ON THE MOVE MAG - MARCH 2019

MAGAZINE

N THE MOVE

MARCH 2019 - #22 FEATURING Alec Benjamin, half•alive, Travis Thompson, grandson, Static & Ben El, and Summer Walker

Luis Fonsi PUSHING BOUNDARIES WITH ‘VIDA’

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In the current music industry where radios, TV and streaming platforms are the big players deciding to spread the word about an artist (or not), it becomes more and more difficult for new artists to get their music heard if they don’t meet some criteria. It takes time, it takes patience, it takes talent but above all it takes a lot of hard work.

At On The Move Magazine, we give a particular attention to talent no matter where you come from, your musical genre, the amount of followers/views/fans you have got. We don’t talk quantity, we talk quality. We talk quality because we love music with the big M. We carefully choose the artists you’ll discover in this magazine to introduce you to «la crème de la crème». You’ll find big names, you’ll find unknown names. You’ll love what you’ll listen to, or maybe you will hate it but at least, you’ll give our artists a chance. Because at the end of the day, every success story began with a chance given. »

Pamela Charbit founder of On The Move

EDITORIAL

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7 REWIND

ZOOM ON...

grandson, Static and Ben El & Summer Walker

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30 Our best albums of February

INTERVIEW

ALEC BENJAMIN, A brilliant songwriter

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COVER STORY LUIS FONSI,

pushing boundaries with «Vida»

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SUMMARY INTERVIEW

HALFâ—?ALIVE,

imagination and perfectionism

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INTERVIEW

TRAVIS THOMPSON, The next Seattle rap storm

42 The Asian House Of Talent: Jackson Wang Are they worth seeing live?

OTM Mag : Meeting the team 47

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REWIN EVERYTHING YOU MISSED AND NEED TO KNOW ARE YOU READY FOR IT?

music video OF THE MONTH

It’s a capaldiception! In his new video, Lewis tells the story of two families who experience the loss and saving of someone close, and the courage that comes in donating an organ. «I wanted to do something a bit different to what I had before and try to take the opportunity to raise awareness for something that I thought was deserving».

Well, we cried.

LEWIS CAPALDI SOMEONE YOU LOVED

BEN PLATT SING TO ME INSTEAD From playing a magician in the Pitch Perfect saga to an anxietyridden teen in Broadway’s Dear Evan Hansen musical, there’s no way that you could have missed what a genius of an artist Ben Platt is. On March 29, the singer will release his debut solo album «Sing To Me Instead». Powerful voice, emotional message and melodies, what’s not to love about it already?

In Case You missed it Drake drops his 2009 mixtape

A decade after its release, Drake decided it was about damn time for «So Far Gone» to hit the streaming services in full for the first time. Even though several tracks were already available online, fans around the globe still streamed the mixtape as soon as it was online, curious to revisit the project. So far, it amassed 47.4 million streams. Not bad!

WHAT’S HOT?

otm playlist THE PITCHFORKS - DATE DOWN VAMPIRE WEEKEND - HARMONY HALL THE MAINE - MY BEST HABIT THE CHAINSMOKERS FEAT. 5SOS - WHO DO YOU LOVE WALLOWS - SCRAWNY JULIA MICHAELS FEAT. NIALL HORAN - WHAT A TIME

The Slim Shady Lp Expanded

Eminem has reissued «The Slim Shady» LP to mark its 20th anniversary, and it even comes complete with a bunch of bonus tracks. Along with «My Name Is», the fans will have the opportunity to discover «Hazardous Youth (A Cappella)», «Get You Mad», «Bad Guys Always Die» and several versions of «Guilty Conscience» featuring Dr Dre. Go listen to this classic!

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ALEC BENJAMIN

Some artists are very good at telling stories and Alec Benjamin is definitely one of them. From his demos posted on YouTube and his performances in the street, the singer-songwriter took a revenge on his first experience in the music industry. The young man who had been dropped from his record label can now boast about his million of views and streams. After a first opus called «Mixtape 1: America» released in 2013, Alec Benjamin became a real storyteller and came back with a new body of work last November: «Narrated For You». Sit down and get to know the little prodigy.

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Taken from the music video of ÂŤ The Other Âť, the first track Ari Leff decided to release as Lauv.

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n The Move: Hi Alec, first of all we’re really happy to have you with us today. How’s Paris treating you?

Alec Benjamin: Thanks! I’m really excited to be here.

This is the first city that I ever played like on the street in front of another concert. When I got dropped from my record label, I was touring in France and I opened up for this girl named Marina Kaye. We finished with the last tour date and we came back to France. I played at the Olympia theater with her. We came back to Paris and Shawn Mendes was playing and I played in the street in front of his concert. That’s where I started playing on the street in front of people at other people’s shows, I started in Paris. It was the first time I ever did that.

On The Move: That’s a thing you used to do to get people to know you and your songs and you still do it in a way on your YouTube channel today, with your «Can I sing for you» videos. Is this process still important for you? To challenge yourself singing in front of people who don’t know you?

Alec Benjamin: Yeah… I don’t know what it is but it’s not while I’m touring at the same time because my voice gets really tired. Singing for people not on a microphone in public and trying to be loud enough so that people can hear you is really hard on my vocal cords. I prefer only to do that when I don’t have anything else to do.

« I think when you write a song that’s so personal, it’s hard for other people to sing IT » On The Move: You often take something that you went through as an inspiration for your songs…

Alec Benjamin: Like food poisoning (laugh)!

On The Move: It might be a good song (laugh).

What’s the difference between writing for yourself and writing for or with someone else? You wrote «Swim» with someone else for example. If you’re working with someone, do you still write about something you’ve experienced?

Alec Benjamin: Yes I wrote «Swim» with someone else. And that’s what I’m not very good at writing songs for other people because a lot of the songs I write are personal. I think sometimes when you write a song that’s so personal and you use details from your life, it’s hard for other people to sing those songs so only sometimes do I write songs for other people or they have to be like my friends. I’ve only worked with a couple of people on that capacity. But writing songs with other people for me is sometimes helpful because if I get lost or if I get stuck, I’ve somebody that can help me get around those barriers so that’s nice. But it has to be the right collaborator. That’s it.

On The Move: Your mixtape is called «Narrated For You» and a lot of people describe you as a storyteller or as a narrator. What can you tell us about this new body of work?

Alec Benjamin: I chose to do it as a mixtape because I didn’t put all of my favorite songs on it. I have more songs that I think are better suited for the album. I think I will take some of the songs off of this mixtape, like two or three, and put them on the album. That’s why… I didn’t feel like I was ready yet to put out a fulllength album. A lot of people released music before they put out their album and I had been making music for a long time but only released a couple of songs so I feel like I was not really ready to put that much pressure on myself and my music.

On The Move: So maybe later?

Alec Benjamin: Yes next year, the beginning of next year I’ll put out an album. I’m already working on it, it’s almost done…maybe…not really (laugh). I don’t know!

On The Move: Some of your songs are about love, growing up and family but there are still some serious topics like in «Boy In The Bubble». It talks about bullying from a different perspective, which is quite unusual in the music industry. Why did you make this choice?

Alec Benjamin: I don’t know, those are just things that I was thinking about so I just wrote about them.

Sometimes I write about things that are unorthodox in music. I talk about topics that other people don’t necessarily talk about as much. I wasn’t really in love while I was writing the songs so it is hard for me to write a bunch of love songs honestly. I guess that’s why those are just some things that were on my mind

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at that time. And I think on this next project that I put out, this is going to be different themes. I was thinking that the next project that I do will be like sort of «Narrated For You» but maybe a little darker and a little more grown up.

On The Move: Are you writing songs while you’re on the road?

Alec Benjamin: Yeah I am! As many as I can.

Unfortunately on this trip I’ve only written two because our schedule has been so packed. We didn’t have any days off or anything like that and we drove everywhere in a van. We’re not in a tour bus or anything. When you’re on a tour bus you can easily write songs but we’re in a small van. We had a drive a couple days ago, we drove from Warsaw to Amsterdam, that’s 14 hours it sucked! We started in the early morning and we got there late in the night. I didn’t get to see any part of Amsterdam it was such a bummer because everyone is like «Amsterdam is so cool» and I didn’t see anything. We went to the Red Light District late that night it was weird. We walked around for a little bit… I’m not sure how I feel about it. It’s a little weird, but everyone is like «you should go and see it!». We don’t have anything like that in the United States, that’s not legal. I don’t know how I felt about it, it made me feel a little uncomfortable to see people like that in the windows, a little bit sad…

Yes it was a little bit sad but I suppose it’s interesting.

But everyone goes just to see when they’re there!

When we ask people «what should we do?» they just answer «you have to go to the Red Light district» so we went. But there’s also a lot of family restaurants and stuff in the Red Light district like right next door which is so weird. But Amsterdam was cool for what we saw. Anyway, I’m not sure you need to know all that but… (laugh) On The Move: You just released the music video for your collaboration with Alessia Cara on «Let Me Down Slowly». How was it to work with her?

Have you already met before?

Alec Benjamin: No we just met on Twitter so the first time we met was when we made the music video together. That’s it (laugh). We became friends over the internet, we were texting and things like that but we never met before.

On The Move: And why «Let Me Down Slowly»?

Alec Benjamin: Because she liked that song. She was talking about the song in an interview. I wanted to write a new song with her but we weren’t in the same city at the same time for a really long time so we said «why don’t we just collaborate on this song?». She was down because she likes the song!

On The Move: Do you plan on doing other collaborations? Can you think of artists that you would like to sing or write with?

Alec Benjamin: I worked with Khalid like a few weeks ago but I don’t know if anything that we did will come out. I just hit him up on Twitter too so… we’ll see.

He’s working on his new album which is pretty much almost done. Actually I can’t talk about it. I mean everyone knows he’s working on his new music. He’s just put out a new song, it’s really awesome. We’ll see!

On The Move: You also covered «Stan» by Eminem, is this song important for you?

Alec Benjamin: Yeah I love that song! I love the stories and stuff in the song, I think it’s great.

« MY NEXT PROJECT WILL BE LIKE SORT OF ‘NARRATED FOR YOU’ BUT A LITTLE DARKER AND MORE GROWN UP » On The Move: Would you like to do more rap in the future maybe?

Alec Benjamin: No, not really. Maybe another cover too but no rap…

On The Move: Still Eminem?

Alec Benjamin: Yeah maybe I don’t know, I haven’t really thought about it. I don’t think I would put a cover on an album but some people do, they put a cover on an album. I could cover one of my friend Edward’s songs, he has a lot of really good songs.

On The Move: What can we expect from you this year?

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Alec Benjamin: Unfortunately a lot of travel (laugh) and then more music, probably soon and more touring. It’s pretty similar to what I did in 2018 just like doing it again (laugh). Not much changes… I just have more limitations on my time which is a little bit annoying because I like to be at home and in the studio. I like making music but I also like performing.

Sometimes you can’t do them at the same time but that’s ok… I have to make it work and I think that I’ll probably have new ideas for music because of the experiences that I’ve had so it will all make my music more diverse. That’s what I tell myself.

On The Move: And a new album next year?

Alec Benjamin: Yeah! An album probably next year but definitely an album really soon. I want to keep «Boy In The Bubble», I want to keep «If We Have Each Other», «Death Of A Hero» and I want to keep «Let Me Down Slowly» on the album. So I’ll probably have 6 to 7 new songs. 11 songs on the album, that’s pretty good right? So if I have 7 new songs plus those 4, that will be fine (laugh). I have a lot more than 7 new songs but I want to pick the best.

« SOMETIMES I WRITE ABOUT THINGS THAT ARE UNORTHODOX IN MUSIC »

Alec Benjamin’s debut EP, released in April 2013

On The Move: Have you been thinking of a title already? Will it be in the same spirit as «Narrated For You»?

Alec Benjamin: Yeah but I want it to be like… you know how the picture of «Narrated For You» is like, at dusk it’s still kind of light out, this one is like if it were night time but I don’t have a title for it yet.

On The Move: We like to know what the artists are listening to at the moment? What do you have in your playlist right now?

Alec Benjamin: I’m listening to Khalid, I’m listening to Edward Allerton. Can I look on my phone? (laugh), let me check right now… I’m listening to Uncle Kracker, Kid Rock, John Cena (laugh) and Post Malone. They are my most recent artists.

Alec Benjamin’s second EP, released in November 2018

INTERVIEW BY DéBORAH GAILLARD PHOTOS : ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

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ZOOM ON...

With the power of the internet and social media, aspiring musicians now have a powerful platform in their hands to create music and make themselves heard. And, the public, on the other side, is one click away from discovering an infinity of talented young artists... Each month, the team of On The Move chooses some of them to showcase and bet on their careers, bound to take off in the near future!

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Grandson the musical “movement”

On the first notes you could probably think it’s just another angry kid trying desperately to draw attention. But you couldn’t be more wrong. Grandson’s music is definitely angry, but for the right reasons and it’s bigger than him. Believe us, you will soon find yourself completely dove into the artist’s very much engaged universe…

The 25 year-old Canadian artist Jordan Benjamin, known as grandson, started taking interest in music when he was 13 years-old. He started learning on an acoustic guitar and wrote songs about girls from his high school.

At home he listened to a lot of genres, from hip-hop to jazz, which helped create his own unique soundscape. It’s only at the age of 20 that he started experimenting music production and dropped out of university to move to Los Angeles with the dream of pursuing a musical career. He then found himself a community of artists to work and perform with and things slowly started to take off.

In September 2016, he released his first song «Bills», blending a menacing electronic guitar riff with trapinfluenced beats, which now cumulates about 2 million streams. Obviously, the meaning behind the song is big and the message is clear. Grandson talks about financial inequality and how it affects people’s values or well-being.

From there it got more political and he released a few other singles including «Kiss Bang», «War», «Overdose» and the powerful «Thoughts & Prayers», a stinging indictment of politicians after the school shooting in Florida.

In 2018 he got himself a record deal with label Fueled

by Ramen, home of twenty one pilots, Paramore and Panic! At The Disco among others, and released the huge success «Blood/Water» as well as a debut EP «A Modern Tragedy, Vol.1». Grandson’s music is unapologetic and aims at provoking people’s beliefs and opinions as well as sparking a new flame of revolution to challenge the highly polarized political landscape in which we live.

«The objective is to create a community and foster a safe space for that catharsis to occur. It’s about people being aware that amidst everything that’s going on, it’s okay to be not okay. I feel like there’s so much being put on everyone coming together right now, and I think that, that’s really important. But first, let’s have a space to be angry, let’s have a space to yell and to hold people accountable and to be f***ing mad.»

«A Modern Tragedy, Vol.2» appeared in February 2019 and goes deeper in societal issues as love, addiction and disillusion. His clever fusion of rock, trap, alternative and many other genres allows him to weaponize music against the painful reality of our world and it’s immensely cathartic.

Listen if you are a fan ofInvolved artists that see art as a weapon as well as a means of education.

One song to listen to«Blood/Water» to sing at the top of your lungs and get everything that’s been bothering you about our greedy society off your chest.

WordS by LUDIVINE DESUMEUR PHOTO: ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

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STATIC AND BEN EL tHE BIGGEST BAND IN ISRAEL INVADES THE US!

What can you expect from a mix of infectious international multilingual hybrid of Latin rhythms, middle east vibe, reggaeton swagger, African beats, electronic energy, classical scope and pop ambition? Answer: the most successful band of alltime in Israel!

Since the release of their debut single «Barbie» in 2015, co-vocalists Liraz “Static” Russo, Ben El Tavori and longtime producer Yarden “Jordi” Peleg cleverly managed to defy all categorization by unveiling hit after hit in Israel.

From the ballad «Kvish Hachof (The Coastal Highway)» in 2016 to Silsulim (Trills) and their catchy latest smash «Tudo Bom», there’s no soul in the holy land that doesn’t sing along when hearing the songs on the radio!

If the Israelis already conquered their home country, they are now expanding and want to take over the world by unveiling the English version of the Brazilian-themed song «Tudo Bom» ( «Everything’s fine» in Portuguese) featuring the one and only J.Balvin. The band goes all the way in with their first international feature! Static & Ben El is the international band that you didn’t know you needed, and they are going to bring some spice in your playlists!

Static, whose nickname has been given by a childhood friend when he was younger, started learning piano at the age of 3 before switching to guitar at 5. After being discharged from the mandatory military service at the Israel Defence Forces, he started working on music with producer Omri Segal and got his big break in 2015 after collaborating with DJ Gal Malka on the song «Ba La Lirkod» which became one of the most successful Israeli songs of the year.

If you can’t make it to Tel Aviv anytime soon, Tel Aviv will come to you with Static and Bel-El.

Ben El (Tavori) is the son of famous singer Shimi Tavori and started singing publicly at 14 when he made an appearance at one of his dad’s performances. Two years later he auditioned at Kokhav Nolad (the Israeli’s version of American Idol) but didn’t make the cut. His breakthrough came in 2016 when he collaborated on the song #Dubigal with Static, Jordi Peleg and Ron Sky Nesher.

Listen if you are a fan ofJ Balvin, Bad Bunny with a Middle East spice or also The Ultras.

One song to listen to«Tudo Bom» .

WordS by PAM CHARBIT PHOTO: ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

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SUMMER WALKER Bringing a new fire and flavor to R&B

If you don’t know Summer Walker by now, chances are that soon enough you won’t be able to keep her away from your playlists. Read on.

Atlanta songstress Summer Walker is ready to take over the world with her smooth vocals and sexy vibe.

While she prefers to shy away from the spotlights, the R&B newcomer, who had been named Apple Music’s 2019 Up Next, prefers the sanctuary of the studio to cook emotional and relatable tracks inspired from her own experiences, while quietly carving out a niche of her own. «Whenever something is completely bothering me, I like to hold it in because I don’t talk to a lot of people» she said.

«Girls can’t never say they want it, girls can’t never say they need it», this main lyric serves as a confession about the plights that girls who speak truthfully about the need for love, sex, or affection face.

Her debut single, the sultry «CPR» has been wellacclaimed and has over 18 million streams on Apple and gained early praises from media all over America.

Like the love child of Jimi Hendrix and Amy Winehouse, Summer Walker is the next R&B you need to keep your eyes on. You heard it here first!

It’s still unclear how the 22 year-old was discovered but something is sure: once you start paying attention, you’ll easily become addicted to her soulful vibe. If her career is just about to take off, Summer is set to quickly make a name for herself among the most interesting female R&B artists at the moment. She will be joining a panel of rising superstars such as H.E.R, Ella Mai and Jorja Smith among others.

Listen if you are a fan of-

The singer even got herself a remix with Drake! What’s better to get a little push in the industry than collaborating with one of the biggest artists of the decade? «Girls Need Love» offers a perspective on love and a girl’s needs from a female standpoint. And is now accompanied by Drake’s pleasing vocals. The way he sings his verse reminds us a little bit of his «Take Care» time, which will make a lot of people out there happy (including us).

Including four tracks «Riot», «Grave», «Wasted», and «Settling», Summer Walker’s first EP «Clear» showcases passion and is a good blending of soul, pop, R&B and alternative.

Jorja Smith, Ella Mai, Sabrina Claudio.

One song to listen to«Girls need love» to get a first sneak peek.

WordS by PAM CHARBIT PHOTO: ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

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LUIS FONSI

The past two years have been a whirlwind of a time for Luis Fonsi. After meeting him for the first time in April 2017, the Latin singer unveiled one of the most successful songs of the decade «Despacito» that shined a new light on the Latino music community. Two years later, the artist originally from Puerto Rico released his long awaited album «Vida» about which he’s very proud of. Up close and personal with the Latin superstar.

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n The Move: Hi Luis, we are happy to have you back. Last time we met it was in April 2017 right after the release of the original version of «Despacito». You told you at the time that you feel you haven’t written your best song and album yet.

Do you feel like you’ve done it with «Vida» now?

Luis Fonsi: I’m so happy to be back in France and meet up with you guys again. Thank you for the continued support! I think it’s my best album yet but I think there are always better things to come. That’s how I always face life. I think «Vida» is my best album in my 20year career, no doubt. I think I am at a stage where I am growing, learning and evolving so much that I always want to do bigger and better things.

« Music is one language »

On The Move: «Despacito» opened a lot of doors for you but also for Latin artists to break into the international market. What was the biggest lesson you’ve learned from this success?

Luis Fonsi: Yes, it really opened my eyes and made me really realize that music is one language and that the world just wants to dance and have a good time and songs like that make the world a little smaller in a good way. We are a little closer. That specific song opened my eyes and made me realize that I - and other Latin artists - could do music for the rest of the world and not just for Spanish-speaking countries.

On The Move: This song really had a huge impact not just on the charts in 2017 - 2018 but on the whole industry!

On The Move: In this album there are a lot of ballads and everything is minimalistic.

Luis Fonsi: I think there’s a before and after in Latin music because of «Despacito» worldwide but I don’t think it’s solely because of me or because of the song.

I can’t sit here and take credit. I think I am a part of a movement that has been strong for many many years and I’m proud to be a part of this movement. Of course the song was big and it broke all kinds of records but it takes more than one song and one person to change the game. I’m glad that I have an amazing group of artists that are my brothers and sisters who are doing amazing things. At the end of the day what we all want is for Latin music to leave a good legacy and to share what we do with the world.

Luis Fonsi: It’s honesty. It’s purely honesty: being organic and truthful, and minimalistic. Maybe that’s my hidden message. There are some songs that have a lot of production on but there are some songs that are very simple and that’s who I am. I travel between those two worlds but at the end of the day I am a simple guy.

« There’s a before and after in Latin music because of “Despacito” worldwide »

On The Move: Speaking of this new album «Vida», how would you describe it?

Luis Fonsi: It’s where I am at the moment as a person, as a musician, as a songwriter. It’s how I see and feel music. It’s the mixture of many things: of dance songs, Latino, fusion, up-tempo songs, beautiful ballads, personal life stories are told through music.

On The Move: Your fans have waited for so long for this album to come out and with «Despacito» you created a real momentum. What was the strategy behind the release of the album?

Luis Fonsi: It takes time to write songs and choose the right ones. It took me about one year and a half to get all the songs in the album and then we unveiled the first single «Despacito» which really took off for one entire year. Then we released several songs after that.

We decided to show this album little by little before releasing the whole album.

On The Move: In your new album «Vida», all the songs are in your native language, however you still have three remixes in English. Is it important for you to still make music in English somehow?

Luis Fonsi: «Sola» for example was an easy translation.

When we wrote it in Spanish and then saw the result in English I decided to keep to two versions because the two were good and brought something different to the track.

I didn’t put much thought into it, I was just like let’s do it. I did this with a few songs, I didn’t put them all in the album though. I speak English and I’m 100% comfortable speaking and singing in English and there are some songs that can be translated well and some can’t.

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On The Move: But you still keep your language alive!

Luis Fonsi: Exactly. At the end of the day, success or not, I am still a Latin artist and I will always be one. I might sing some songs in English but it’s not like I’m changing my perspective or the way I approach music, my audience or the way I’m going to market myself. I’m as Latino as it gets (laugh). I love my language and I love my culture. I think English helps me to open up to other audiences but I don’t see it as a shift.

« I am a part of a movement that has been strong for many years »

Luis Fonsi’s debut album «Comenzaré», released in 1998.

On The Move: You recently collaborated on the song «Baby» by Clean Bandit with Marine. The song is amazing and also really different from what he can usually hear from you. Do you have other collaborations on the work?

Luis Fonsi: Yes, I am doing all kids of collaborations.

Just like my albums, it’s very eclectic. I don’t stick to one specific sound. I love to change it up, to sing in different languages, to do more traditional stuff or more urban.

I’m doing a country song and everything. It’s about the music, not the genre so I love the surprise factor.

On The Move: Now that your album is out, what comes next?

Luis Fonsi: For now I’m still promoting the album and especially the song «Sola». I will go on tour in June and start a world tour. I don’t know what the next single is going to be, it’s too early. I start the rehearsals for the tour in May, so I don’t know what it will look like yet.

I’m putting ideas down on paper with my team but it’s going to be a great show. Hopefully I’ll see you guys there!

INTERVIEW BY Pam Charbit & Naoumi Benattar PHOTOS BY DAVID FITT

«Palabras del Silencio», released in 2008, was a huge success in North/South America and in Spain.

Luis Fonsi’s 10th album «Vida», released worldwide in February 2019.

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OUR BEST ALBUMS

OF FEBRUARY

Every week of the year, a bunch of records are thrown into the world, portraying the singular influences, universes and sounds of artists. Do you get lost in the numerous releases? On The Move Mag is here to help. This month, as always, we opened our ears and dove into what matters most : music! Whatever genre suits you, you’ll find something new to discover... Here are our favourite albums released in February.

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After a successful first record released in 2017 which was certified Gold and included his big hit «Gucci Gang», the controversial American rapper Lil Pump delivered his second piece of work ironically called «Harverd Dropout». The album is what you would expect from the young rapper: drugs, money, women and hating school are the main themes here. The beats are catchy, the guests are prestigious (as in the entertaining and viral «I Love It» or in «Too Much Ice» featuring Quavo) and the songs follow one after another so neatly that you would think it’s the continuity of each previous track, forming one whole piece. But something’s unfortunately missing and that’s probably through songwriting. At only 19 years old, Lil Pump is surfing on the wave of success with «Harverd Dropout» and succeeded in a short amount of time in standing alongside big names in the rap scene.

Top 3 tracks: I Love It, Racks on Racks, Be Like Me

Lil Pump – HaRverd Dropout

They’re from the other side of the world so you might have not heard about them yet, but don’t worry OTM is here to catch you up with the Australian band. Sticky Fingers is a reggae/ indie-rock quintet, with soul and psychedelic rock influences.

The band has just released their fourth studio album called «Yours To Keep» after a 2-year hiatus. Opening with the dreamy «Sleep Alone», Sticky Fingers plays with genres throughout the record, sometimes with groovy beats or rap-like verses as well as pop-infused melodies and hypnotizing guitar riffs. Although the reggae vibe is not as present as in previous albums, «Yours To Keep» projects us in a sunbathed environment right from the beginning and enables us to completely zone out of reality and just dance in our minds. This album is reflective, well-though-out and completely worth listening to, so give it a listen!

Top 3 tracks: Another Episode, Yours To Keep, Junk

Sticky Fingers – Yours To Keep

We wanted it and we got it! After the success of the singles «thank u, next» and «7 Rings», Ariana Grande just released her fifth studio album. The opus, named «thank u, next», was quite a surprise since «Sweetener» ‒ the singer’s fourth album ‒ is only six months old.

In fact, «thank, u next» is very special to Ariana. She created it during dark times, co-wrote every song and did not include any features. As she said while receiving the Woman Of The Year Award at Billboard’s Women in Music, 2018 has been one of the best years in her career but also the worst of her life. This new album has been quite therapeutic for Ariana. In an Instagram story, she even declared: «A lot of this album mourns failed yet important, beautiful relationships in my life, as well as celebrates growth/exploring new independence».

From the moving «ghostin» to upbeat songs and reggae sounds in «bloodline» or «fake smile», «thank u, next» is a fierce album, marks the beginning of a whole new chapter for the young woman and even got her a GRAMMY award!

Top 3 tracks: break up with your girlfriend, i’m bored, bloodline, ghostin

Ariana Grande - thank u, next

What a successful comeback for the Canadian star of pop-rock music! We all grew up listening to her rebel hits such as «Complicated», «Girlfriend» or «What The Hell» and discovered her eponymous fifth album in 2013. Avril Lavigne then took a break for 5 years, during which she learnt that she was suffering from Lyme disease. She announced her return with an emotional letter and released her sixth album last month. This opus thus sounds very honest and vulnerable: personal lyrics, great and pure vocals as well as diverse and well-made productions. You’ll hear brass in «Tell Me It’s Over», her second single, whereas piano and violins characterize «I Fell In Love With The Devil». Powerful ballads about toxic relationships and her fight against the disease («Birdie», «Warrior») mingle with more energic tracks such as «Bigger Wow» or «Dumb Blonde» featuring Nicki Minaj. There is no doubt that «Head Above Water» is the comeback album of the year!

Top 3 tracks: Tell Me It’s Over, Bigger Wow, It Was In Me

Avril Lavigne – Head Above Water

The wait is almost over and the follow-up to SweetSexy Savage is soon to be ready! The R&B songstress released her new EP «While We Wait» that is the amuse-bouche that we were expecting and hoping for. Comprised of 9 songs, this new hybrid project sets Kehlani’s name in the stone as one of the most talented R&B artists of her generation. Whether it’s on «Footsteps» featuring Musiq Souldchild or the real «Morning Glory» in which she presents herself without any filters «While We Wait» is the first step into Kehlani’s new area. The single «Nights Like This» featuring Ty Dolla $ign is a good radio-friendly track that we didn’t know we needed. We can also find a collaboration with 6BLACK on «PRG». Something is for sure: Kehlani knows how to choose her collaborators! La crème de la crème! This body of work is a clever mix of a soon-to-be mum’s thoughts and the testimony of a wise woman who navigates through life, love and desires.

Top 3 tracks: Nights Like This, Footsteps, Feels

Kehlani - While We Wait

We’ve been waiting for Nina Nesbitt’s second album since 2014! Composed of thirteen beautiful songs, her new record is a project in which the Scottish artist really opens up. After the last few years she spent writing for other singers and releasing EPs and singles, Nina Nesbitt was eager to release a new opus. With this new album, she really wanted to create something genuine, something pure and honest. This is especially what the song «Sacred» is about — the first tune she ever produced on her own in her bedroom. Combining dulcet instrumentals with songs like «Last December» and 90s/2000s vibes in «Love Letter» and «Loyal to Me», Nina’s pop really is irresistible and comforting! Several tunes and even a couple of music videos were released in early 2018 and in 2017 like «Somebody Special» or «The Best You Had» so creating the album has been a long process… But, we can assure you, it was worth the wait!

Top 3 tracks: Is It Really Me You’re Missing, The Moments I’m Missing, Love Letter

NINA NESBITT - The Sun Will Come Up, the Seasons Will Change 33

HALF•ALIVE

Dense production, perfectly crafted videos, energetic shows...

There’s nothing left to chance for the Californian trio on its rise to success!

With a few irresistible singles (including the viral «still feel.»), half•alive managed to put itself on the world map of bands to follow. Its music is full of feel good vibes and its aesthetic is worthy of some cinematographic productions, as proved on Jimmy Kimmel TV show a few days ago. Josh Taylor (lead singer), Brett Kramer (drummer) and J Tyler Johnson (bassist) talked to us about the backstage of half•alive. Let’s meet a charming, inspired and perfectionist trio !

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n The Move: Hey guys! First of all, how was half•alive formed?

Josh Taylor: Hey On The Move! Brett and I met at church and we were sharing studio space and we started writing together. We combined our time to finish a song project I was doing, back then. Later, Brett met J on another project.

Brett Kramer: Actually, we all went to music schools but different ones and somehow, through connections, we met each other.

Josh Taylor: Also, I knew J through his brother.

Brett Kramer: Yeah, kind of a weird triangle! (laugh) On The Move: Where does your band’s name come from?

Josh Taylor: It came up in a film class I was taking at school. It was like the coolest film class I’ve ever taken!

J Tyler Johnson: The only class he has ever taken (laugh) Josh Taylor: Ok, I’ve never been to school, I gotta go now (laugh) Actually, it was called «The Theory of Fiction in Films» and in there, we were studying Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, just psychology in general.

They both agree on theories that say the human soul is divided in two: one side computes for life, one side computes for death. So, somehow, you end up as being half alive. That’s where it comes from!

« we essentially want to build a structure TO OUR SONGS that’s flexible enough to change as we change »

team. Everything he says is very thoughtful and very thought provoking. I love to hear his words, as well as his musician skills. He is an incredible drummer, he has great keys and he is good at everything that we use. So yeah, Brett brings a lot of really solid skills to the band. And the jokes!

Brett Kramer: Hum... Josh gives a perspective to all the songs that we write, he kind of filters our ideas through. A lot of the time, we write and we come up with ideas, Josh sees some things that we didn’t see and he gives a form to it all. All his ideas are really cool, he uses it and the final project ends up amazing.

So yeah, I would say that he brings a lot of amazing perspectives and vision to our project.

Josh Taylor: Thanks Brett!

Brett Kramer : And great videos as a director!

Josh Taylor : Well... J Tyler Ross Johnson! He brings some good vibes, he is always looking fresh (laugh).

But it is true! I feel like J is very entangled to the structure of the songs, the foundation of it. Making sure that the chords actually work. Making sure that they are according down to the bass. Obviously, he is playing tones of instruments. I think that you’re good at seeing things that we miss. Like «What about this?

Does this actually make sense? No it doesn’t!» Yeah, these details. Strong ones!

On The Move : That sounds quite complementary!

J Tyler Johnson : I feel so loved (laugh) So loved, that’s amazing!

On The Move : Your first track came from some kind of challenge you, Josh, put yourself into. It was about writing a lot of songs in a short amount of time. Can you explain that?

On The Move: What does each of you bring to the formation, in terms of creativity and personality?

Josh Taylor: Yes, I was in film school for a bit, and I decided to take a semester off to just really focus on songwriting only. To really dive into that. I didn’t really have a game plan but a mentor of mine challenged me to put a number on it so I decided 50 songs in 7 months would be a good challenge. And then I just never went back to school!

J Tyler Johnson: I’ll talk about Brett! I would say old Brett over here brings a liveliness, some comedy, and he is also a great lyricist. He brings amazing lyrics to the

On The Move: Now that you guys work as a band, does it always start with songwriting or has your process changed?

- Josh Taylor

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Josh Taylor: Yes, it has definitely changed! It was first just me, and then Brett and myself, and now, J has joined us both. So, I think it has just evolved towards a natural progression with that dynamic changing, as well. But we’ve done it two ways: either someone brings a song or an idea or like a core progression and we go from there, using that as a jumping point. Or we’re coming with absolutely zero and we just book time and say we’re gonna write and then we end up with something!

On The Move: There was a bit of a change in sonorities between your first EP «3» and the last two tracks «still feel.» and «arrow», going towards more pop territories maybe...

Josh Taylor: We did those 3 songs just to really explore what works, what we like the best. I’d say out of the three, we probably gravitate towards «The Fall» a bit more. But yeah, we essentially want to build a structure that’s flexible enough to change as we change. And as we’re writing new songs, it will just continue to expand, I guess. Not necessarily going into different directions but, just expand our entire vision.

So that we can have something that encapsulates the EP but also something completely different.

Brett Kramer: I think that what we’re more interested in is to push forward the vision of the band. And making songs that are true and honest to that. We’re actually trying to not being pop. It’s not really that representative of our songs. We just have constant inspiration and are searching for different things for each song.

On The Move: Who are your main inspirations?

On The Move: The visual side is very important to your body of work, through your music videos mainly. At what time in your process do these ideas happen? Is it before, while or after creating a song?

Josh Taylor: Definitely after! I need to hear the song in its completion before any idea start popping. Or else, it won’t just be as locked in. Sometimes our demos are very different from the final production. Sometimes, they are the same but we never know. And certain ideas come from... Like if I hear one sound, that can be the start of an idea so I need to have most of it to feel like we’ll go to the right direction.

J Tyler Johnson: In the «still feel.» video, there’s a moment where they do the hand clap, it was an early idea but the song wasn’t done when we did the video so we thought «yeah, we will add that in!». Little things like that are way easier when the song is almost completely done because this subtle moments can happen and it also creates a better video aesthetic.

Those are small details we can adjust. That’s how we approach things, little motions that can be really cool when you see it and hear it at the same time. We love to try to mess with that a bit!

« WHAT we’re more interested in IS TO push forward the vision of the band » - Brett Kramer

Josh Taylor: We are big fans of Chance The Rapper, Kimbra, Emily King, Tyler The Creator...

On The Move: Do you find inspirations in other artists’ music videos?

J Tyler Johnson: Christine and The Queens and Phoenix!

Josh Taylor: Yes! In everything that Donald Glover/ Childish Gambino has done. Sia, Florence + The Machine, Christine and The Queens. Francis and The Lights. Perfume Genius also!

Josh Taylor: We honestly like to take from all genres and eras. We really appreciate the 60s and 70s! We love modern music as well, and we really like to infuse different genre and blend it together. That’s like a big thing for us! We definitely love the pop things but I think our influences are just multi-cultural, everything kind of. We don’t want to be too broad either but we like so many different sounds, we just grab little things we like and try to make sense out of it.

J Tyler Johnson: We have sort of a Youtube playlist you can watch with 20 videos or + that are part of our favourites!

On The Move: Dance has also got a strong presence in your universe. Where does it come from?

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J Tyler Johnson: My brother Jordan first choreographed our «aawake at night» music video.

Josh wanted to mess with some dance ideas and we really ended up loving these parts of the videos. On «still feel.», Jordan co-choreographed the dance as well, he is also the dancer in it with the other choreographer.

On The Move: What were the biggest challenges on these videos? Was it the dance part?

Brett Kramer: I’d say the time table, the logistics!

Josh Taylor: For me, the dance was a lot... I had a lot to learn, for «still feel.» especially and I remember practicing a lot, just in my room. In front of my mirror, making sure my moves would look good (laugh). In the studio, learning the dance parts, I was a mess, a hot mess. I was forgetting every single thing. I promised that I would practice at home and I did! And I got better, thankfully!

J Tyler Johnson: But all the videos have been one day shoots so that’s why it was like a challenge, it had that stress. Especially for Josh directing it and having all these scenes to shoot, these movements to learn. We also built the entire space for «arrow»!

Josh Taylor: Yeah, that was a struggle, none of it existed before the video.

« all OUR LATEST videos WERE one day shoots, THAT WAS A CHALLENGE » - J Tyler Johnson On The Move: The hand choreo in «arrow» is pretty incredible. Was it hard to execute?

J Tyler Johnson: We didn’t do it actually but these dancers were incredible! The choreographers hired friends of theirs that are dancers and they killed it in like three shots. That was the quickest thing. They were amazing!

Josh Taylor : Plus I think they changed the way to do it, like above head, last minute but that was the easiest part, honestly.

On The Move: Do you guys bring all that aesthetic on stage as well?

J Tyler Johnson: Yes, we do! Color aesthetic, movements, we got it all (laugh) All these things are very important to us so we wanna keep it as much as possible, through our merch, through our live shows, and our videos.

Josh Taylor: You can expect the same intentionality that we bring through the songs, the lyrics... It comes into the shows as well. It is all very intentional!

J Tyler Johnson: Plus, so far, the response in Europe has been really great. We were in Berlin a few days ago and people were very welcoming. It was very fun there. Being in a new area and get to play and meet these people that come from so far from us and being able to connect through the music... it’s been incredible!

On The Move: What can we expect from you this year?

Josh Taylor: A larger body of work, for sure! But the details are yet to be announced...

J Tyler Johnson : To be denounced (laugh) On The Move: One last question, who are you listening to at the moment?

Josh Taylor: Emily King for me! She recently released a new record that has blown my mind, that’s so good.

Brett Kramer: Conor Oberts and Phoebe Bridgers.

J Tyler Johnson: Bruno Major, his most recent materials are really great!

Josh Taylor: The new Jungle record is great also!

J Tyler Johnson: All the videos of all these artists are so inspiring as well.

Josh Taylor: The hand stuff was choreographed the day before we shot!

J Tyler Johnson: And they never practiced behind the couch. They just honestly kill it!

INTERVIEW BY CORALINE BLAISE PHOTOS : ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

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THE ASIAN HOUSE OF TALENT

At On The Move, we like to broaden your musical horizons. In this column we are doing just that with artists from the other side of the world. Here, we will talk about Korean, Japanese and Chinese artists that you need to add to your playlist. Ready ?

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Jackson Wang

You might know Jackson Wang as the funny rapper of GOT7 but really, this multi-talented 24-year-old, is hard to label. The Hong Kong native is a rapper, a MC, a fencing champion, a polyglot, a dancer, a producer, and a superstar in Korea.

Be prepared to see him everywhere because he is truly the next big thing.

You might know Jackson Wang as the funny rapper of GOT7 but really, this multi-talented 24-year-old, is hard to label. The Hong Kong native is a rapper, a MC, a fencing champion, a polyglot, a dancer, a producer, and a superstar in Korea. Be prepared to see him everywhere because he is truly the next big thing.

After being introduced to music through Garage Band, Jackson developed an undying passion for it. Passion so big in fact, that he decided to give up a scholarship to a prestigious university and his place at the London Olympic games, in order to pursue it.

He started his journey in Korea as a trainee for JYP (one of the biggest entertainment agency in Korea). There, he had to train with people who sang and danced their whole life.

Despite the fact that he was “just” an athlete, Jackson made it through the constant elimination by being the hardest worker in the room: «If they work 10 times harder, I have to work a 100 times more.» Finally, after two years and a half, Jackson debuted along with his 6 team members.

However today we are not talking about his part in GOT7 but about his solo career. He says it himself, he “needs to work on his own colour” by doing the music that he wants to do.

Inspired by artists like Chris Brown and Omarion, it wasn’t a surprise to discover that his first solo project Papillon was deeply rooted in American hip-hop. His rapping skill is sharp, rhythmic and heavy, similar to other trap artists like Gucci Mane, with whom he worked on the song Different Game (2018).

Because of his languages abilities, he navigates easily between Chinese and English lyrics, developing his own unique style. His first album «Journey To The West» is due to drop later this year but while we wait for this anticipated LP, he promises to release new singles throughout the year.

The next one being «Faded» (March 9th) where he talks about people who only care about him now that he made it. Between GOT7 successful world tour, being on every variety shows in China and Korea and becoming Fendi Chinese ambassador, it is safe to say that Jackson definitely made it to the big league.

He owes his success to his hard work. Scared to miss any opportunities, he makes sure to be ready at all time. He goes as far as working half a year in China and the other half in Korea, putting two years’ worth of work into one.

Beyond being a successful entertainer, Jackson wants to be a role model to the next generation. He highly recommends everyone to pursue their dream the same way he did. To avoid having regrets when he is 80, he dropped everything he had to work on his passion, despite his father assuring him that it would be the worst mistake of his life. Well… we know how this turned out!

If you want to feel inspired, have a good laugh or are just looking for some eye candy join the 12.8 million members of Team Wang on Instagram by following him: @jacksonwang852g7.

WordS by KHATY ILBOUDO PHOTO: ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

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TRAVIS THOMPSON

Whether you have heard of Travis Thompson yet or not, chances are that you soon won’t be able to pass on him. The 22 year-old rapper from Seattle already got approval from artists that you already love including Macklemore and Logic. As he released his new EP «Runaways» at the end of February, we met with this fresh artist to get to know him better.

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n The Move: For those who don’t know you yet, could you tell us how you started in music?

«Runaways» last month. What do you feel is the biggest difference between those two projects?

Travis Thompson: I’m a 22 year-old rapper and director from Seattle, Washington. I started making music when I was about 12-13. I grew up on the internet so I always had Youtube. I was always writing over beats on Youtube and eventually when I turned 16-17, I realized that I could actually be a rapper. I recorded little raps and then, I went to a real studio for the first time when I was 17 and from there somehow, we got here (laugh).

Travis Thompson: When we made «YouGood?» I was in a much different place, I was fresh off tour, my headspace wasn’t the best, a lot of things were going on. Some weird things in my family, friends stuff like drugs and crime, big problems going on. It was a different time in my life and we were making the kind of music that reflected that. We were just hanging out at the house all day and making as many weird songs as we could (laugh). When it comes to the new EP, there are already three songs that have been out for a while, and three new songs. The whole label thing was happening and they wanted to make an EP so I was like «yes I can find a home project for those three songs». We recently came off my own headlining tour and I was in a much better space, the music is happier and more fun.

On The Move: We saw you collaborating with Macklemore on «Corner Store» taken from his 2017 album «Gemini». How did this collaboration happen?

Travis Thompson: The scene in Seattle is not as big as the scene in other cities, so if you’re moving and you’re putting up videos and music in Seattle, that’s good because everyone kind of know each other.

Eventually my producer Tyler Dopps, who made my entire «YouGood?» album, became Macklemore’s engineer so he was recording with him everyday. He was putting my music in his ear, just like showing him stuff, and one day he called me and asked me to come to the studio and then «Corner Store» happened, and the tour happened.

« I decided to go with Epic because they believe in us and they understand the vision we have » On The Move: It was your first tour ever, were you nervous?

Travis Thompson: Before I was rapping, I was doing spoken poetry. I was doing poetry slams, open mics so doing poetry shows for nobody is a lot harder than doing a rap show for thousands people. Doing the big shows were easier because you have a big crowd, you got there, you turn up and then you have the energy from the people. When you do small shows you’re like «hey guys can you come forward please?» (laugh) On The Move: You released your debut album «YouGood?» last year and your new EP

On The Move: You’re known for doing everything independently but you now recently signed to Epic Records. How is the transition going?

Travis Thompson: It’s only different because there’s more people on the team and it’s more paperwork (laugh). At the same time, the reason why I decided to go with Epic is because they believe in us and they understand the vision we have. Nothing has really changed much. For the EP I worked with the same producers that were there since day 1. We are working with the same people. So in a sense, it hasn’t changed much but things are busier and more people are involved and here to support. Now, I have publicists and a marketing team… it’s fun though. It’s all new but no one has ever asked me to change.

On The Move: Now that the EP is out, what’s next?

Are you planning to go on tour?

Travis Thompson: So, we have a tour with Bryce Vine, and then I come back and I’ll be working on my debut album. I’m super excited as we have some songs that I am really excited about. It’s the first time that I’m having access to cool features and I’ll work with some producers I might have not had the chance to work with. The year is gonna be fun!

On The Move: So you have collaborations in the work?

Travis Thompson: Nothing that I can talk about for now but I got you.

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On The Move: You released a music video each song of your latest project, when did you realize that you wanted visuals to play a huge role in your musical adventure?

Travis Thompson: I always understood the power of music videos. I love watching music videos and I’m a writer so I’ve always wanted to write films, movies and stuff but it wasn’t me and Dylan started making «Father Forgive Me» which was the first music video we made together. Just being able to be involved in acting things and also being behind the camera make me find my love for visuals. Also when people see my goofy looking ass doing shit, it draws attention. At the same time me and Dylan are film nerds. We like to talk about movies and make movies.

On The Move: What are your top 3 movies?

Travis Thompson: It’s hard! Forrest Gump, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and Next Friday.

« I always understood the power of music videos » On The Move: Would you like to experience a career in film and TV in the future?

Travis Thompson’s debut album «YouGood?», released in May 2018

Travis Thompson: Yes, I’d love to make videos for other people, make films. I’d like to have a production company at the end of all this.

On The Move: What’s your writing process?

Travis Thompson: What we like to do is that we go to the studio and me and my friends smoke and have a couple of beers and talk. Because when you talk about life, you can figure out where you’re at. Then we start jamming. I make the hook at the studio but I like to take the beat and the hook home and write the verses by myself just so I can be away from people and be just as me as I can. Where there’s no one around me, there’s less pressure.

On The Move: If you could choose anyone in the world to have a collaboration with, who would it be?

Travis Thompson: I have to say Lil Wayne! Lil Wayne is my favorite rapper of all time, he made me want to rap. He is a big inspiration for everything we do.

Travis Thompson’s latest EP «Runaways», released in February 2019

INTERVIEW BY PAM CHARBIT PHOTOS BY NICOLE THOMAS

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ARE THEY WORTH

SEEING LIVE ?

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ALEC BENJAMIN I

f you don’t know his name yet, it is only a matter of time before you do! Indeed, Alec Benjamin has seen his career evolve over the past few years and he is not planning to stop here. After leaving university for music and overcoming the disappointment of being dropped from his label, he decided to change the course of his fate, eager to tell his stories and show his universe.

Alec started to post his songs and demos on his YouTube channel, where they met with great success. «Paper Crown», «End Of The Summer» or «I Built A Friend» quickly became hits and last November, he released «Narrated For You», a 12-track mixtape featuring «If We Have Each Other», «Boy In The Bubble» and «Let Me Down Slowly».

For his very first European tour, which he was very excited about, Alec Benjamin chose to come and tell his stories to his French audience at Les Etoiles Theater in Paris: a concert that turned out to be very intimate. Indeed, the versatile American artist took the time to share some anecdotes and thanked his audience between each song.

He also took this opportunity to explain why this Parisian date was so important to him. It happens that he started playing for people who didn’t know him in front of concert venues in Paris as he stated in our interview available in this issue: «Shawn Mendes was playing here and I saw that there was a big line outside the show and I was like “If I can’t have my own show, maybe I’ll just play outside the venue” […] so I did it and it worked!»

After the British singer-songwriter Plested successfully

WORDS AND PHOTOS BY Déborah gaillard

Live from Paris, France opened up the show, Alec Benjamin stepped on stage to the applause of the audience. Simply accompanied by his guitar, he chose to start with «Steve» and «If I Killed Someone». During the concert, Nathan Fertig will be the only one to join him on some songs with the keyboard, on a sample pad as drums and for the backing vocals.

Then came the emotional moment with the next two songs: «If We Have Each Other» and «1994» which directly allude to his childhood and family. Alec then explained the meaning of the last verse of «If We Have Each Other», written for his sister. The moment was even more moving as he pointed out that she and her mother were in the audience.

Then came the single «Boy In The Bubble», a song that tackles bullying from a quite unusual point of view: the bully’s perspective. The success was undeniable: the audience sang the lyrics in unison despite its speed on the verses.

After performing «Annabelle’s Homework», Alec Benjamin then moved to the keyboard to play «Paper Crown», a song that had boosted his career in 2014. This track really stood out from the other songs, most of which are performed on the guitar.

Then Alec Benjamin chose to cover «Stan» by Eminem, which seems completely logical given the singer’s inspirations. In front of a silent room, listening every single word with attention, Alec perfectly did justice to the text of his favorite artist.

To our great surprise, Alec Benjamin decided to stand in the middle of the crowd to sing «I Built A Friend».

Walking among the audience, under the amazed eyes of his fans, he offered us an unforgettable moment of complicity on this beautiful track, which brings us back to the innocence of our childhood.

Alec continued with «Death Of A Hero» before going on with «Water Fountain», on which he invited his audience to help him reach the high notes. He also performed «Swim», a song co-written with Julie Frost.

Last but not least, Alec ended up in triumph with his greatest hit «Let Me Down Slowly», a new version featuring Alessia Cara which was released at the beginning of the year. From the very first notes, the audience went crazy and sang the lyrics with passion, both during the verses and the chorus.

The lights of the theater came back on and, very quickly, Alec Benjamin and Plested were delighted to join the audience in the room to extend the night. The concert convinced everyone unanimously. Despite a rather short setlist, Alec was able to offer us a moment out of time full of sincerity and simplicity. No need for an orchestra, a soundtrack or a major staging to make the show a memorable one. The wait was definitely worth it and we are already looking forward to seeing him again for another tour!

« Alec was able to offer us a moment out of time full of sincerity and simplicity »

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OTM TEAM founder, editorial director I spend most of my time apologizing to my favorite streaming platform for ripping off their «add to playlist» button. When i’m not looking for new artists to talk to you about I drown myself in a sea containing a mix of old R&B and punk-rock sound.

Sometimes I go to concert venues more often than I go to bed and I listen to music even when I sleep. I’ll be probably deaf in 40 years but knowing you’ll discover new artists through this mag makes everything worthwhile.

PAM

CORALINE

graphic designer, co-editorial director Writing about architecture and urban planning by day, writing about music by night. Getting the best of both worlds.

I am in love with matter, melodies and words. Drunk with british indie-rock and pop-folk. I guess my wildest dream would be designing and building a gig venue, for which I would decide the opening line-up.

In the meantime, I am the curly girl with too much hair, front row. If not at a gig , I’m probably spending the night building this magazine for you.

LéNAELLE

LUDIVINE

COLINE

déborah

HALEY

Khaty

writer If it were possible, I would probably live in a concert venue! Gigs are, without any hesitation, the events I appreciate the most. Addicted to pop music, tattoos, Youtube, The Greatest Showman original soundtrack, TV shows and Disney movies, I always love to discover new artists and talk about them with my friends.

Professionally speaking , my biggest dream would be to have a fashion or music-related job. I guess I just need art to be part of my life!

writer A few words about me? In the future I would love to work as a community manager or a web journalist but for now I am just an ordinary student who has always loved writing and wouldn’t consider living without music. I am quite shy in my everyday life but surprisingly become the most sociable person when attending concerts, which I could do every single day.

Other than that, I love travelling, making videos, tattoos, cheesecake and think that a whole crowd singing is the most beautiful thing in the world!

writer Meet the youngest of the crew !

A spiring music journalist and communication student, I spend most of my free time surrounded by books and hot chocolate. Basically obsessed with british pop music and indie artists, if you’re looking for me you’ll probably find me singing my heart out at a concert. if i could turn back time, i’d definitely pop to the Panic! At The Disco show in Chicago in 2008.

writer An aspiring entertainment reporter, I am constantly caught between covering the world of pop culture and reading about it.

After graduating from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, I moved to Los Angeles to embed myself in the heart of the entertainment industry. If I’m not watching a movie, at a concert or reading the latest celebrity news article, I probably am at the beach.

writer Who am I, in a nutshell? I am a daydreamer, a traveler at heart, a concert addict and I see beauty in everything.

Music is my escape route and my best friend. People say that have an eclectic taste in music which is true although you’ll see me mostly at rock shows. Fun fact: I actually own a guitar since I was 4 and I still don’t know how to play. I am also the girl that’s like «Hey you gotta listen to this!» and 2 hours later we’re still on YouTube... Oops!

writer I listen to music from morning till dawn. Literally. Working in a speaker store has its perks. My playlist consists mainly of Soul, R&B and Hip-Hop (Western and Eastern: I don’t discriminate)!

When I am not immersed in music, I am probably reading or watching some baking videos, because let’s be honest food is life!

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ON THE MOVE SPREADING TALENTS AROUND SINCE 2012 @OTMfr

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