pursue this.’ My dad gets it. He is totally immersed in modern Internet, so he was supportive. My mom, she just didn’t really get it. She was a little concerned at first. But they support everything I do. They love it. How do you explain that to someone, ‘My career is making YouTube videos’? You know, I get asked that all the time. If I’m ever getting a haircut, they’re like ‘So, what do you do for a living?’ It’s so awkward. I basically say, ‘I make YouTube videos. I do comedy skits. I sing. I do personality vlogs.’ What do you think it was about your channel that got people interested when it really caught on? I don’t really know. I like to be personable. I’m not trying to put on a show. I’m just being myself. I think people really like the fact that I’m kind of like them. I’m not trying to be this movie star thing. What are your top three moments from 2014? Releasing my music for the first time because that started this year. Going on tour with O2L, that was amazing. Hitting 1 million subscribers. I have almost 2 million now, but hitting 1 million was a huge milestone. What are some of your goals and hopes for 2015? I definitely want to pursue my music. My EP will be out then. To keep making my YouTube channel grow, and I want to pursue acting. Do you have any formal acting training? I don’t, so I want to take it seriously now and work on it. NKD NKDMAG.COM

JACK GRIFFO Words by KATELYN THOMPSON Photos by CATHERINE POWELL

Born in Orlando, Florida and inspired by his thespian brothers, Jack Griffo shows us the importance of being true to your passion. “My mom put me into the print work in Orlando,” Jack recalls. “I wanted to act, and they didn’t let me. They pulled me out of it to go to school and actually have a normalcy of a childhood.“ After years of print work, Jack decided normal wasn’t really what he was looking for. “By the time I was in sixth grade, I was 12, and I told my parents I wanted to do it, I wanted to actually act.” After some encouragement to venture to Los Angeles to allow their son to try acting, Jack’s parents obliged. “It went well, and I ended up signing with an agent and

booked a couple of commercials,” Jack says. “They were like ‘Well if you booked a couple of commercials in two weeks, you should give it a shot.’” One shot was all it took. The family tentatively moved to L.A. for a year, and they have been there ever since. But this work didn’t leave Jack an overnight success. “For the first year and a half to two years it was really just training a lot and going to class a lot,” Jack explains. “Around the two-year mark I booked my first pilot. I was a series regular, but it didn’t get picked up by Nickelodeon.” But facing the rejection of his first pilot was not a force strong enough to shake Jack from his goal. “I kept auditioning for stuff and getting NKDMAG.COM

small roles. It was 2013 when I booked The Thundermans, and that’s what I’m doing now,” Jack says. “I’ve done a couple of movies since then, and we’re finishing up season two of the show right now.” Jack says season two has gained a lot more attention than season one, even though the first season received great rating. And he has really noticed some similarities between himself and his character, Max, over the past two seasons. “Max is definitely the black sheep of the family. He’s different from everyone else in that he wants to be bad, and not good,” he says. “He is very rebellious and, not necessarily mean spirited, but can come off that way sometimes. It’s fun to play because he’s definitely different from the family in that way.” “I try to bend the rules,” Jack admits, laughing. “I want to get my way a lot, and I can admit to that.” A new season meant growth in the characters, as well as the show. “The storylines are great,” Jack says. “We’ve had a couple of dramatic moments in season two, which have been fun to do. Really cool and really challenging, which has been great.” Jack is able to grow up with his character. “Max is branching out and getting friends, he gets a band, a couple of girlfriends throughout the season,” he says. “We’ve all growing up a lot in season two.” Though his character Max is the one in a band, Jack actually reveals some personal musical ambitions himself. “Max plays 20

guitar. They didn’t let me do anything on it, it was already pre-recorded, which was a bummer, but I do know how to play,” he says. “I had a YouTube channel that I used to do covers on when I was really young.” Although The Thundermans didn’t display his musical talents, Jack mentions an interest in pursuing music in the future. With two seasons of a successful show under his belt, Jack talks about the responsibility of becoming the “new generation” of Nickelodeon. With countless classic shows ending on the network, The Thundermans really sets the standard for other shows on the network. “It was a lot of responsibility being the new generation [of Nickelodeon],” he says. “Us and The Haunted Hathaways were the only shows on the air for a while until these new shows came after us,” he recalls. “But Victorious was ending, and iCarly obviously ended before, and Sam & Cat was going to end. “It was a big role,” Jack notes. “We felt the responsibility of it.” Jack notes how he’s seen in his changes in his own life in terms of fan response. “I had an Instagram and a Twitter, since then, they’ve definitely grown, but I was on them before Nickelodeon,” he states. “Twitter’s great and so is Instagram … Social media is fun, and the response on there is good, and it’s good to hear what the fans think of the show.” The future for Jack Griffo looks bright — and busy — as he heads into the new year.

“I have a plan all the way up until Christmas,” he says. “We just did a press tour in South America, that’s actually where I’m coming from right now. I’m in New York right now, really just doing stuff like this.” And the traveling doesn’t stop there for the young actor. “Thursday I leave for Scotland doing some international marketing over there, as well as attending the European Music Awards,” Jack states. “After that we come back and I have 10 days to myself after all of this traveling, which will be nice. Then we shoot the last few episodes of season two, and that’s it for this year.” Jack wrapped up 2014 with minimal breaks, but that doesn’t stop him from working hard to make sure 2015 has some prospects as well, including major milestones in his personal life. “I’m auditioning between seasons for things to do right now, if we can get them cleared with Nickelodeon,” he says. “But after Thundermans? To graduate into more adult things. Obviously, the goal of everyone on Disney or Nick is to mature in a way that the industry let’s you still do what you love, but in a different light.” After high school and season two of The Thundermans, Jack isn’t certain what will come next. But he is hopeful for more acting opportunities with his “College will probably happen after The Thundermans,” he says. “Season three is probably going to happen, there hasn’t been an announcement, but we’re hoping for it.” NKD

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fictionist 22

Words by SHINA PATEL Photos by CATHERINE POWELL

If there was a preconceived notion that a band needed a record deal to “make it,” alternative rock band Fictionist have proved otherwise. Independence has served them well. Six years ago, Aaron Anderson (drums), Robbie Connolly (vocals, guitar), Jacob Jones (keyboard), Brandon Kitterman (bass guitar) and Stuart Maxfield (vocals) came together and started playing music under the alias Fictionist. “We just rallied together around the music that we like to do, which is rock and roll with really good songwriting,” Brandon says. In 2009, the band released their first album titled Invisible Hand and they won an Independent Music Award for Best Pop/Rock Song for the single “Invisible Hand.” They won another Independent Music Award in 2011 for a single off their second album Lasting Echo. In the fall of 2011, Fictionist signed with Atlantic Records but ultimately it didn’t work out. While they did record an album with Atlantic, they weren’t able to release it because of major creative differences. “They were pushing us in a direction that didn’t come naturally to us,” Aaron explains. When they were signed to Atlantic, there was an emphasis on Stuart being the front man and the principal songwriter, even though that’s not true. They note that Robbie not only does a lot of songwriting, but on this record he and Stuart share the responsibility of vocals, which helped them achieve the sound they desired. They parted ways with the label in 2013, and are now working independently to make and release new mu-

sic. This past October, they released a full-length album titled FICTIONIST. A major difference between this album and the Atlantic album was the way in which it was recorded. Fictionist recorded the album on their own time, in their own houses and were really able to take the time to make each song as perfect as it could be. They had the freedom to do whatever they wanted and to work when they wanted. They were able to be more creative and expressive with their music. Fictionist say the creative process can be different for every song. For their new record, both Robbie and Stuart wrote music together and would make demo tracks and then have the rest of the guys come in with their thoughts and bounce ideas off of one another. They say this allowed them to envision what they wanted. “By the time we got with our producer, we already had a pretty clear direction of what we wanted and he only added to that,” Robbie says. For FICTIONIST they worked with Nate Pyfer. They’ve known Nate for a while, so they were able to bounce ideas back and forth, and they really felt that they could trust him. He was able to help the band edit their songs and didn’t hinge too much on the creative process. “He gave everyone a chance to put down their own ideas,” Brandon says. The band notes that the album has been doing fairly well for itself. They’ve only heard constructive reactions and read positive reviews from various music blogs. But this album was different from what they’ve done in the past. Aaron says, “For our fans,

I think it was kind of like a totally kind of surprising departure from what we did in the past.” Even though the album might have surprised their fans, the reactions to the new direction have been positive. And although many musicians are afraid to try new things in the fear that it might not bode well with their existing fan base, this doesn’t seem to be a problem for Fictionist. “I think one of the things that drives our band is the fascination with trying new things,” Brandon says. They’re always looking to try new stuff and aren’t really worried about it being too different. They also saw this change as a natural shift. Their new music is along the lines of the music they themselves have been listening to. They have been drawing inspiration from Arcade Fire, Bombay Bicycle Club and Peter Gabriel. In October of 2014, Fictionist was part of the lineup for CMJ Music Marathon in New York and played six shows in the span of four days. They have also toured across the country and opened for acts such as Imagine Dragons and Young the Giant. They were supposed to open for Neon Trees in the fall of 2014, but the tour was postponed because Neon Trees’ bassist has been suffering from ongoing health problems. Fictionist have their plates full: working on rescheduling shows, touring in 2015, giving life to their album and working on new music. But they resolve to continue doing what they love. “We’re always on the hunt for the next group of songs,” Brandon says. “We never stop making new music.” NKD

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TOP EPS OF 2014 11. YOUNG RISING SONS – YOUNG RISING SONS

The men of Young Rising Sons have been making music together forever. Their first EP under Interscope Records is a pop-infused collection of four rock songs. The band has taken some of the most popular elements of music in 2014 and meshed them together into something great. Each song embodies common themes of hope and triumph and leaves listeners feeling positive and confident in both themselves and this band.

STANDOUT TRACK: “RED AND GOLD”

8. CAN’T BLAME A GIRL FOR TRYING – SABRINA CARPENTER

Imagine a teenage Colbie Caillat and you’ll get Sabrina Carpenter. At only 15 Carpenter has managed to make a name for herself as both a singer and an actress, but it truly is her voice that makes her special. The girl can hit notes like a seasoned pro and will be dipping her toes into writing for her full-length, due out next year. Carpenter is spunky, full of heart and talented beyond her years.

STANDOUT TRACK: “MIDDLE OF STARTING OVER”

10. THE GREAT MISSION: LIFE – ACTION ITEM

It’s not easy for a band to completely revamp their sound six years into their career, but Action Item did just that. The result is an indie-pop vibe pulling references from acts like Walk The Moon. The songs are about struggles and overcoming them, finding happiness and growing up. Action Item fans have always been drawn to the band’s ability to connect to listeners, and that key element is not lost with their new sound.

STANDOUT TRACK: “FOOTPRINTS”

9. THE SAY MAX EP – MAX

7. ONE – THE NEVER ENDING

STANDOUT TRACK: “PUPPETEER”

STANDOUT TRACK: “CALL ME UP”

While it’s no secret that Max Schneider is a powerhouse, The Say MAX EP absolutely shut down any doubts there were about this young man’s abilities. His first single, “Mugshot”, is a journey in itself – taking listeners on a ride through a classic pop structure and throwing them a curve ball at the bridge. Schneider has the ability to outdo almost every other pop vocalist in the game right now and he’s only 22.

The world was expecting Debby Ryan to write a cheesy pop record, so she did the exact opposite. As frontwoman of The Never Ending, Ryan has proven that not only is she an extremely talented vocalist, but she is quite the poet. Her lyrics are deep, dark and anything but sugarcoated. She takes on the boys who broke her heart and the city that she’s called home for years with witty words and carefully constructed piano tracks.

6. HEART MADE UP ON YOU – R5

R5 are most definitely no longer a Disney band, and Heart Made Up On You is their first push into a more adult listening environment. The EP is light years more mature than anything else the band has released to date, and has opened up the potential for Top 40 success. Heart Made Up On You puts R5 in the same league as some of their key influences, such as Neon Trees and Walk The Moon.

STANDOUT TRACK: “EASY LOVE”

5. SIMPLE LIFE – MEGAN & LIZ

2. ROOM 93 – HALSEY

STANDOUT TRACK: “NEW AT THIS”

STANDOUT TRACK: “HURRICANE”

Simple Life is Megan & Liz’s first step into country music and it sure feels right. The 22-year-olds have always told stories with their lyrics, but the old-school Taylor Swift inspired music behind their words fits much better than the Max Martin-produced beats they were working with before. The two are finally able to showcase their vocals and their writing with the aide of a genre that appreciates a good song more than a gimmick.

Ashley Frangipane – better known by her stage name, Halsey – is a force to be reckoned with. The brutally honest, sexuality infused EP is powerful, gripping, and unlike anything else out there right now. Halsey has taken Beyonce’s message of feminism and multiplied it – giving her total power in a male-dominated industry. Room 93 is raw and thought-provoking, especially when paired with the visual half of the EP.

4. YOUNG BLOOD – BEA MILLER

It’s easy for a young talent signed to a Disney-funded label to fall into the trap of cookie-cutter pop – but that is not what Bea Miller did. The 15-year-old powerhouse is edgy and unique, and her voice is being heard. Young Blood is Miller’s first push into original material after a season on X Factor singing covers. She co-penned half the songs on her EP and has promised more writing credits on her full-length - out in 2015.

STANDOUT TRACK: “FIRE N GOLD”

3. SAVANNAH – NICK SANTINO

1. SINCERELY YOURS – OH HONEY

STANDOUT TRACK: “THAT OLD COROLLA”

STANDOUT TRACK: “CRACKS IN THE FLOOR OF HEAVEN”

Nostalgic is arguably the best word to describe Nick Santino’s songwriting. Often times his songs serve as letters to unknown subjects, forcing listeners to dig deep inside their own hearts to find the words they never said. Savannah, Santino’s latest EP, is yet another example of that. All written and recorded in his attic, Santino is taking D.I.Y. to another level and gaining respect from a community of music appreciators.

Oh Honey graced the world with their presence late last year and just released their second EP, Sincerely Yours. The four-song collection is darker than its predecessor, yet still embodies the band’s message: everything will be okay. Each song is laced with hope, and musically draws inspiration from Of Monsters and Men and The Lumineers. With two more EPs being released next year, growth is undeniable for the duo.

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PVRIS Words by SHINA PATEL Photos by CATHERINE POWELL

When Lynn Gunn was a little girl she knew that she wanted to grow up and be a rock star. And she did just that. As lead singer of the Massachusetts-based alternative rock band PVRIS, Lynn and her bandmates have found their way into the alternative world and are here to stay. The band, which consists of Lynn, Alex Babinski (guitar) and Brian MacDonald (bass), came together in the summer of 2010 through the music scene in their hometown. It wasn’t until 2013, however, that PVRIS really started making waves outside of their state. They began working on their debut album, White Noise, at the end of last year and wrapped it up by January. They hopped on a few tours and built their fan base up as much as possible without having any music out. In June of 2014, they announced that they were signing with a label and released their first single, “St. Patrick,” later that month. They followed that up with two weeks on the Vans Warped Tour and a nationwide tour with Mayday Parade in the fall.

Currently signed to Rise Records, PVRIS not only landed a record deal, a dream for many rising musicians, but they also made history. PVRIS is the first and only female fronted band signed to the label. Signing with Rise was also a wish fulfillment of some sorts for the band. “They were our top choice. But we actually were supposed to sign to a different label,” Lynn explains. “But, literally, the day we were supposed to sign to that label, we got our offer from Rise.” Not wanting to lose the opportunity to sign with their dream label, the band jumped on the offer and hasn’t looked back since. They released White Noise on Nov. 4, and the album has already done well for itself, especially for a debut album. It charted number 6 on the iTunes Alternative Chart and 88 overall on the Billboard charts. “It’s gone a lot further than we expected it would this early on,” Lynn says. When making music, the band likes to look at their album as one cohesive piece and make sure all the parts tie together. They have to work on each song individually, working it into the mindset of what they’re aiming for. They’re not just trying to make a semi decent album with a few noteworthy songs. “I like to look at it in terms of writing the best song we could possible write, for every single song, not just focusing on just making two good singles,” Lynn says. She feels as though musicians nowadays are more focused on making a hit single and are not paying enough attention to every song they make. “They worry about singles and the songs they’re putting out first rather than focusing on the actual album as a whole,” she says. She adds that PVRIS worked diligently on each song and tried to make every song on the album worthy of being a possible single. Lynn finds that she is interested in NKDMAG.COM

the supernatural and eerie aspects of life and channels that into her writing. “I don’t know why, but I’m really drawn to the creepy and dark stuff for some reason, and I have been since I was really little,” she explains. This interest is especially prominent in “My House.” Lynn drew inspiration for the lyrics and imagery from spirits and ghosts. “I feel you in these walls/You’re a cold air creeping in/Chill me to my bones and skin/I heard you down the hall/ But it’s vacant when I’m looking in,” she sings. Although the words and images associated with many of the songs stem from the paranormal themes, they are mostly based on what’s going on in Lynn’s life. “But in terms of situations and real life experience, it’s a lot of badness and anger that I get to draw inspiration from,” she says. “Music is like an outlet. I’m not really an angry or mad person at all. Music is just the outlet to get all that stuff out.” She thinks that, in terms of lyrics, “Holy” is her favorite off of White Noise. “There are a lot of good lines in there,” she says. Although they’ve only been a band for a few years, PVRIS has already acquired a pretty intensive touring record. They’ve hit the road with bands such as A Skylit Drive, For All Those Sleeping and A Loss For Words. They have also experienced Warped Tour, which is much different from any tour a musician could be a part of. Although Lynn notes that it can be extremely hot, sweaty and tiresome, this past summer was probably the most fun tour they’ve been on so far. “Everyone says it’s like band camp for rock bands, and it’s totally right,” she says about Warped Tour. A major benefit of Warped Tour as a relatively new band was being able to gain fans and expose kids to their music. Because everything is outdoors and kids are constantly NKDMAG.COM

walking from stage to stage or are waiting for another band to come on, it gives them a chance to listen to artists that they might not have ever heard of before. Lynn notes that kids would be walking by their stage as they were playing their set and stop to listen because something had sparked their interest. This past October, PVRIS were out on the road supporting Mayday Parade, Tonight Alive and Major League on the Honeymoon Tour, and this January PVRIS will be headed out with Pierce the Veil and Sleeping with Sirens. Many of the upcoming venues are arena, which makes it their biggest tour yet. A problem that many musicians face nowadays is that kids aren’t willing to come to live shows. They would rather stay home and glue their eyes to their computer screens. “I think the U.S. is very spoiled with touring and bands coming to play for them,” Lynns says. “A lot of kids will be like, ‘Oh, I saw them this one time I don’t need to go see them this time.’ I think it’s kind of shitty but that’s what it is.” She feels that kids can always seem to count on bands coming around again and again, so they don’t go shows because of the “I’ll catch them the next time they come around” mentality. As an artist, she feels that she and the band have to put in the extra effort to offer something that a fan won’t get from just listening to the recording. “There’s such a difference between listening to a record and then going to a live show,” she explains. “And I think if you offer something different at your live show, a lot of people will be willing to check it out.” Another perk of going to a live show is the possibility of meeting and interacting with the band. Bands are coming out before and after the show to say hello and take pictures with fans that are waiting outside. Although this may seem like a good 30

thing, it’s a double-edged sword. Fans have almost come to expect their favorite musicians to spend time with them before the show. “Kids these days have a very high expectation of that. I think that’s totally cool,” Lynn says. “But it shouldn’t be mandatory. And it can’t be mandatory.” There will be nights of tour where it’s impossible to make time to meet fans, and as disappointing as it may be for some kids, it’s part of touring life for musicians. We live in a society that allows people to allows be plugged in with social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook. While this may seem like the best thing for most, others don’t always see it as a perk. “I honestly don’t like social networking or any of this stuff,” Lynn admits. “But the fact that it is so important, you have to keep up with it.” Platforms such as Twitter and Instagram have allowed artists to build closer relationships with their fans that would have been impossible before. “It’s definitely important to keep in touch with kids,” she explains. “Whether it’s just favoriting a tweet or retweeting something they tagged you in – that little thing is a lot for some people.” But she does feel that if she did go off the grid one day and completely ignore the normative convention of constantly networking that it would be a true test of whether or not their music can speak for itself or not. Although the idea of giving up social media may seem next to impossible for musicians, in reality it’s a relatively new concept. Bands in the pre-Internet era could only hope that their music would be enough to draw in crowds. The goal is to take PVRIS as far as possible, and 2014 was a huge year for the band. They will continue to strive to their full potential and are eager to see what 2015 brings them. “We’re getting there,” Lynn says. “The sky’s the limit.” NKD

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NEW POLITICS Words by JORDAN MELENDREZ | Photos by CATHERINE POWELL

Conduct a Google search on the band New Politics, and the first hit is their website, which has the tagline “Danish as f*ck.” The band — David Boyd (vocals), Louis Vecchio (drums) and Soren Hansen (guitar) — are at Irving Plaza, headlining their Everywhere I Go tour and playing a sold-out show with fans already lining the block hours before doors. New Politics have come a long way since their album A Bad Girl in Harlem (2013) came out; Kesha still used a dollar sign in her name, and they were still considered an up-andcoming band. Now, David, Louis and Soren have been living in New York for a while, so they’re considering this a hometown show. They’re excited, yet also at ease, which probably stems from how seamlessly they wrote the songs for their upcoming album; a contrast from their self-titled freshman album as well as their sophomore hit, A Bad Girl in Harlem. They were more inspired while writing for their upcoming album, and they had

more of a direction. “We ended up with some really, really good songs,” Soren says. “We could see the guys we were working with, our management and label, and they were just like ‘Oh, okay guys, you’re done.’” They wrote most of their songs while they were on the road, opening for bands such as Paramore and Fall Out Boy. Traveling with those bands put their own goals into perspective and made them realize nothing is impossible. “It also inspires your music because music is awareness as well,” David says. “And I think as you grow, it formulates and communicates through music as well. And that you’ll also see on the new album, definitely.” As for what fans can expect with the next album, it will bridge the gap between New Politics (2010) and A Bad Girl in Harlem. “I think this is the perfect balance between the two records,” Louis says. “And like Soren said, we are in such a good place, you know, not that all of the other songs came from a bad place. It was just very easy for us to write, and we had a lot of fun.”

New Politics are definitely in a good place right now: their song “Harlem” was in the Top 5 on Alt Radio for two months, they have performed on late-night shows such as Jimmy Kimmel Live and now they are on tour — their own tour. The band feels that opening and headlining are vastly different experiences, and they are finally adjusting to being the main attraction, which means playing an hour-and-15 minute show. “The first week it was like ‘Woah, why is everyone singing along to every word.’” he explains. “Now it becomes more of like a natural thing, like ‘Oh, they’re here with us. We are already one with them. We don’t have to break that ice.’” “It honestly takes us a day and a half to plan a set,” Louis chimes in. “It’s so confusing.” The guys laugh and agree that narrowing down a setlist requires a whole team, but the band enjoys challenges. “Once we’ve perfected our show, we have high expectations. We need more, we need a new challenge or we need this or we need a push,” David explains. “We can’t just do, you know, 40 shows

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straight like that. There has to be some kind of challenge, a change.” For New Politics, most of the challenges are not from others doubting them. Even though the band agree that there are always people who won’t be fans, they don’t channel that negative energy to produce their music. “Competition is healthy if it makes you want to get better, It’s not healthy if you want to prove to other people that you’re better than them,” Soren says. “But that’s what it does. It’s not like —” “I want to prove everybody wrong,” Louis finishes Soren’s thought a in deep, exaggerated tone like an action film star. “But there were always people who I grew up with that I, to this day I want to see their faces. I would invite them to the show,” Louis adds. “Because I think that’s important. I think you need that a little bit of that flair. David agrees that the band doesn’t use the hateful energy as motivation, rather they tend to thrive on all of the help and guidance they have received. “We had the team that believed in us with what we had, with what they saw, with the potential,” David says. “And they gave it a chance and they gave it their all.” One such person was Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy, whom New Politics met in New York when they first moved here. New Politics signed with Wentz’s smaller label, rebranded as DCD2, earlier this year, despite their pleasant position after releasing A Bad Girl in Harlem. They were free agents, and Fall Out Boy offered them the opening for their Monumentour as well as a spot in DCD2. “He always has respected us and liked what we did,” David says. “And for us, the most important thing is like our creative rights … and they like it and understand it.” Because Fall Out Boy is under the same label, as well as others such as Cobra Starship, Panic! At The Disco and Gym Class Heros, the bands are able to collaborate and support 34

one another. “I think that’s important, too, because then you’re with a group of people who believe in the same thing and who respect each other,” Soren adds. “We’re also working together with a lot of the other people from DCD2. I think that’s awesome.” New Politics will be finishing up their third album throughout January and February, and they also plan to venture overseas to Asia or Europe, but plans are still up in the air. After traveling with a variety of bands who put their fans before fame, New Politics noticed a reoccuring theme: they considered their fans to be a part of the band. And New Politics has operated with that same mentality. “I think that’s one thing that we kind of realized that we have that on some level now,” he adds. “We have this super amazing, positive fan base. And that’s a really, really nice feeling. It’s a lot of love both ways.” From sold-out shows in California to soldout shows in New York, New Politics are definitely feeling the love. “We’re just going to strive for the stars always. I feel like at this moment in time, this is, in my head, this is success. This is a perfect situation,” Louis says before pausing for a moment and adding, “not a perfect situation, obviously it could always get better. But I mean just to get to this level, it’s impossible. And you know we’re so thankful that there are people waiting outside right now.” The spring of 2015 is going to be non-stop, though specific details will depend on what their options are and what they feel like doing. But if the past year is any indication, New Politics have learned from some of the best and are ready to apply their knowledge to their next endeavor. “And who knows how it’s going to go,” Louis says about the band’s future. “You just work hard, stay true and just believe and persevere through it.” NKD

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andrea russett Words by MERISSA BLITZ | Photos by CATHERINE POWELL

Andrea Russett started creating videos on YouTube out of boredom one day until a local radio station found her videos and asked if she wanted to be a DJ. Her YouTube channel started getting more recognition and, for a while, she was flying back and forth from her cornfieldladen town, Fort Wayne, Indiana, to Los Angeles filming web series. When she was 18, Andrea left home and went to live in L.A. to pursue her career in entertainment. 36

What was it like getting into YouTube on the ground floor and watching it build into this crazy community? It’s kind of cool being on the front running of YouTube, becoming more popular and well known. It’s really cool to be part of that because finally people are taking this seriously. Kids are coming to watch content, almost as much as TV.

How do you meet other YouTubers since you’re all over the country? It’s really cool how everybody links up, and we all talk on Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and all these events — like Playlist, why we’re here today — brings us all together where we’re able to be like, ‘Hey do you have 10 minutes? Want to go over here and film a collab really quick?’ A lot of times people will be flying in and out of places. A lot of people are com-

or celebrities, whatever they want to call it they can call it. We’re not nothing. We’re here. We’ve got a following of people that appreciate us. What do you do at events like Playlist? There’s a lot of Q&A’s on stage. There are meet-and-greets. Meet-and-greets are my absolute favorite. We actually get to sit down and meet the viewers. It’s four days so most of the time we’re walking around, meeting people. Collabs, lots of collabs. Just all that good stuff. You recently filmed a movie. Let’s talk about that. I just finished a movie called Expelled through Awesomeness TV. It’s Cameron Dallas, me, Lia Marie Johnson, Teala Dunn, Matt Shively and Marcus Johns. It’s really cool. I play a character named Vanessa, who’s kind of like a goody-good. Cameron plays a guy named Felix, who gets expelled, and the whole time he’s not telling his parents. He’s pretending he’s still in school and going to all these crazy lengths to make sure nobody finds out he’s actually expelled. I’m the one who’s trying to make sure his parents do find out and that he gets in trouble for it. So I’m kind of the meanie, but it’s fun to play that character.

ing through L.A. now, so it’s really convenient. What’s your opinion on the trend of YouTube stardom? I’m not saying we’re all like, ‘Oh we’re celebrities,’ because we’re just kids making videos out of our bedrooms. But at the same time, if we decide to take it further and go into bigger productions and go into this and that, if we have the following, I guess if people want to consider it superstars

How much are you like her in real life? Oh gosh, not at all. If I saw somebody get expelled I’d be like, ‘Well that’s your issue, good luck doing anything about it.’ When you moved away to L.A. immediately after you turned 18, how did your parents feel about that? They were very surprised and taken aback but also excited for me. They’re super encouraging, super supportive. My mom and dad both flew out and helped me move in. They both cried when they were leaving. Now they’re like, ‘You gotta get there, you gotta be there.’ They fly out, I fly home.

What is on your agenda for 2015? I’m keeping it very open at the moment because I want to focus on doing a lot more serious acting. After doing the movie, I saw how much I loved it and how much fun it was. I think I’m going to try to make that my main focus. Obviously YouTube as well, I’m never going to stop YouTube. Do you have any traditional acting training? No. None. None at all. I like to do improv, though I don’t know if that would be considered “training.” When you went into YouTube was it with the intention to move it into acting? When I was younger, I told my parents all the time, ‘I want to be in L.A. I want to act,’ but I never went into [YouTube] with the intention of using it toward acting. I always figured I’d move to L.A., do some acting classes and hopefully get into it. I never thought YouTube could help me. That was just crazy. How do you deal with the backlash of people who don’t like you? Thankfully I’ve trained myself really well to be able to look at it and kind of just ignore it because for every mean comment, there are probably 100 nice comments. When you see the mean one it’s a lot harder to ignore it, but you kind of just have to be like, ‘That’s your opinion, that’s fine. You don’t know me personally, so I can’t really take what you say to heart.’ What do you think a new YouTube channel needs to stand out among the masses now? It just needs a genuine personality. These viewers aren’t stupid. You can tell when somebody’s not being genuine to who they are. People really enjoy watching someone be themselves and be genuine and show who they are on camera. NKD NKDMAG.COM

TOP NEW SHOWS OF 2014 11. HAPPYLAND

8. GOTHAM

WATCH IT: THURSDAYS, 11:00 P.M. ON MTV

WATCH IT: MONDAYS, 8:00 P.M. ON FOX

Set in an amusement park appropriately called Happyland, Happyland is fun, unique and full of drama. With an all-star cast of Young Hollywood up-and-comers (such as Shane Harper, Kat McNamara and Bianca Santos) it’s no surprise this show is as great as it is. MTV hasn’t been known for their great programming in recent years, but shows like Happyland are starting to change things.

Gotham was easily last season’s most anticipated drama and it did not disappoint. Gotham takes viewers into Batman’s world, with Ben McKenzie playing a young James Gordon - Batman’s most well-known ally. McKenzie’s performance is gripping and strong and the chemistry between him and his co-stars is undeniable. With an average of 10 million viewers each week, it’s safe to say that Gotham is here to stay.

10. YOUNG & HUNGRY

Emily Osment is back on the small screen and this time she’s the leading lady. Young & Hungry, ABC Family’s newest comedy, is quirky and hysterical. Between love triangles, witty banter and killer guest stars (um, hi Jesse McCartney), Young & Hungry has all the ingredients for a successful show. Season two will pick up later this year and Osment promises more laughs and more drama!

WATCH IT: THIS SUMMER ON ABC FAMILY

9. JANE THE VIRGIN

7. FAKING IT

WATCH IT: MONDAYS, 9:00 P.M. ON THE CW

WATCH IT: THURSDAYS, 10:00 P.M. ON MTV

One of this year’s most talked about dramas, Jane The Virgin, is one of the most charming shows on television in a long time. Leading lady, Gina Rodriquez, gives a stunning performance week after week as her character Jane struggles with the realities of her situation. It’s been a long time since The CW had such a big hit without relying on supernatural elements. Not to mention there’s some totally hot guys in this show...

There has never been a show like Faking It before and because of that it has earned itself quite the cult following. The show explores all different types of sexuality that are often overlooked in mass media. Bailey De Young’s portrayal of Lauren Cooper, an intersex teenager, is honest and important. Faking It is teaching teens about the importance of being yourself and accepting those around you. Way to go, MTV!

6. CRISIS

Though it only lasted one season, Crisis was totally gripping and crazy dramatic. The show forced viewers to think about the lengths they would go to protect their loved ones and placed this internal conflict into some of the most powerful people in the world. Each episode was jawdropping, pulse raising and full of connecting dots. A second season would have been awesome, but Crisis’ series finale was pretty perfect.

WATCH IT: NBC.COM

5. FINDING CARTER

2. GIRL MEETS WORLD

WATCH IT: TUESDAYS, 10:00 P.M. ON MTV

WATCH IT: FRIDAYS, 8:00 P.M. ON DISNEY CHANNEL

MTV truly did scripted television right this year. Finding Carter is one of the year’s most interesting and complex dramas and has thankfully already been picked up for more episodes. Following the story of a kidnapped girl who returns to her real family after 13 years, Finding Carter is heartbreaking and beautifully written. This show explores family relationships in a completely unique way and it’s lovely.

14 years after the world said goodbye to Cory and Topanga as Boy Meets World aired its final episode, the adorably funny Girl Meets World began. Following the lives of Cory and Topanga’s daughter Riley Matthews and her best friend Maya Hart, this Disney Channel show is teaching life lessons to a new generation - just like Mr. Feeny did. Girl Meets World is truly magical and will no doubt have an incredibly positive influence on those watching it.

4. RED BAND SOCIETY

Red Band Society is a delightful drama/comedy that explores the lives of teens living in a hospital. The group of unlikely friends find comfort in one another as they each battle their own diseases while simultaneously driving their doctors and nurses crazy. FOX truly has something special on their hands with this one, and here’s hoping the channel’s executives realize that before they pull the plug.

WATCH IT: WEDNESDAYS, 9:00 P.M. ON FOX 3. CHASING LIFE

A show about a 24-year-old who just landed the perfect job and perfect boyfriend and then finds out she has cancer sounds super depressing, but Chasing Life is quite the opposite. The show is uplifting and inspirational, proving that an illness does not define one’s entire life. Italia Ricci shines as April Carver and her and her leading men (Scott Michael Foster as Leo Hendrie and Richard Brancatisano as Dominic Russo) have undeniable chemistry.

WATCH IT: MONDAYS, 9:00 P.M. ON ABC FAMILY

1. HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER

It’s official: Shonda Rhimes can do no wrong. How To Get Away With Murder is pushing so many boundaries on what network television can get away with. There’s sex, there’s lying, there’s more sex and there’s, of course, murder. The jaw-dropping mid-season finale was filled with OMG moments and January 29th cannot come soon enough. Also, Jack Fahalee is pretty great to look at...

WATCH IT: THURSDAYS, 10:00 P.M. ON ABC

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Words and Photos by CATHERINE POWELL

ITALIA RICCI Hair by LUIS GUILLERMO Make-Up by CAITLIN WOOTERS

“I don’t want to get too close. I’ve been sick for three days,” Italia Ricci says as she greets me in the lobby of the Trump SoHo on an especially rainy Tuesday afternoon. Despite the fever and sore throat, the 28-year-old actress is even more stunning in person than she is on screen. She’s smiling bright through her exhaustion and powers through our photo shoot like a seasoned model. It’s been a long but rewarding year for Italia, and things are just getting started. I touch base with Italia a few days later. She’s still under the weather, but at least out of the cold and back in California. “New York was a whirlwind. Press tours always are,” Italia says. “You’re crazy busy and totally exhausted but having so much fun that it goes by in a blink.” Besides taking part in ABC Family’s annual Winter Wonderland celebration

at Rockefeller Center, Italia was running around Manhattan doing interviews and appearances — even walking the red carpet at the Into The Woods premiere. Without a doubt, 2014 has been Italia’s busiest and most successful year yet, but she first caught the acting bug almost 20 years ago. Italia grew up in Newmarket, Ontario, about an hour north of Toronto and was a self-proclaimed dork growing up. “Actually a nerd, definitely a giant nerd,” she jokes. “I remember reading for so many hours straight that my parents would ground me and my punishment was to go play outside.” Even while at school she would veto recess and just sit in a corner reading books. “I think my mom told me a story about a teacher telling her I would ruin the kids’ playtime by telling them the plastic kitchen couldn’t cook the

plastic food because it was all fake, the dolls weren’t real so you didn’t need to change them and that kids were all stupid,” she recalls. “But karma came around, and now I play pretend for a living.” It was around second grade when Italia came out of her shell a bit and began acting. The upper grades in her school were putting on a production of The Little Drummer Boy, and her age group was only allowed to play trees or animals. “I ended up being the only kid who could remember all the Drummer Boy lines, so I got the role and had the time of my life,” she says. Shortly after that her parents enrolled her in a local theater program. She continued with the program until high school, where she began acting in school plays. She always wanted to move to Los Angeles but never had the guts to do NKDMAG.COM

it. One summer, her friend was filming a movie near her parents’ house and asked if she wanted to be an extra. “At lunch one day the writer asked me to audition for a role,” she says. “I did, and I booked it.” From there things really took off. When Italia first moved out to L.A., her first role was a guest star stint on Greek. Following that she had guest roles on How I Met Your Mother and House before booking her first lead role in Cartoon Network’s live-action series, Unnatural History. “The first couple of roles I’d booked were pretty superficial, like ‘Hot Girl 2’ and stuff like that,” she says. “But Unnatural History was what I finally had a character I could get to know and tell a story with.” In 2013, she landed the role of April Carver in ABC Family’s new drama, Chasing Life. Italia’s manager, David Eisenberg, had faith that Italia would book the role of April long before she did. “We were at our weekly bowling league — don’t judge us — and he had read the breakdown for it and told me that was the role I was going to book,” she says. She thought everything about it was too good to be true and didn’t get her hopes up. “The role was so real and the story was told so well that I thought there wasn’t a chance that they’d cast someone unknown,” she says. After a series of auditions, callbacks and screen tests, Italia booked the role. “I got the phone call that I was going to be April while standing in line at McDonald’s,” she says. Italia was attracted to both the script and to the character immediately — partly because she’s so much like April in real life. She describes April as stubborn and controlling. “I like to take care of everything all the time so that 44

I know it’s getting done properly,” she says. “We’re so similar that sometimes my friends think they’re just watching me on the show instead of a character.” One of her friends was so convinced Italia was playing herself on TV that he was not able to talk to her because he would look at her, think she was sick and get uncomfortable. Italia takes that as a compliment to her acting abilities. Chasing Life is unique in many ways, but one vital element of the show that sets it apart from other shows is how it portrays the lives of young adults with cancer, which is often overshadowed in media. “The general public associate cancer with older people or young kids,” Italia says. “Nobody really considers all the people in between.” Chasing Life serves an educational purpose in that sense, but has also become a way to help people cope with things. Italia has received tons of fan mail from people going through various types of hardships who say feel that they can relate to the show because of how all the different characters are fighting their battles. “It’s sort of therapeutic to see someone else dealing with what you’re in the middle of, and there’s so much going on in the show that people are connecting to it on so many levels,” Italia says. April, without a doubt, is the character with whom fans are connecting with the most. She is a hard worker and a great role model who sticks to her guns and loves her family. But she also makes mistakes. “She’s a real girl, and real girls don’t always get everything right,” Italia says. “I think that makes her a good role model because she’s someone who could exist anywhere.”

Some of the other series regulars, like April’s sister Brenna (Haley Ramm) and best friend Beth (Aisha Dee) are connecting with girls as well for how casual they both are about their sexualities. “I like the empowerment that our show has given female characters,” Italia comments. “It’s another example of how people are relating to the show in ways other than illness.” Italia can experience the fans connecting firsthand — and instantly — with the help of live tweeting. Italia live tweets with fans almost every week when episodes are airing and enjoys the rush. “It’s a little stressful because I want to answer every single [tweet] but there’s just no way that’s possible in an hour,” she says. To compensate, she favorites as many tweets as she can before getting too overwhelmed. She finds it difficult to watch the episode while tweeting about what’s happening — all while responding to messages. She usually ends up about 10 minutes behind by the end of the episode. But even when there isn’t a new episode on, Italia does her best to stay connected with her fans. “I try to respond most of the time anyway,” she says. Italia has also connected directly with people affected by the show and the diseases the show is portraying is by being an ambassador for Stand Up To Cancer. The organization is part of the Entertainment Industry Foundation and raises funds for cancer research. Italia says it’s important to support the community that Chasing Life is representing. “I’m only pretending to have cancer — they’re not,” she states. “Knowing that makes me want to do more than just play April.” She is both flattered and honored to be an ambassador to the

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;I like the empowerment that our show has given female characters.â&#x20AC;?

organization, and has truly enjoyed every event she’s done with them so far. “I’ve done so much because of this show that I don’t think I would’ve done otherwise, which is kind of sad,” she says. “But I’m really proud of how this show has changed me. It’s made me a better person.” The mid-season finale of Chasing Life — which aired in August — showed April checking into the hospital for chemotherapy and beginning her treatment. When the show returns on Jan. 19, viewers will see April readjusting to life after treatment. “She’s trying to get back to work and live the life she put on pause before checking into the hospital for a month,” Italia shares. Fans will also get to know more about the other characters’ stories. In terms of the love triangle between April, Leo (Scott Michael Foster) and Dominic (Richard Brancatisano), it’s only just getting started. “You see how April and Dominic have to handle being back at work together again, which is pretty tense,” Italia says. As heavy as the rest of the season is, there are still scenes that will make the audience laugh. “There’s a pretty humiliating karaoke scene I’m sure I’ll never hear the end of,” Italia laughs. As if starring as the lead on one of this year’s hottest new shows wasn’t enough to make 2014 a huge year for Italia, she also made some big moves in her personal life. In August, Italia and her longtime boyfriend, actor Robbie Amell, got engaged. The two met on a movie set over eight years ago and have been dating for over six years. With both halves of the couple filming television shows (Robbie stars on The CW’s The Flash), the two rarely see each other — usually

only twice a month. “We’re not married yet, and we don’t have any kids, so this is the time to be selfish and work a ton and not feel pressured to drain ourselves traveling all over the place,” she says. While the two don’t enjoy spending so much time apart, they are accustomed to it. “We’ve been together for so long that, yeah, we miss each other and it’s not easy, but we’re OK going three or four weeks if we have to,” she says. In terms of planning the wedding, Italia is terrified and doesn’t know what she wants yet. “I’m already sweating just thinking about it,” she says. While getting engaged and having Chasing Life get picked up for a second season are both great things, Italia is especially proud of sticking to her New Year’s Resolution for the first time ever. “I gave up McDonald’s for 2014, and anyone that knows me knows how heartbreaking that is. It’s a daily struggle,” she says. When I ask what’s on her agenda for 2015 she quickly responds, “Eat McDonald’s.” All jokes aside, Italia says she is extremely excited to get back on set and begin filming season two. “I have no idea where the story is going to go, and I miss being on set with everyone so much,” she says. It’s been one hell of a year for Italia, and she’s eager to keep moving forward with her career and personal life. Her short-term resolutions: successfully plan and execute her wedding. Her longterm resolutions are a little more open ended. “I’d like to keep doing things that I’m proud of with people I enjoy,” she says. “And to be supported by fans who make what I do a literal dream come true.” With the way things have been going lately, Italia’s success story seems far from finished. NKD NKDMAG.COM

TOP ALBUMS OF 2014 11. WHERE IT ALL BEGAN – DAN + SHAY After releasing their debut single “19 You + Me” in the fall of 2013, Dan + Shay’s debut record quickly made it to all country fans’ most anticipated lists. And Where It All Began did not disappoint. Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney wrote every song on their record and have officially made a name for themselves in Nashville as songwriters and performers.

STANDOUT TRACK: “I HEARD GOODBYE”

8. IN THE LONELY HOUR – SAM SMITH

The world has been waiting for a new Adele record for years now, but Sam Smith – often referred to as her male equivalent – has made that wait a little easier. His debut full-length, In The Lonely Hour, is heartbreaking, beautiful and powerful. Smith’s vocals are indescribable and his melodies are unmatchable. They say the best songs come from broken hearts and that theory definitely reigns true for this collection of songs.

STANDOUT TRACK: “LIKE I CAN”

10. NICK JONAS – NICK JONAS

Teen girls across America wept last fall when the Jonas Brothers announced their breakup and cancellation of a new record. But behind the scenes, Nick Jonas was working on something special. His debut solo record highlights his voice in ways that were not possible during Jonas’ prime. He is floating halfway between R&B and pop music, and one can only hope he doesn’t get pulled in one direction.

STANDOUT TRACK: “WILDERNESS”

9. iNDIAN SUMMER – TYLER HILTON Indian Summer was a longtime coming for Tyler Hilton.The record is Hilton’s first attempt at country and the genre suits him well. Though a California native, Hilton’s songwriting style has always been reminiscent of Nashville’s greatest. The acousticdriven, story-telling songs showcase Hilton’s growth from a teenager with a guitar to an adult with a voice.

STANDOUT TRACK: “INDIAN SUMMER” 50

7. MY EVERYTHING – ARIANA GRANDE

Just a year after Ariana Grande proved her worth in the music world with “The Way”, she released “Problem” – a catchy, edgy leadoff single featuring Iggy Azalea. And so the My Everything era began. The record, much like her debut Yours Truly, showcases Grande’s unmatchable vocal talent – putting her in a completely different league than other pop starlets her age.

STANDOUT TRACK: “I HEARD GOODBYE”

6. FOUR – ONE DIRECTION

It’s no secret that One Direction is getting pitches from the best writers in the business, but on their fourth full-length, appropriately titled FOUR, the members of 1D have writing credit on 10/12 songs. Consequently, this is the most believable record the boy band has released to date. There’s heart, passion and much more adult content than some of their earlier catalog.

STANDOUT TRACK: “NIGHT CHANGES”

5. X – ED SHEERAN

2. WHITE NOISE – PVRIS

STANDOUT TRACK: “AFIRE LOVE”

STANDOUT TRACK: “NIGHT CHANGES”

Honesty is something Ed Sheeran is well acquainted with at this point in his career, and on X he left no stone unturned. Even when calling out ex-girlfriends – like in “Don’t” and “Nina” – Sheeran is still the most lovable player in pop right now. He pairs his more up-tempo tracks like “Sing” with tear-inducing tracks like “Afire Love” and is left with a wellrounded, lyrical masterpiece.

Warped Tour used to be a breeding ground for new talent just about to take off in the mainstream world. But in recent years there has been no standout band – no one to bet on. Until this year, when PVRIS emerged. White Noise was released this fall and has surpassed all expectations. The album as a whole is haunting, with reoccurring lyrics about ghosts and spirits. But no two tracks are the same and Lynn Gunn is out doing every other female vocalist in the game.

4. STRANGE DESIRE – BLEACHERS “I Wanna Get Better”, the first single from Jack Antonoff ’s latest musical endeavor, Bleachers, instantly went viral upon release and as a result, setup Strange Desire to be one of the most anticipated records of the year. The 12-track album lived up to expectations and took listeners on a trip back to the 1980’s with tonguein-cheek lyrics and clever synths.

STANDOUT TRACK: “ROLLERCOASTER”

3. ANDREW MCMAHON IN THE WILDERNESS – ANDREW MCMAHON IN THE WILDERNESS

1. 1989 – TAYLOR SWIFT

STANDOUT TRACK: “ALL OUR LIVES”

STANDOUT TRACK: “CLEAN”

Andrew McMahon has released music under many different names, and he has finally settled on his own. His latest record, Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness, has the same, hard-hitting, gut-wrenching lyrical content as older Something Corporate or Jack’s Mannequin records, but is more easily digestible to the casual pop listener. This album may be where McMahon gets his gold.

It happened: Taylor Swift has finally become a pop star. The undeniably catchy tracks like “Style” and “Shake It Off ” smoothly contrast the more traditional Swift tracks like “This Love”. Her collaborations with fun.’s Jack Antonoff, such as “Out of the Woods” and “I Wish You Would”, are a beautiful marriage of creative brains that John Hughes would be begging to put in his films. Swift has outdone herself… again.

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VICKY JEUDY

Words by TARA DEVINCENZO | Photos by CATHERINE POWELL

Vicky Jeudy is adamant about the first thing you need to know about her: “I was a swimmer. I wasn’t a track star,” she says. “I feel like I get that question a lot.” Vicky has become a recognizable person in her home neighborhood of Jamaica, Queens, and beyond for portraying the role of trackstar-convict Janae Watson on Netflix’s Emmynominated series Orange is the New Black. Finishing its second season and now rounding into the third, the stream-only series is the first of its kind. It is also Vicky’s big break. A native of New York’s Jamaica, the actress of Haitian descendent sat down with Naked to detail just how she got lucky enough to be part of the wildly popular (and somewhat powerful) series. The show happened to be her first on-screen performance that kind of fell into her lap after she somewhat haphazardly walked back into acting. Vicky attended State University of New York at New Paltz and participated in theater in New York briefly after graduat-

ing. She soon left her home state of New York all together to take on the South: Atlanta. As a recent graduate, she was hired government job in the South. “That was just a fun period in my life,” she recalls.“I still love it down there.” Fate stepped in as an unlikely push back to New York: an urgent call to the North to take care of personal family business. Within a year and a half, she got a recommendation from a friend to take acting classes and she was back on the stage. The idea of OITNB started as nothing more than an exercise. “I don’t even remember looking at who directed it or who was behind it,” she says. “It was more of ‘I have an audition, let me just prepare, go in, do your best and leave it at the door.” She went into her first audition for Janae Watson. Two days later, they came knocking on her door. With a full cast of women, with the exception of a few guards and Jason Biggs, the series launched in July 2013. She described filming the first NKDMAG.COM

season simply as simply as “fun.” The inaugural season It was a time for her to meet new people, and enjoy her time in New York.“I just remember laughing all the time on set,” she recalls. “If you could laugh, I think its the sign of a good project.” What she thought was a good project proved to be a revolutionary project. “We had no idea we were stepping into gold when we did it,” she admits. Once people from her neighborhood started getting excited about it, and once strangers started recognizing her, she realized it was bigger than she thought. “People expect me to be like Janae Watson,” Vicky says in her naturally giggly voice. “I am completely different. I’m Vicky J. I’m bubbly.” Even if she is the complete opposite of her character, Vicky finds that there is something relatable with the athletic convict she plays on stream. Her character, just as the other inmates on the show, are behind bars as a result of consequences they have made. It’s the plot of the show but Vicky relates it to a larger lesson for viewers. “Anyone can relate [to Janae] in terms of you’re giving up on your dreams,” she explains. “You’re paying the consequences of a chose you made, with that you’re giving up on your dreams.” All of the fictional women at Litchfield Correctional Facility have been incarcerated because of their extreme personalities and actions, but Vicky finds these extremes to be qualities that are innately present in all of us. “I think people can relate to just being in a cage,” she says. “Everyone can relate to losing something, whether it’s a passion or friend or family.” 54

With two seasons already streamed and one on the way to the Internet, Vicky doesn’t have any expectations for her character. She puts full faith in the writers, completely trusts her producers and exhibits perfect chemistry with her coworkers. Despite the drama on the show, Vicky says real life is very different: they don’t have any. “I feel like people sometimes have a hard time believing that,” she admits. “When you look at Uzo and Danielle and Taryn, they’re amazing actresses,” she gushes of her co-stars. “Crazy-Eyes pulls everyone in.” After reciting the Crazy-Eyes ditty “chocolate and vanilla swirl,” Vicky says, “I feel like if the audience can mimic what is happening in this show, it’s a reflection on the artist.” Vicky, however, credits to those off screen just as she does for those on it. She attributes the positive experience of working on set to her executive producer, Jenji Kohan. “She treats people with respect. Very friendly and very creative,” Vicky says. “And I think that’s a reflection of the entire project. Vicky says there is an overall feeling that Jenji spread on the set that makes the entire project a very smooth process. Among everyone — directors, writers and crew — there is a mutual respect. With so many team members it could be easy for things to get overwhelming, but there is something about the group that makes it work: they are all there with a drive for the same result. “The cast is so large, I think it’s just going in there and working with everyone and telling the story of each episode.” As an actress, Vicky does not only consider the context

of the episodes to be a point of pride, but she says she is also privileged to be a part of the first completely-streamed series. “You basically control how much you want to watch,” she explains. “I think it’s good, it’s allowing you to have the power.” The binge-culture that OITNB may or may not have initiated is one that will continue to live on with other online-only series. But it will certainly continue when the next season hits. Vicky describes season one as a character introduction and the teaser of season two, which allows people to indulge and revisit these characters. But when season 3 hits (with very tightly sealed details) it may focus more on faith and spirituality. The show proves that women can come together and be a powerful force, but the overall moral arc is not necessarily about feminism. “I feel like we don’t focus on one area. We give you life perspective on different sexualities, on people being in prison, consequences,” Vicky says. “I think it’s really well-balanced by showing you the perspective on life in general, because life is complex.” If season three isn’t enough “Vicky” for orange-lovers, there will be more chances to indulge. She admits that she is working on another project — but that’s it. “No details right now,” she playfully insists. “I’m just looking to grow as an artist and expand my horizons in the industry,” she says, “and have fun with my family and friends.” As if she hadn’t already proven she was much more light-hearted and sweet than her character, she signs off with a kiss. NKD

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trevor moran Words by MERISSA BLITZ | Photos by CATHERINE POWELL

“Most awkward part of my life — birth,” YouTube sensation Trevor Moran says with a laugh as he tells his life story. Sixteen-year-old Trevor was born in Poway, California, on Sept. 30. He started performing in musical theater when he was 8 and landed a lead role in the play Sleepy Hollow. When Trevor was 9, he started playing around with Win56

dows Movie Maker, creating videos and playing with the slow motion effects. It wasn’t until Trevor started making videos in the Apple store while dancing to popular songs that his videos began to go viral. Since then, he’s been on the X Factor, joined a collaboration channel called O2L (Our 2nd Life) and has started writing and recording his own music.

Why start releasing music now? And what has the reaction to the first two songs been? It’s the right time. I’m writing my music now. It’s coming from my heart and the experiences that I’ve gone through. People love the first two singles. They’re so lovely and so friendly. I send love right back.

took off from the day it started. It was so awesome. Is acting still something you want to pursue? I actually did acting for two years. I’m signed with an agent, but they’re on hold right now because I’m focusing on the music more. Acting is fun. I like acting, but I like singing more because I feel like I know what I’m doing. For acting I have to be someone different every single time, and I kind of like being myself more than someone else. But maybe I can jump back into it soon. What is it like being a part of this community that’s just now getting recognized at award shows? It’s great that big people in the industry are realizing that YouTube is what’s happening. The Teen Choice Awards made a whole category for the web this year. Dancing with the Stars put Bethany Mota, who is a beauty guru on YouTube, on the show. It’s good to see people finally realize that YouTube is big.

How did you explain to your parents what you were doing when you first started posting videos to the Internet when you were 10? They were a little confused at first. They were like, ‘Why is your name on the Internet, delete that.’ I’m like, ‘I can’t mom, I’m a star.’ They finally understood, once they witnessed it in real life. The fans and everything. They were like, ‘What, people like him?’ It

took them a while to realize, but they’re being so supportive now. With O2L, how did the six of you find one another? We were all friends separately on the Internet before, all making YouTube videos. We would Skype every night as friends, and then we finally met up at VidCon 2012. Then we were just like, ‘Let’s make a collab channel together.’ I’m like, ‘I choose Friday.’ It just

How do you explain what you do to people who ask? I just tell them I’m a musician who posts videos on YouTube. So they look me up and they see me the next day and go, ‘Oh, that’s what you do.’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah, I’m pretty weird.’ How do you think 2015 is going to top 2014? What’s on your agenda so far? I’m going to release my EP in December. Hopefully in 2015 I’ll release my album and then go on tour by myself. Hopefully do the Teen Choice Awards again, or the AMAs or VMAs, Just some big performances. Hopefully it will be a big year. NKD NKDMAG.COM

ONES TO WATCH IN 2015 11. VINYL THEATRE

8. FLOR

WHAT’S NEXT?: LOTS OF TOURING IN 2015

WHAT’S NEXT?: THEIR DEBUT EP - OUT SOON!

Fueled By Ramen’s latest signing, Vinyl Theatre, are just getting started. They spent the fall opening up for twenty one pilots on the Quiet is Violent tour and earned some radio attention from their hometown in Wisconsin this December. Their debut album Electrogram is impossibly catchy and it can’t be long before the world catches on to how incredibly talented this band is.

They may have only released one song this year, but damn, it was a good one. Known for their creative, visually pleasing Instagram page, Flor is doing something that’s near impossible in 2015: standing out. Their debut single “Heart” is catchy, addictive and bound to get stuck on repeat. In a world of over share, Flor is bringing the mystery back to music.

10. PVRIS

PVRIS became the band to watch at Warped Tour this summer and their debut album, White Noise, is being embraced by fans and critics alike. Their hometown station in Boston has put them in rotation as well! While they’ve been working together for a few years now, 2014 was the year they earned their stripes. 2015 is sure to bring great things for PVRIS.

WHAT’S NEXT?: OPENING UP FOR PIERCE THE VEIL AND SLEEPING WITH SIRENS IN NORTH AMERICA 9. JOEL CROUSE

7. ECHOSMITH

WHAT’S NEXT?: A NEW ALBUM IN 2015

WHAT’S NEXT?: A FULL U.S. HEADLINING TOUR

It took a few years, but Joel Crouse finally released his debut album, Like The River Runs, this fall. Fresh off a tour across the United States with Love & Theft, Crouse shows no signs of slowing down in the new year. In fact, he’s already in the studio working on his sophomore record which he hopes to release this year. This country singer is for sure someone you’ll be hearing about.

Echosmith took 2014 by storm and finished off the year with multiple late night television appearances, a few radio shows and a platinum single. The Sierota siblings show absolutely no signs of slowing down and will be on tour for at least the first half of 2015. They made their mark in the Hot A.C. radio world, and 2015 just might be the year they break into Top 40.

6. OLIVIA HOLT

Olivia Holt has already made huge waves in the acting world - already starring in two Disney Channel before she turned 17. But 2015 will bring new challenges to Holt as she makes moves into the music world. Holt signed with Hollywood Records this summer and is expected to release original music this year. In addition, her show I Didn’t Do It will continue airing new episodes all year!

WHAT’S NEXT?: A DEBUT ALBUM

5. AUBREY PEEPLES

Aubrey Peeples has been causing trouble on ABC’s Nashville for the last two seasons, and has finally gotten a change to show off her killer pipes in recent episodes. But come later this year Peeples will hit the big screen as Jem in the highly anticipated Jem and the Holograms. You’ll be seeing (and hearing) Peeples everywhere in 2015!

WHAT’S NEXT?: NASHVILLE SEASON 3 RETURNS 2/4; JEM & THE HOLOGRAMS IN THEATRES 10/23

2. NAT WOLFF

Though some may remember Nat Wolff from the Naked Brothers Band days, audiences across the world fell in love with Wolff this year for his portrayal of Isaac in The Fault In Our Stars. Wolff and TFIOS author John Green have teamed up again for Paper Towns - Green’s second bookto-movie adaptation where Wolff will star as Quentin “Q” Jacobsen alongside Cara Delevingne.

WHAT’S NEXT?: PAPER TOWNS IN THEATRES 6/5

4. SABRINA CARPENTER

Sabrina Carpenter had an incredibly 2014. Not only did she release her first EP, Can’t Blame A Girl For Trying via Hollywood Records, she also hit the small screen as Maya Hart in Disney Channel’s Girl Meets World. GMW was already picked up for a second season and Carpenter has promised new music in 2015, so you’ll be hearing her name quite a bit.

WHAT’S NEXT?: GIRL MEETS WORLD RETURNS 1/9; DEBUT ALBUM OUT LATER THIS YEAR 3. SHEPPARD

Sheppard has been building up a fan base in Australia for years, but 2014 was when the band finally crossed over to the U.S. with their hit single “Geronimo”. The song instantly went viral and has racked up millions of streams on Spotify. With a full North American tour lined up and Scooter Braun’s name behind them, this act is poised for greatness.

WHAT’S NEXT?: OPENING FOR MEGHAN TRAINOR ON HER FULL U.S. HEADLINING TOUR

1. DEBBY RYAN

If you’ve turned on Disney Channel at all in the last six years you’ll probably recognize Debby Ryan. Starting on The Suite Life On Deck in 2008, Ryan moved on to star in Jessie in 2011. The show’s fourth and final season picks up in January and will take Ryan behind the camera as a director more than once. In addition, Ryan will continue releasing music with her band The Never Ending in 2015. This girl is fire.

WHAT’S NEXT?: JESSIE RETURNS 1/9; MORE MUSIC FROM THE NEVER ENDING COMING SOON NKDMAG.COM

SET IT OFF

Words by STACY MAGALLON Photos by CATHERINE POWELL

Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a video of Set It Off frontman Cody Carson singing on stage with All Time Low in 2008. Most people consider that a dream come true. I consider it a game changer. Cody calls me from upstate New York, a few days after performing at The Best Buy Theater in Manhattan on The Black Mass Tour. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s come a long way, considering he started accumulating a fan base on YouTube first. Cody grew up in Clearwater, Florida, but studied at Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Ohio as a classical clarinet student. It was during his time in college when he uploaded a video for Alex Gaskarth, lead singer 60

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of All Time Low, asking to perform a song with them on change. Alex said yes. “I believe in destiny,” Cody says before he references one of Set It Off ’s earlier songs. “I was right where I planned to be that day.” Cody’s parents, however, were not thrilled by their son’s plans to tour. His father, who pursued trumpet at Berklee College of Music in Boston then dropped out to tour, feared his son would meet the same fate he did — the inability to support his family. But after watching his son sing All Time Low’s “Coffee Shop Soundtrack” at the House of Blues in Cleveland, Cody’s parents knew he had to take a year off from college to tour. After his dad’s passing shortly after, Cody only felt more dedicated to fulfill his dream and not disappoint. Cody met guitarist Zach DeWall and bassist Austin Kerr through performing together. Soon enough, Dan Clermont, who knew Cody from high school and marching band, became the second guitarist. And after various drummers came and went, Maxx Danziger made the cut in 2010. Thus, Set It Off was born. The band released two EP’s, Baby, You Don’t Tripajaharda (2008) and Calm Before the Storm (2009) before signing to Equal Vision Records and recording their third EP, Horrible Kids (2012). Referring to Set It Off as a DIY kind of band is phrasing it simply. Before teaming up with Equal Vision Records, Set It Off booked their own tours and paid for their photoshoots and merchandise. They booked nearly 20 tours before working

with a booking agent. In fact, they submitted themselves to Equal Vision by sending the A&R representative their “@Reply” music video. After having a very hands-on mentality for years, their next challenge was learning how to work with a team. “As soon as you take your hand off the wheel, you begin to crash,” Cody says. Though they were skeptical about the partnership, the band is still as involved with its career as it was before. The guys realized they didn’t have to do everything themselves. “You hear horror stories about moneyhungry labels and managers who want to sculpt your career, but they let Set It Off be Set It Off,” he says about Equal Vision. The collaboration worked in their favor, and the band now have more free time to focus on songwriting while their team handles “There are a lot of lessons I wish I knew back then,” Cody says, specifically referring to headlining a tour before establishing their credibility as a band. Their process of growing a fan base was very slow, but it was fundamental nonetheless. Before they were opening for Black Veil Brides and Falling In Reverse, Set It Off were playing for rooms of maybe 10 kids. The band would scout the mall in groups of two, approaching kids to listen to their music, hoping they would check out the show later that evening. That was their life of selfpromotion. They had to start somewhere. “There’s always someone doing something bigger and better than you, but you need to be that person that sets yourself apart,” Cody says.

“To do that, you have to work your ass off.” Three EPs and two full-lengths later, the results are showing. Before their debut album Cinematics was released, Set It Off had 40 demos prepared but were still in the process of identifying themselves as as a band. “We wanted a particular sound that was both eerie and instrumental,” Cody says. “But since we wanted that sound, we forced ourselves to write to meet a certain standard.” This time around, Set It Off chose to break that standard. Cody’s taste in music is nothing short of eclectic. Some of his favorite artists are Usher, Destiny’s Child and Stevie Wonder, and that’s just a sampling of his varied list. He grew up listening to Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance and of course, All Time Low. Cody wanted to mesh all those sounds together on a record. That incorporation of different genres couldn’t exist with Cinematics. With Duality, it could. When it came to Set It Off ’s 2014 release, the possibilities were limitless. No boundaries, no standards. They just wanted to write good music without thinking about how it would come all together. The band came over to Cody’s house every day, and when they left, the production process continued on acoustic guitars and voice memos. The 11-track sophomore album was produced with different influences in mind — specifically ’90s R&B and oldies. They even managed to feature other popular vocalists on the record like The Academy Is...’ William Beckett and Mayday Parade and Go Radio’s NKDMAG.COM

Jason Lancaster. “This melting pot sound allowed us to find ourselves,” Cody says about Duality. “This is the most Set It Off we’ve been on any record.” And in finding themselves, they found their sound by letting it develop organically: the eerie, Halloween vibe in “N.M.E.”; the jazz-influenced “Wolf In Sheep’s Clothing”; the gospel-like “Why Worry”; and the orchestral “Miss Mysterious.” Duality packages an infusion of multiple genres in 38 minutes. Set It Off takes you on a journey of unexpected transitions and moods that leaves you asking what comes next. “We didn’t know we were going to have that sound until we were pre-producing the record and listening to each and every demo,” Cody says. “We decided on that by not deciding at all.” Duality doesn’t only capture multiple tastes in one album -it represents Set It Off ’s growth as artists, and they’re only going to grow even more. They are scheduled to perform in Europe with Crown the Empire, Dangerkids and Alive Like Me on the Rise of the Runaways Tour in early 2015. Set It Off label themselves as the band who shoots for the stars. They wouldn’t dare shoot for anything less. And with their new album, it seems like they’ve landed on one. Their transition into developed, mature artists is clear. “We’re always going to be that band with crazy goals,” Cody says to me at the near end of our phone call. “That might be the reason why we accomplish anything.” That much is not hard to believe. He did, after all, tell me he wanted to perform on the moon. NKD 64

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ASTRO Words by RILEY STENEHJEM Photos by CATHERINE POWELL

Red Band Society, one of FOX’s highly acclaimed series, tells the stories of teenagers on the pediatrics floor of a hospital. Emma, who has an eating disorder; Charlie, a 12-year-old in a coma; and Dash, the “player” of the pediatrics floor and a cystic fibrosis patient. Each character has a unique storyline that portrays what being a teen is really like. Astro, the 18-year-old rapper and actor who plays Dash, says, “These kids in the hospital are normal kids just like everybody else. They’ve just been put into these positions.” Astro’s career as an actor began when he was about 15 with an episode of Person of Interest, when he got the role as Darren McGrady. Since then, he’s been in two films — Earth to Echo and A Walk Among the Tombstones with Liam Neeson. It might come as a surprise to many people that Astro has no formal acting training. NKDMAG.COM

While working on A Walk Among the Tombstones, someone gave him a valuable piece of advice. “The director, Scott Frank, told me, ‘Don’t take acting classes,’” Astro explains. “He said it’s good for some people, and it’s horrible for other people because it ruins the naturalness, so I’m just staying away from it.” Astro booked the part on Red Band Society through his agency, William Morris Endeavor Entertainment. “They send scripts over, and we just read them,” he says. “If we get the parts we get them, and if we don’t, we don’t.” But when he received the script for Red Band Society, something just clicked. “Some of the scripts are just great, to the point where it’s like, ‘I wanna be a part of it. I have to be a part of it.’ Red Band Society was one of those scripts. It was amazing, it was playful. It was selling the story of the teenager from the teenager’s perspective. It wasn’t, like, old man from the middle of nowhere trying to tell our story like a lot of TV shows do.” Astro originally read for the part of Jordan, but the casting directors saw him as a better fit for Dash Hosney. Astro describes Dash as “one of the wildest kids in the hospital, in the sense that he enjoys every moment of his life.” Although he and his character may have some similarities, there are significant differences as well. “I’m very ambitious and I like to have fun all the time, but I think he [Dash] also tells the tale of a kid with cystic fibrosis,” Astro says of his character. Because of Dash’s disease, his future is indefinite, which significantly impacts his personality. “I met some kids with cystic fibrosis and … as much as they were going through, they weren’t sad at all,” Astro relates. “They were 68

enjoying every moment of their lives, because they knew tomorrow wasn’t promised. I think he [Dash] lives it up for that reason because he knows he could die at any given moment.” The show films in Atlanta, Georgia, one of the up-and-coming locations for TV and film. The city is constantly buzzing with film crews and actors. “We talk to the extras a lot, and there’s so much out there for them to do,” Astro says. “If they’re not working on our set, they’re working on The Walking Dead or something like that.” The set for Red Band Society is full of teens, something that makes filming all the more enjoyable. “Being surrounded by people my own age is awesome,” Astro says. “It’s the worst when you’re working with actors that are stiff, and all they talk about is their résumé and what they’ve done.” Although Astro is currently shining as an actor, his true passion is for music. He began writing music as a child. “As a young kid coming up I was a fluent reader and writer,” he says. “My mom writes a lot, she writes poetry and books of all sorts, so I was a writer early on.” This skillset translated to rap. “The best poets know how to write very well, and that just came from me being able to write well at an early age, and liking a certain type of music,” he explains. “Hip-hop spoke to my soul the most, so I decided to become a part of it.” Astro wrote what he considers his first “official” song around the time he was eight. “It was about playing video games with the police or something like that,” he explains. “But that had a hook, and it had verses, and it was like my first official song.” His career as a rapper took off from there, as he released his first

mixtape, B.O.A (Birth Of Astro), in 2010, and then auditioned for the first season of the X Factor in 2011. Astro advanced to the top seven with L.A. Reid as a mentor before being eliminated. And then he wrote the mixtape Loser based on his experiences on the show. Now, with Red Band Society finishing up, Astro plans to refocus his efforts on music. He released a project called Computer Era on Dec. 2. As for inspirations for his next tape Astro explains, “The main influence is really the golden era of music. Not just rap, not just hip-hop. Jazz, the story telling, everything about the golden era.” He plans to continue promoting the mixtape, as well as doing more shows as he gathers a consistent fan base. So for now, fans shouldn’t expect a full-length album. “We gotta grind to get to that point first,” he says. “I’m not trying to put out an official album yet. This is more like a proper introduction to me. This is introducing the people, this is who ASTRO is.” Fans watching the current season of the show will see some exciting storylines in the upcoming episodes. “There’s gonna be a lot of plot twists in these up and coming episodes,” Astro says. “I think people are gonna see things that they didn’t expect. It’s going to be exciting when they watch it.” As for his character, Astro has a few hopes of his own. “I’d like Dash to end up many different places, [maybe] with a permanent girlfriend,” he says. “He is the player, so I don’t know how realistically he could get that one girl, but I think that would be dope.” Astro’s future could lead him a number of places, whether it is in music or acting. “I think throughout my whole life music was the main thing I was focused on,” he says. “And here I am today.” NKD

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MOST ANTICIPATED ALBUMS OF 2015 11. MKTO

8. SAM PALLADIO

EXPECT IT: BY SUMMER 2015

EXPECT IT: BEFORE THE YEAR ENDS

If you haven’t had “Classic” stuck in your head all year, you’re lying. The platinum single put MKTO on the map as an exciting new artist to pay attention to. They spent the entire year on tour before heading back to Los Angeles to begin writing for their second full-length record. MKTO will perform at the Atlantis Resort in February and singer Tony Oller tweeted that fans attending will hear new songs for the first time.

Sam Palladio has been making excellent use of his time in Nashville. The British actor is currently starring as Gunnar Scott in ABC’s hit drama, Nashville and spends his free time writing original material. During the Nashville Live In Concert Tour last spring he treated fans to a few of those original songs and frequently plays around Nashville while filming. 2015 should be the year fans finally get to hear what Palladio has been working on.

10. IMAGINE DRAGONS

Imagine Dragons found great success with their debut album Night Visions (2011) and were a huge player in bringing rock back to radio. Their new single “I Bet My Life” is the perfect segway into what is expected to be a great record. The arena veterans earned three multiplatinum singles with Night Visions so here’s hoping Smoke + Mirrors has just as many hits.

EXPECT IT: FEBRUARY 17, 2015

9. COBRA STARSHIP

7. HALSEY

EXPECT IT: SPRING/SUMMER 2015

Admit it, you still jam “Good Girls Go Bad” whenever it comes on the radio. Cobra Starship released their first new song in over three years this September and instantly made everyone question where the hell they’d been hiding all these years. A full-length album is currently in the works and lead singer Gabe Saporta has already confirmed that the band will be on tour this spring so fingers crossed the record hits shelves around the same time.

Halsey’s debut EP, Room 93, was an incredibly strong introduction to this new artist and left listeners wanting more. The 20-year-old singer/ songwriter has been in and out of the studio all fall and will head to Europe next month to finish Badlands. The social media queen has already started teasing fans with new tracks and has promised a new version of her pre-record contract release, “New Americana”. We can’t wait!

6. THE SUMMER SET

The Summer Set have consistently outdone themselves with their albums, and there’s no reason LP4 will be any different. Diving head first into the pop world with Legendary, it’s expected that is where TSS will continue in with this new record. The band has often cited “Lightning In a Bottle” as the “most Summer Set” song they’ve written, and if that’s what they use as their starting point, no one will be complaining.

EXPECT IT: SPRING 2015

5. MACKLEMORE & RYAN LEWIS

2. R5

EXPECT IT: BEFORE THE YEAR ENDS

EXPECT IT: SUMMER 2015

While it’s not confirmed that Macklemore (Ben Haggerty) and Ryan Lewis will release another record this year, it is expected. Their debut album, The Heist, will turn three this year and fans are eager for more. Their hit single “Same Love” made Haggerty and Lewis the voices of a generation and secured them a bit of a cult following. The duo bring something completely unique to the rap world and we need more of it.

R5 have come a long way since their first full-length, Louder (2013). Their latest EP, Heart Made Up On You, and their new single “Smile” show vast growth and new levels of maturity. While their new record was supposed to be released in 2014, the band decided to hold off so they could write an even better batch of songs for their extremely patient fans. Their new album will definitely be released in 2015.

4. RIXTON

The British foursome known as Rixton made their U.S. debut in 2014 with their now-platinum single “Me And My Broken Heart”. Since then, they’ve released two more singles “Wait On Me” and “Hotel Ceiling” and an EP. 2015 will finally bring the long-awaited release of their debut album, Let The Road. This soulful pop group is full of talent and originality, so expectations are high for Let The Road.

EXPECT IT: MARCH 2, 2015

3. ALL TIME LOW

1. FALL OUT BOY

EXPECT IT: MARCH 2015

EXPECT IT: JANUARY 20, 2015

12 years deep into their career and All Time Low are still the kings of poppunk. Their fan base is like no other and their records are consistently great. For their sixth studio album, the band teamed up with producer John Feldmann for what is sure to be a well-constructed, lyricaly-brilliant collection of songs. All Time Low will be headlining the famed Wembley Arena in London on March 20th, so new music is expected to be out before then.

Emo kids across the globe are celebrating the fact that Fall Out Boy’s reunion was not a one album deal. They’ve already released three new songs from their sixth studio album, American Beauty/American Psycho and will release two more before the album’s official release on January 20th. Despite their hiatus, FOB has always been able to remain relevant and there is no doubt that American Beauty/American Psycho will please both longtime fans and new listeners.

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