ON THE MOVE MAG - FALL 2019

MAGAZINE

N THE MOVE FALL EDITION 2019 - #26

Drax project kim petras missio julian lamadrid skylar stecker

and more

FLETCHER Baby Ariel THE NEW WAVE OF POP

Quinn Lewis, MAX, Barry Moore and Charlotte Conquering America' s heart ''

EDITORIAL Being overwhelmed by the amount of music we receive each month is probably one of my

favorite things in the world. After more than two years running On The Move Magazine, I realized that - now more than ever - emerging artists need support in order to stand out from the crowd.

With the arrival of streaming, we get overflooded by songs, artists, bands and our attention span is way shorter than before. Radios are focusing on the biggest artists and the emerging ones need as much support as they can get.

We - at On The Move - are commited to provide the best quality of content, and a great overview of what’s hot and who we believe in. Each month, you get your dose of incredible talent, and you’ll get to discover who will be on the top of the music industry before anyone else.

Supporting great music and artists is something I’ll always fight for, no matter what.

This month, I’m happy to have social media mogul, singer and actress Baby Ariel taking over the issue and being my co-editor in chief. I hope you’ll have as much fun to discover her as I had to meet and spend time with her.

Pamela Charbit founder, artist relations and editor-in-chief of On The Move Co- editor-in-chief of the month:

Baby Ariel Singer, actress, social media influencer

I’m Ariel and I’m super excited to be the co-editor in chief

of On The Move Magazine this month. I have a new song and music video coming out very soon that both mean a ton to me and hopefully can inspire other people to be themselves.

I also have a movie coming out that I’m very passionate about and proud of and I hope my character resonates with a lot of people and hopefully thoughout this magazine takeover I’m about to spread positivity and love and make at least one person smile.

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REWIND

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INTERVIEW

Bad Child, a prodigy from Toronto

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INTERVIEW

Kim Petras, the new princess of pop

INTERVIEW

DRAX PROJECT,

From New Zealand to conquering the world

20 27 36 INTERVIEW Jade Hassouné

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ZOOM ON...

Freya Ridings, Ider & Ryan Beatty

TAKING OVER BABY ARIEL,

Leading the new generation

SUMMARY JULIAN LAMADRID, The new anti-hero of Pop

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Our favourite albums INTERVIEW of this fall MISSIO,

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INTERVIEW

64

the band on the rise

Skylar Stecker

The best live shows of the month

Julia Michaels, James Arthur, Taylor Swift & Little Mix

OTM Magazine : Meeting the team

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REWIN EVERYTHING YOU MISSED AND NEED TO KNOW

WHAT THE ****

STORY OF THE MONTH

jesy nelson - odd one out

BYE NICKI !

The news came as a shock for millions of fans around the world. Nicki Minaj, The Queen herself, announced via Twitter that she was retiring from music. According to Nicki, she feels like it’s time for her to quit rap and music to focus on her personal life and her wish to start her own family. Even if many fans are upset and heartbroken, some others still hold out hope that Minaj is just messing with them and will soon release her fifth album following the release of «Megatron» earlier this summer. Nicki, what’s good?

In a very heartfelt and emotional documentary, the Little Mix’s singer addressed the horrific depths of online abuse and cyberbullying she has received throughout her career. In order to raise awareness, Jesy decided to speak out on her mental health battle and depression, talking about the effect of online trolls on her body image and looks. The documentary was broadcast on BBC III on september 12th. Just like her, the other Little Mix girls also raised their voices on subjects like anorexia, anxiety and racism in order to raise awareness.

VIDEO OF THE MONTH

otm playlist BILLIE EILISH All the good girls go to hell It’s already Halloween in the world of Billie Eilish. Tackling climate change, in her new demoniac music video, the singer is begging the world’s leaders to pay attention, mentioning that the Earth is warming up, the icecaps are melting, the oceans are rising, the forests are burning...

An intense video that carries far and wide Billie’s message.

KILL MY MIND - LOUIS TOMLINSON PLAY THE PART - ROLE MODEL ALWAYS THERE - GRETA VAN FLEET GRAVEYARD - HALSEY JESUS IN LA - ALEC BENJAMIN LOVER - TAYLOR SWIFT WATCH WHAT HAPPENS - WATERPARKS LIAR - CAMILA CABELLO

SAVE the date

when in music...

melanie martinez - k12 It took her three years but Melanie Martinez is finally back! Not only did she release a new album, but the singer also directed a whole movie, introducing the new record and delivering something that is set to become one of the most ambitious artistic moves of the decade.

mcfly is back!

Did we turn back in time? Tom, Dougie, Harry and Danny are officially back in business as they’re getting ready to release their first new album in nine years. Titled «The Lost Songs», this new record will be composed of forgotten demos, songs that didn’t make the cut and never-before heard tracks.

Alongside the album launch, the band announced a UK tour, playing their new materials as well as timeless hits across the country. You sure don’t wanna miss it!

Before the grand release, fans were only able to hear snippets and catch teasers of the upcoming project. A way to make sure that the anticipation was high for K-12 and that the theories were going on and on. With this 90-minutes movie, shown in theater and on YouTube, Melanie Martinez was able to bring back to life her colorful, quirky and peculiar universe.

Allowing her creativity and dark-pop filled vision to breath on itself, the 24-year-old singer tells us the story of a brave-hearted girl -CryBaby, and her lovely best friend as they are sent off to a disturbing sleep away from school. Together, they embark on a mission to take down the oppressive schooling system of K-12. Along the way they meet magical friends, as well as an Angelic Spirit Guide and gain the strength they need to fight off the school’s patriarchal conditioning.

As a whole, the film is divided in different parts, following the journey of CryBaby and scenes that correspond to each of the album’s 13 tracks. A project in which Melanie was deeply involved : “She came to us with that (The DollHouse music video), and it was the most incredible video,” Julie Greenwald (chairman/COO of Martinez’s label, Atlantic Records) says. That’s why the label encouraged her to make more. “She created every story line, worked with the set director, the art director, the stylist,” Greenwald adds.

The visual, the music, the acting, the creativity - this is everything Melanie Martinez embodies with this extraordinary musical movie.

whO WAS ARIANA GRANDE ON STAGE? IN PARIS Accompanied by the overwhelming energy of Social House and the charisma of Ella Mai as the supporting acts, Ariana Grande captivated the Parisian audience with her «Sweetener (and thank u, next) Tour». Singing more than 20 songs, the artist has, for her fans’ pleasure, performed her greatest hits as well as her latest singles, with a climax ending on «thank u, next». During two exceptional and moving evenings, the young woman showed where she belongs: on stage.

what’S up?

TAKE A ROCKSTAR HOME !

Brendon Urie is about to join the hall of fame of Funko Pop! alongside Marilyn Manson, Gerard Way, Metallica and more by getting his very own little figure. The funky news was announced during Hot Topic’s livestream. And the details are all there: marvelous hair, iconic golden jacket, tattoo on his wrist, eyebrow scar and everything. The singer, but in a pocket-size. A must-have for all the sinners out there...

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Canada has given us some exciting musical acts such as Drake, The Weeknd, Alessia Cara or Grimes. From the vibrant Toronto scene is emerging an artist that goes by no genre. Self-taught singer-songwriter, producer and multiinstrumentalist Isaiah Steinberg, a.k.a BAD CHILD, is a free spirit which gives an accurate glance to the world surrounding him. With a sharp energy and pen, he dissects our modern relationships and its excesses, as well as his own internal troubles. His 9-track debut EP ÂŤSign UpÂť - brilliantly structured on a dystopic background - is now out and paves the way for a long-standing album, finally coming in 2020.

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n The Move : Nice to meet you Isaiah! Can you talk about your first memory related to music?

BAD CHILD : My first memory related to music was that I lived with my grandmother and she was a small Algerian woman. She had a piano in her garage, it wasn’t good. She said «You know, we’ve got a piano, you should go play it, go have fun and learn something». So I was like «Oh!» because usually she would give me a spoon and say «Go dig in the dirt» (laugh). So, I used to turn up the radio and I would play piano to the radio and I’d figure things out by ear. That was my first memory with music.

On The Move : When did you feel like you could pursue a professional career in music?

BAD CHILD : It kind of came at a funny point in my life. I wanted to be a photojournalist, so I’d been doing photography for a long time. I would do a lot of drastic changes in my life. I lost my mom when I was 16. I had to put my energy somewhere. It ended up being music. The first song I ever put out was a song called «Bad Child» which is also the name of the project and it did well.

It was about three years ago. It did so well I started getting calls and messages from labels saying «Hey, send us an album». So I told my dad «I’m gonna do music, I’m not gonna stop». I slept on the floor and I ate oatmeal for a year. After that year, I signed a recording contract, and I just said «This is what I’m gonna do with my life».

On The Move : You come from Toronto which has had an especially vibrant musical scene for the past decade. What do you think is so special there?

BAD CHILD : I think it has to do with the culture and how multicultural Toronto is. You can walk down a street and go to any type of restaurants that you can imagine. I think that empowers people culturally. They tend to look deeper into who they are. Toronto definitely has a sound.

I don’t think I fit in the Toronto sound at all but it’s always something that I’ve been excited about.

On The Move : And the name Bad Child, where does it come from?

BAD CHILD : To me, «Bad Child» is about redemption and it is the idea that you’re a bad child, you’re not good enough. That was my way of reclaiming that… You know my whole life, I’ve never felt like I was good enough. I wanted to take that moniker and almost empower it.

Saying yeah, you know what I mean, I wasn’t good enough but I will be.

On The Move : It’s also the title of your first single.

You released it on Soundcloud a few years back and then re-released it this year as some kind of a new introduction. What happened between these moments in your career?

BAD CHILD : Well, I produce all the music myself so I played it all and I recorded it all. So when I put out the first one, I was like «this is getting a good acclaim, maybe I should take this really seriously and I should re-record everything professionally for radio just to sparkle it up a little bit». So I re-recorded all of my music in a couple of different studios. I wanted to make sure that it was all packaged and fine. I spent a lot of time compiling a full album. The album has been done for more than a year now so I am just in the process of releasing it.

On The Move : We particularly like your track «Breathing Fire». Can you talk a bit about it? What is it about?

BAD CHILD : «Breathing Fire» is a song about passion and it’s a song about how fleeting life is. I always thought that life was so short and I used to be so scared of dying, I used to be so scared of stuff like that. I used to be scared of loving because it was like «wow, if I love something it will always go away». But that song was, for me, trying to empower myself and say «I need to be passionate, I need to be open». That’s what the song is about.

« my whole life, I’ve never felt like I was good enough.

I wanted to take thE ‘BAD CHILD’ moniker and almost empower it » On The Move : Do all of your tracks come from your own story or do you also draw inspiration from others somehow?

BAD CHILD : I have a hard time singing about stuff that isn’t going on in my life so one of the things I do when I write sometimes is I love to go and be a people-watcher, sat in a cafe. Someone will say something and it will have a really profound impact on my life. I’d be like «wow, I never thought about something that way». So sometimes I’ll hear somebody say something and I will be like «that’s a line!». It’s a part of my song now. It could be anything.

I once heard someone say : «Some dogs should be kept in cages for a reason». I thought about it more and I wrote a song about it. It became about discipline.

On The Move : How do you usually start a track? Do you have a specific process?

BAD CHILD : I think to keep it exciting, you can’t become too obsessed with the process. I’m always writing. I’m also drawing. Sometimes, I’ll draw and the drawing I make will actually become a song. I’ll say «Oh, that’s a character for a song» or something. I’ll start drawing the lyrics on top of the drawing. I just write free form. Sometimes, I’ll hear a door close in a certain way, maybe it will resonate or make a sound. I’ll say «Oh, that’s the sound of a snare drum!». Lately, I was painting a room and I smacked the paint roller on the wall. I said «that’s the snare on the song!».

« I’ve always thought the idea of genre was silly. my music is somewhere between Sean Paul and Nine Inch Nails » On The Move : Talking about your drawings, it seems like images and the visual aspect are important for you as well. Do you think about your music videos early in the process? Or does it come at the end?

BAD CHILD : A little bit of both. I mean I’ve always had kind of in mind what I want to see for my music. But once again, the process, I try to experiment with it. A couple months ago, I made a music video to a song that didn’t exist and then I wrote the song to the video. I was asking myself «What can you create if you just let loose?».

Because the way I see it, I always feel like people make a video for a song when you should make a video with a song. They’re made together.

On The Move : It is a tough question but how would you describe your sound for someone that does not know you yet?

BAD CHILD : I would describe my sound as very multigenre. Personally, I’ve always thought the idea of genre was silly. I want to make music for people that have free spirit and they know what they like. I would say my music is between Sean Paul and Nine Inch Nails, like somewhere in between. I also get inspired by Radiohead, Frank Zappa, Led Zeppelin, Kanye West, Kid Cudi... and a lot of world music!

On The Move : You were talking about an upcoming album. Nowadays, a lot of artists think about their music through EPs and playlists rather than albums.

Why is this format still important to you?

BAD CHILD : The album is very conceptual. I’m telling the stories of my life. It is so important to me that you can have these songs on their own but when you listen to them together, it is telling you a broader story. The whole record I have designed has these interludes weaving through all the songs. For me, it is important just to package my story properly because I understand the singles thing. I don’t care about getting famous, I don’t care about «Oh, you have to put these songs out». I was always taught that less is more. One good song is better than ten alright songs. I really focused on making the tidiest album I could.

On The Move : What are the themes running through this album?

BAD CHILD : It is all about how people use each other, I would say. It was called «Free Trial». People use each other like free trials now, I think. It goes through ideas like… You have Tinder and you can look at the images of somebody and say «would I? would I not?». It’s commodification. You’re taking these persons and you don’t know them but you’re judging them just like that. I think that it’s business subverting the way people look at each other now. So, what could I get out of that person?

It is like transaction. So, it’s all about that.

On The Move : In this industry you want to evolve in, social media is important now. How do you see it?

BAD CHILD : Social media is a really important tool.

For me, it’s always been like being able to be educated, being able to be connected. That is so important. When it comes to being a musician and having to use social media... When I first started, I had to figure this out. Now, I think I am much more fluent and comfortable, doing Q&As and stuff. It is so important.

On The Move : What can we expect from you irl, in your live shows?

BAD CHILD : I have a really terrific band put together and I’ve always seen it as explosive energy. I can’t sit still when I get on a stage! To me, it’s always so important that there is energy and I’ve always wanted to be able to connect with an audience like there is nothing in between you and the people that you are playing with.

INTERVIEW BY CORALINE BLAISE AND DéBORAH GAILLARD PHOTOS : THE FELDMAN AGENCY

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KIM PETRAS No one can talk about pop in 2019 without mentioning Kim Petras.

She doesn’t just release bop after bop, but she also changed the way artists release music, strategize and promote their records! As an independent singer, Kim Petras is not afraid to show she’s different and put out music whenever she wants to. Kim is definitely one of the fastest rising stars in pop music and it’s time for you to meet her.

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n The Move: Hi Kim! Your first proper body of work called “Clarity” came out in June. Congrats!

To what extent this body of work is different from your previous releases?

Kim Petras: Hi On The Move! Completely different in the way that before “Clarity”, before I felt like I was a super hero version of myself and I was making up the kind of life I wanted to live. Over glamorized everything in a way that I love and I still do. “Clarity” had the intension of stripping it back and making it relatable and if my fans are going through something and the they can listen to the songs and relate. I went through heartbreak in the beginning of it and kind of this record was my way of dealing with it and kind of fighting out of it and finding clarity in the way of “I’m ok by myself ” and I can do what I want and I’m living my dream and working on my destiny and my past. It’s very meaningful to me but yes it’s a departure from my previous sound with singles like I don’t want it at all, heart to break or all those super bubble gum pop songs.

On The Move: “Clarity” seems to trace the rollercoaster of moods and emotions that we can go through post break-up. Which song - and then which mood - do you feel closer with these days? Can you describe the track itself?

Kim Petras: I really still love the title track “Clarity”. I know it sounds super cocky to listen to your own songs but I listen to that one all the time. It pumps me up and makes me feel good about myself. I mean I make music I want to hear and, I don’t know, that one is just so fun!

It makes me feel like I can go out and do anything I want to do and achieve anything I want to achieve. It definitely does that for me and I hope it does that for my fans!

Kim Petras: I don’ t think anything is missing. I think it is what it is. I’m dropping as many songs as I can. I’m an independent artist and I have an unique release strategy and I love doing it uniquely. I’m kind of just doing whatever I can to drop as many songs as I can and get them out there.

I’m just working up to the pinnacle of everything to drop my debut album. I don’t think anything is missing, I just think it’s a great project the way it is and it doesn’t really need an explanation. I don’t really care what I call it as long as I can put out as much music as possible.

« Good ideas never die » On The Move: You said that you wrote close to 50 songs for “Clarity” before narrowing it down to 12. Is there any of those songs that you’re keeping for future releases? If so, can you talk about one and why it didn’t make it to “Clarity”?

Kim Petras: I think good ideas never die. I think parts of it are going to find their way into my music and I feel like I always often come back to things and take from them to be honest. But I’m really ready to do the next chapter and find the new inspiration and I’m definitely getting there and finding it. But there’s a few songs that I really think are still amazing and that I eventually want to get to. Recently a new inspiration struck and I gotta go follow that and write new stuff. I’m excited to work on the next chapter. I’m always 500 steps ahead over these strategies or whenever an album comes out, I’m like «ok what’s next?».

On The Move: You said that you’ve always been really obsessed with how to make pop songs. You studied hard the lyrics and the structures of them. What are the ingredients to a great pop song according to you?

« ‘Clarity’ had the intention of stripping it back and making it relatable and if my fans are going through something, they can listen to the songs and relate »

Kim Petras: According to me, I think a great pop song is something that people can relate to. Something that sparks people to feel something in any type of way, sometimes it’s something that shifts cultures, sometimes it’s something that can be really relevant in culture. I think it can be all kinds of things and all kinds of sounds and a good song is a good song. I don’t think I’ll ever put my finger on it but I know when a song is great and relatable and makes me feel something. I think that’s a core of any good song.

On The Move: You stated that « Clarity » is not exactly your debut album but more of a project of 12 songs that you needed to get out there. Is that true?

What do you feel like is missing somehow for it to be your proper debut record?

On The Move: You always name Kylie Minogue, Madonna, Cher, Britney Spears, Beyonce, Rihanna, Gwen Stefani as some of your major inspirations. Is there any new artist that particularly inspires you?

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Kim Petras: LIZZO! I love Lizzo!! I adore her, I met her a few years ago for the first time and immediately loved her. I think she’s incredible and I think she’s breaking a lot of rules and boundaries. I definitely bump her music all the time. I love her!!

On The Move: What pushed you to create your own label ?

Kim Petras: My reasoning, I don’t have anything against labels. I just don’t think I found the right one for me. I’m very particular about my vision and I have a clear image in my head on how I want things. I feel like I gotta do things my own way and I think that’s what made me create my own label.

On The Move: Your whole career took off in America but you’re coming from Germany. Do you feel like your European background shaped you in any way differently that it could have been if you were from the US? Kim Petras: Absolutely! I think having a different view on things is always interesting. I came here with a completely different perspective since I didn’t grow up here and I feel like I had glamorized America a lot and I think if you’re from anywhere, I think that influences your whole entire life and who you are. So I think it’s very in me that I’m from somewhere else, I think being an immigrant anywhere is a very humbling and interesting experience and teaches you all kinds of things about yourself. I feel like it was both helpful and harder that I’m not from there. I always saw LA as the pop school. I came out here as a songwriter with like no money and slept on studio couches and hustled really hard. I think I worked my way and it’s amazing that that’s possible in America. I think it’s just definitely different.

On The Move: You’re a part of the transgender community. You performed for years in LGBTQ+ bars and clubs. What did you learn artistically from this world and culture?

Kim Petras: Everything. I’m part of the LGBTQ+ community so I feel like I was born and raised in a gay club. Especially with my first singles, I feel like all I wanted to do was write gay club classics. It’s where I go out, it’s most of our culture that me and my friends are from. I love it. I think I’ve had amazing time performing in gay clubs and straight clubs or any club. I mean I’ve learned my craft as a performer, performing in clubs where people didn’t know me and people who I had to convince to like my music and see that I’m talented. I think the whole experience taught me everything I know.

On The Move: Which song of yours do you like to perform the most?

Kim Petras: I don’t really like to pick but recently its been “Icy” because I just put that in my set since my European run that I just finished. But on the next tour I’m going to have a new record named “Turn off the Light Vol 2” which I’m excited about. I can’t wait to perform all of those songs and a bunch of “Clarity” that I haven’t gotten to perform yet.

« I think a great pop song is something that people can relate to » On The Move: What is one of your best memories on stage?

Kim Petras: I did this festival in Brooklyn about a year ago and it started raining and everybody stayed in the rain I sang my song “Can’t Do Better”. It was one the most epic rock and roll moments I’ve ever had, it was thousands of people and that were all screaming the lyrics in the rain, that was so magical!! I’m having magical moments on stage like every night on tour. My fans are really inspiring and really touching. I’m having the time of my life.

On The Move: What would you say to your younger self, the girl sleeping on a futon and knocking on producers’ doors a few years ago?

Kim Petras: I would say keep sleeping on that futon and keep knocking on them doors! Because it eventually got me somewhere. I definitely at some points thought about giving up, everybody does at some point feel that way. I’m glad I didn’t and that’s it. I feel like I would probably just leave like everything alone because I’m really happy where my path has gotten me and all the lessons I’ve learned along the way. I’m really glad it didn’t happen overnight but that it was over 10 years of hard work every single day to get here. Makes me appreciate everything and feel blessed for what I have. I do really feel blessed and I’m from very humble beginnings. I just always want to stay that humble person.

INTERVIEW BY CORALINE BLAISE & Pam charbit PHOTOS: byron spencer

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DRAX PROJECT Comprised of Sam Thomson, Shaan Singh, Matt Beachen and Ben O’Leary, Drax Project is a band mixing R&B, EDM, pop and even Jazz influences. Formed in New Zealand in 2014, the quarter started in the industry by covering famous pop songs online and grew their fanbase thanks to their original approach and wide range of influences. They eventually rose to fame with the massive hit «Woke Up Late» featuring Hailee Steinfeld. As they finally just released their debut album, we sat with the band to talk about their story.

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Ben O’Leary

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n The Move: Hey guys! You have this new single called «All This Time». Despite the pop aspect of the song, I can feel an electro vibe to it.

Are you going to continue pursuing this EDM path further in the future?

Ben O’Leary: «All This Time» is an interesting one.

It’s actually quite an old song even though we just released it. We’ve been playing it live in shows for about two years and the heavy saxophone part is like «dum dum duum duuuum».(laughs) That’s the kind of stuff we’ve been playing live since we started the band.

Matt Beachen: We always loved big drops. We covered a lot of songs that have big drops but we also love beautiful guitar lines and pop melodies and stuff so we combine the two.

Shaan Singh: On the album we just dropped, there’s a mixture of many things but «All This Time» is the furthest into heavy drops that we have.

On The Move: Speaking of shows, do you already know how you are going to represent this album and turn it into live?

Shaan Singh: We’ve actually already played all of the songs on the album live before the album dropped. We played them in our shows in New Zealand recently. We’ve done that ever since we’ve been a band.

Sam Thomson: We’ve been testing the songs.

Ben O’Leary: Also the style of the guitar and the saxophone... for example «Cry My A River» by Justin Timberlake, we’ve played this song in pretty much of all of our shows. Even the original songs, the fans who came to our shows before are already familiar with them.

On The Move: How do you guys work in studio? Are you all bringing ideas, do some of you come up with melodies or lyrics then you build everything around that?

Shaan Singh: Everything you just said is correct (laughs)

« We’re all songwriters and we want to be a part of everything. » - Matt Beachen

On The Move: Where does this inspiration for electro music come from? Are you fans of DJs, producers who produce this kind of drops?

Matt Beachen: We started off almost as a live DJs. We started off with drums and saxophone and playing for half an hour, straight, almost like a DJ would, just changing songs. That’s how we started, it’s almost like our DNA. We have the big climactic drops and we can go in the build-up ...

Ben O’Leary: This sound kind of comes from us playing live because we wanted to sound the way our shows sound, very high energy, if that makes sense. The bass hits you very hard and it’s very loud... it’s kind of how we spin, like trying to get all the sound have that energy in the recorded versions, the same as it does live.

Sam Thomson: It is probably a good representation of the level of intensity our shows can get to.

Matt Beachen: Yes, you’re pretty much on point. A lot of the time we start with a guitar foundation that Ben would make, we all can make those, but Ben is particularly really good at it.

Sam Thomson: Basically we would have this little idea and someone would play rough guitar on it and then someone would bring the drop to the table and then we would all sit down and make a basic idea of how we would structure the song, and maybe try melodies on it and sing random things. After a while you hear words just come out and someone might have a concept for some lyrics or storyline.

Ben O’Leary: It’s extremely collaborative. For example sometimes Shaan has written the whole song and brings it to us and we’re like « we love this and that but should change this part or this part ».

Matt Beachen: We’re all songwriters and we want to be a part of everything.

On The Move: Do you guys usually have the same taste?

Shaan Singh: We end up getting to the point where we all like what the song is. We have a rule where we try everyone’s ideas even though it might sound weird to everyone else, just to try it and know if it works or doesn’t work but we generally have similar taste.

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Sam Thomson

25 Matt Beachen

Location: apt 503 in los angeles

Shaan Singh

On The Move: I think your music cannot be labelled and put in one box because of the different influences you guys have. I feel like you’re creating - I wouldn’t say genre - but your own perception of the music you guys would like to put out.

Shaan Singh: Travis Scott… there are so many!

Shaan Singh: I think that’s a very good way of putting it

Sam Thomson: Not at all. It’s weird to think about that at the time we wrote “Woke Up Late” we weren’t focusing on it at all. We had the initial idea but we focused on other music at the time and we kind of pushed “Woke Up Late” to the side until we were in the studio with Six60. We played them the rough version that we had and they were like” “why aren’t you guys recording this one?”. And we just finished it quickly.

Ben O’Leary: That’s how we like to look at things! (laughs) Matt Beachen: Can you write our bio, please? I’m gonna write down what you said and put it on our Spotify bio! (laughs) On The Move: What can you tell me about this debut album you just released?

Matt Beachen: It’s self-titled and we wrote it pretty much over the course of two years so it’s been a long time coming Shaan Singh: Some of the songs are about when we were still working jobs while being a band and another song is about being away from home because we’re in a band so it’s like the journey in some ways over the past few years.

Sam Thomson: There are other things which are not specific to that but…

Matt Beachen: I’d say the album is quite exciting and the music feels good. You can put it on at a party, you can put it on in the bath, when you wake up... (laughs) Ben O’Leary: You can put it on when you’re brushing your teeth (laughs) Shaan Singh: We didn’t feel as a group that we had to try very hard on the album, we like all the songs and we took our time.

Matt Beachen: We don’t feel like some are singles and some are just album fillers. We think that all of them are good, of course we have our favorites but we enjoy all of them.

On The Move: You previously covered some rap songs such as “Still D.R.E” by Dr Dre. Would you like to collaborate with rappers in the future? If so, who?

Shaan Singh: We would love to!

Matt Beachen: Chance The Rapper, J-Cole, Jayden Smith.

On The Move: Let’s talk about the massive track that is “Woke Up Late” ft Hailee Steinfeld. Did you expect this kind of reaction?

Shaan Singh: I thought that it was the best pop song that we made.

Matt Beachen: I remember putting up the announcement of the song and it got the least amount of likes on Instagram and no one even cared (laughs) and turns out…

On The Move: How did the collaboration with Hailee come about?

Shaan Singh: My mom called hers and I said “should we do this?” And she said yes (laughs) Ben O’Leary: We were on tour with Camila Cabello in Europe and they are friends and someone from Camila’s team showed some of our music to Hailee’s team and she just got in touch with us and asked if she could be on the song, and we said of course.

On The Move: You are all from New Zealand, what can you tell us about the industry and the artists there?

Matt Beachen: Very interesting question.

Shaan Singh: There are a lot of cool artists from there. Do you know Bene?

Sam Thomson: Fortunes, Montell2099, SACHI… Ben O’Leary: There are SO many!

INTERVIEW BY PAM CHARBIT PHOTOS BY JONATHAN BENBARUK EXCLUSIVELY FOR ON THE MOVE

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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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FREYA RIDINGS The Voice of an Angel

Since the release of her debut single “Blackout” in 2017, Freya Olivia Rose Ridings is blessing us with her beautiful music. After the huge success of her song entitled “Lost Without You” and two live albums, the 25-year-old British artist is now promoting her first studio album: “Freya Ridings”. An angelic voice, soft melodies, moving lyrics… Meet Freya Ridings, the incarnation of grace.

Born and raised in London, Freya Ridings was immersed in music from her earliest childhood. Indeed, being the daughter of the actor and musician Richard Ridings, she naturally takes an interest in playing guitar and singing while observing her father. She even starts to write music at nine. Then, at the age of sixteen, the young singer-songwriter joins the renowned BRIT School, a British performing arts and technology school that Amy Winehouse, Adele, Jessie J, Leona Lewis and many more famous artists also attended. Freya is now on her way!

In 2017, she releases her debut single “Blackout” – an ethereal track that has some London Grammar’s vibes – and “Maps” as well as her first live album: “Live at St Pancras Old Church”. In fact, live music in churches and chapels really is a thing with Freya Ridings and she also performed many times in stations. There simply is magic in the air during her live performances!

Only two months later, “Lost Without You” comes out and things suddenly accelerate. The track quickly gains attention and touches an ever-growing audience: “ I wrote it on my own in my front room feeling very heartbroken, never thinking that anyone would hear it. So for it to have completely changed my life and also become this anthem, I’m just so honored. It all became real from there”. The song was even played during an episode of Grey’s Anatomy’s fifteenth season. There is no doubt she can make it across the Atlantic!

After this massive success, Freya is just as much prolific in 2018 releasing a second live album, “Live at Omeara”, and her single “Ultraviolet” three months later. Staying true to herself and her music, the young artist keeps conquering the world with pure sounds and deep lyrics. In 2019, she

reveals two brand new singles, “You Mean the World to Me” and “Castles”. For the first one, Freya Ridings has the honor of having a deeply moving music video involving two iconic Game of Thrones cast members. Indeed, it is starring the actress Maisie Williams and was directed by Lena Headey. As for “Castles”, the music video is, just like the song itself, more dynamic and showcases a new facet of Freya’s music.

However, her most important 2019 project undoubtedly is her debut eponymous album. Composed of twelve tracks, the opus definitely has an introspective aspect: “It’s kind of like a time capsule of the last ten years of my life”. The singer really wanted to tackle the loneliness that we all feel in our lives at some point and the ways to overcome it.

Grateful for the patience of her fans, Freya Ridings is now proud to share this new chapter with the world! For that matter, she will perform in Berkeley in October and will then be on the road in the United Kingdom until November – her biggest tour to date.

Listen if you are a fan ofBirdy’s inborn grace, the powerful pure voice of Hannah Reid (from London Grammar), ethereal sounds, minimalist instrumentals, acoustic music and live shows.

One song to listen to“Lost Without You” (live at Hackney Round Chapel version), her breakthrough platinum-selling hit and the song that changed her life!

WordS by COLINE GAILLARD PHOTO: ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

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The alternative pop duo you didn’t know you needed

Lily Somerville and Megan Markwick are London-based flatmates and best friends and together, they form an alternative pop duo: IDER. In their new album, called “Emotional Education”, the two artists join their voices to express the complexity and anxieties of the millennial generation. Standing out from the classic pop songs, IDER’s music will blow your mind and soothe your soul. Raw talent in sight!

At first sight, it seems like they have known each other forever and yet, Lily Somerville and Megan Markwick met at university, just a few years ago. Indeed, they were both studying music and clicked instantly. They started living and writing together, making songs in their bedrooms. Like many other artists, they started uploading tracks on Soundcloud. “Sorry”, “Million” or “King Ruby” were already very promising, showing their alternative electro pop music universe. Their debut songs quickly caught the right people’s attention in 2016 and allowed them to make an EP the next year: “Gut Me Like An Animal”. Lily and Megan kept writing more and more new songs such as “Learn To Let Go” or “Body Love”.

This summer, IDER released their first album: “Emotional Education”. The British duo kept the same writing process as the previous years. They both wrote on their own before sharing their creations with one another. However, that would not have worked without that special connection.

Their strong friendship helped them feeling free to share their emotions and experiences. Lily and Megan agree: they can talk about pretty much anything together. For instance, Lily wrote “Saddest Generation” and Megan only changed a line: “where is the emotional education we’re all looking for?” which gave the opus its title. This very raw song tackles loneliness, isolation and is based on mental health statistics. Indeed, people are more and more affected by these issues, especially teenagers and IDER’s music is here to show them that they are normal and not alone.

Honest and spontaneous lyrics, both personal and universal, are one of the characteristics that distinguish the British duo. Whether it is conscious or not, Lily and Megan’s songs sound like a genuine analysis of the modern world. In a society where we are all in a rush and try to

show the best of us on social media, their music is here to reassure and calm everyone down.

This therapeutic mix of pop and electronic music is surprisingly unique and each of the eleven tracks of “Emotional Education” is a real gem. “You’ve Got Your Whole Life Ahead Of You Baby” alludes to the FOMO syndrome that teenagers and mid-twenties can sometimes feel. “Mirror” tackles the feeling of being lost after a relationship. “Busy Being A Rockstar” is about the absence of a father and “Swim” refers to anxiety and depression, trying to make it in the music industry. Add catchy instrumentals with synth notes to these beautiful lyrics, precise harmonies showcasing Lily and Megan’s singular voices and unexpected crescendos: the perfect recipe to fall in love with IDER. Lily and Megan will be supporting Sigrid on some of her shows in Europe and will also have headline ones. If you relate to their music, join the movement and get yourself the emotional education you need!

Listen if you are a fan ofMaggie Rogers’ catchy productions, honest lyrics that seem to be extracts of a diary, Simon and Garfunkel’s capacity to mix their voices like nobody else.

One song to listen to“Mirror” for its perfectly executed echoing harmonies, its resonant and self-reflective lyrics and its powerful crescendo bridge ending the song triumphantly.

WordS by DéBORAH GAILLARD PHOTO: ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

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RYAN BEATTY The next America’s favorite boy

When we first heard of Ryan Beatty, Justin Bieber was America’s favorite teenage boy and millions of talented or so – emerging artists were blooming on YouTube. Fortunately, a lot has changed since 2012. With his high-pitched voice and infamous side-swept haircut, Ryan Beatty seemed to be born to be a teen superstar, with legions of screaming teenage girls following his every move. But then, the young star dropped everything.

Drifting away from the sound that brought him to fame, the singer made a comeback in 2017 by featuring on band Brockhampton’s albums « Saturation II » and « Saturation III ». Then the following year, Ryan released his debut album, « Boy In Jeans ». Older, blonder, wiser, with this album, Ryan made a bold statement: this is who he is, and the rest and past don’t matter. For the first time in years, the young artist dared to tell unspoken truth and secrets he buried deep down.

It’s soft, smooth, dreamy and pop oriented. Everything it takes to tell the story of a man coming and growing into himself amidst the pressure and fears. By simply being himself, Ryan Beatty managed to reinvent his story and spoke the truth that was so hard to tell. « I feel like, if something doesn’t feel personal to me, then I’m not interested. So, with all of this, I don’t feel like I have a persona. Obviously, I present myself how I am in real life. I don’t feel a disconnection. » Because inspiration can come from anywhere, Ryan doesn’t hesitate to let his emotions take over and find perfection in the world he lives in. Be it a vinyl that is playing, a car ride that goes on forever or just a lazy afternoon on the couch. « Some of the best ideas come when it’s least convenient.

I wrote these songs usually in my car or on my parents’ couch. I’d drive to Calvin’s and when I’d walk in he would be playing a vinyl of some artist that I’d never heard of. I remember there being a lot of D’Angelo too.

Thank you to my parents for the gas money. Thank God for last summer. »

As a whole, Ryan Beatty is a peculiar artist. Mixing urban contemporary with some major throwback cues like on « Euro » or bringing a soulful groove to his voice. With his eclectic debut album, the singer paved the way for more experiences.

Lately, Ryan joined once again his friends of Brockhampton to feature on their last album « GINGER ». Earlier this year, he also worked on « IGOR » the new record by Tyler, The Creator. Some collaborations that influenced his work and sound. While the pop is still very much present, you can sense that touch of hip-hop and RnB, bringing a different vibe to his record.

His latest work also includes «Dark Circles». An irresistible track, recounting memories and hard times that are difficult to let go, overthinking of an ex-lover all while losing sleep. A pop song like no others about boys and tapping right into something the young artist has been yearning for and searching for.

Listen if you are a fan ofRoy Blair, The Aces or Role Model for the blending of different genres and the soulful yet pop vibes. Also, young and upcoming artists that are ready to defy the old generation.

One song to listen to« God In Jeans » because you’ll feel young, reckless and in love while listening to this song. Also, it has this retro and vintage vibe that makes us wonder why we were not born way earlier.

WordS by LéNAELLE FONTAINE PHOTO: ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

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Baby Ariel Baby Ariel is not your typical teenager.

At only 18, Ariel was recognized as one of the most influential people on the internet by Time magazine and was featured on Forbes’ 2017 list of top entertainment influencers. Besides her place as a leader in the social media space, Baby Ariel is also a singer and an actress while she launched her own anti-bullying campaign. She’s taking over this issue of the magazine and we met up with her for an amazing photoshoot and an up close and personal talk.

Hair and Makeup: Juel hair & Makeup @juelhairmakeup Stylist: Dumebi Fashion @atelier_dumebi Location: Ragdoll Pink Palace in Los Angeles @ragdollpinkpalace

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n The Move: Hi Ariel! We are super happy have you today with us. To put things into context, you’re a singer and actress but also a major social media influencer. What do you like the most about social media?

Baby Ariel: I think that the beautiful thing about social media is that we’re accessible and we’re right there. It’s not pretending, we really are right there and we’re able to post stories and see every single person who viewed our stories and reply back to every single person. They can message me directly which is my favorite thing ever. I can’t respond to every single person but like as much as I can I will and I really like to treat social media as a place where I talk to my friends because they are like my friends. So if I post a picture of me hanging out, at a sleepover, doing nothing, honestly that’s what I would post to my friends. They’re watching what I’m doing, we’re hanging out together.

Social media is a great plan On The Move: Don’t you think it should be used carefully though? In order not to comparing yourself to others?

Baby Ariel: For sure. I think that everybody at one point definitely gets sucked into comparing themselves because as a teenager we all spent hours on our phones and we’re humans so it’s hard not to. But it’s really about recognizing that you are doing it and getting off your phone and escaping and doing things for yourself, going outside, doing what you love, focusing on your own passions and just becoming truly happy and confident in yourself. Because it’s hard, like as a teen girl what we do on a daily basis is to compare ourselves, it’s hard, we have to support each other as much as we can and learn to love ourselves. Instagram is not real life. We all go on there and we edit, we use filters and we post that we’re doing this but we’re not doing actually doing that. We should stick to reality.

On The Move: You’re doing so many great things at the same time at such a young age. How do you balance your jobs but also your life as a young adult?

Baby Ariel: At first it was really difficult. When I first started, everything kind of blended together and it became one and I’ve quickly had to realize that that wasn’t the way to do it. I’ve learned how to compartmentalize everything and say ‘okay I need a certain amount of time for everything a day’ because if I don’t get enough time for myself then I’m going to go crazy. If I don’t get enough time to work then that’s not right. So it’s learning how to separate your mind from each and not thinking about it all as one. Like when I think about my job, it is my job and I love it death but the same way my mom and my dad will go to work during

their time, they come home and they separate and now it’s family time once you get home. So I’ve learned how to do the same thing and also my family and friends have been the biggest support system and loving people on this entire planet. And they’ve helped me through every single set, my family travelled with me everywhere I went. I couldn’t thank them enough. It’s really not me it’s them (laughs). I couldn’t do anything without my parents.

On The Move: You created an anti-bullying campaign called #ArielMovement. What was this inspired by?

Baby Ariel: It was inspired by my fans. Because when I first started on social media, I was getting a lot of hate online. I was so new to the social media world that I didn’t know how to handle it so the only way I knew how to was to address it and make a video about it which I did. And after I addressed it saying ‘this is not okay’ and even if you don’t like I like it so why come on my page and hate me?

I don’t understand. I got a lot of responses from my fans who could relate to my story and were telling me their story and so I decided to open up the Ariel Movement to just create a positive platform where I might not be talking on there every single day but they’re able to find a friend within each other and they’re able to talk to each other and love and support each other. It’s a world where we can go and be ourselves and not focus on judgment and mean people.

« « I think that the beautiful

thing about social media is that we’re accessible and we’re right there »""»

»

On The Move : On the music side, I heard that you’re working on new music?

Baby Ariel: Yes I am going to release new music very soon. The next song is a very personal one and it means the world to me. It’s the most “me-song” that I’ve ever released and with the music video which we’re filming soon, it’s a very personal story. It’s called “Wild Side”.

On The Move: You also have a Snapchat series coming up, right?

Baby Ariel: Yeah I have a Snapchat show coming up and it’s called “Baby Ariel presenting” and then it’s a person’s name. In this show I talk to ten different

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people with ten completely different stories and backgrounds and cultures and things that they’ve been through and we talk about one thing that they have gone through that has made them a better person or transformed them in some way. And we just filmed it and it’s one of the best experiences I’ve ever had because I’ve never been able to meet someone completely new, sit down with them and really have a meaningful deep conversation where we just dive into them and who they are and what makes them them and what makes them smile every day and I think a lot of the really beautiful stories that they share will help a lot of people. Hopefully it will change something in their lives like they did in their own lives. It was incredible!

On The Move: Can you tell me more about the different episodes in the series?

Baby Ariel: One of them happens to be my exboyfriend and we talked about our relationship and then one was my best friend and then like seven of them I didn’t know. And then there was my other friend so just a bunch of different kind of people.

They’ve got completely different point of views, they come from completely different worlds and places and talk about completely different things. Like I spoke to one person about hair, I spoke to another person about bullying online and self-confidence and body positivity and being creative. Like totally different worlds, different people’s perspectives.

every person throughout their entire life goes through that journey. And there are days where you go all the way back and there are days where you go all the way back up. Then I would say spend time off social media because it is toxic and that’s so cliché, people probably say it all the time but it is toxic. The more time you spend comparing yourself and you’re so focused on what other people are doing every day that you need to put it down and focus on you and learn more about yourself. Try a new sport, try a new club, try anything that makes you focus on you. Also surround yourself with people that love you and care for you and lift you up because I think every person deserves happiness no matter what. So if you can create a loving and warm environment for yourself then do it and don’t be afraid to cut out negative people because sometimes there are bad people that have been in our lives for a long time but if they’re not nice to you then you cut them off (laughs)! And be kinder to yourself because you deserve it.

« The Ariel Movement is a

world where we can go and be ourselves and not focus on judgment and mean people.»

On The Move: You just mentioned self-confidence and body positivity. How do you - as a 18-year-old girl living in the public eye - work on this on a daily basis and which advice would you give to your fans about it?

Baby Ariel: First of all, before anything I just want to say that it takes time. Like you don’t wake up the next day and you’re like “okay I’m fully in love with myself ”, no it takes time, it’s a journey and I think

INTERVIEW BY PAM CHARBIT & LUDIVINE DESUMEUR PHOTOS BY Heather Koepp EXCLUSIVELY FOR ON THE MOVE

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Jade Hassouné You might know him as an actor but guess what, Jade is also an artist! If Jade rose to fame thanks to his role as Meliorn in the US television series «Shadowhunters» the 28 year-old artist originally from Lebanon participated in the TV show «Canada’s Got Talent» with his dance group «Enigma Dance Productions». Let’s sit for a moment with Jade Hassouné, who has a lot to offer to the music and entertainment scene.

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n The Move: You’ve been doing conventions all summer, so how have you felt about that?

Jade Hassouné: It’s been really really fun. It just happens that it’s all kind of related like a week apart almost so it ends up being like a summer tour. So I go and I stay in Europe for like almost 2 months so it’s really an experience you know? and the fandom is really epic like they’re more than loyal, it’s hard to explain it.

On The Move: Really dedicated?

Jade Hassouné: More than that even. They’re so talented and they create all of this art and they show it in such a creative, incredible way. I love going to all the conventions because we start building actual relationships with the fans.

It’s great. It’s always more than just the show and it goes so beyond that, and that’s why I’be been so focused on creating something that will continue to unify us, but still move on to something different. Which is why I started into the music.

« With music, I wanted to be free from someone else telling me ‘you are worthy and here’s your career’ » On The Move: Have you found that the Shadowhunter community has really traveled forward with you into this new part of your career?

Jade Hassouné: Oh yeah, absolutely. That’s the basis of where my audience began. But the cool thing is that I’ve always sort of been in those young adult book turned TV type things. My first movie was with Freeform, so I’ve kind of been in that realm, and it’s continuing in a logical way. The fans kind of attach to who they resonate with most so we all have a different audience, even though they’re all part of the Shadowhunters fandom. When I see me and my friends and what we’re all doing and how people relate to each one, it’s really cool.

On The Move: How influenced were you by all of the musically inclined people who were also working on the show?

Jade Hassouné: I’ve always always always wanted to do music. I was just waiting for the right time and now is just the right time. Because I came back from the summer tour of the year before and I had been inspired

all year. Kat, and Dom, and Alberto and I, we’re always singing. So obviously when I saw that they’d done this stuff before, I saw that and thought “Yes! Absolutely!

I can totally do this too!” It definitely added to it, but it was something that, even in my teen years before I studied acting, I wanted to be a singer.

On The Move: How super excited are you for a full album instead of a single?

Jade Hassouné: I’m excited to release it, but it’s almost all going to be released individually before the EP comes out together. I’m releasing singles and they’re almost all going to be released before it drops as a whole.

On The Move: What is the overall theme that you’d like for you fans to take away from the record?

Jade Hassouné: I have a mission that I’ve always felt.

I need to uplift, you know? And what I put out in the world helps it to uplift. To help with wellbeing, and I want people to feel empowered for their own self. But at the same time it’s kind of like a diary of being on tour all the time. There’s like a sadness that comes with it. Like you’re alone and you’re meeting amazing new people but you’re always saying goodbye.

On The Move: Are you interested in doing concerts?

Jade Hassouné: I am DYING to do that. That’s where having a label who knows everything, who to hire, how to do it, how to book a venue, that is something that I feel I’m still discovering. I’m sort of reintegrating my own city and seeing these people putting on shows, and noticing “hey I want this too”. I’ve realized all of this is about creating relationships, and making those connections. One thing that I’m really thinking about, is that I’ll be creating my own little meet and greets at conventions with a concert attached to it. I’m dying to do it. I’m seeing all these artists performing and I just desperately want to perform. There’s the parts of it that are recording and setting up a video and photoshoots and a cover, but really I just want to perform music.

On The Move: Do you play instruments? How long?

Jade Hassouné: Piano is my main instrument that I’ve always played since I was 6, and guitar. And I played saxophone in high school. I could still grab one and play it. But yeah! That’s how I write my songs, is on the piano, even though they turn into these crazy pop songs. Right now I’m having fun mixing it up each time I create something new, using all of these elements that I’m learning.

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On The Move: Who are you biggest musical influences, those people that really inspire you to make art?

Jade Hassouné: It’s cliché but honestly like pop divas of the world are always gonna be some of my favorites.

Like the big one is Lady Gaga and Lana Del Rey. I love Kim Petras, she’s an amazing pop artist. But I also love hip hop. Drake, Nicki Minaj, Cardi B. People who are really creating something new. Who have created their own empire. I really appreciate seeing those things.

Lana Del Rey, for example, she’s been doing it forever and she’s done so many versions of herself before it really took off as that brand, you know what I mean?

And seeing that is such an inspiring thing because I’m like okay you’ve created a person, a story, a character, and that’s why my artist name is the way it is. Because it’s not me necessarily as people know me, as the actor or as the person. It’s like I’m creating this entity that’s going to evolve on its own and I want it to do that, I want it to be that. I love all kinds of styles of music, and you’ll find that on the EP. It’s very eclectic. Mainly I just did what I wanted. As actors we’re constantly being told what to say and do. Doing music is like a free voice. I’m not interpreting someone else’s words, I’m saying my own words, creating my own voice.

I didn’t know this when I went into theatre school, I just thought I was going to be working on everything.

And since I didn’t work in the French system, they sort of considered me non-French speaking. Which is wrong! I went to French school my whole life, I’m a French kid. I just studied English because I thought “Oh I’m going to be acting in LA” and stuff like that.

It’s been really fun to join in on my own city’s industry again.

« I just wanted to be the boss of my own realm » On The Move: What can we expect from you next?

Jade Hassouné: So there’s the parts we know for sure that I’m going to continue doing conventions. I’m in London early this month, and then there’s going to be another convention in Brussels in November. Then there’s gonna be some in May. Next summer will sort of be a repeat of this year. On top of that there will be an indie feature film that we shot in Arizona. Then I am probably going to do a second season of a series called 410 that’s created by a friend of mine. Right now that’s only in Canada. And then there’s going to be another feature that I’ll be shooting in a couple of months. As always, there will be auditions non-stop.

I’m doing a stage play. The last time I did stage was 2014. This new play is going to be a premiere of a French version of a play they did in New York and London. It’s the first time I’m going to be working in the French theatre world. In Montreal it’s very interesting, there’s the French industry, and the English industry in all arts. They’re very separate. And

Jade’s new single “Living Right Now” is a mesh of hip-hop, trap, and pop (all with a nice Latin flare). It will be released on October 25th just in time for your new Halloween jam!

INTERVIEW by kit connelly photos BY Heather koepp EXCLUSIVELY FOR ON THE MOVE

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JULIAN LAMADRID

Originally from Mexico but born and raised in Dubai, Julian Lamadrid uncommonly blends a wide range of genres - from bedroom pop to new wave, British rock and 80s synth - in order to create a unique blend of sounds. Beside his love for music, and inspired at a young age by Elvis Presley, David Bowie or Iggy Pop, Julian is also deeply involved in the visual aspect of his career after he went to film school in NYU. With a rare vision especially for an upcoming artist his age, he started showing the world some parts of his talent by releasing his singles “Mess” and “Neon” while announcing the release of his debut album “Mala Noche” in November. Meet Julian Lamadrid.

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n The Move: Hey Julian! We’re happy to have you with us today in Paris. Could you tell us how you got into music in the first place?

Julian Lamadrid: Hey guys, I’m so happy to be here today! I’ve been interested in music for as long as I can remember. My parents showed me Elvis Presley very early and I became addicted to him. I had one little “Best Of ” of Elvis and I listened to it every single day.

The CD was all scratched up and I would try to shake my leg and do my best impression of him. That’s my earliest memory. And then for a long time, I was more into football and sports but then when I was around 14, I kind of realized that all my idols and my heroes were people like David Bowie, Iggy Pop and all the rockstars and I thought that if I’m gonna be here one time then I want to try to be like these men and these people I idolize. I thought it was cool also, if I could make a band, I could try to impress girls with my rock music, so I started a band when I was about 15 and from then I’ve been making music and writing songs, since I had this band.

« I’M NOT REALLY CONCERNED BY A 15-MINUTE OF FAME » On The Move: So was it a real ambition from the beginning to make music for a living?

Julian Lamadrid: I think, more than making music for a living, I got really addicted to making sense of my emotions, and my feelings and putting them somewhere.

Music was the most accessible form for me at that age because my parents were splitting up, girls were breaking my heart, and the only thing I wanted to do was to grab a microphone and scream as loud as I could. Eventually it turned into what I am doing now, which is pop music, but it started like that.

On The Move: I read somewhere that you said you had a crystal clear vision of who you are as an artist.

Can you tell me more about this vision?

Julian Lamadrid: I spent a lot of time alone, trying to understand who I am in the modern landscape of music.

I don’t fit in a lot of places because I don’t understand how social media works, I don’t understand how to market myself online, I’m not the best at those things.

All I know to do is write music and make the videos

for it. Something special about me, compared to other artists for example, is the aesthetic and the character, my style and everything. I know who I am and I’ve had those years of self-realization where I was able to spend enough time alone to see who I am and to understand it. You can find that nowadays a lot of artists work with different directors and different producers and have other people writing their songs, and for me I’m in control of everything. In a way, I need to make sure that every aspect of my creativity come through me. So in that sense it’s been amazing because my label, Arista, just let me do my own thing and I think my own image and inspiration of who I want to be changes every day, and is constantly modeled. I think something for me is that I’m not really concerned by a 15-minute of fame.

For me it’s all about longevity and I want to be an artist that - in 60 years - still have kids listening to my music and say “oh wow this guy is cool” instead of just having one song that is popular and in 5 years nobody knows my name. This is something I’m conscious of and that I think about a lot.

On The Move: You went to film school in NYU, what is the connection between visuals and sounds for you, and when do the visuals happen in your process?

Julian Lamadrid: To me they are inseparable. I can’t listen to a piece of music and not visualize to an extent to see what would go well with the song or just kind of remember a scene of my own life where that song meant something to me. So constantly when I am - maybe at early stages when I come up with a melody or I produce a song - I think about the scene or the emotions that it makes me feel and visually it always kicks in. You have people who say that when they hear a song they can see a color. For me it goes beyond that, I’d be listening to a song and I can see myself 20 years, with my son, helping him with his math homework. It’s kind of hard for me to make a distinction between the two in that sense, they’re really inseparable.

On The Move: Is there an artist that inspires you when it comes to pairing music and visuals?

Julian Lamadrid: Hm, that’s a good question. I really love Daft Punk for example. The aesthetic and the style… every single detail is thought-out. They had their film when they did their record “Discovery” and they made this whole film with it and it’s absolutely incredible. The cars and the outfits, everything is on point. I’m trying to think who else… There’s a guy called SebastiAn, he just did a song with Gallant and I think it’s one of the best videos of the year. He’s working with

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making the art. There’s this director Anton Tammi who did the music video “Hard Rain” by Lykke Li and his work is incredible. He’s probably the biggest inspiration of mine in terms of music videos.

On The Move: With your background in films, can you see past some artists and specific person you’re inspired by?

Julian Lamadrid: I think visually for my own music videos I take inspiration from directors. I want to do something that does not just translate the words of the song but has something that is a conversation with the song, like a symbolic relationship where they complete each other and are not just direct reflection.

On The Move: You started to work on your debut album before getting signed, right?

Julian Lamadrid: I made the record and then I got signed. I basically spent six months and spent all the money I’ve ever made making the record. I made 12 songs, a concept record where I tell the story of a shitty night. I finished the record and I made a Soundcloud playlist and I sent it around to everyone I heard about in the music industry. It was slow at first and no one really got back to me, but then all of a sudden once someone was kind of interested, everyone kind of followed.

It wasn’t until I met with David Massey, who runs

Arista, that I felt that I met the person that genuinely understood my artistry and wasn’t in just because they thought it was amazing hits but because they wanted to help me achieve my ambitions and bring it to the world.

The record was made before, so I’m actually excited to release it so people can hear it and the response from the industry was overwhelming so far so it’s great.

On The Move: The beginning of “Die Young” sounds like a radio liner, where does it come from and how do you pick those things?

Julian Lamadrid: Sometimes it happens coincidentally.

I’m not sure I’ll be able to clear it though and release it the way you heard it (laugh) which is sad, but I can’t find the people who own the clip. So basically, I’m very into the band Suicide, it’s an American pop-rock band from the 70s and I was watching a live show and I loved the clip of the beginning and thought it would be a good intro. I kind of wanted that start of “Die Young” to be like you’re tuning into a pirate radio station from space or something. It’s a whole new world at that point.

That might be the point of the night where you turn on the radio and you just isolate yourself. I think it always comes from different places. Sometimes I’d be watching a film and I’d hear a particular line that would hit me in the gut and I need to take my phone out and record it and put it on the record.

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On The Move: Why did you feel like “Mess” was the right introduction to the album?

Julian Lamadrid: “Mess” is nice because it’s quite an accessible pop tune that introduces me as a songwriter and performer. I think it’s a pretty song because you can listen to it in a car with your family and everyone would appreciate it. It’s a beautiful melody and that’s what I want people to like. I think my strength is writing melodies and I think it’s a song that showcases it.

« IF THE EMOTION IS THERE, REGARDLESS IF YOU’RE HITTING THE PITCHES PERFECTLY, PEOPLE WILL FEEL SOMETHING » On The Move: Can you tell us more about the video you directed for it?

Julian Lamadrid: The whole song is about me being a mess and the fact that I’m clearly unstable and sometimes not in control of myself (laugh). I wanted to have a video where the protagonist was an embodiment of the complete chaos within my whole life and a hidden reality where it’s me playing myself in a hidden form of myself. Basically I’m at a party and I see a girl who’s being treated badly by a guy and I smash a bottle against his head and you know normally in the video, anyone would kind of show themselves as a hero but it doesn’t really present it here, it presents me as a guy who has no reason to get mad about that, it wasn’t my girlfriend and I don’t know the guy. All of a sudden I let my emotions win and all my anger and I end up smashing this beer bottle against this man’s head. Straight after that I get a shit kicked out of me and I end up on the street alone, drunk, covered in blood, sad and just wandering through NYC and it’s an emotion I’m quite familiar with from the past three years living there and just the idea of wandering streets alone and I just wanted to show myself in that light, that shows I’m not a hero but it’s about being in that state and realizing that as long as you have yourself and you love yourself then you’ll be fine because you’ll make it through the night.

Julian Lamadrid: Yes, I also directed ‘Neon’. Again it’s amazing that Artista just let me direct everything because I have images in my head so why not execute them myself. For Neon I wanted to just create that nightmare of a night where it’s like a drug filled adventure, just got into the streets of NYC with friends and just getting absolutely hammered and fucked up and not being able to tell what’s real and what’s fake, what’s just in my head and what’s just a reflection of my own anxiety and insecurities.

On The Move: How do you work on your voice?

Julian Lamadrid: Do you know Matty Healy of The 1975? There’s this song called «I Couldn’t be More In Love» and the way he uses his voice and the expression and emotion that comes through it is incredible. I’ve never had classic vocal training and I’ve never done anything that is like remotely close to vocal exercises or anything like that but I believe that if the emotion is there regardless if you’re hitting the pitches perfectly, people will feel something. Janis Joplin, when she screams or when her voice breaks, it’s those moments of imperfections that really leave the listener in shock and really communicate the emotion better than if you were hitting everything perfectly.

INTERVIEW BY CORALINE BLAISE & PAM CHARBIT PHOTOS BY DAMIEN PAILLARD EXCLUSIVELY FOR ON THE MOVE

On The Move: We particularly like the video for “Neon”, as well!

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OUR BEST LATEST ALBUMS

FAVOURITE ALBU OF THIS FALL

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 whatmatters mattersmost most: music! : music!

Whatever Whatever genre genre suitssuits you,you, you’llyou’ll find something find something new to new discover... to discover...

Here Here are our arefavourite our favourite albums albums released to lately.to this fall. listen

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The British alternative rock band is back! Keane’s fifth studio album, the first in seven years, is here and is called “Cause And Effect”. If something hasn’t changed, it’s obviously their capacity to make catchy choruses and effective melodies.

You will then discover the pop influenced “Love Too Much”, the heady rhythm of “Stupid Things” but also slower tracks like the romantic ballad “Strange Room” or the emotional “I Need Your Love” and its John Lennon vibes. However, this opus offers some surprises. First, its atmospheric aspect on several tracks such as “You’re Not Home” which, according to Tim Rice-Oxley, sounds just like a “collision of stars”. Finally, “Cause And Effect” is not only a breakup album but also has an unusual psychological facet. “The Way I Feel” describes the overwhelming feelings that Tom Chaplin overcame when he temporarily left the band because of his fear of fame.

“Chase The Night Away” is about the will to find the right person to plan your life with when you’re older whereas “Phases” shows that life goes on no matter what. A great return just as memorable as their biggest hit “Somewhere Only We Know”!

Top 3 tracks: The Way I Feel, Put The Radio On, New Golden Age

Cause and effect – Keane

After winning the renowned BRIT Critics’ Choice Awards, touring all over the world during two years straight and selling out headline shows with only one EP to his credit, Sam Fender released his very anticipated debut album “Hypersonic Missiles”. With his natural talent for songwriting, his unique vocals and his essential sense of convictions, the British artist excels in different soundscapes. You might say it lacks cohesion musically speaking, but there’s a reason to that: «Hypersonic Missiles» is the result of long years of work: some songs were written when he was only 19, some others just a year ago. Throughout the record, we follow the evolution of an artist who tackles important topics and asks the right questions while staying unpretentious and delivers us heartfelt and personal lyricism about what surrounds him and what moves him, whether it’d be our society of consumerism, domestic violence or male suicide. This album is definitely a whirlwind of renewal, not to mention the many saxophone solos which are clearly the cherry on top!

Top 3 tracks:The Borders, Play God, You’re Not The Only One

Sam Fender – Hypersonic Missiles

The young Californian quartet, who got to be the opening act for twenty one pilots earlier this year, released an explosive and colorful second studio album “How Do You Love?”. While their debut album preached independence and selfconfidence, the new record tackles a new theme: love. The album begins with a poetic and engaging spoken-word introduction describing this feeling. But beware this is not necessarily an all rose-colored and candy floss type of album: each track talks about the ups and down of love and relationships. They also don’t lack of empowering lyrics such as in “Go Love You”: “you think you such a man but you’re just a little boy, I’m a grown ass woman and not your little toy”. In the vein of the riot grrrl, pop-punk with a touch of bluesy rock, The Regrettes invite us to dance and sing along throughout the whole record. “How Do You Love?” is musically and lyrically strong and most of all is an album everyone can relate to in their own way. So are you in love?

Top 3 tracks: California Friends, Dress Up, Go Love You

The Regrettes – How Do You Love?

As a versatile artist, Tom Leeb not only is a singer and songwriter but also an actor, a musician and a humorist. He is now proudly promoting his first studio album: “Recollection”. Composed of thirteen authentic tracks and mixing blues and folk influences as well as soft pop melodies, the opus is both sophisticated and minimalist.

A true work of art that the French artist describes as such: “I love the aesthetic and meticulous side of my productions such as the great soundtracks of my favourite movies”. And he is totally right! If you love organic music, acoustic guitars and soft voices in the style of James Morrison or John Mayer, you should definitely fall for Tom Leeb’s melodious songs and impressive fingering. Hats off to the performer!

Top 3 tracks: Running, Raphaele, Are Wee Too Late

TOM LEEB - RECOLLECTION

After releasing her debut album in 2015 and a gospel-themed opus in 2018, Tori Kelly is now more vulnerable than ever in the sixteen tracks of “Inspired

by True Events”, her new album. The 26-year-old artist decided it was time to really open up about who she is as a person: “it’s exactly where I needed to be for this chapter of my life.” In this way, not only does the opus have honest songs but it also counts four audio clips from videos recorded by Tori Kelly’s family when she was a child. Mixing pop, rock, soul and gospel sounds, this project truly showcases her incredible musicality and musician skills. You can even enjoy a country-inspired instrumental with “Language”. Thanks to a perfect enunciation as well as sublime vocal exploits, this is a real pleasure to listen to the powerful “Change Your Mind”, the comforting “Before the Dawn” or the moving “Sorry Would Go a Long Way”!

Top 3 tracks: Coffee, Change Your Mind, Before the Dawn

TORI KELLY - INSPIRED BY TRUE EVENTS

She started her singing career with “Whip My Hair” in 2010. This summer, she offered us an eponymous third album. During 22 atmospheric minutes, its 8 tracks tackle topics such as female empowerment or religion. As usual, Willow played a major role in her opus since she co-produced all the songs with Tyler Cole. “Like A Bird” reveals a spacey introduction to the album while “Female Energy, Part 2” is the continuation of a song released 5 years ago, in which she reflects on her woman situation in the world.

Then “Time Machine” is about being born in the wrong decade: “21st Century me, 20th Century dreams”. “PrettyGirlz” and its powerful bridge shows a beautiful contrast between the society’s beauty standards and hers. You will also hear her vocalizing in an interlude and singing alongside her brother Jaden in “U Know” where his voice is unrecognizable. Finally, “Overthinking IT” seems to deal with anxiety. “WILLOW” is a pure mix of psychedelic alternative pop, R&B and folk. With gentle guitars, echoing harmonies, impressive vocals, the prodigy stays true to herself. Take it or leave it!

Top 3 tracks: Time Machine, Overthinking IT, PrettyGirlz

WILLOW - WILLOW

Colson Baker aka Machine Gun Kelly has released his fourth studio album « Hotel Diablo » in which he clearly lets his demons out. The record opens with « Sex Drive », an odd instrumental welcoming us in this more than personal and cathartic part of Machine Gun Kelly’s discography. The American rapper directly sets the record straight in following track « el Diablo », though some may not like it. “Hollywood Whore” is about artists and corruption in the modern music industry. This song kind of hits a special string, as it samples “Numb” from Linkin Park, which is a big influence in MGK’s music. This song is also a good example of the hybrid aspect MGK’s music has, merging rap and rock as in “I Think I’m OKAY” featuring Yungblud and Travis Barker’s iconic drumming. Other tracks like “Candy” or “Glass House” reflect the rapper’s views about his addictions or about the unforeseeable nature of life. All in all, “Hotel Diablo” is a solid album which showcases Machine Gun Kelly’s growth as an artist and singer-songwriter.

Top 3 tracks: El Diablo, Hollywood Whore, Candy

Machine Gun Kelly – Hotel Diablo

We waited and were longing for it for such a long time, but it’s finally here.

A new record by the one and only Lana Del Rey. Elegant yet complex, her fifth album is like a collection of Lana’s memories, painting the American dream in a very honest way, depicting the struggles and hopes of a generation. With its classic rock references and her undoubtedly beautiful soul voice, the singer embarks us on a trip through her vision of America and shares her good old nostalgia that was already present on her previous records. It’s a Lana Del Rey’s thing to make us miss a time and memories we didn’t experience. Even if it’s not entirely new, there are still moments and bits that catch you off guard and reminds you why we love Lana Del Rey so much.

Top 3 tracks: Norman Fucking Rockwell, Mariners Apartment Complex, Venice Beach

Lana Del Rey - Norman Fucking Rockwell!

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When it comes to music, Matthew Brue and David Butler likes to honor the motto of their Texan home city «Keep Austin Weird».

Within MISSIO, they allow themselves to experiment in any sonic field, as long as it relies on honesty. Released in April, their sophomore album «The Darker the Weather // The Better the Man» digs deeper into emotions and commited lyrics, to form an eclectic, unapologetic and dazzling record. Behind this musical storm, two of the sweetest, most open-minded and down to earth artists of this industry.

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O

n The Move: Hey guys! Thank you for having us today. We can read online how you met and formed Missio but can you tell us more about how music came into your lives individually?

Matthew Brue: I started really early. My mom and dad had me play the piano when I was 6 and then, as I continued to do that, they had me do choir as well. I was doing choir and classical piano until 16 and then when I went to rehab, I started writing songs as a way to express myself so I started to realise how much I love songwriting and I never thought I’d be doing what I am doing today but I feel very blessed!

David Butler: My story is kind of the polar opposite of that. I did not grow up in a music family, I can’t even think of any member of my family that does music.

I grew up in sports and academics, it was what was pushed. When I was in sixth grade, I had to choose an elective and I was forced to do choir. You had to do an art. And I fell in love with it. And I actually discovered I was pretty good at it, which I had no idea of. And then I bought a guitar, for like thirty dollars. I was 14-15 years old maybe when I first got that guitar and taught myself how to play and I immediately joined a band.

I was just like «This is my new life!» and I had never been exposed to it until I was really that age. The idea of writing your own songs, it just blew my mind. That’s all I wanted to do!

« « all we really care about is trying to make the art we wanna make and say the things we wanna say » »

- David Butler On The Move: What does each of you bring to the project musically and personally?

David Butler: I’ll answer! Matthew is such a gifted songwriter and musician. His musical chops, he plays a good chunk of everything on the record. Almost all of our parts are synth-based and he is the synth guy. I get inspired by him all the time. He has a gift for melody.

They just come out. He makes my job so easy which, a lot of the time, is a yes or no question, and he’s like « Yes, that’s amazing, let’s keep going!» It really is a pleasure!

Matthew Brue: I’m blushing (laughs) David Butler: Really. Him and Dwight Baker, we have another guy with us who has produced both records.

I’ve worked with him my whole career and I can sing his praises and I always just feel like really blessed to get to work with those two guys because they are incredible.

Two of my favourite artists, you know.

Matthew Brue: David brings actually a lot. The sound that you hear on the record, it all comes from him. So he is the one that’s doing a lot of the controls and making the record sound awesome. When I give him demos, they sound like absolute dog trash and he makes it and does all this button and random shit. He makes it all amazing and not just from the song perspective, but he makes a lot of what happens from the live perspective happen. Because he is very detailed in how to deal with cables and run all that stuff. So, there is a lot more outside of the music’s side that he is bringing to Missio.

It is so helpful because I wouldn’t be able to do it if it wasn’t for him.

On The Move: You released your second album last April. What is the story behind the name « The Darker The Weather // The Better The Man » ?

Matthew Brue: We were on our very first headline tour and we were driving through East Washington and it was so beautiful. We were driving, it was snowing, there was this massive lake, huge mountains and for whatever reason, I heard the lyrics « The Darker The Weather, The Better The Man » in my head so I wrote it down, didn’t think too much about it and then, we ended up going into the studio. What we do on the road is that we have a giant compilation of notes that we take : lyrics, inspirations, whatever. So our producer ended up reading through that list and saw « The Darker The Weather, The Better The Man ». He said « I love this, I don’t know what it means but let’s work on this!» So we started working on it and I began to notice that I viewed that phrase very literally. When I’m struggling, or when I’m depressed or anxious, I personally feel like I’m a better artist, and I write better song and I am a better man. And as we started flashing the lyrics out, it actually became « The darker the weather, the better the man. You can take all you want but not who I am ». So it gave it a little bit more of hope in there. As we began to unfold the record, the last track on the record after « The Darker The Weather, The Better The Man » is actually named « Esperanza en la Oscuridad », « Hope in the Darkness » if you translate it. So it is this very cool, beautiful, hopeful message but it’s also dark and

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mysterious. We just thought it was a classic title and we decided to use that as the main thing. There is so much hope in life and in music, and it doesn’t always have to be negative, dark things. There is so much beauty in the world.

On The Move: Interesting to see that the idea for a title came first and you worked around it. It is usually the other way around! Also, what are the main differences between your debut album « Loner » (2017) and this one « The Darker The Weather // The Better The Man » ?

David Butler: I think we made a collective decision to push ourselves in terms of the diversity of subjects that we were trying to write about. The first record is a very personal record to both of us but, it is an extremely personal record to Matthew who was going through a pretty tough time with recovery from addiction and all sort of things. There is a big circle of Missio fans that understand what it is to deal with recovery, understand our message of not being alone with your problems.

When we sat down to write the second record, we didn’t want to just write another recovery record. And also, that wasn’t necessarily the authentic truth of what the last 18 months had looked like for us. Because we were on the road, we were on tour... So that was like a very challenging thing to do. We also didn’t want to write a record about being on the road because that’s not really relatable to people and that’s not really what we wanted to write about. So we had to dig pretty big in terms of lyrical content. But Matthew brought some really amazing stuff, there are also some stuff from my life in there, from my relationship with my wife, from my family. There are all kinds of different topics. We cover a much wider spectrum of emotions. That was probably one of the biggest things we did. Sonically, we kept our same approach. We spent it out. We added a few more instruments, we added some bass guitar. The first record there is no cymbals on the drums, things like that. We kept pretty like crazy engineering rules. Part of that is because, after the first record, we found our drummer who plays live with us. We really enjoyed that sound, he is an incredible drummer. We add a little more kit into the second record because we like that part of our sound we kinda developed live. Just like little natural changes.

Matthew Brue: I think this record is a little different from the last one in the sense that... It feels like there is a mixture of old school musicality in there. Whereas the first record I thought was very fresh and kinda futuristic.

I feel like we brought it back by adding things like a bass for the first time. And I think, even some of the lyrics too kind of help put it in into something that feel familiar

to you but you’re not necessarily sure where you’ve heard it. We both love The Cure and I feel like this band has always done a really good job at making the music feel familiar to you without hearing it ever before. So, yeah, I feel there is a classic vibe to this record, which is different.

On The Move: Your sound really defies the notion of genre, jumping from one world to the other. What do you think about this notion in our current time?

David Butler: Not having genre? I love it! It can be a huge pain in the ass because the reality is that we talk about this. We have a documentary about the making of the record which a lot of it touches on exactly what you are talking. Which is the struggle of a band of our size who basically gets a record deal, goes on tour for 18 months and gets a shot to do it again, the second record.

There is all this pressure and you have to... I mean, all we really care about is trying to make the art we wanna make and say the things we wanna say. We don’t give a shit about making an alternative record or hip-hop or whatever. We don’t want to care about that. But we’re also normal functioning people with common sense that want to be able to be artists for the rest of our lives. So we wanna write songs that fit and do the right things to do. It’s a real challenge to basically be aware that everybody wants you to do something. But it’s your job to not do what they want you to do. And then, also it’s scary, because there is no garanties that anyone is gonna like what you do or that, if you release a record that is not just down to middle made for alternative radios, for pop radios or whatever... I mean your chances at getting on there are already long. So, you know, it can get into like a really tough mental place but luckily, between both of us, we always try to pull the other one back to what resonates with us, what makes us feel, what we want, what we enjoy listening to. When we play it back, when we’re dancing around, we’re like «Oh my god! this is hot.» If that’s what it is, then it’s good enough.

Matthew Brue: I associate our songs with different feelings and emotions because I think some days we’re very sad and others days we’re extremely happy and then the next day we’re pissed off. So, I love being a little right in those moments. When we’re pissed off and we get to write a song like «Temple Priest», that’s very aggressive in its nature but then, we have «I See You», which is the polar opposite, beautiful and very hopeful. I was in a different place emotionally during that time. So, I would always rather write about how we’re feeling because I feel like people are going to respond better to that and understand and relate. Versus, trying to come up with 10 songs to classify them in an alternative category.

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I don’t feel like people will resonate as much with that as they will with « I’m pissed off, I feel like listening to ‘Temple Priest’ and the next day, I feel a little bit more hopeful today, it makes me think about ‘I See You’». I love approaching music through emotions rather than genre, it really gives a diversity to what we are able to do.

On The Move: Is there a song that was specifically challenging to you, sonically ?

David Butler: The first two songs that we wrote, «The Darker The Better // The Better The Man » and «Black Roses» are two kind of like rock songs, and then pretty shortly after that was «Shimmy» which is a banger hiphop track. I remember sitting in the studio after that and hearing «Shimmy» through the speakers and we were both just like «I don’t know, it is what it is but we don’t know what it is exactly.» It took us like a long time to realize «Oh wait, we don’t have to write rock or rap tracks, this is just a cool track! » That one was really tough. We almost trashed the song because we couldn’t figure it out.

Matthew Brue: It’s funny because in the documentary that we shot, our producer calls us out on that song specifically. Because we were like «This song is not gonna work» and he goes «You guys give up the very first time you can’t figure something out, you guys just move on! It’s a fucking awesome song, you should just go with it.» We were like « Ok, let’s try this one more time, we’ll do it» and we kept it!

« I love approaching music through emotions rather than genre, it really gives a diversity to what we are able to do. » » - Matthew Brue

On The Move: And is there one you particularly enjoy playing ?

Matthew Brue: « Temple Priest » is really really fun!

David Butler: The one that surprised us when we were preparing for tour... It’s always different when you are rehearsing and when you have the crowd there. I remember playing «Rad Drugz» in the rehearsal room and we were like «That’s a pretty good song! We think it’s gonna work live.» And then when we played it and

it was such a great moment. It is one of my favourite part of the set. It was so unexpected because we never played any of the new record live when we started this tour so we were like «We’ll see!» They always translate different but that one jumped out as a nice one.

On The Move: You said in another interview « Creativity doesn’t need to be limited to just songwriting ». There is a strong creativity in your music videos as well. How are you guys involved in that process?

Matthew Brue: Music videos are so difficult for us. Because none of us come from a videomaking background so all we can do is share what inspires us and kind of what we are seeing in our heads visually.

What’s been tough about the process is that we normally get another person who we don’t really know but whose work we like. Then, you’re letting somebody in into your art process which is always a little scary.

It’s like letting somebody babysit your kid for the first time. And you’re like «I don’t really trust you, and I don’t really know what it’s all gonna look, hopefully everything will be okay». (laughs) But I think it’s been cool because we’ve been able to meet a lot of really amazing directors and just talk through ideas. A lot of the time, the guys are like «I haven’t been able to experiment this way in such a long time » so they get really stoked about it...

David Butler: Let me tell a story about « I See You » because this is really cool. Whoever said that, I agree a 100% with the quote you found. Everything from the music, the videos, the visuals... It’s all part of the whole thing. Music is not just songs anymore. It’s a culture, it’s a way of life, it is something that can change your life.

With «I See You», it was really cool because we wrote the script, we were very specific, we saw some things for this song, we wrote the treatment on what it was going to be and we found a director. His process was that he would never look at the treatment. He would always write his own. And we basically wrote the same for the video! His treatment met our treatment and obviously, there was a couple of differences - we didn’t have the exact same furry creatures that he had - but it was the exact same concept of being invisible and wearing a mask. That was a special creative moment and it was really great working with him. That’s a nice

INTERVIEW BY CORALINE BLAISE PHOTOS BY THOMAS DAEFFLER EXCLUSIVELY FOR ON THE MOVE

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SKYLAR STECKER At just 17, Skylar Stecker already has a pretty impressive story. With 3 #1 Billboard Dance Chart singles, various TV appearances and a national tour under her belt, the young singer and actress is ready to take her music to the next level and shows the world what she’s capable of.

With her latest album “Redemption”, Skylar showcased an honest approach to songwriting along with her powerful vocals and her inspiring work ethic.

Dive into Skylar Stecker’s world as she’s sharing with us a little part of herself.

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On The Move: Hi Skylar! We’re happy to have you with us today. You unveiled your new album “Redemption” this year, what do you think is the main difference between this record and your previous releases?

“Redemption” is more for the song but “This Is Me Now” is for the message. My first album was called “This Is Me” so it’s kind of ironic. This is the evolution of where I was and where I am now, so it’s a cool one to listen to.

Skylar Stecker: Hi On The Move. Thank you guys for having me! I think the main difference with this one is definitely that I stepped outside of my comfort zone when it came to being honest and being vulnerable. I think in the past I was intimidated and scared to show that side of me because I thought it would make me come across as weak and not as strong but it’s actually the opposite, you know. Showing vulnerability is a very difficult thing to do but it’s very powerful, I’m not only doing this for myself but also for my fans listening especially because being in music since I was really young, they kind of got to grow up with me so I really wanted to be honest with my experiences and lessons I’ve learned through life. I’ll definitely say that it’s the biggest difference between “Redemption” and my past releases.

On The Move: You released a track called “You Test Me”. What can you tell us about it?

« Showing vulnerability is a very difficult thing to do but it’s very powerful »

Skylar Stecker: I would say that I always keep on my phone a list of topics and ideas or words and things that come to me through the day and I usually bring that into a session and ask myself what’s connecting with me the most right now. Then usually we usually go into the melody first and then lyrics. Melodies are my favorite thing to do because you just sing what your soul feels about a certain topic. I also just love playing around and thinking of ways to make it as different as possible. I always want to stay true to myself. A lot of music is about the same three-four things but everyone has their own interpretation about that, so it’s really fun to mess around with that.

Also music is a part of who I am and you grow with it.

On The Move: When writing about your own experiences you have to relive them and go through them again. Do you feel like it’s difficult sometimes to be able to share what you’re going through because it’s too personal?

Skylar Stecker: Definitely. When I come up with ideas and it’s very personal I’m like “ooooh, maybe not”. I feel like everyone goes through that struggle in the industry if you write your own music but it’s also kind of fun and thrilling at the same time, it keeps things fresh and new. It keeps you on your toes a little bit.

On The Move: Do you have a favorite song that you feel particularly close to?

Skylar Stecker: My favorite song to perform live is “convenient” because it’s actually recorded with live instruments but my overall favorite is either “Redemption” or “This Is Me Now”.

Skylar Stecker: This one was released prior to the album and we just did a remix for it. That one was the first song I really allowed myself to be open with and that opened the floodgate for «Redemption». After I wrote that song and came out of that session I was with my mom and I said that I really wanted to be as honest as possible. I didn’t want to lie or pretend or be in denial andand I want to be 100% honest with my emotions from this point forward. That song for me will always hold a special place in my heart for that reason.

On The Move What’s your writing process like?

On The Move: Who are the artists you are inspired by?

Skylar Stecker: I love Bruno Mars. He’s amazing!

My brother looks like Bruno Mars a little bit (laughs).

I love Beyonce, she’s one of the greatest performers alive. I love Alicia Keys, she’s super musical. She’s super musical and she started with piano. I also started with piano even before I started to sing.

She’s the one who inspired me to incorporate piano playing with writing and making songs. They are the artists I’d love to collaborate with.

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On The Move: You are into social media and close to your fans on there. Social media has a huge impact now. How do you - as a young artist in the music industry - stay positive and inspire people online?

Skylar Stecker: Social media became a huge platform to promote your music or whatever else you want to promote or show what you love in life. I’m grateful for this. Growing up in a generation where social media pretty much always existed it was kind of easy for me in a sense to get into it. It also comes with challenges, you know (laughs). I think it’s a battle for a lot of people and it’s oversaturated people it’s so accessible. I always want to use it for my music and have things come back to my music because that really is who I am. I also really want to inspire people and be a role model with what I do and I really take that seriously with the decisions I make, I really want to inspire people to not be afraid to go after what they love and to work hard because there are a lot of things people don’t see in social media. I think that whatever dream you have and things you want to do, it’s gonna take a lot of work but if you love it it shouldn’t feel like work. Just work hard and be true of who you are.

« Melodies are my favorite thing to do because you just sing what your soul feels about a certain topic.»

On The Move: What are you working on at the moment?

Skylar Stecker: I’m working on a lot of music at the moment. I also have this docu-series that came out and filmed by my uncle who works in the industry and is a filmmaker. He basically followed me around for 6 months when I was creating the whole album and going through everything. So you get more of the in-depth story. You can find it on Youtube. It was definitely interesting because I’m kind of a private person so it was interesting having cameras around but I’m happy I did it because now I have a piece of - almost like a scrapbook - and memories that I can look back. I’m going to release music soon again.

This next wave has a new confidence. I cannot wait for it!

Interview by pam charbit photos by jonathan benbaruk EXCLUSIVELY FOR ON THE

77

THE BEST LIVE SHOWS

OF THE MONTH

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JULIA MICHAELS A

fter travelling the world with some of the biggest names such as Pink, Niall Horan and Maroon 5 as their supporting act, it’s time for Julia Michaels to have her own headline shows around the globe. In France, some lucky people had already seen her live during Niall Horan’s «Flicker World Tour» in Paris. The young songwriter and performer then sang some of her own songs but also songs written for other artists: «Sorry» by Justin Bieber or «Love Myself» by Hailee Steinfeld.

For this first world tour, there is no shortage of music.

Indeed, the American singer now has several EPs to her credit. Following her first steps on «Julia Michaels» and «Futuristic», the artist’s career took off with «Nervous System» and then «Inner Monologue», which she chose to divide into different parts. «Inner Monologue Part I» and «Inner Monologue Part II», released in January and June 2019 respectively, proved to be rich in emotions and collaborations. Everything was promising an unforgettable show!

On the stage of the Trianon in Paris, it is with her single «Pink» that the pretty Julia chose to open the Parisian show of her “Inner Monologue Tour”. The ideal track to unleash the crowd that had previously been amazed by the vocal exploits of Rhys Lewis who was supporting her.

Julia Michaels then continued with «I Miss You», a track recorded with the band Clean Bandit: a genuine invitation for the audience to dance and let go. In fact, a large poster had already mentioned it before the spotlights switched on: no room for judgment tonight. The crowd is encouraged to sing, dance, jump and have fun to the fullest. The artist appeared alongside her musicians, all wiggling to the heady rhythm of the song.

Live from Paris, France Two other tracks from her EP «Nervous System» resonated in the room: «Make It Up To You» and «Worst In Me». The first notes of the single «Heaven» then followed to create a gentler and more intimate atmosphere. After that came the moment we had all been waiting for: hearing the songs from both parts of «Inner Monologue» live. Obviously, not all of them could be included in the setlist and it was first of all «Deep» and «Into You» that we were able to discover. On this last song, the French audience was also more energetic than ever. An equally sporting moment for Julia and her musicians: real dynamos on stage!

Next came «Hurt Again» and «Happy» which Julia concluded in the middle of the pit, singing some «I just wanna be happy» with the audience. A beautiful moment of complicity on this track which, as she pointed out, is often the one where the crowd’s voices are the loudest.

Little surprise on the setlist: a quick cover of Ceelo Green’s «Fuck You»! Lyrics that she could have written herself when we know her talent to write raw and honest texts. Still in the middle of the pit, Julia then continued with «Apple» and «Falling For Boys», grabbing the hands of a few lucky ones and claiming she wanted to prove that she could see each and every one of us in the room.

We were previously talking about raw texts, well let’s continue in this direction with «Priest». Once again, the audience was delighted to shout out loud and clear the words «but I’m not a priest so fuck your confession».

New moment of sharing with «Anxiety». Before singing this song, which is originally a duet with Selena Gomez, Julia Michaels wanted to say a few words, explaining

that it is important to no longer see anxiety and mental health issues as a taboo. She invited each member of the public who was concerned to raise their hands and free themselves from the scream they had been holding for a long time.

We can’ t deny it, Julia is completely in her element on stage. Anxiety being part of her daily life, as she clearly revealed on this track, she admits to relying a lot on her fans during her shows. And on «Anxiety», they didn’t need to be asked twice! Once again surrounded by her musicians, Julia did not hesitate for a second to warmly hug a few members of the front row.

Then came «Uh Uh», another track from her EP «Nervous System», followed by «What A Time» which was very popular on «Inner Monologue Part I». And if Niall Horan did not cross the Channel to sing with Julia, his British compatriot Rhys Lewis replaced him to perfection.

And to end this Parisian show, what better song than «Issues»? A track that changed everything for the American artist, allowing her to gain an international recognition. For this special moment, a real duet between Julia Michaels and her audience took place at the Trianon.

At the end of the title, a shower of confetti poured over the crowd for an unforgettable final!

With her hand still up in the air, pointing her tattoo «I Love You» at the audience while singing, Julia delivered a beautiful declaration of love to her French public. And if the show was not sold out that evening, we would have thought the opposite when we heard the lyrics sung in unison. A successful first solo tour, with a perfect atmosphere that we hope will be just as powerful next time!

WORDS AND PHOTOS BY DéBORAH GAILLARD

« I actually feel so much less anxious on stage when I hear people sing with me »

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TAYLOR SWIFT I

t was the announcement of the summer: Taylor Swift, back in France for the «City of Lover Concert», a very special unique show! While she has not sung in the French capital since 2011, the record-breaking artist has chosen Paris, the city of love, to celebrate the release of her new album on stage in a symbolic way. What could be better for an opus entitled «Lover»? Released on August 23, this new project seems to represent both a turning point and a return to the roots in the young woman’s career. It was then necessary to mark the occasion!

As soon as the doors of the famous Parisian venue open, the tone is set: love is in the spotlight! Messages of admiration for Taylor Swift, statements, compliments and testimonies appear one after the other on the screen above the scene. When the room is then plunged into darkness for a few seconds, the fans directly start chanting the singer’s name. No need for a supporting act to warm up the audience as the impatience is at its height!

Taylor Swift then arrives, all in black and sequins, and immediately starts the show with «Me!” her successful duet with Brendon Urie. Released on April 26, the song already gives a beautiful foretaste of this new colorful romantic era. It is therefore only logical that the American artist opens the ball with the single that has launched her big comeback. Just like in the music video, Taylor exudes joie de vivre and once the performance is over, she greets her fans from many different countries as it should be: «Welcome to the City of Lover show!”.

Next, the first notes of «Blank Space» are played in the room and bring the fans back to 2014. And if the fans know this leading single from «1989», they are not done with their surprise. Indeed, for her audience’s great satisfaction,

Live from Paris, France Taylor Swift takes a malicious pleasure in going back in time to perform her greatest hits in harmony with her fans.

She then announces the following song as follows: «this is a song that I wrote years ago». Word after word, people in the room try to guess what the hit is and end up pronouncing the title «I Knew You Were Trouble» in unison with the artist. Although released in 2012, the song is still in everyone’s mind and its chorus still as powerful as ever, conveying a strong sense of urgency. This is enough to justify the long standing ovation that follows the last notes!

« Everything on this album is something that I wrote on one instrument, a guitar or a piano… » After this moment filled with memories for both Taylor Swift and the audience, the concert takes a much more intimate turn with a second track from her latest album: «The Archer». The backing vocalists and the band remain in the background while the young woman interprets this song, both personal and universal. A moment which is outside of time and followed by THE flashback of the evening, we named «Love Story»! If the artist has a smile on her face as she remembers the writing of this tune, we can’t deny that this is totally in the show’s theme.

Right after «Delicate», Taylor Swift offers her fans the opportunity to discover some of the tracks from «Lover»

in an exclusive way. Having never sung them live before, she suggests to appreciate them in their simplest form: acoustically. After all, she reminds us by taking her guitar with her, her songs are always initially created with only one instrument.

It is followed by a magnificent medley mixing memories and new music. Always at the piano, Taylor Swift plays «Red» with delicacy and elegance, facing a room which is obviously tinged with red. The track then intertwines with «Daylight», one of the new album’s gems, which provokes a new well-deserved standing ovation!

It is in this more than intimate atmosphere that Taylor performs «Death by a Thousand Cuts», «Cornelia Street» and «The Man». With only a spotlight illuminating the singer and the rest of the room plunged into the darkness, this acoustic session breathes purity and perfectly serves the nostalgic feeling of «Cornelia Street» or the feminist message carried by «The Man». A real moment of complicity between the artist and her fans who already know every single line by heart.

After «Out of Style», Taylor Swift takes the time to describe with excitement and derision the concept of her opus: «This album is about all different types of love».

According to her, love can be many things but should above all be about freedom! A nice introduction to the following title: «You Need to Calm Down». Just like in the music video, psychedelic colors and designs are then displayed on the screen while her backing vocalists come and join her for a choreography.

It is now time to move on to the piano, not for a new single from «Lover» but for a beautiful track from the «Red» album: «All Too Well». Once again, the audience’s reaction is indisputable. It is a real pleasure to hear again the songs that, year after year, have made Taylor Swift’s splendid career. Gradually, the other instruments are joining the artist’s fingering and giving power to the moving text of «All Too Well». Suddenly, and with all the humor that is so typical of her, Taylor stops to stretch and proudly enjoys the acclaim she receives before continuing and finishing her performance in apotheosis.

« This album is about all different types of love » Following this lively performance, the time to close the show becomes imminent. Taylor Swift then naturally completes this evening of celebration with the tender «Lover» and the sassy «Shake It Off» before concluding: «This has been the most fun possible». A beautiful ending that the fans who came from no less than thirty-seven different countries are not about to forget!

WORDS AND PHOTOS BY COLINE GAILLARD

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LITTLE MIX F

or their grand return, Little Mix hit the stage at The Dome De Paris on September 28th, as the European leg of their LM5 tour was coming to an end. For young and old fans, the four girls definitely brought the power to the city by featuring heavy feminist message and female empowerment. And we were so here for it!

After a short introduction by the British singer Rothwell, who blew us away with her amazing voices and bouncy pop songs like “Follow When Your Dancing” or “Stop Calling”, it was finally time for the British quartet to bring fire to the French stage.

As soon as the shows starts, women are celebrated.

After listening to Beyoncé’s “Who Runs the World”, the audience discovers a beautiful and powerful video of Little Mix singing “National Manthem” with their hands on their hearts. The message was clear: ladies, it’s time to get up on your feet and celebrate what it means to be a woman, proving once again that sisterhood really is one of the most powerful things in the world.

Loud, empowering and raw, with “Salute”, one of the band’s most successful single, it doesn’t take long for the crowd to wake up and greet the girls, all dressed in red and black, with deafening screams. Performing a high-energy dance routine all while delivering amazing vocals, the girls then continued with “Power”, another girl-power anthem of their likes.

As the military theme going on since the beginning of the show was coming to an end, the Little Mix ladies performed another one of their single : “Woman Like Me”. Taken from their latest record “LM5”, the song was another showstopper performance by the girls, always

Live from Paris, France accompanied by their impressive dancers as well as the audience and their loud cheers.

It’s no secret that Leigh-Anne, Perrie, Jade and Jesy are not one to keep their mouth shut when someone is doing them wrong. As a nod to the criticism they have received over their appearance, costumes and looks, “Wasabi” was the perfect embodiment of this “come and say it to my face” state of mind. In the video introduction, they even included a little dig at Piers Morgan and his rants aka Little Mix’s favorite hater.

As “Bounce Back” and a medley of “Only You/Black Magic” followed, it was hard not to smile and lose it all just by feeling and catching the energy coming from the crowd.

Wild, sweaty and unapologetic, boys and girls attending the show truly gave everything they had to belt-out each and every word to the girls’ most famous songs. Some even knew the dance routines by heart and were dressed head to toe in Little Mix merchandise. Talk about dedication!

And then, no more screams and jumping, just four goddesses gracing the stage with their angelic voices, announcing a more emotional part to the show. Firstly, “Told You So”, an ode to their friendship, brought a muchneeded break to the wild energy that was going on, quickly followed by the important “The Cure”. Reflecting on her own battle, Jesy took the mic to dedicate the song to fans who were also going through tough times, reminding them that they’re never on their own and that better days are always coming. A heartfelt introduction that brought tears to many eyes this night.

Barely taking a breath between each song but still serving and belting out every note, the Little Mix ladies then

went on to perform another fan’s favorite, “Secret Love Song”. Dedicating the song to their LGBTQ+ fans, the room packed with 4500 fans was then lit up in rainbow colors, leaving everyone speechless and filled with love and gratitude. It should also be noted that the vocal performances on this song were out of this world, with on point and endless high-notes by each of the girls.

After all those tears and emotion, it was definitely time to bring back the girl power. Fierce and sexy, “Joan of Arc” was all the audience needed to love themselves, in all their shapes and forms. With “Wings” it was time for a huge throwback and one hell of a moment as everyone was screaming the lyrics back at the singers. For a moment, we were all back to 2012, dancing and singing at the top of our lungs.

The girls also gave us two different kind of female empowerment. Firstly, by letting go of your past with “Shout out to my ex” and we promise that everyone went wild for this song or as Perrie would say “be your sassy little self and loose you sh*it!”.

Then, to put an end to the ‘jail/rebels’ theme, Perrie, Jesy, Leigh-Anne and Jade sang “Woman’s World”. Speaking about the inequality women have to face on a daily basis, the despair and hope felt through the lyrics created a special and heavy atmosphere, as if the crowd was one and united.

After this powerful moment, the girls changed their outfits for flamboyant glittery costumes and brought some latino vibes on stage thanks to their track featuring the band CNCO: “Reggaeton Lento”. As the room turned into a real dancefloor, Little Mix then performed another one of their past singles: “No More Sad Songs”. And even though the song was released more than two years ago, the audience expressed its enthusiasm from the very first notes, for the greatest pleasure of the four singers.

Then, it was time for “Think About Us”, a successful single from the LM5 era. Thanks to the warmth of the track’s rhythm, the venue was once again immersed in a sensual dancing atmosphere. As for Jesy, Perrie, Leigh-Anne and Jade, they simply seemed to have unlimited energy!

As the show was about to end, the girls declared their love to their fans through the lyrics of “More Than Words”, which are both affectionate and powerful. A beautiful declaration that touched the audience just as much as the artists. Speaking of touch, the very last song of the gig was their massive hit “Touch”. The ideal song to end the show in perfect harmony with the audience!

With no less than five costume changes, splendid visuals and amazing choreographies, Little Mix’s “LM5 Tour” was one of a kind. A true work of art conveying power, tolerance and unity! Some people were simply born to be on stage.

WORDS AND PHOTOS BY COLINE GAILLARD & LéNAELLE FONTAINE

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JAMES ARTHUR U

nless you’ve been living under a rock for the past couple of years, you probably have heard of British pop star James Arthur. Winner of the ninth season of The X-Factor UK, James Arthur rose to fame thanks to his debut single, a cover of Shontelle’s “Impossible”, making it the most successful winner’s single in the show’s history and we still remember his first amazing performance in front of the X-Factor judges! James’ debut album, led by single “You’re Nobody ’til Somebody Loves You”, debuted at number two on the UK Albums Chart.

After a two-year break due to a series of controversies, the singer came back with a redemption album called “Back From The Edge” led by the hit “Say You Won’t Let Go”. If you’ve been following us for a while you know that is was one of our favorite albums of 2016! James’ doleful and singular voice, along with a powerful songwriting and a cocktail of tender, heart wrenching and pleading songs, made this album a turning point in the artist’s career.

Since then, James Arthur seems to have made amends and seems to be more in peace with himself. His new upcoming album “YOU” coming up on October 18th which includes the ballads “Falling Like The Stars”, “Empty Space” and “Treehouse” showcases love and devotion while keeping the spark that makes James Arthur special. Prior to the release of the album, he embarked on a North American tour and was recently at the Troubadour in Los Angeles. The sold-out venue is still relatively small for James who’s used to play venues with a capacity of over 4000 - 5000 people back home, but we definitely love and appreciate the intimacy that comes with playing small venues.

James started his set with brand new tracks taken off his forthcoming while throwing some bars and showing his ability to rap. He then showcased a more Rock N Roll side of himself with “I Am” and “You’re Nobody ’til Somebody Loves

WORDS AND PHOTOS BY PAM CHARBIT

Live from Los Angeles You”while displaying his guitar skills. The live version of the songs were amazingly adapted it felt like we heard them for the first time. James also blessed the crowd by covering “Cry Me A River” by Justin Timberlake before singing his version of “Rewrite The Stars” featuring Anne-Marie and included in “The Greatest Showman: Reimagined”. The silence was almost religious while he was singing the verses and was accompanied by the public singing the chorus. To be honest, we didn’t expect James to play this song but we are really happy he did. Between tracks, the singer conversed with the public, affirming that he’s really happy to be back in the US after a while and happy to still be able to play intimate crowds like this one, because he’s not used to this level of intimacy in Europe and especially in the UK. The singer also explained that he’s evolved a lot since his latest album and that he cannot wait to release “YOU”.

Without much of a surprise, James played the song that made him famous “Impossible” and what’s great with artists like James Arthur is that no matter how many times you’ve heard their most famous songs before, hearing them again is always enjoyable and it feels different every single time. James Arthur is one of those artists who know how to work the crowd, convey emotions but also make people jump and sing with him. Also, little did we know that someone special was in the audience next to us to see James’ performance. After the song, the artist affirmed that he was pretty nervous to play this song because his former X-Factor judge was in the public. Nicole Scherzinger was - in fact - in the audience, not missing anything from his former protegé. The two of them remained pretty close throughout the years and James affirmed that he often goes to Nicole for advice.

James Arthur will be on tour in Europe in the beginning of March in order to defend this new album «YOU» coming out October 18th. Trust us, it’s a show you don’t want to miss out!

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OTM TEAM EDITORIAL TEAM

founder, editor-in-chief 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-editor-in-chief 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

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 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 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 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!

PHOTOGRAPHY TEAM

HEATHER KOEPP

JONATHAN BENBARUK

DAVID FITT

based in Los Angeles

based in Los Angeles

based in Paris

Heather Koepp Photography @dreamcatchersphoto @heatherkoeppphotography

David Fitt @jonathanbenbaruk

@davidfitt @davidfitt

www.heatherkoepp.com

www.jonathanbenbaruk.com

www.davidfitt.com

DAMIEN PAILLARD

NAZYM H

THOMAS DAEFFLER

based in Paris

based in Paris

based in Paris

Damien Paillard Photographe @damienpaillard

damienpaillard.blogspot.com

@nazym_h

www.nazymh.com

@thomas_daeffler

thomasdaeffler.fr

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