#bc this being pointed out + the recent taylor swift thing has given me new life (and i don't even like taylor swift tbh)

[coulsonlives]

I'm seeing people call the neighborhoods in the new Barbie movie 'car-centric dystopias' and I am HERE FOR IT, GO OFF CHAMPS

[taylorswiftstylequestions]

I could understand you as a Taylor fashion blog being disappointed Taylor didn’t go. But I just don’t get why Taylor should’ve been there bc she just released a single. It almost seems like the sentiment contradicts its purpose of Charity. “ Show up bc you have something to promote”. Actually. I’m glad she didn’t go and used a media vehicle that actually promotes music..I.e radio interview.

I’ve gotten a few messages like this and I’ll pose the thought: 

What did her New York Fashion Takeover have to do with 1989? 

dis got long

Similar to how showing up to literally one of the biggest events of the year is self-promotion, so is getting your body and outfits photographed up to 3x/day for months on end. And before this is hit with a “Taylor also got hate for going out and overexposed herself during 1989 anyway” I’ll PRE-COUNTER with the fact that we all also agreed while we were in the 1989 Era (these things often get lost when we’ve moved on to another era) that Taylor was riding a major career high during that time. Her singles were doing phenomenally, she was consistently racking up awards, she was a promotion machine, she was critically adored, and she was in her first long-term relationship ever. I can recall so many thought rants about how generally happy and on a high Taylor was during the entire 1989 Era.

I know that we’re all still in the gravitational pull that was the Black Promotional Hole from reputation, but prior to that Taylor was an everywhere anywhere all the time kind of girl and took her promotional schedules very seriously. 

Physical appearances in any capacity are promotion for your career and for your brand. Taylor is her brand. She has a huge project on the books this year. I understand we’re also living in a different world post-rep and what that actually means for how This Taylor approaches promo, but I still think I’m warranted to believe that missing out on the Met was missing out an opportunity. 

I could already picture “Taylor Swift showed up at the MET Gala wearing a look very on brand to what her most recent single ME! showed us all in her latest music video [LINK]”. That leads to more traffic, more streams, more attention, and more focus on Taylor and her projects. 

Given the fact that someone just had to ask me what the point of the Met Gala is, while at its heart it is a charitable function, the Met Gala we all know and love and pay attention to is the fashion and the people who appear on the red carpet. Is it contradictory to use it as a promotional tool for oneself? Perhaps. But that is a big part of its role currently in pop culture. 

Loving the discussion that’s happening! 

[onestowatch]

Q&A: Nina Nesbitt Might Be The Britney Spears of our Generation

Already off to an impressive start to 2018, which includes numerous sold-out tour dates and amassing upwards of 100 million streams to date, Scottish singer-songwriter Nina Nesbitt is just getting started. Nesbitt’s vibrant voice is derived from her musical influences Britney Spears and Whitney Houston, and her rapid growth as an artist only further contributes to her confident classic pop style. Her flair for catchy pop and R&B blended with her own confessional songwriting has gathered fans such as Chloe Grace Moretz and Taylor Swift, who included ‘The Best You Had’ on her “Favorite Songs Playlist.”

Earlier this year, Nina Nesbitt partnered with Spotify for their Louder Together program to record the first ever collaborative Spotify Single Original called “Psychopath” with fellow Ones To Watch Sasha Sloan and Charlotte Lawrence. 

Fresh off her summer tour supporting Jesse McCartney, Nina released a brand new single, “Loyal To Me,” which was inspired by the “independent-women spirit of the 90s and is a self-help to dating.” She plans on releasing a full-length album in early 2019.

Ones to Watch recently chatted with Nina Nesbitt to chat about her musical journey, Spotify’s Louder Together program, post-tour plans, and more. Read more below and be sure to catch the rising songstress on her upcoming fall tour with MAX:

10/4, Neumos, Seattle, WA 10/5, Fortune Sound Club, Vancouver, BC 10/6, Hawthorne Theater, Portland, OR 10/9, Holy Diver, Sacramento, CA 10/10, Slim’s, San Francisco, CA 10/11, Voodoo Room @ House of Blues, San Diego, CA 10/12, The Observatory, Santa Ana, CA 10/13, El Rey Theatre, Los Angeles, CA 10/16, The Crescent Ballroom, Phoenix, AZ 10/17, Sunshine Theater, Albuquerque, NM 10/19, The Complex, Salt Lake City, UT 10/20, Bluebird Theater, Denver, CO 10/23, Scoot Inn, Austin, TX 10/24, Bronze Peacock @ House of Blues, Houston, TX 10/25, Cambridge Room @ House of Blues, Dallas, TX 10/26, Voodoo Lounge @ Harrah’s Kansas City, Kansas City, MO 10/27, Delmar Hall, St. Louis, MO

OTW: Let’s start from the very beginning. Why music? What made you realize music was path you wanted to pursue?

NN: It’s something I have loved doing ever since I was a kid. I was the only child--I had a lot of spare time by myself, and so my parents often times encouraged me to do something that I enjoy and that is creative. I did a lot of art, story writing, and music. Music was my favorite thing out of all the creative arts. Eventually, I put my stories into music and so I started songwriting. It’s something I never thought I could do as a career but I really enjoyed it. Suddenly, one day, I ended up doing it as a career I guess and earning a living from it, and it kind of just stuck.

OTW: How have you grown musically and personally since you’ve released your first EP “Live Take” in 2011?

NN: I’m from a little small village in Scotland, which is very far from the music industry and anything else, so the only opportunity I had was to buy an acoustic guitar and put my music out that way. There were no studios or really any other artists that I could work with. I really liked acoustic music and once I got signed, I moved to London. I feel like the move was key to my sound and style changing and just overall growing as a person. Coming from a small place to one of the biggest cities in the world is a culture shock. You have to grow up. You get to know a lot of different characters as people, and you figure out how things work a bit more. I think that’s what personally matured me. And musically, I had the chance to collaborate with so many amazing people like writers and other artists that have influenced my music. I have a studio set up as well where I produced “The Moment I’m Missing.” I wrote all of the new album there.

OTW: Which of your songs took the longest to write and why?

NN: “The Best You Had.” I had the lyrics, “It’s crazy that you’re moving on so fast but baby it’s okay if I am still the best you had,” in my notebook for a good six months. I was really pleased with that line but kept trying to get it into a song. It means a lot to me. Those lyrics have been in about five different songs that never came out. I kept persevering with it and one day, I was in the studio with my friend Jordan, who I write quite a lot with, and we played these chords, and the song literally wrote itself within twenty minutes. I’m glad I kept trying to better it because I wasn’t happy with it before. It was a nightmare to write but in the end, it was actually one of the easiest songs.

OTW: What has it been like supporting the Jesse McCartney tour?

NN: Great! So many different audiences from what I’m used to playing to. I wasn’t familiar with his music until before the tour.  All my friends absolutely love him, but I never had Nickelodeon as a kid so I never knew about him. He’s great. He knows how to work the stage. He’s so lovely.

OTW: Do you have any traditions you like to do pre-show/on tour?

NN: I try to stay healthy but in America, it’s impossible because you have so much space here. Like sometimes the drive is 10 hours some days and the only thing available is fast food, so I’m just enjoying being unhealthy. My tour ritual for this tour is to enjoy food and eat as much as I can.

OTW: Most memorable moment from your music career so far?

NN: There’s quite a lot of different memorable moments especially because I’ve been doing this for about six to seven years. I would have to say playing to ten thousand people at festivals -- that’s something I’ll never forget. “The Best You Had” got over 30 million streams, which is a really crazy number to me. It was so unexpected. I signed an independent deal with a label, a very casual record deal, just to put out songs that I like, and then suddenly I had over 30 million streams, I’m on a billboard in Times Square with Spotify, and all these things just happened so fast which I’m so grateful for. I feel like a lot of times you only get one shot as an artist and so I feel blessed.

OTW: What’s a city you’d like to someday perform in?

NN: Tokyo. I’m obsessed with Japan and I’ve never been. I’ve been to Hong Kong. I’m really obsessed with Asian culture because it’s so different from British culture. I’ve heard from other artists that go there just have the most amazing time.

OTW: We love your recent release “The Sun Will Come Up, The Seasons Will Change.” What does that song mean to you?

NN: That song was released because it was on a TV show, Life Sentence. That one is part of a collection of songs and represent a journey from start to finish. For example, “The Moments I’m Missing” is the intro track, and it’s about losing yourself and feeling lost. The middle point is “Somebody Special” because you feel like you’ve found your worth again and remember who you are. The last one is “Sun Will Come up, The Seasons Will Change,” and it sums up the whole album for me as a concept and represents the light at the end of the tunnel. I’m hoping people listen to it and take what they want from it. It’s also the message I keep with me in life. Nothing is permanent. Whatever you’re going through whether it’s really shit or really great, don’t take anything for granted. Don’t think your life will be like this forever. If you’re having a bad day, just remember things keep changing all the time.

OTW: What is the first thing you’re going to do once you return home post-tour?

NN: Give my dog a big hug. I’m also shooting a new music video the day I get back.

OTW: Wow! Can you tell us about that?

NN: Yes! I’m really excited for the video I’m shooting because I think it’s going to be something people won’t expect.

OTW: We can’t wait to see it. “Psychopath” was the first ever collaborative single from Spotify’s ‘Louder Together’ program. What was it like being a part of that with Sasha Sloan and Charlotte Lawrence?

NN: It was great! I’ve never actually collaborated with other female artists before and I think like for so long, we’ve been conditioned to think that other females are competition -- don’t work with them, don’t support them. And it’s like come on, we can all have space here to put out music. I think Spotify has done given girls a platform, especially girls in pop. They put you on so many playlists to get your streams up, which means more people come to the gigs, and it really helps. This collaboration was really cool because I’m a big fan of both of them and Sasha is an amazing song writer and Charlotte is an amazing new artist. It’s cool to get in a room with like-minded females that also do pop and understand what we do on a daily basis.

OTW: Who are some of your Ones to Watch artists?

NN: So later this summer, I will be touring with Lewis Capaldi, who I think is amazing. He’s Scottish. He’s great. I think he’s going to do really well and everyone should check him out.

[pedrospascalls]

everlore group plot 

quick about:

the point of this plot is to be messy, and the plot lines do not need to always follow those lines. it’ll be fun to create even more lines of connections and relationships that can be explored in various ways.

most of them met through being “nick kids.” they were all on nickelodeon television shows as teens during the same time frame and would attend events together and were the “it” kids back then. they all supported each other through the trials and tribulations of being childhood stars.

everybody should be around 30 to 35

you do not need to know taylor swift’s music in order to be part of this. i definitely think you should read the lyrics to the specific song your character is based on to get a better feel [and encourage everlore listening bc those albums are beautiful].

its going to be a little confusing right now because names haven’t been placed, as well as timelines! the plot is open for interpretation of when these certain important plot points happened! there will probably be a lot of overlap of feelings involving other people too and other plot points we can make up and explore!

cast of characters:

james - kelly carmichael (31, dylan o’brien, olivia)

betty - maybe whitmore (33, holland roden, zoe)

this is me trying - 

august - 

champagne problems - briar jacobsen (32, brie larson, kayla)

illicit affairs - 

gold rush - 

exile - kasper sinclair (32, lucas bravo, cassibod)

long story short - april hawkins (jane levy, allison)

coney island - 

the story starts on nickelodeon. james and betty were cast in nickelodeon tv show and immediately became best friends. they were both new in the industry and were shot into childhood stardom because of the network. as they grew up, they never once faltered in their friendship. but they also began to realize that their childhood crushes were much more than that. although they never admitted it to each other. they always danced around their feelings, and let them hide deep, down inside of them. the two made lots of promises to each other but as they grew up, those promises became harder and harder to keep. when they finally left the network, betty’s post-nick career took off and she moved to nashville to pursue her music career. betty and james’s feelings for each other remained unspoken.

while betty was away, james grew closer to august. august had been on another nickelodeon show and the two had run into each other many times at events and parties and always had a connection. the only problem was that this is me trying also always had a thing for august. the two were always a will-they-wont-they and had gotten close many times, but this is me trying was never in the right mindset for it all. they were slowly spiraling and august didn’t want to risk getting her heart broken. this is me trying ended up in rehab multiple times post-nickelodeon and it wasn’t until recently that they started to get their life back together.

so when james and august started dating, this is me trying had to watch from an arm’s length as their best friend began dating the one person that never left their brain. but instead of focusing on winning august back, this is me trying to ignore them entirely in hopes of the feelings disappearing and so that they wouldn’t spiral again [besides, replacing one addiction with another is a disaster waiting to happen]. 

betty returned to los angeles due to more job prospects and her music career taking off her time on the east coast was fun, but she was desperate to return to what she knew...and to james. riddled with anxiety of admitting her feelings, she showed up at james place one night only to have august open the door. ouch. she retreated quickly, although it wasn’t long before betty would see them again as the nickelodeon kids had formed such a tight knit group.

after all of this betty has found solace in illicit affairs, the best friend/cousin/up for interpretation of james. its a secret, and there are no true feelings there, but it is better than admitting the truth and dealing with their own issues. illicit affairs has had the biggest crush on gold rush since before they could remember, but gold rush has never given them the time of day [or realized it]. part of them thinks that sneaking around with betty might make gold rush notice them in a different light, but gold rush’s brain is too focused on their fling with coney island to even realize what’s going on.

champagne problems and exile had been dating for a few years. their romance was a whirlwind of passion, as the two of them were quite opposites but somehow fit like a puzzle. everybody knew of exile’s plans to propose to champagne problems at an extravagant party. except it didn’t go as planned, and champagne problems panicked and said “no” and fled the scene immediately after, leaving exile in pain and with no understanding of what went wrong.

champagne problems has been close with this is me trying since being on the same show during nickelodeon days and was the first person they went to when turning down exile’s proposal. they never understood why until the proposal, and how a) they aren’t ready for marriage but b) might have feelings there they aren’t sure about. they do love exile, but what if this deep connection with this is me trying is meant to be more? but what if it isnt? why did champagne problems say no anyway.

fast forward to a bit later, and exile is now making an attempt at dating long story short to ease the pain they still feel. both of them know it doesn’t quite fit, but its better than being alone. long story short is still reeling from the pain of their sudden break up with coney island. they both didn’t want to break up, but it felt inevitable as coney island had gotten a job on broadway/was going on tour/whatever you want, and long story short felt like they wouldn’t have worked out [based on fear more than fact]. fast forward six months, and coney island has returned to los angeles because of a new acting gig...and they want long story short back and using gold rush to try and make them jealous.