SYPM #5

G I R LS / G I R LS / G I R LS

Riya + Karima Francis + Dragonette + Eva Simons

ISSUE 05 – SEPTEMBER 2012

10. Dragonet t e What you need in the frantic world of electro-pop-stardom

14. Lit t le Boot s The popstar DJ talks bondage and baking

04.Eva Simons How to break the states?

Get tech-savvy, gals

08. What are you we aring?

Chicks we dig tell us about their style

Contents

13. One liners

20. Riya Hollings

What ’s t he worst t hing to come out of your pretty mouth?

Incredible photography from the woman who loves her life.

36. So shoot me P a p p i c s f ro m t h e latest SYPM parties

18. Karima Francis She’s been to the depths of despair but is all set to make an astonishing comeback

38. Pret t y Good Cool new acts making our ears drool

Shut Your Pret t y Mout h Shut Your Pretty Mouth is a pop-up club night run by future supergirls Charli Aitchison, Maya von Doll and Lisa O. It's also this magazine, a website, social network and a statement of intent. For more info on Shut Your Pretty Mouth, gossip, pictures and to find out how you can appear in the magazine, go to www.shutyourprettymouth.co.uk Editors: Lisa O, Maya von Doll and Charli Aitchison Design: Matt Black Production Editor: James McIrvine Contributors: Mikhael Agafonov, Cecilia Borjeson, Grace Carroll, Digby, Alison Rowley, Georgia Somary

WORDS: LISA O

The Dutch EDMistress tells us how she’s cracked US radio, that girls should learn more about music technology and how if you want to make something happen enough – it will

Eva Simons goes large

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Where are you right now and what have you got planned for today?

I’m in Atlantic City – I’m doing the DJ convention and it’s been a lot of fun. I’ve met a lot of DJs who are supporting my music. House music is getting bigger in the US and the radios are supporting us now. They are becoming much more cool.

What are you wearing right now?

I’m, like a goth at the moment: black leather pants, black t-shirt and my Falling Whistle necklace – a symbol against the war in Congo.

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We fell in love with your voice o n ‘ Th i s I s Lo ve ‘ yo u r # 1 h i t w i t h w i l l . i . a . m - a n d we j u s t had to look you up. How did the collaboration come about?

He knew ‘Take Over Control’ and my manager spoke to him about me.

He kept an eye on my projects and heard some work from my album and wanted me to write some songs with him. It was so unreal but also very real at the same time. I always knew I would work with him one day and it actually happened. It’s almost like it came from God. I went to his studio, and I was like “Give me the

beat and I’ll flow.” I sent my ideas back to him, and he said “I want to release it as my single.” It was so much fun. I finished the track and two weeks later it was out!

We c h e c k e d o u t yo u r e a r l i e r release ‘Take Over Control’ that yo u c o - w ro t e w i t h Af ro j a c k .

Wow. 25 million views! Did you see it coming?

No I didn’t. And I didn’t know it was a big break through for EDM in the US but it opened doors. The states weren’t used to the loud sounds and drops on the radio – we already

leon is a great producer, I love the girl power. It’s a men’s world and we need more girls in the industry.

I think the difference is that, when they are younger, guys are interested in computers and they teach themselves to DJ. And girls aren’t interested in technology, but they should be! A lot of people have the image of male DJs with girls around them . This is changing . Nerv ous System are smashing it.

What are you working on now?

I’ve nearly finished my album. I’m doing a lot of collaborations. Just came out of the studio with Doctor P. We love your trademark mohawk, and your wind-swept do - what’s the morning routine like?

I have to wash it sometimes as the hairspray makes it brittle but most of the time I just sleep with it and it’s still there in the morning.

I just mould it back into the middle.

I backcomb my hair all the time but it really damages it.

knew it was big in the clubs – but not the radio. So many DJs are so successful in life and it doesn’t translate on to the radio – it sticks to the old formula. But the energy’s changing. People are looking more at what is happening live than at what the record labels are telling them to listen to.

Wh o a r e y o u r f a v o u r i t e D J s right now?

I met Adrian Lux the other day, love his work. Deadmau5, Afrojack, Dr P, Flux Pavillion – they’ve all got their own thing going on and are doing exciting things. Audrey Napo-

“When they are younger, guys are interested in computers. Girls aren’t interested in technology, but they should be!”

What’s been your most memorable live show?

It has to be Letterman with will.i.am.

It was like w ow! I’m a girl from Holland and I’m doing the Letterman show. I wasn’t nervous, I was just so pleased!

What’s been your weirdest show or promo chore?

They’ve all been very organic and natural. I’m the only vocalist in the tour we’re doing at the moment, the others are all DJs so that’s a strange feeling but a nice feeling. I’m not a DJ I’m a singer and doing EDM. That’s a weird feeling.

What’s the w orst thing that’s ever come out of your mouth?

I like to swear a lot . Fuck is my favourite word because it explains so much. “Put your hands up” or “Put your ‘fucking’ hands up” which one has the most effect?! It’s about putting some base underneath it – turning the amplifier up to 11. It’s not very classy for a girl though.

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Sarah “I always accessorise with a l o a d o f g o l d j e we l l e r y , particularly my charity shop hoops . The black Reeb ok trainers are favourites of mine.”

What are you wearing?

Chicks we dig, tell us about their style WORDS AND PHOTOS: GEORGIA SOMARY

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Minnie “I love mixing prints and bold colours, but the nude Louboutin’s keep it from getting too much. The beaded bag is definitely a favourite of mine. I’ll carry it day and night.”

Edit h “My shoes are by Jeffrey Campbell, and I customised the top myself. Shoes are always the most important part of my look – you won’t find me in flats.”

Holly “I like to brighten up this monochrome look with bold red lips. The boots give the dress a harder edge.”

Carlot t a

Nikit a

“I always mix more casual pieces like the baseball cap and Mickey Mouse print dress with sleeker bits like the patent wedges and lipstick. It keeps it interesting.”

“I buy a lot of pieces from Nordic Poetry Vintage. This Kimono is a really treasured piece. I like to play with prints and colour like that.”

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Martina Sorbara

Dragonette’s singer reveals the things that have helped her get ahead while staying sane in the crazy world of Electro pop WORDS: JAMES MCIRVINE PHOTOS: KRISTIN VICARI

The name Dragonette was what my iPod was called. I plugged it into Dan’s [her husband and the bassist in Dragonette] computer and he said “that looks really cool” so we used it for the band. I was probably attracted to it because of the contradiction – a fearsome dragon but just a petite one.

The music I don’t come from a background of electro. Growing up I remember listening to The Beatles a lot, some John Prine and then… Cyndi Lauper.

She was totally a hero and then I got to write ‘Grab a hold’ with her a few years back. I was so petrified. I didn’t have much experience writing with other people and I didn’t want to find out she was a big bitch or not as talented as I imagined she’d be.

But she was amazing. She was so quirky, talented, creative… everything I could have hoped for.

The pe ople Dan’s not only my husband, we write and produce all the songs together. It’s taken a long time for the relationship to get this comfortable and well-oiled.

Hopefully we can maintain it, because if Dan and I don’t exist, then the band doesn’t exist.

Also, we could never replace Joel he’s been drumming and (to a lesser extent) writing with us forever.

There’s a lot of pressure. What makes it possible for Dan and I to have a marriage that is so tight and creative is that we work in an environment that we all feel like friends.

Every relationship in Dragonette, our manager, the team we work with… is a part of our marriage, basically.

When any of those relationships fall apart it all breaks down. Which makes it precarious to say the least.

The cit ie s I call Toronto home, but I’ve also called London home for seven years.

It’s nice playing in the cities where a big chunk of your social life is. So obviously in NY, LA, Toronto and London the shows are really fun. But there’s also this added element of stress because you’re coordinating your friends . I mean “like really?

There’s no other way to find out what time we’re going on stage than to call me?”

Sometimes there’s this feeling of liberation of just showing up in some buttfuck nowhere city where we really don’t know anyone and there isn’t the same sort of makeor-break pressure of it having to be an amazing show. And ironically that sometimes ends up being the most amazing show, because you’re not aware of who’s in the audience.

And then we end up having the most fun time back stage

SHUT YOUR PRETTY MOUTH afterwards meeting new people.

So obviously there are benefits to both.

The aft ershow I really love the ‘hangout in the dressing room and drink vodka’ unwind. As soon as the party progresses to the next club that’s when I call it a night.

I have this theory that not much good happens past 3am . Mostly it w orks out with me waking up at 9am feeling good. Plus I’m by myself because everyone else is hungover, which is optimal. I can have the best of all worlds.

Th o u g h s o m e t i m e s yo u m i s s something really good. At one of my good friend’s weddings I was so knackered I went to bed at 1am.

Everyone got totally blasted on shrooms and was laughing hysterically. I really should have been there. Shrooms are my favourite drug. The biggest joke was I wasn’t even well-rested as there was an all night party in the room beside me. I lost on every front.

are a knit hamburger and a knit severed ankle.

The dance The dancing in the new video ‘Let it Go’ is an exaggerated version of my club dance-moves. It was fun but tiring. I’m totally not a dancer and I thought “the only way, that this is going to look awesome is if I fucking giv ’er”. Which is a Canadian term that basically means ‘give it everything’. I thought the only way I

of all. Sometimes music stresses me out when we’re in the thick of it.

I’m looking for my next great Russian novel. I listened to Anna Karenina a few tours ago and it was 52 hours of story.

Some curmudgeons don’t like him but I consider Jonathan Frantzen’s The Corrections one of the best books ever written in the history of human writing. Oh my God, if you haven’t read it, go out and get it…

I mean right now!

The cussword ‘Shit-fuck-cunt-balls’ is just something I am very good at saying all-together.

But If I’m in more demure company I really enjoy the word ‘donkey’.

The snack I don’t always allow myself them but I think fake-cheese-flavoured crunchy things are the highest form of snack.

I think you call them Wotsits. Delicious.

The clot hing I have made a lot of clothing in the past. I haven’t recently though, as I haven’t had my sewing machine.

I have a really good leather jacket that I like. I’m the kind of person, who when you get the right t-shirt that’s really comfortable and looks kinda rad, that’s like the pinnacle of fashion for me.

It ems in your handb ag I need facial wipes, they make me feel less disgusting on tour – as travelling is dirty.

Also moisturiser and some knitting.

I knit everything. My proudest moments

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could make it look right was by just letting go, for the lack of a better term. My body hurt so much the next day. It was very intense.

That song ‘Hello’, the big track we did with Martin Solveig, came about after we met on the way back to the airport from a festival in Australia. He got in touch later on as he was doing something for Gaultier and wanted a female singer.

He sent me the song with the backing track already completely cut and shot to the video. He says “Okay and now we need the lyrics and melody” and I was like ”this is a crazy way of doing shit.” He’s so confident and it was a great track already.

The b ooks t o keep you s ane on t our I like to get books to listen to on my iPod and zone out. I can knit at the same time, which is most soothing

The films I loved Moonrise Kingdom. I think it’s my favourite Wes Anderson film.

I also love Me and You and Everyone We Know, You Can Count On Me and The Big Lebowski.

Adaptation is another favourite.

Have you seen that movie more than once? Because the third time is probably the best time. The second is pretty mindblowing but number three is where it all comes together.

The polit ics My father’s just retired from politics [he was once Ontario’s Minister of Finance] though I don’t see myself ever going down that path.

I’m always really impressed with people who can bring politics into their music . But I don’t really go there. I’m more of a selfish, selforientated songwriter. I like to write about myself exclusively! No, I won’t be standing for Prime Minister.

Dragonette’s Bodyparts is out 24 Sep

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What’s the worst thing to come out of your pretty mouth?

“Bom bom bom” Aaron from Sam and t he Womp

“My ex boyfriend”

Charlot t e de Carle, pre sent er/model

"You fucking asshole, I will drag you by your fucking no edges. How about you a fucking jacket, a stray jacket something like a door knob you just a jackass"

Dominique Young ( She won't t ell us who she s aid it t o)

“I’m sorry”

Ronnie Joice, man ab out t own,

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Small miracle

Since releasing her debut album back in 2009, Little Boots has been busy. She’s stormed the DJ circuit and is now releasing her new single ‘Headphones’ along with some great remixes. SYPM catches up with her to talk about beats, bondage and baking WORDS: GEORGIA SOMARY

How has it been touring as a DJ? Yeah it’s been cool. It’s a lot different from touring live, which I really, really miss. Well, we’ve done a bit of live stuff – quite a few festivals again. But for a while it was mainly just DJing.

We guess it’s a totally different atmosphere?

Yeah it’s really different. DJing is super fun and it’s more like a party atmosphere, but it’s not quite as rewarding as doing a live show. It’s good to balance the two.

Do you have any guilty pleasures that you try and sneak into your sets?

I’ve got a really funny remix of Africa

by Toto at the minute that keeps coming out! It’s goooood. I play it loads but it’s a guilty pleasure everyone likes. I kind of don’t believe in guilty pleasures though. I mean, if you like a song you like it. Most songs people think of as guilty pleasures are just really good pop songs.

We’re still dropping Fake Blood’s remix of your song ‘Stuck On Repeat’ in SYPM DJ sets three years on. Are there any remixers that you want to work with?

Well we’ve just worked with loads of great remixers for the last single.

Like this guy Moon Boots who’s quite new, he’s brilliant. Azari did the one before that. I’d love to get remixed by someone like The Magician. It all depends on who’s around and who’s not on tour and stuff, but I’ve had a great time with all the ones we’ve done this year.

Do you get involved in the remixes?

Ye a h I g u e s s b e c a u s e I DJ I ’ m super involved in it. I know what’s going to work and what we need for a remix. I also know about upand-coming people, because I’m

Your new single Headphones has a really woozy, cool 70s vibe to it. Were you particularly inspired by female artists from back then?

Yeah definitely. We took more disco samples and things inspired by artists like Donna Summer, but still kept the track modern.

SYP M are loving the harne ss that you’re wearing in the promo shots for the single…

Yeah it’s by Felder & Felder, they’re amazing. They’re one of my favourite brands. I’ve worked with them for a long time and worn them loads this year.

Will we see you in more harnesses?

Maybe, it wasn’t really intentional, and I don’t know if I’m going to go full bondage or anything! I’m actually flying to San Francisco in a few weeks though for a massive leather and fetish festival, so maybe the harness will come out for that.

I think everybody will be wearing one.

That’s going to be amazing.

I know, apparently there will be a lot of naked men wearing leather collars.

You like to play around with a lot of musical gadgets like the

“I don’t know if I’m going to go full bondage or anything! Though I am flying to San Francisco for a massive leather and fetish festival” always on the look-out for my set. So it all works hand-in-hand quite well. It’s not about doing the remix for the label and not really paying attention. I always make sure I like them all.

It’s cool to have it as part of the single rather than just as an afterthought.

Good remixes can make a song. I like to be involved in it, its part of the process.

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laser harp…

I like to mess around with a lot of experimental instruments and gadgets and make synth music look visually interesting. I use a lot of things with light and motion like, laser instruments, so you can see the sound being made in a visual way. There are so many bands now where it’s just a few dudes hiding behind laptops.

Ta l k i n g o f v i s u a l s , d i d y o u

SHUT YOUR PRETTY MOUTH have a lot of input in the video for Headphones?

Definitely! For the last two videos I wrote a brief and then they get developed with other ideas along the way. Headphones has this Paris, Texas influence which really worked with what I wanted. It’s pretty collaborative, I like to have people involved in stuff and work with talented people.

Since b eing on the DJ circuit are there any talented girls you have been listening to on repeat?

This DJ called Maya Jane Coles who plays a lot of deep house. She’s super cool. I’ve been playing a lot of disco – old and new disco stuff and then a lot of house. There’s a Russian DJ as well, Nina Kraviz she’s pretty cool and plays a lot of tech-house. She’s beautiful too!

A lot of girl power then?

Yeah there are some great female DJs around at the minute, which is nice because its male dominated.

DJ Mag’s 100 DJs poll is always just blokes, which is annoying!

Do you have any e ssentials for touring?

I really like having slippers wherever I go. It will make anywhere seem like home, even a bus. Pints of make-up remover for after gigs when I look panda-eyed! And lots of vitamins to cure hangovers. That’s it really.

That’s pretty low maintenance!

Hmm I’m probably quite high maintenance! But it’s always the little things. I turn into a crazy person in airports. I have loads of routines and get annoyed when people haven’t sorted their liquids out and things like that. I feel like I live in an airport half the time but it’s quite funny.

So, what would you be doing if you weren’t in music?

I’d probably have a cake shop. I am a baking addict! It’s not very cool but yeah I’d have a cake shop with really fucking good cakes. A cake shop or a nightclub? Or maybe cake in the nightclub. That would be amazing.

I could call it Disco Biscuits!

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She’s got the remedy

Karima Francis seemed to be on a one-way ticket to stardom. Then it all went wrong. Now she’s making up for what she lost in time, with the strength of her comeback WORDS: GRACE CARROLL

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Karima Francis is only 24, but she’s already making a comeback. The Blackpool-born singer seemed to have it all back in 2009: the release of her debut album The Author was garnering rave reviews from The Guardian and the B BC, and with a set on Jools Holland under her belt, there seemed to be no stopping her.

Until, that is, she was hospitalised for anorexia.

Now in 2012, Karima is back with her follow-up album The Remedy, and seems to have everything in place for a second shot at the big time.

Her cloud of dark hair and androgynous style has led to her being described as the female Bob Dylan, but Karima’s music is something all her own.

S h e ’ s re m a r k a b l y h o n e s t a n d up-front about her eating disorder, not shying away from discussion of what can be a painful topic. Instead, it’s something important for her to confront, particularly in the music industry which is almost as far away from safe as one can get.

“I feel for anyone with a problem in an industry where you are constantly on the move,” Karima says. “Anyone who struggles will know this illness is about safety and routine. It’s like I’ve lived and dealt with the impossible.”

She can’t write in front of a mirror anymore, as she used to.

This has led to a stronger awareness of the pressures of the music industry on image, something that so many artists can rely on.

“I’m not even a third as confident as I used to be. But I get to play my music live, and this is the thing that keeps me going.”

Despite the fact that she was in a bad state when writing, she discounts rumours that The Remedy is a call for help.

“If you listen,” she says, “most

of the record is written about my ex-girlfriend and the obstacles that got in the way of our love. Most of it was written in anger.”

Karima’s just as up-front about her relationship – and subsequent break-up – as she is about all of the issues in her life. It’s the kind of honesty that could make listeners uncomfortable, hearing this much about a person . The album is an example of someone giving it their all, opening up wholeheartedly, and there’s something all the better for that.

“I think the world needs to connect,” Karima says. “Now, more than ever.

Just look at Adele’s record – it did well because it was so personal.

Everyone feels the same when it comes to emotions, and maybe more people need to talk about real life to help others.

“That’s why I write the way I do – to help myself, and hopefully another at some point.”

The theme of not giving up and b e i n g s t ro n g i s s o m e t h i n g t h a t comes through again and again .

Karima finds her inspiration in the form of people’s everyday lives, and ‘Glory Days’ is an example – she was walking through Birmingham New St station and crossing the bridge when a song came to her so suddenly that it had to be written on the back of a till receipt.

Just looking at the amount of people. Thinking about how they must pick themselves up everyday and continue on despite having given up before. It was an idea that stayed with her, and the concept is one woven through the lyrics. The lines “they are weak but strong/those who fail and carry on,” were inspired by strength in the human race.

“The Remedy sounds exactly like I dreamt it would” she says. “It’s a

joy to listen to – despite the turmoil that surrounded it.”

‘Forgiven’ is a song that highlights the state Karima was in. “I was questioning whether I should walk away from those who surround me that were causing me pain,” she says, “but on the other hand questioning whether I was going to potentially ruin my career and affect my mentality again.”

The idea of restarting is a difficult one. She’s clearly not starting from scratch but a gap of three years, in which she dropped from the radar, is a difficult one to combat.

“It kind of feels like a recurring dream,” she says . “Like living it again, but being more aware of what’s around the corner. I’m more appreciative. I can tell you one thing though, the industry has changed big time compared to then. It’s shocking how much depends on social media.

It doesn’t even feel like it’s about music anymore, it’s almost like music comes last.”

Still, it’s not all doom and gloom and Karima shows a streak of mischief when she admits that it was difficult to go back to HMV in Blackpool.

“I was barred for robbing CDs when I was a kid,” she says. “I just did a signing in there and went into the back offices. I laughed and said ‘I’ve been here before!’ They all knew why, but because my album was in the shop they didn’t know what to say.”

She’s similarly upbeat when asked about her plans for 2013: “I’m looking into hiring a van and teaching myself to drive. I’m going to go to America even if it kills me.

And the three of 2013? It can stand for the third album.

“It’ll be the best year yet!”

Take a peek Riya Hollings’ online editorial Love Your Life showcases incredible work from up-andcoming artists. Find out what she loves about hers and sample some of her stunning photography on the pages that follow WORDS: DIGBY

SHUT YOUR PRETTY MOUTH Riya Hollings is a freelance fashion stylist and photographer living and working in London. From 2005, Riya studied the arts of fashion and design, graduating from Leeds University in 2010 and moving to London to further her career in the industry. In 2011 she started her own online editorial, Love Your Life, to capture and promote artists in her own extrovert style. Riya built a team of incredible creatives to help her bring her visions to life, fusing arts, fashion, film, music and photography. A unique editorial that represents and promotes interesting and beautiful individuals in their rawest form. Love Your Life showcases up-and-coming artists through a more personal editorial style, using a series of Chapters to capture the real talents of the underworld. The result is a collection of adult fairy tales with an honest expression of true desire and fantasy. As director of the company, fashion editor and photographer, Riya has committed herself to building Love Your Life into not only an editorial but an online directory and agency. It will be coming out in print very soon, watch this space…

Wh a t i s t h e c o n c e p t b e h i n d Love Your Life and what is on the horizon?

Love Your Life is a creative project I set up to capture and promote artists in my own style. I wanted to create a unique and personal editorial that represented and promoted creative people, with a real rawness that other shoots don’t have. The project is set out as a series of chapters, one released each month on my online blog www.loveyourliferiya.tumblr.com.

We are also hoping to release a free magazine with the first six chapters before Christmas, in the lead up to our annual book release, coming next year. We haven’t got a publisher as of yet, but with support for the project gaining momentum, we’re pretty confident this will change.

The concept is a collection of adult fairy tales representing the desires and fantasies of the featured artists, giving an honest expression of their characters, with no reservations. We

talk sex, filth and fantasy, asking questions that are usually left unasked, digging deep inside the mind of the unconventional woman.

Where did it all begin and what are your main inspirations for the project?

The idea was born when I was at university in Leeds. In our house we w ould always say it to each other – it became a bit of a house motto. It’s about projecting what you want to receive: if you love your life, your life will love you back! I truly believe that this attitude has had a huge impact in getting me where I am today. Everyone should love their lives and I am trying to get people to remember and celebrate how amazing they are every day. I guess my main inspiration for the project is powerful women – real goddesses who are not afraid to share their dreams and fantasies with the world. I feature beautiful and talented characters and hate conventional models and studios.

It’s about real w omen, real chat and real fashion.

Who makes it all happen?

I have a team of incredible individuals that help me bring the ideas to life, including hair, make-up, art direction and film. Joe Hanshaw (one-eye-focus) is my right hand man, capturing the shoots through beautiful motion picture. We use a rare handheld analogue camera that creates an authentic vintage and romantic feel to the films. The rest is up to me as director: doing the styling, shooting and putting the editorials together.

I decided to turn the company into an online directory and agency, so I am also scouting girls to feature in future chapters.

Which was your most influential shoot and why?

My most influential shoot was Chapter 2 ‘The Bear the Dear and the Bathtub’ (see page 25). I’d always wanted to shoot girls naked in a bath of milk and decided to add it into the story. The girls were really up for it, adding a sexual element to the

shoot. A look that could be perceived as quite pornographic is artisticly disguised. I have been massively influenced by soft porn from the 70s and its analogue film and set styling.

Wh a t o r w h o h a s b e e n m o s t influential to your style?

One of my largest inspirations over the last few years has been Kimi O’neill, a stylist I assisted when I first started working in London.

She has such amazing style and a great presence. She taught me a lot about how to be successful in the industry. I also love the trashy-glam look of Alabama from the film True Romance: she was such a kick-ass bitch! Classic designers such as Versace and Moschino have played a huge part in my evolving style – I f re q u e n t l y f e a t u re t h e i r m o re vintage looks. They’re not afraid to really mix it up.

What do you wish to achieve in this lifetime?

I have always wanted to w ork in fashion and editorials. I guess I’m just following my dream and hoping it will come true. How am I going to achieve this? Keep doing my own thing and hope that the right person will see it. I have realised that being a nice person and working hard gets you to where you want to be. Nobody will do it for you – you have to have total self-belief and drive. If you keep going like that you’re sure to succeed. My secret to success is never to be satisfied!

And what do you look for in the next?

In the next lifetime, my dream would be to live in a Moroccan hut on stilts. I’d be surrounded by beautiful, sweeping sand beaches with a man that totally gets me. I can orgasm at the touch of a button and turn into a mermaid when I get into the sea!

For more information on Riya Hollings and Love Your Life visit – Website: www.riya.uk.com Blogs: www.loveyourliferiya.tumblr.com www.riyahollings.tumblr.com YouTube channel: LoveYourLifeRiya

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So shoot me!

At the end of the International Music Summit in Ibiza, SYPM hosted two parties with W Hotels – one in Ibiza and one at the W Barcelona...

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Pretty G

Hot new talent making us drool right now

The Berlin-based Bulgarian rapper has been making big waves on YouTube with her debut single WORDS: MAYA VON DOLL PHOTOS: EMMA SVENSSON

We h e a r d a b o u t y o u f r o m t h e photographer Alis Pelleschi who was raving about ‘Cash, Diamond Rings, Swimming Pools’. The vide o is p r i c e l e s s ! Eve r yo n e we show it to love s its b are hone sty and simplicity.

What was the inspiration?

Aw, thank you so much! I wrote this tune in a moment of a dark-winternight-realisation that so much of our life, especially here in Western/Northern Europe is based on the hope for ummer.

And once Summer is supposed to be there, it’s not really happening . So the inspiration came in the form of an honest complaint about bad weather and no cash, when all you want to do is have a good time and feel good. “Cash, Diamond Rings, Swimming Pools” is about the absence of things and longing for something that you can’t have that easy, or can’t have at all.

For the video we decided to invert the status symbols, which the lyrics are playing with, and find a place that reflects the opposite of a rich blinkybling utopia. So yeah, going to this flea market in our hood in Berlin was a pretty cool solution to make clear, that this tune is not about praising materialistic symbols of success, but more about questioning desire and longing.

Dena

y Good

Where did you get that bubblegumtastic sweater? Do you think you’ll sell similar sweaters for merch? And where are your favourite markets?

I got this sweater in London some time ago, at a fleamarket in Hackney.

I felt like it was almost staring at me really intensively, so I was like, ok, ok.

It would be amazing to find a bunch of crazy sweaters and customise them for merch. Speaking of which, I am working on a very interesting item now, can’t wait to show you. About markets, it’s weird, but I am not really into shopping actually. Somehow all

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SHUT YOUR PRETTY MOUTH the clothes find me!

When you get an idea for a song, how do you get it out?

I write the lyrics and sketch the demo beats, chords, harmonies and arrangements on my own. Then I go to the studio. I work with the crew from Kaiku Studios, they are from Finland, but based in Berlin. This is where the beats and arrangements get produced and finalised. In the writing process, it’s hard to say what comes first – beats or lyrics.

It depends, sometimes the necessity to write about a certain topic is so big, that I don’t need to hear an instrumental and I just write to a rhythm, that is in my head, and I sketch the instrumentals afterwards.

But sometimes it all comes up together, and it’s the best feeling ever.

Some blogs have compared you to M.I.A. and Santigold but we think they’re being lazy cos we think your vibe is more 90s r’n’b girl groups like SWV or TLC or even early 90s house like Soul 2 Soul or Robyn S. Please settle the score right here, what do you feed off?

Ha! I love SWV and TLC, I also love ESG. I love music. I love hip hop and jazz. That’s why I have a special soul connection to hip hop from the 90s, because it was so close to jazz. A Tribe Called Quest and all – it’s the ultimate beat and vibes religion!

So in other w ords: deep chords, harmonies and beats is all I care for. Can’t wait to investigate that and write more tunes. Don’t really care about comparisons, because I guess people need to organise the information in their heads and love to use audio-visual shortcuts for that.

If you could work with any artist, producer or DJ dead or alive who would it be and what do you think would be the result?

When I was little, I always imagined what it would be like to make the beats for all those rap stars or singers, nodding your head in slow motion behind the desk in the studio, while those people are singing their parts in the booth.

Seemed to me to be the badass-in-

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chief-job. One of my teenage dreams was to co-produce beats and chords with the Neptunes. I think the result could be crazy free jazz hip hop. But first I have to write so many tunes and harmonies, play shows and learn so much on that side, before I start to learn how to record really properly, EQ and compress and produce on my own. There is a lot to be done.

Have you been in any swimming pools this summer? If so where and how was it?

I was lucky enough to be able to go to Sicily last week, where I visited a friend for few days. It wasn’t really a swimming pool. It was more the Mediterranean. But I tell you, we were at some beaches where we totally imagined being dropped off by our private jets or boats the next time.

Do you plan on staying in Berlin for the next few years or do you have an itch to try somewhere new?

That is a good question, considering the fact, that I really miss having a summer here. As a Southern European it’s really not easy having to wear sweaters in the middle of August.

I think very soon I’d wanna move to somewhere where sun and summer is happening, it’s incredible how that reflects on life in general.

What have you got planned? Any shows coming up? Please will you consider doing an hone st Xmas song to help us through the commercial bullshit of the season?

I a m c u r re n t l y f i n a l i s i n g a n e w single plus already working on the video concept, parallel to that we are going to finish an EP soon and are planning a full-length album.

A bunch of shows are also coming up, I’ll be in London at the end of August playing a couple of gigs, then Electric Picnic in Ireland, Berlin, etc.

Haha, an honest Xmas song! Good idea, let me check the vibe when it starts to get even colder and darker.

The chances are good!

Mercedes With a song on the 17 Make Up ad and a collaboration with Lady Gaga in the can, the future looks bright for this London gal WORDS: MIKHAEL AGAFONOV (EDITOR OF MIKEYMOSCOW.COM) PHOTOS: EMMA WOOLRYCH

Your name is pretty iconic, whats the story b ehind the moniker Mercedes Allegedly, when choosing my name my mum first went through house appliance names like, hoover, fridge, oven etc and then went through car names like, Skoda, Honda, Fiat and finally chose Mercedes.

You live both in London and LA, right? Which is the coolest?

it might be cool to get me i n v o l ve d . S o I s u b m i t t e d ‘Tonight We’re Going Out out’ and bam they chose it for the 17 Make Up viral campaign.

There are a lot of big names listed in your press release.

What are the biggest songs we should look forward to? Any remarkable studio stories?

Look forward to them all!

Recording with Brandy casually sitting in the room, was pretty crazy and I think I may have peed my pants ever so slightly.

Do you have a single/album release date yet?

Well I have just done that cool collaboration with the make-up brand and a track of mine which was interesting and different to do, that’s out there and we may release it.

I also have a few features which are really exciting and you should hear very soon!

Following that, my next single will be out later this year and the album will be out next summer’ I am based in London, but I record in LA from time to time. My favourite has got to be London, for the vibes, the energy, the clothes and the pubs!

What’s your sound exactly? Is it hip-hop? Is it dance? Or could it be both?

I do singy-rap over danceable beats Wh a t w a s t h e m o s t e x c i t i n g thing that happened to you in 2012 so far?

That would have to be signing my publishing deal with Warner/Chappell Tell us about your second single ‘A Little Too Much’.

It was written at night alone in my grandma’s house, after drinking almost all of her good whisky. I thought it would be a great idea to Call My

ex.Guess he wasn’t really feeling the drunk-love, so I wrote that song aaaarrgghh...

Your music video pays tribute to horror movies. Are you a big horror fan? What’s your favourite?

The video is definitely inspired by movies like, Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo, A Trip to the Moon (Georges Méliès). and the horror films The Ring, and The Cabinet of Dr Caligari.

I don’t know if I’m a huge horror fan, I get freaked out pretty easy. If The Shining is classed as a horror movie, then that’s my favourite!

How did your collaboration with 17 Make Up happen?

I’m not really sure, but I believe the production company saw my video for ‘Airwave Hustler’ and thought

You co-wrote a song with Lady Gaga once, what happened to this that? Which other artists would you love to collaborate with?

I still have that track. I’m not sure it fits with what I’m doing – but you never know. There are loads I’d love to collaborate with: Prodigy, Method Man, Björk, Slick Rick, Robyn and of course the über sexy Maya Von Doll!

G u i d e u s t h ro u g h yo u r s t y l e : brands, tips, inspirations.

I like to mix it up and mainly shop in charity and vintage shops, because there I’m more likely to find one-off pieces. I like to look fresh but I don’t really follow trends, as I like to create my own thing that works just for me.

I’m inspired by grannies and 80s hip hop lady-divas!

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SHUT YOUR PRETTY MOUTH From X-Factor to hit factor, guest DJ at the latest Shut Your Pretty Mouth party is going places WORDS: MAYA VON DOLL

Your single Home Run was a great summer hit, it was like Rihanna crossed with Bond-esque Shirley Bassey vibes. What was it like writing it with MNEK? A very, very fun, energetic process. Me and Uzo bounce off each other’s energy so it’s always hyped and enjoyable.

will be a bit like a diary of my life so far. Can’t wait for you to hear it.

expression. Not taking it too seriously and embracing everything.

Scrolling down your Facebook page we see big hair, a big smile, and big heels.. We’re feeling a lot of love for Tina Turner here..

How do you describe your style?

Fo r m e , i t ’ s a b o u t f r e e d o m o f

Who or what has been the biggest inspiration to you throughout your life and career?

My aunty, who raised me. She is the reason I am where I am today.

What do you plan to do to U K pop?

Soul is a big part of who I am. So, incorporating that into the mix, I want to create a sound that transcends musical barriers.

Is there any other era you’d love to be working in as a singer besides right here right now?

I’d love to have been around in Diana Ross/James Brown era. Oh and Elvis! So I guess the 60s . That w ould have been bag-loads of fun.

Al t h o u g h i t o f t e n g e t s dissed, the X-Factor was the platform that launched yo u a s a p ro p e r a r t i s t .

What was the best and worst thing about being on X-factor?

Best thing: performing – I had the opportunity to perform to millions. I also met some amazing people.

Worst thing: the pressure is intense so I don’t miss that!

Misha B

Who have you worked with on your album and what can we expect from it?

I’m working with TMS, MNEK, Naughty Boy, Matt Prime, Cutfather… and a few other great producers. My album

Meet Kelsey Ellison aka Kimono Time – the all-singing, all-dancing bedroom YouTube sensation. She has more subscribers than Jedward.

She is 19. She speaks Japanese.

She is from Barnsley WORDS: MAYA VON DOLL

Good morning Kelsey what have you got planned for this week?

I’m back in Barnsley for my sister’s 18th.

Everyone’s dressing up as Olympians from different countries. Obviously I’m Japan! Then I’m back in London working on my live shows.

Oh My!’s Alex told us you both went to an artsy college up north.

What did they teach you?

She’s a good friend! We went to S.L.P. They taught us how to be strong in real life situations. We trained super hard so we’re used to working.

You’re known for covers of J-pop and K-pop. Why? Was it the white knee-high socks?

Yes! You got it in one! I love the style Japanese and Korean artists have, it’s so different and fresh. I look a lot

younger than my age, and when I try and dress older, I look like a 13-yearold that’s had a go with my mum’s clothes. Their fashion is something that suits me a lot better. Their music, like the fashion is just so catchy and different.

image. Though most people support each other and help each other out.

Who are your favourite artists at the moment?

I l o ve B r i t i s h / American pop, dance and club music. My favourite artists are Avicii, Skrillex, Lady Gaga (obviously), Major Lazer, Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, will.i.am and Example. Asian artists I’m really, really into include Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, Morning Musume, Capsule, Perfume, 2NE1 and Girls Generation.

There’s a perception that girls like you are fodder for old men with school-girl fetishes. Have you had any dodgy emails?

It’s unfair that Japanese fashion and culture gets categorised in a sexual way like that. It’s the media’s fault, as they only focus on that part of the scene. There are some men out there that find anything sexual. You can’t really avoid it, but you do have to be careful with who contacts you sometimes. I’ve had a few questionable messages, but I just block and delete.

Kimono Time

We’ve seen your impressive Lady Gaga covers – how do fans react to you doing something different?

I thought they’d probably hate it, but they’ve been asking for more! They appreciate that I can do different kinds of styles. Gaga is huge everywhere.

We heard it can get nasty in the UK scene between you girls and some of the mums. Why the angst?

There are always people like this.

Even in something this niche. It’s very dramatic, you could make a reality show from some of the stuff that goes around. I’ve been accused of bullying and physically hitting people.

Women old enough to be my mum have faked screen shots to make me look bad. People are jealous and it actually damages their daughters’

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SHUT YOUR PRETTY MOUTH Swedish DJ/producer and vocalist Adeline is one of Mixmag’s ones to watch. She fills us in about what’s next and that quirky dance she does behind the decks

As a teenager in Sweden, is there any one particular track that made an impression in those early years?

As I’m coming from a pop/house background I w ould have to say David Guetta ‘Just a Little More Love’.

WORDS: CECILIA BORJESON PHOTOS: LARS BORGES

L a s t t i m e we m e t , yo u we re rocking the dance floor at our SYP M launch party. For those who don’t know you, how would you describe yourself and what do you do.

I’m a DJ, producer and vocalist who makes deep and techy house, and I sing on top of my own productions.

Besides from DJing, I’ve hosted a dance music radio show on the Swedish National Radio P3 Dans, and I have a duo project called Housewives with La Fleur.

You’ve got a quite petite frame, (nevertheless a seriously fierce sound), at the SYPM party someone had to carry over a log for you to stand on to reach the decks.

Well I’m probably shorter than the average DJ, so this happens every so often, they usually bring beer crates for me to stand on – so it was an improvement.

Originally from Sweden, where in comparison to the U K they still have a nascent clubbing scene, what made you get into DJing and producing?

I started DJ school in 2005 during my second year at university, and so DJing grew on me from being an interest into a passion, a lifestyle and eventually a career. But I was already active musically, having played the piano, drums, organ, flute as well as singing in the church choir as a soprano when I was younger.

Do you have female singer that inspired you along the way?

I admire Karin Dreijer from The Knife and the innovative way she uses her voice. Plus her lyrics are bloody awesome. My fellow Swede Robyn is a source of inspiration, also Lykke Li, and Moloko.

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In your hit Love Handles, which dropped e arlier this ye ar, you sing “I leave it in your hands”, and “it’s such a fine thing”. What message are you trying to convey?

Were you love-struck at the time?

Well, the track is about devotion and surrendering to another person. I like to have a hidden message in my tracks, and sexually-charged innuendos. I think the vocal translates the wordplay of the physical manifestation of love, and how it ‘handles’ us.

Adeline

There is an official video zapping around the internet, where you are head-to-toe in blue Avataresque body paint that would make James Cameron proud, flanked by colourful psychedelic patterns. What was your thought behind the video?

We wanted to re-enact the atmospheric and rather trippy vibe of Love Handles and almost create its own universe that is supposed to symbolise the near-ecstasy like feeling of being in love.

What do you like to listen to apart from electronic music?

Tracy Chapman, 80s, 90s classics.

Right now I’m listening to ‘Teardrops’, actually. [Womack and Womack’s hit from 1988 is audible in the background].

The life of a touring DJ seems exce ssive in more ways than one, with late nights in clubs and everything that goes with it. How do you cope and stay on top of your game?

I’m very health conscious and that has become an interest of mine, especially from doing really long days in the studio and days on the road, which causes fatigue. By cooking everything from scratch (even my own bread ) and eating healthily, along with going to the gym five

days a week, I believe I am able to maintain a balanced body and soul.

I’m also a fan of disco naps!

Any memorable gigs this year?

I do remember the Rebel Rave at this year’s Sonar Festival in Barcelona as one of the highlights really. The décor was super cool, made by a collective from Paris. I’d also have to mention the Eastern Electrics festival here in London . I was playing in the 2020 Vision tent and we had such a great atmosphere all day.

Do you have any fun b ackstage stories to share with us?

What happens backstage stays backstage.

What releases do you have coming up?

I’m currently finishing the final track for my E P with a label I have long admired. I’m also working with a few cool producers. I’m doing some vocals, and I’ve got a remix for Climbers’ 80s roller-disco vibey ‘Equal Responsibility’, due on the German label Get Physical.

We’ve seen you in action several times, and you definitely have your own DJ style and way of dancing that is not strictly to the 4/4 beat.

Sometimes I get so into the music that I start to dance in an unconscious way.

DJing is about beat-matching, and the dance I do behind the decks to every knock and element of a track is my way of expressing what I’m doing at the mixing desk. It’s my way of beatmatching, or basically ‘beat-dancing’.

Maybe I’m touching the knobs or the FX of something, and it’s not the same dance you would see me do on the dance floor. But it’s my way of understanding the energy and rhythm of the track, and subsequently the best way of mixing the track right.

What can we look forward to from you gig-wise?

I’m super-psyched about playing at the Mixmag Live event, October 19 at Village Underground. I’ll be playing with living legends Carl Craig and Paul Woolford, so it’s definitely worth coming down.

It’s streamed live, so if you can’t make it you can tune in online!

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SHUT YOUR PRETTY MOUTH Straight outta Tampa, Dominique Young, our fave ghetto princess chats back

name real big on my back with a red rose and much more.

We know you’re a big Missy Elliot fan, but does anyone inspire you from the new generation of rappers?

We first heard of you when you burst Yes Nicki Minaj really inspire me. on the scene with the unrelenting I really love the things she doing, and pretty fucking spe ctacular she very unique. Love the crazy voices ‘Show My Ass’. You’ve been quite and faces she make. She really make busy since then. What’s been the me laugh. Also, I love Iggy Azalea. highlight of the last year?

She fucking great. She is killin’ the I’ve been very busy touring a lot and game right now. She the best new girl shooting other videos to my new out. I’ma collaborating with her soon. singles, also in the studio working We follow each other on Twitter and on my album and just getting my we always tweeting. She like a new stuff together. I’ve just signed to Sony bestfriend to me. It seem like we have records so things coming along well. ways alike. I really like her.

We checked out your badass video You’ve spent quite a lot of time for ‘Going In Hard’, the Branko in London, which makes a change track you featured in. Where did from your native Florida, where do you shoot it and did you enjoy you like to hang out? that cigar? Was it Cuban?

Well that make a change. You guys Yes I shot the video in Tampa an old style, I love it. I brung it back to Tampa part called Ybor City. I played two people be like “where the fuck did you characters in the video, it’s was really get those shoes, they hot”. And the fun. Um… the cigar [Laughs]. Oh my new style I’m bringing back to Tampa God, it was really cool and yes the people love it. Um, really like to go cigar was a Garcia Vega. and hang out West London.

If you were a gangster in the 1930s About a week ago you were heading what would be your name? And to a strip club to see some asswhat would be your trademark shaking, were you satisfied? move or trick?

Um no. I really left because the girls My Gangster Name would have been was stank and it wasn’t really right Dominique ‘Death Queen’ Young and so I left the building. my trademark would of been “Queen Of the Wicky Witch” when I blow a How do you work when you get kiss at people they disappear. an idea for a song?

Um I really work easy, like the struggle Tell us about your ink. What have I been through. Or it depends on the you got and where? Are you planning mood-swing I’m in. to get any more?

Ink? You meaning tatts? Well I have H o w ’ d y o u d e s c r i b e y o u r 13 of them in all kinds of places . fashion style?

I have butterflies, and my name on It’s very unique and different from my chest. I be in stores and people be others. I love to try new things. like “have a great day Dominique”. I be It’s like a London-mix-Florida-style like “how you know my name”. I forget What have you got planned next? that my name be on Releasing a very big single. Then my my chest lol. I have album and working on touring. my mom’s baby pic on my stomach and her name under it. I have lots of stars going down my legs – I freaking love stars. I have my boyfriend last WORDS: MAYA VON DOLL

Dominique Young

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