#he's a rapper/rockstar who's spent most of his life trying to get back to his 90s fame

[earthmoonz]

toxic couple on the verge of divorce ft. their long suffering children...

[daesungfmd]

hello! i’m peyton, but you can call me pey for short if you’d like; either is fine by me. i’ve only recently returned to tumblr rp, so i’m still getting back into the swing of things! please....... be patient with me in the meantime. anyway, i’m going to be writing for impulse’s lead vocal  &  rapper, hwang daesung! go ahead and leave a  ♡  if you’re interested in plotting with us and i’ll send you an im asap!

private profile  /  idol profile  /  plots  /  pinterest

daesung is originally from the neighborhood of samcheong in seoul. his mom owns a small salon there, which is where he spent the majority of his time while he was growing up (and where he still spends a lot of his free time nowadays, tbh). 

he doesn’t have any siblings  &  his dad passed away when he was twelve, so it was just him, his mom and the stray cats that they fed. they struggled quite a bit in these times and daesung’s mom often considered selling the salon, but daesung refused to let that happen. he didn’t ask for a whole lot because he didn’t want to make her feel bad.

but! he’s always been very deeply interested in music  —  stems a little from memories of just sitting in the family car with his dad and sharing music as well as listening to a busker who frequently performed near his school.

wanted to be a rockstar, which definitely irritated his mom. she wanted to be supportive, but she also wanted him to succeed in life  &  knew how hard it would be for him to make something like that come true.

regardless, she kept buying him the cds, record players, records, guitars, etc that he asked for around his birthday and the holidays because he never wanted anything else.

a series of strong-willed fights resulted in daesung’s mom finally allowing him to audition for companies. after many rejections, he found his home at gold star entertainment.

he became a trainee in early 2012—so when he was 15—and two years later, he debuted with impulse. during this time, he became estranged from his mother, but after debuting, he began to get closer to her again.

he stayed outwardly optimistic during his time as a trainee, but he didn’t exactly love it and his health was on a steady decline, both physically and mentally. there were times when he wanted to back out because he didn’t want to be an idol, he wanted to be a rock musician, but... he had too much pride to go back home. so he stayed.

during next: origin story, daesung’s poor dancing skills  &  unfaltering confidence had him framed as an arrogant boy with no shame; furthermore, he was said to be dumb because of how many times certain things had to be explained to him. towards the end of the show, he was able to redeem himself a bit, though.

to be fair............... he is kind of dumb. promoted as the ~4d type~, but it’s not like that image was pulled out of thin air --- he’s more or less the same on and off camera, can’t really differentiate between his work persona and his actual self. the best way i can describe it is that it’s really obvious that he isn’t book/traditionally smart, but he’s intelligent in other ways: emotionally, first and foremost. 

anyway! in impulse, the shameless and dense aspects of his personality that the public had already met were molded into a new, more likeable persona... although more likeable is still up for debate. during the debut era, he was very loud, a little too honest, always trying to crack a joke  &  steal the show.

in his most ridiculous shenanigan so far... he has a nervous habit of scratching his head (also does this when he’s embarrassed  —  i.e, when someone’s making fun of him) and fans made a compilation of the clips. he took it much further than he should have and made a statement without running it past management about how he’d been scratching because he had lice. never actually had lice, but fans began gifting him with copious amounts of lice shampoo, hair trimmers, plastic gloves, hairnets, etc. management was definitely fed up with him over this... but he found it hilarious.

impulse debuted nearly  7  years ago, so he has toned down his behavior a bit... or maybe the public’s just gotten more used to it? it’s hard to be shocked by him now ‘cause the public’s already seen it all. seen as the kind of idol who has no shame whatsoever.

i intend to push him towards variety whether he likes it or not. he really, really wants to act, but the company’s quite adamant about not letting him do that (for one good reason: he sucks at acting)... so maybe variety’s the next best thing? he certainly doesn’t want to be reduced to the few osts he’s done, anyway. </3

he doesn’t hate being an idol. it isn’t what he wanted, but all things considered, he doesn’t think it’s that bad, either. impulse’s music is a lot better now than it was when they debuted, he’s made a lot of friends who he never would’ve otherwise met  &  he likes to be known/liked. kinda indifferent about the idol status ig.

for more general facts about daesung... he’s quite the social butterfly. he has many friends, but i imagine that he doesn’t have very many close ones. partially because he doesn’t tend to spend too much time with individuals  &  partially because it’s hard to break past the superficial layer with him. his fans will claim that he’s the most genuine guy around, but when you actually know him, the constant grin and jokes become a bit unnerving. especially when it’s obvious that he’s not doing well, but refuses to speak about his feelings.

but once he deems someone trustworthy, he’s the king of oversharing. he’s a very open book, will tell you anything you wanna know if he knows that you actually care.

he’s a very affectionate guy, whether he’s close to someone or not. he thinks the world could definitely use some more love (and he’s seen first-hand that idols tend to be the angstiest mfs around), so he’s always looking for a way to brighten someone’s day or at least get the tiniest smile out of ‘em. with people he is close to, he’s usually pretty touchy; likes to hug his friends, rub their backs, ruffle their hair, etc, but his affection is also shown through words of affirmation! if you need an ego boost, he’s here to provide it. thinks his friends are the absolute coolest. with people he’s not close to, he tends to crack jokes to break the ice, try to talk about their interests, pay attention to whatever they have to say. gives spontaneous gifts to friends and acquaintances. likes to spend time with people, too, whether he knows them well or he’s just starting to.

he says “i love you” like it’s his life’s motto. calls up his friends when he’s drunk like, “you know that i love you, right? i really love you. so much... damn. i miss you!!! i love you and i miss you! please come back to me!!!” aka it starts out innocent enough but then he starts sounding like a crazy ex. no worries, though, it’s just your good ol’ friend daesung acting like a fool because it’s been a week since he last saw you. <3

makes spontaneous phonecalls. if he has your number in his phone, he’s definitely called you a handful of times — even if you’re a virtual stranger. i imagine there are plenty of people who’ve probably blocked his number at this point.

he’s interested in fashion, but if he said this aloud, it would be treated as a shocking statement. nothing that he wears is ever in trend. most of his outfits are inspired by ‘90′s fashion, but even taking that into consideration, hardly anyone ever thinks he looks good other than himself. his neon-toned bucket hats, excessively tie-dyed clothes  &  gaudy accessories result in him getting clowned a lot. it’s very obvious when he dresses himself....... probably not even allowed to pick his own airport clothes.

mcs have joked that he even manages to make expensive brands look cheap with how he styles them. kind of hurts his feelings but it’s okay. <3

he’s super into skateboarding. he didn’t start until after impulse debuted, but he’s gotten pretty good at it with how much he practices in his spare time. has a collection of unique boards  &  even has his apartment decorated with some furniture made from decks. some fans have definitely met him at skateparks before.

believes in the most outrageous conspiracies  —  say what you want, but you can’t change his mind about anything. he thinks that aliens are indeed real (and already walking the earth), he thinks that the government consists of people who are not entirely human, he thinks that there’s a huge chance that this world is only a simulation, he thinks that all cryptids are Definitely real (mothman, bigfoot, nightcrawlers, etc) and so on. i suggest not letting him get going about this because he can def sound a little crazy.

specialties: reciting quotes but always getting one word Terribly wrong, misusing and mispronouncing words, getting under everyone’s skin without even really having to try, slapstick humor and making 30 second stories feel 3 hours long.

[tabloidtoc]

OK, June 8

Cover: Cher Turns 74 -- in hiding and in love 

Page 1: Big Pic -- Kristin Chenoweth in a Winnie the Pooh onesie with boyfriend Josh Bryant and her dog Thunder 

Page 2: Contents 

Page 3: Contents 

Page 4: Kristin Cavallari dating again -- she’s ready for romance just one month after her split from husband Jay Cutler 

Page 6: Meghan Markle chronicled her time in the U.K. in a secret diary and the revelation has sent The Firm into a tailspin -- it’s confirmed everyone’s worst fears that Meghan has them over a barrel and could bring them down with the click of a finger 

Page 7: After Jennifer Lopez’s daughter Emme wowed the crowd with a surprise appearance during the Super Bowl halftime show J.Lo’s ready to take on the full-time role of stage mom as the 12-year-old preps to release a bilingual children’s book of prayers, three years after her split from music producer Jack Antonoff it seems Lena Dunham is still nursing a broken heart so much so that’s it’s affecting her day-to-day life, after more than 15 years of friendship Ashton Kutcher and Dax Shepard are still thick as thieves 

Page 8: Though it’s been two years since Tom Hardy wrapped up filming as the titular character in Capone which has just recently been released but the renowned Method actor still can’t get out of the notorious gangster’s mindset so much so that even his wife Charlotte Riley who is used to Tom’s extreme behavior during a film shoot is rattled by his demeanor and she’s telling him not to take any more weirdo roles because it affects their personal life, Jon Hamm is desperate to work intimately with January Jones again and the quickest path to that is through a Mad Men reunion -- Jon still feels deeply connected to January and in a lot of ways she’s the closest he’s had to a real-life spouse after the years they spent as an onscreen couple, The Bachelorette Hannah Brown is feeling the consequences of her actions after blurting out the N-word while singing along to DaBaby’s track Rockstar in an Instagram Live video and she apologized immediately but the backlash has been pretty brutal 

Page 10: Red Hot on the Red Carpet -- silver gowns -- Diane Kruger, Reese Witherspoon, Janelle Monae 

Page 11: Nina Kiri, Catherine Zeta-Jones 

Page 12: Who Wore It Better? Betty Gilpin vs. Nina Dobrev ✅, Chiara Ferragni vs. Dakota Fanning ✅

Page 13: Kaia Gerber vs. Nicky Hilton Rothschild ✅

Page 14: News in Photos -- during her televised City of Lover Concert Taylor Swift unveiled a few personal photos from her trip to France last September 

Page 15: Pierce Brosnan congratulated son Dylan for graduating from the USC School of Cinematic Arts, Vanessa Hudgens, Adriana Lima relaxing in Florida, Ariana Grande shows off her new butterfly tattoo in an Instagram selfie 

Page 16: Lance Bass pointed out his platinum locks before dyeing them blue, Gwyneth Paltrow shared a snap of her and Chris Martin’s daughter Apple 

Page 17: Adam Sandler on a bike, Kate Beckinsale brushes her cat Clive, Elizabeth Hurley and her dog Ava, Britney Spears 

Page 18: Dean McDermott and son Beau playing golf, Sara Gilbert and estranged wife Linda Perry with son Rhodes at an L.A. park, Melissa Gorga played basketball with kids Antonia and Gino and Joey 

Page 19: Drew Barrymore read to her Instagram followers to take part in the Save With Stories fund, Shawn Johnson East and daughter Drew, Pink and kids Jameson and Willow

Page 20: Color Theory -- these ladies brightened up their looks at home -- Elle Fanning, Lottie Moss 

Page 21: Taraji P. Henson, Jennifer Love Hewitt 

Page 22: Arnold Schwarzenegger on a bike, Brooke Burke filmed a new exercise routine for her fitness app, Devon Windsor is having way too much fun doing physical couples challenges with husband Jonathan Barbara

Page 23: Josh Hutcherson on a bike ride around the neighborhood, Nicole Scherzinger and her boyfriend Thom Evans demonstrated easy workouts you can do at home, Venus Williams on the tennis court in Palm Beach Gardens 

Page 24: Inside My Home -- Kelly Clarkson’s modern mansion in L.A.’s ritzy Encino community is for sale for $9.9 million 

Page 26: What went wrong between Brian Austin Green and Megan Fox 

Page 27: Blake Shelton is worried history will repeat itself now that he and girlfriend Gwen Stefani have splashed out $13 million for a mansion in L.A. which is their first home together but Blake thought things were going great with ex-wife Miranda Lambert until they really started pooling their money and putting down roots then they started to fall apart with arguments and bad feelings, just weeks after Ashley Benson and Cara Delevingne ended their two-year relationship Ashley was spotted locking lips with rapper G-Eazy but an insider claims it’s more of a rebound than a full-fledged romance, Ariel Winter and her boyfriend Luke Benward are talking marriage just six months into their romance

Page 28: Scott Disick and his girlfriend of two years Sofia Richie are taking some time apart and the official line is that Sofia’s giving him space to work on his personal issues but everyone knows they were hanging by a thread before his rehab stint, Ryan Reynolds has kicked up his workout regimen while at home in Bedford during the quarantine and it’s all about maintaining his physique and being able to fit into his tight Deadpool gear at a moment’s notice and she’s trying to get wife Blake Lively to join him in his three-times-a-day workouts but she’s become much more relaxed about staying in shape since becoming a mom, Love Bites -- Jaime King and husband Kyle Newman split, Rooney Mara and Joaquin Phoenix expecting, Jamie Otis and Doug Hehner welcomed a son 

Page 30: Cover Story -- Inside Cher’s Private World -- from ongoing health issues to her secret new romance sources tell all about Cher’s wild life 

Page 34: Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen’s unbreakable bond -- inside the Olsen twins special relationship and how Ashley is helping Mary-Kate move past her messy divorce 

Page 36: Matthew Perry on the mend -- after a rough few weeks Matthew has started to get his life back in order 

Page 38: Exes tackling quarantine together -- these former celeb couples have chosen to hunker down with each other. What could go wrong? -- Khloe Kardashian and Tristan Thompson, Naomi Watts and Liev Schreiber, Mario and Ramona Singer 

Page 39: Tyler Cameron and Hannah Brown, Jesse Metcalfe and Cara Santana, Getting Some Space -- these still-coupled duos have socially distanced from each other -- Julianne Hough and Brooks Laich, Johnny McDaid and Courteney Cox, Emma Heming and Bruce Willis 

Page 40: Interview -- Dua Lipa opens up about her new album and her life off stage 

Page 42: Summer Stunners -- swimsuit models spill fitness and diet secrets that will have you beach-ready in no time -- Nina Agdal, Irina Shayk 

Page 43: Emily Ratajkowski, Olivia Culpo 

Page 46: Style Week -- Gabrielle Union recently unveiled her Spring/Summer 2020 NY&Co collection with a sizzling campaign shot in Miami’s Little Haiti 

Page 48: Summersalt X Tanya Taylor swim collection, Katy Perry’s favorite headband 

Page 50: Warm-weather must haves -- Emily Ratajkowski 

Page 52: Beauty -- fast and east beauty boosters -- Kristen Bell, Ashley Graham 

Page 54: Entertainment 

Page 58: Buzz -- Sarah Jessica Parker commemorated her and Matthew Broderick’s 23rd wedding anniversary with an IG tribute 

Page 60: Hollywood Heat Meter -- Ellie Goulding occasionally fasts for 40 hours, Jonah Hill is the actor who swears the most in his films, Ryan Seacrest’s droopy eye and slurred speech during the American Idol finale was from exhaustion, Mindy Kaling will be cowriting the Legally Blonde 3 script, Brad Pitt recorded a surprise message for Missouri State University grads, Kanye West’s former bodyguard Steve Stanulis revealed his time working for the rapper 

Page 61: Sound Bites -- Chris Evans on why he caved and joined Instagram, Catherine Zeta-Jones on why her husband Michael Douglas doesn’t use TikTok, Ellie Kemper on shooting the Unbreakable Kimmie Schmidt special with Daniel Radcliffe, Ryan Reynolds on quarantining with his three daughters 

Page 62: Horoscope -- Gemini Heidi Klum 

Page 64: By the Numbers -- Denise Richards 

[purplesurveys]

641

Benddd...and snap! So have you had any bread today? Yeah, I had two slices of bread to go with my pancit canton. If so, was it good bread? If you haven't had bread, are you gonna eat some? It was okay. It’s the brand we usually buy so I don’t really have any complaints. Who sits in front of you in Math class? I haven’t had a math class since 2016, but I’m pretty sure I sat behind Audrey, back when my blockmates and I were classmates in all of our classes. Tell me about the last time you spit (spat?). Why did you do it? I forgot what food it was, but I spat it back out because it was still hot. Who do you think makes the best surveys? I don’t really rank the people I get my surveys from but I do have an entire bookmark folder filled with links to surveys I eventually plan on taking, haha. It’s really useful especially when it seems like some surveys are getting recycled.

How many cars can fit in your garage? Technically there’s only one slot for the actual garage, but we’ve made use of our driveway and some of our yard so we’ve been able to fit all three of our cars in the area, and yet still have room for one more should we ever get another car. Do you know anyone who plays the harmonica? Hmm I don’t think so. How high do you have to be to 'touch' the sky? I’m not really in the mood to come up with a witty resonse to this right now lol. Are you currently facing a wall or a window? I’m facing a mirror, which was put up against a wall. What was the last flavor of Doritos you ate? Cool ranch, which I quickly realized I did not like. Have you ever been hypnotized? No, and I’d like to see someone try. How long do you tend to hold grudges? For life. Do you say 'panties' or 'underwear'? I say underwear. Do you know who Groucho Marx was? Yes. What is the least Japanese animal you can think of? (ex: roadrunner) ...I didn’t know animals could have nationalities... Do you always sit at the same table at lunch or do you switch it up? We never actually went down to the cafeteria to eat because the groups that were in there were either the super popular but annoyingly loud cool kids, or the basic local kids lolol. Since our school allows us to stay in our classroom to eat, that’s where we spent recess and lunch. My favorite question: Do you like Aerosmith? I respect them as a band but I wouldn’t call myself a fan. Have you ever gotten to the center of a Tootsie Pop without biting? I’ve never even had a Tootsie Roll. What do you think of slang? I think some of it is useful. Some I don’t get and are signs that I’m getting old. Which accents can you imitate pretty well? I’ve watched almost all the Beyoncé interviews that exist so I can imitate her well lol. But accents are generally not my thing. Have you ever hit an animal with your car? (I hope not) Unintentionally. I was driving in Tagaytay when a crazed dog was running around the highway. Unfortunately it was my car driving up ahead when the dog decided to run straight into the middle of the road. Thankfully my reflexes are A++ so I was able to hit the brakes and not run him over, but he was going a little crazy so he still ended up running into the side of my car. I heard a little whine, which killed me, but I couldn’t stop because we were in a hurry to get somewhere. I’m just glad I didn’t seriously hurt them, or that they didn’t break any bones. Do you remember what you wore yesterday? I had on a green floral sleeveless top, a denim jacket to cover up, and culottes. Do you believe there is such thing as unrequited love or is it just longing? Both exist. What is your favorite sport to watch on TV? Pro wrestling. Would you consider your voice high, low, or in the middle? It’s a little on the high side. Have you ever been on a gondola lift? No. Do you know anyone who's been on TV? If so, which show? Haha that rhymes Most recently it’s been my girlfriend’s dad, who was interviewed about his new restaurant on a local lifestyle show. My college batchmate Yani was also regularly on TV last semester because she was courtside reporter for all UAAP events. Nacho’s dad is a government official, so I’d occasionally see him on the news. Do you make a lot of typos or are you pretty good with the keyboard? I’m decent at the keyboard. What is your favorite color gumball? They all taste the same but whenever I use a gumball machine I’m always hoping I get a pink one haha. When you see a pinecone, do you kick it, step on it, or leave it alone? I don’t think I’ve ever even seen one of those. Are you ever tempted to step on the crunchy leaves? Yes. I did this a lot in my old school. Did you ever have any unreasonable teachers? Still do. Any songs that make you laugh out loud when you hear them? I answered the same question on a past survey and I’m giving the same answer – Gives You Hell by the All-American Rejects. Have you ever had pie smashed in your face? No, but that’s a prank that I hate so I would absolutely go after anyone who tries this with me. Do you have any lockets with pictures inside? Nope. That’s a gift I’ve given my girlfriend though. Have you ever been used as a 'rebound'? How did it go? Again, opposite situation – I haven’t been the rebound but I *almost* used someone as mine. I’m glad I didn’t go through with it because I would have hated myself after. What is your favorite joint to crack? Knuckles. When it comes to rappers, do you have any favorites? Not really. I’m biased towards Jay-Z as a person in general, not just as a rapper, because duh Beyoncé. Do you have any favorite rockstars? If everyone in Paramore counts as rockstars, then I’d go with them. Is music a big part of your life in any way? I wouldn’t say it’s a big part. I’ve definitely had other more important influences, but I love music nonetheless. Have you ever fallen for someone purely based on looks? Nope. Which sport are you better at: basketball or tennis? I’d say tennis, but only because I’ve reflected on how I played basketball in high school aka terribly, and because I’m pretty good at tennis in Wii Sports hahaha. Would you rather babysit someone weekly or tutor them weekly? Babysit! I like taking care of kids.

[onestowatch]

Luna Aura Aims to Set Fire to Society’s White Picket Fences in “English Boys” [PREMIERE + Q&A]

Photo: Quincey Sablan 

Luna Aura is cutting as she is cunning. A woman dedicated to living life unapologetically, Luna Aura has gone through a wide variety of life experiences, both euphoric and painful. The result is an artist who exited the other side with a deeper understanding of herself and the world around her. 

Yet, at times this world can be unforgiving to some of its most poignant inhabitants. Growing up amongst the Mormon community, Luna Aura became well versed in the flagrant injustices and inconsistencies that plague women in our society today. Thousands of years of mass accepted oppression does a number on the psyche of all those involved. Therefore, to truly combat this we must question how we as a community have internalized and personify this discrimination, women included.  

Luna Aura’s latest single, “English Boys,” takes the ironies of self-inflicted oppressive behaviors and, in Luna Aura and her gang of female choristers’ own words, “burn(s) it down.” Synth-driven and visceral in nature from the get-go, JT Daly's (K.Flay, PVRIS) production chops shine effervescently, getting that head banging violently before the finish of the first bar. About 20-seconds in Luna Aura enters with prowess, setting the stage that she intends to destroy. 

“My English boy / He calls my name / He breaks my heart / But I’m to blame,” Luna Aura sings as she transitions into an explosive chorus, reminiscent of the children’s choir present on Pink Floyd's “Another Brick In The Wall,” a fitting comparison considering both artist’s fervent penchant for social justice.   

It is this feminist-focused fight for equality that encapsulates the themes of Luna Aura’s highly-anticipated debut EP Three Cheers For The American Beauty, due 2020. From her previous single “Crash Dive” which explores freeing women’s sexuality, focusing on the fact that women masturbate too and shocker, they like it. Now onto “English Boys,” each song on the EP champions a different feminist theme in punk-rock fashion, holding nothing back and grinning widely at the face of disapproval. 

Luna Aura’s grin is defiant in nature, incorrigible if you are so inclined, and how could it not be? We had the chance to catch up with the rising rockstar on everything from transitioning out of the Mormon church peacefully, how the loss of her younger brother has affected her relationship with music, and her continual riposte to those who attempt to silence her.   

  OTW: Can you share the birthing story of the artist persona Luna Aura?  

Luna Aura: The name Luna Aura comes from a Marvel comic book character named Luna Maximoff. I was inspired by her power, which is the ability to see and feel what others are feeling and manipulate those emotions. It really spoke to me as an artist and stuck. 

OTW: What made you decide to move from Arizona to LA to pursue music as your career?  

Luna Aura: I chose to move to LA for the opportunity to grow as a songwriter and creative mind. I love Arizona, I go back frequently, but there is a level of community and opportunity that exists in Los Angeles that you really can’t get anywhere else. I also just wanted to be challenged. 

OTW: Tell us about growing up Mormon. What elements of that part of your life do you hold onto and what have you relinquished?  

Luna Aura: The Mormon faith has beautiful teachings. Forgiveness, family, love. It was never the teachings that turned me off of the Church. The Mormon community consists of some of the best people I’ve met to this day, but I’m not someone who does well with organized religion. There were things I was being exposed to as a young woman that didn’t align with the person I wanted to be. Some practices and teachings felt archaic, especially as a woman. 

OTW: In January 2015 your brother passed away from a tragic accident. How does his spirit inspire you in your music and how you live your life?  

Luna Aura: My brother taught me the greatest lessons I will ever learn. Life is not promised to you, and every day spent breathing is a gift. As my little brother and friend, he taught me what it meant to love and care for somebody, and his passing taught me to never let a day go by without doing what I love. My music is a direct reflection of that.    

OTW: You are a well-versed and accomplished performer, having shared the stage with the likes of The Killers, K. Flay, Chance the Rapper, P!nk, Run the Jewels, and more. How did you develop your performance style? How do you prepare for your performances?   

Luna Aura: I’m working really hard on building a solid health routine! These shows we’ve been playing are no joke, and your girl loves to Netflix and chill with a saucy burrito from time to time. I’ve been getting better about respecting my body and making sure I’m in the best shape possible, so I can deliver the high-energy show that people deserve. I used to be trash when I first started performing, but I got better by learning from my mistakes and never giving up.  

Photo: Sam Katz 

OTW: Can you expand on your recent sonic transition? What made you decide to move from pop to a more rock-based sound? 

Luna Aura: I LOVE a good pop song, and I truly had an affinity for it growing up. I got into pop because I enjoyed it but, as an artist, I didn’t know who I was yet. My voice, my sound, what I wanted to say. None of that was figured out when I started this whole music journey. You build your identity off of your experiences, and it took me a while to figure that out. But here I am, and I’m proud as hell of it.

OTW: You’ve been working very closely with the producer JT Daly, best known for his work with K.Flay and PVRIS. How has working with JT shaped the sound of the new EP? 

Luna Aura: JT was incredibly instrumental in shaping my new sound. He heard a song I wrote called “Baby Be Cool” and wanted to work with me to my disbelief. I couldn’t find a single producer that understood my vision, and/or wanted to be a part of what I was trying to create. He just let me be who I was, and didn’t stand in the way. He completely elevated this project to something I never thought it could be. 

OTW: We know there is some ironic symbolism present in your latest single. What does “English Boys” represent? 

Luna Aura: I was going on a trip to London a couple years ago, and I remember having conversations about how excited I was to meet and marry an English Boy. There I was, about to travel out of the country for the first time and I was talking about meeting a guy. I sounded brainwashed, kind of made me sick. I realized it was stemming from the whole white picket fence fraudulent dream that gets put in every little girl’s head at one point or another. This song is my recognition of that in myself and choosing to let it go, even if that means setting it on fire I guess.

OTW: Is that a choir we hear on the track? Can you tell us about the creative process of this single in particular? 

Luna Aura: My friend Matt Keller was able to find and record a group of young female singers who work with an amazing vocal coach named Satyam in Phoenix. That element was extremely important to me and it added a lot of dimension to the song sonically. 

OTW: We know that your upcoming EP Three Cheers for the American Beauty is based on various feminist themes. Were there any specific events that inspired the project? 

Luna Aura: I just got to thinking what it meant to be an American woman. I researched the societal pressures of young women in American culture and realized I was looking into a mirror. I hated that. I want to create a world where all that conditioning gets thrown out the window, and women take back the life that belongs to them. In my world, it’s not just about fighting against those who stand in the way of female advancement in American culture, but also the war we fight within ourselves. 

OTW: Who are your Ones to Watch?

Luna Aura: I’ve been listening to girl in red, Slaves, and Fidlar a ton lately!  

Thirsty for more Luna Aura? Quench your thirst with her performance of “Crash Dive” for our sister site The Noise. 

[celebritylive]

One of the most iconic bars in one of the most iconic venues in the country? We can’t think of a better place to sit down and chat with Nashville-based rockers The Cadillac Three. On the tail end of their Country Fuzz tour, PEOPLE caught up with Jaren Johnston, Kelby Ray and Neil Mason before their second night at The Troubadour in Los Angeles to discuss touring, writing their upcoming album – and whether or not Garth Brooks lost their phone number.

RELATED GALLERY: On the Road with The Cadillac Three: The Southern Rock Trio Share Their Top Tour Must-Haves

How’s everything going on tour so far? Still having fun?

JJ: It’s good! We took a little bit of time off in October, so we got a little bit of rejuvenation to get us through the end of the tunnel.

What’s a tour trick or ritual that keeps you guys moving?

JJ: Oh man. Keep the wheels greased and the engine clean, baby. Get up, try and try to train.

KR: Sweat out the booze from the night before and then try a little exercise while we work a lot in there.

JJ: We write songs and record most of them on the road on the way in a studio in the back of our bus. And so we kind of get out. We spent a lot of that time downtime being creative. It’s a good way to pass the time. We’re writing the next record.

So you guys think you get most inspired on the road?

JJ: Yeah. Life moments. Most of the songs, if you think about them, are things are about what’s happening to us on the road or what’s happening with us at home or who got drunk last night. It’s probably why there’s so many drinking songs.

You guys have any favorites off the upcoming record?

JJ: “Whiskey and Smoke” is great.

KR: The jam is kind of new and funky for us. It’s a lot of fun to be able to play.

JJ: Yeah, throwing a little bit of that kind of feel into our music now. It’s a lot of fun to play live the funkier stuff, you know? But yeah man, I like it all. S—.

So now that we’re onto the fourth studio album, what’s changed in your writing process? Do you feel a sense of growth?

JJ: We’re throwing a lot of dark, original references and influences. We’ve known each other since we were kids, you know, grew up together, went to high school. And so we’re pulling from a lot of years of doing this on the road. And then a lot of what we grew up learning how to play. We’re constantly challenging each other to be better players and better writers, too. That’s helping a lot as far as us not getting stagnant and not doing the same record over and over again. And this record, we kind of went back to our roots, of how we started recording our records.

It’s a lot of fun to, you know, it’s like f—ing Legos — you’re making a record like that and then you can see what you got and you can see what you need. And so we went back to that mindset of making records and not bringing in a bunch of extra cooks in the kitchen. I think has helped us get back to what we were. And we’re also better at it now, so the records are sounding better too.

RELATED: The Cadillac Three’s Jaren Johnston on the Trio’s Legacy — and Why Keith Urban’s Friendship Is Slightly Terrifying

So fill me in on “country fuzz,” what does that phrase mean?

JJ: Well, we’re not Southern rock. I think we’re a hybrid of that and country and metal. And so the two things that kind of made sense from the beginning of it were like, people would ask us what we sound like and one guy in Germany or something said it sounds like Sabbath and cornbread. We need to come up with a term or saying like that, and country fuzz just kind of made sense. I mean all my pedal boards — it’s just laced with fuzz post expression pedals and then the studio, there’s all that s—. And the songwriting comes from a genuine love of story song — the lyrics. You know, growing up, listening to Garth Brooks and Hank Williams, Jr and s— like that, but also the talent of Skynyrd, you throw all that in a blender and here we are.

KR: That’s country fuzz.

One of the big things I’m noticing now are all the country-hybrid bands and musicians. You’re seeing a lot of rock and punk guys moving into these genres. Even Chris who’s opening you show. Do you think the country genre is more approachable for storytelling?

JJ: Yeah, it’s interesting. That is an interesting thing that you said that. I love bands like Lucero and f—ing, you know, The Devil Makes Three and all these kinds of bands that are doing more along the punk version of the like, Hank 3 version of country. What’s great about talking music is there’s so many different parts of it, you know what I mean?

KR: Oh, it’s always boiled down to the lyrics too, and the storytelling. So I think it’s a natural way for the bands that have gravitated towards that style of music because it really does — when it comes down to it — come down to the storytelling, and you get more than any other genre. They grow, biggest rock and roll motherf—er out there wants to be Hank Williams, Jr., no matter what. He’s a rockstar. And he’s doing it like he wants to do it. It’s that outlaw mentality. There’s part of country that has this outlaw thing that all the rockers can’t even be as badass as, so they want to go that route. You know what I mean? You got f—ing rappers doing it now.

Who’s a dream tour partner for you guys?

JJ: Well, Tom Petty died so I don’t know. I really don’t. He was always the answer for that one. We want to do another tour with ZZ Top before they hang it up, because we love those guys and that’s how we started too, with those guys. I mean I’d love to do like … Foo Fighters is a great example. Like some of our favorite rock bands. It’d be fun to do that kind of thing. We keep waiting on Garth Brooks to call. His phone must have lost my number or something. Not getting that call soon.

The Cadillac Three’s next album, Country Fuzz, will be released Feb. 7, 2020.

from PEOPLE.com https://ift.tt/2CxZqmR

[aion-rsa]

Pénélope Bagieu is California Dreamin’ About Mama Cass

French cartoonist Pénélope Bagieu has established herself as a creator to watch for in her native country — her series “Josephine” was adapted into two popular French movies, she’s collaborated with French cartooning legend Joann Sfar, and in 2013, she was honored as Chevalier of Arts and Letters at Angoulême. Her first work to be translated into English, “Exquisite Corpse” in 2015, garnered strong reviews, and she returned to U.S. shelves earlier this month with “California Dreamin’: Cass Elliot Before The Mamas and The Papas.”

At nearly 300 pages, “California Dreamin’” chronicles, as the subtitle suggests, Elliott’s adolescent family life and pre-fame struggles for recognition and respect among her music peers. In fact, it ends with Elliott finally hearing her song on the radio, commercial success on the horizon. Following its September 2015 French publication by Gallimard, “California Dreamin’”s English translation and distribution will again by handled by First Second Books, who previously published Bagieu’s English-language debut.

RELATED: Pénélope Bagieu Introduces Her Exquisite Corpse to the United States

While on a signing tour of the States, Bagieu spoke with CBR, discussing the early appeal of Mama Cass’s voice and presence, reinventing her illustration style, and why this book is more about getting her audience to feel something about Cass rather than know her factual biography.

CBR: Pénélope, what got you started on a comic book biography of Mama Cass?

Pénélope Bagieu: I remember discovering their best-of album (a cassette!) in my parents’ car and quickly stealing it away because I loved every song. I listened to it about a million times. Back then, the stereo of my room had a broken speaker, so I had only half the sound, and in particular, it isolated one of the voices. It was Cass Elliot’s, who made the song, most of the time. And then her image fascinated me too, on the cover: she was twice the size of the others, and she laughed with her mouth wide open, while the others looked mysterious. My fascination with Cass goes way back!

Then I started investigating about her… She grew up in a modest family in Baltimore, but she tackled everything at 19 [by setting out] for New York, all by herself. She was destined to take over the kosher deli from her parents, but she wanted to be a rock star. She was overweight but pictured herself on a Broadway stage. The whole world swore by Joan Baez, but she hated folk music. All men friendzoned her but she fell in love every ten minutes. The members of the Mamas and Papas did not want her in the band, but she sang so well that they were forced to take her (and to make a career largely thanks to her presence). I can’t believe she doesn’t have ten biopics by now.

Each chapter is from a different supporting player’s perspective, which allows different perspectives on her life. Why did you decide on that approach? And how much work went into getting details about how each of these narrators saw Cass?

I wanted Cass’s character to be revealed bit by bit, from different perspectives: people who knew her, loved her, hated her, but never through her own eyes, so that she would remain a mystery that the reader alone would have to solve. Like I read interviews of her family, band members, artists, while trying to figure out the Cass puzzle myself first. Her own interviews are very opaque, because she always put on that act of the joyous fun persona, while I think she was broken inside.

You give a lot of time to her adolescence and home life, which is often given short shrift or completely skipped in favor of the lascivious details of the Mamas and the Papas. Why did you opt for that approach?

This is exactly why this work was never a biography to me: I chose to end my story exactly when the song “California Dreamin'” hits the radios. When Ellen Cohen becomes Mama Cass. When she becomes that public figure, with that famous band, with the career that we know, the sordid details of John Phillips and the myth of the choking-on-a-sandwich. That part didn’t interest me much. But the little girl, the teenager, the young woman, the path to becoming that rockstar that we all know, that’s the kind of stories I love to read (and therefore, write). I don’t like to read biographies; I like to read captivating portraits, that I can relate to.

You do an excellent job balancing her larger-than-life, outgoing nature against some of her insecurities, particularly regarding her feelings for Denny. Was it a challenge to find the proper balance of those aspects of her personality?

That’s exactly what I have in mind when I say I’m not interested in biographies: I like to put myself in a character’s shoes and imagine how I would feel. All the interviews I’ve read from people who knew her, they all praised her cheerfulness, her jokes, her Like-I-care attitude towards people who judged her. But labels wouldn’t sign contracts to her unless she lost weight, and told her to her face, without any care. The man she loved the most ran away with her best friend. She went through so much. Of course she must have kept so much inside. The challenge of never giving her the speech in my story, and letting the reader understand all these inner-wounds for himself, forced me to a lot of empathy.

As we might expect, the book is peppered with celebrity cameos. Was there anybody who showed up in her life that surprised you? Anybody you wanted to fit into the book, but didn’t quite work for this story?

In so many stories of that time, she will appear in the background, of the blue! “We were at a party at Cass Elliot’s”, “Along comes Mama Cass with tons of free drugs for everybody,” etc. In most of the photographs I’ve found, she’s lying on a sofa backstage, giggling with Jimi Hendrix or having a beer with Mick Jagger. The parties at her mansion (in the hammock !) in Laurel Canyon were the place to be, apparently. But yes, there is one story I had to let go and would have demanded that I kept telling the story ten years farther [than I did]: Cass was a huge fan of John Lennon. More than a fan, she had a real crush on him. The Mamas and the Papas covered “I Call Your Name,” that Cass wanted to sing because of her love for the Beatles. During the break of the song, she whispers “John…”. Years after that, the Ms&Ps played in London and went to party afterwards. But Cass was sick and in bed. And when they returned, they told her “You’re gonna be mad when you learn who we met and spent the night drinking with!” (the Beatles, that is). And apparently, John Lennon asked which of the two girls whispered his name in the song, and when he heard that it was Cass, he said, “Too bad.” (nice.)

Don’t get me started on rock n’ roll anecdotes, I will never stop.

How long did you research her life?

Not too long. Colossal amount of dates and facts tend A) to paralyse me B) bore me. I’m not a journalist, nor a historian. The only thing I want to make extra sure of is that nothing I say is not true. The whole thing would collapse if I made up reality. But when I have this backbone of checked facts, actual dates and events, then I can start doing my real job, which is connecting the dots, giving personality to people and tell a story. I really think you shouldn’t read this kind of story to learn something, but only to feel something strong, and discover someone, and want to know more.

“California Dreamin’” was published last fall by Gallimard in France. Do the Mamas and the Papas have a strong French following?

Depends on the generation! But usually, even younger people will immediately light up when they hear the first notes of the song. This song is so timeless and universal that, of course, if you turn on a radio station in France right now you will hear “California Dreamin’” sooner or later before the end of day. Not that you need to know (nor like) the song to read the book.

Your previous book in English, “Exquisite Corpse,” was full of bright blocks of colors. How does working black & white change your approach to your artwork?

It was a very long piece and I knew I would need a challenge to keep myself entertained in the process. Also I wanted to create a unity between all these chapters that go from the 40s to the 60s, with all these different outfits, cars, hairstyles. But mostly, I wanted to free my drawing, and a simple cheap pencil, compared to my usual big Photoshop+Wacom industry, [allowed that] – without any going-back or correcting (I never used an eraser in this book), [showing] possible stains, fingerprints, coffee drippings once in a while [when] working from coffee shops. [Drawing] without a safety net, I really loved it, and it changed my way of drawing. It felt like a giant sketchbook, where all my characters (especially Cass) were moving, living, in a very vibrant way. And I also loved the feeling of having dirty hands like a kindergartener at the end of the day!

What’s next for you?

The next book that I will publish with First Second is called “Brazen.” It’s an anthology of extraordinarily cool women (again) who changed History but never made it to History books. They are mermaids, rockstars, spies, astronauts, shamans, actresses, bandits, empresses, rappers, criminologists, all of them practically unknown and yet so amazing. It came out in France a few months ago, and will be out in English (along with 8 other languages) next year, so I can’t wait!

“California Dreamin'” is currently available from First Second Books.

The post Pénélope Bagieu is California Dreamin’ About Mama Cass appeared first on CBR.

http://ift.tt/2prkEhm

[daesungfmd]

30 days of character development : 1 - 6. headcanon  /  wc: 1322

day one  /  introduce your muse.   hwang daesung is the lead vocalist  &  rapper of impulse; a 7-member boy group that debuted on january 16th, 2014. despite being labeled as a rapper, there’s only one song that daesung has significant rap lines in:  king, which is a duet between himself and one of impulse’s other rappers. on a similar note, daesung is not officially part of the dance line, but gets (arguably) more than his fair share of center time. so, what does this mean for daesung? it means that he’s an idol who believes he could 100% be seen as a triple threat if gold star would promote him as such, but instead, he’s pushed for his voice and has to read comments saying “why’s he a rapper if he never even raps?” and “why’s the lead vocal in the center?” on the daily. </3

day two  /  talk about your muse’s childhood and when they decided they wanted to be an idol.   daesung was born and raised in seoul, but to be more exact, it was in the neighborhood of samcheong. it’s a lovely place (as daesung himself will claim), but his childhood hardly reflected the color of his hometown. he initially had both parents, but after losing his father in 2008, he and his mother were left on their own. the loss greatly affected both daesung  &  his mother; ignoring the emotional impact, their financial situation was on a fast decline. you could argue that they couldn’t even afford for daesung to have big dreams  ―  that’s certainly what his mother tried to tell him, but he was a stubborn kid. the only “dream job” he ever had was becoming a rockstar, which is a dream that he never fully let go of. he stressed his mom out a lot during these years because instead of studying hard and aiming to go to a good university/get a good job, he spent most of his “study time” playing his guitar and/or trying to weasel his way into divebar shows. he ultimately became an idol trainee at age fifteen, but it wasn’t because he suddenly decided that he wanted to be an idol instead; he just didn’t realize what he was auditioning for, and who the hell was he to say “oops, nevermind” when he had a reality check? up until he debuted, he didn’t have any interest in being an idol. seven years in, he still doesn’t. he’s a rockstar in his heart and that’s what matters!!!

day three  /  talk about your muse’s audition.   part of daesung’s ~charm~ is that he’s blindly optimistic. he has a lot of faith in himself, his talent  &  his abilities. by the time that he auditioned for gold star, he was more confident and hopeful than ever because he had already gone through hundreds of other companies and he’s the type to think that after lots of failure, you’re bound to succeed. in retrospect, perhaps the reason why so many companies turned him down was because they were looking for idols and he was a boy so clearly inspired by grunge and rock ‘n’ roll. regardless, by the time he reached gold star he had gone through enough auditions to realize what companies wanted to see in their auditionees, even had a dance memorized as well as he could with his lack of actual training in case they asked to see it. looking back on it, he wouldn’t give any advice to his former self except to do more research into what the auditions were for. he’s happy enough with where he’s at in life, but becoming an idol was never the end goal; he just went with the flow because he didn’t want to face pressure to do well in school. (ofc he realized that idols face pressure way worse than that every day but </3 mf realized too late)

day four  /  talk about your muse’s trainee years.   daesung trained for eight months before being selected for who’s next?: origin story, having joined gold star in april of 2012. now... eight months is a decent enough amount of time, but keep in mind that he had no prior experience in idol music, nor did he even know much about idols; to put it simply, he felt (and was) underprepared. still, he figured that he wouldn’t be put in a team and thrown onto a survival show if the company didn’t have some kind of faith in him, so the show also made him more confident (even though his team lost)!!! he had another 10-ish months of training after the show ended, so if you ignore the three-month period of the survival show, he had a collective 18 months / 1 year and 6 months as a trainee. as for his training experience........ it was tough for daesung. he wasn’t as serious about becoming an idol as most of the other trainees were considering it wasn’t his “dream”, so he was more concerned about just making the experience fun and making friends than improving quickly (or even following the rules). he got scolded a lot, even at times when he hadn’t actually done anything to be scolded for because of course it was easy to assume that daesung was the culprit if something went wrong. a lot of other trainees at the time didn’t like his lack of professionalism/lack of care or the fact that he didn’t even really want to be an idol and was still taking up space. he struggled to make friends even with his grand efforts, so he felt really, really lonely more often than not. started to struggle with body image and general insecurities during this time as well which i won’t go into detail about here because that’s ~a story for another time~ but overall....... training was the loneliest part of this mf’s life. he tried to have fun and every now and then he did, but he really just wanted to go home most of the time.

day five  /  recall your muse’s debut.   girls, girls, girls is the bane of daesung’s existence. even though he didn’t really want to be an idol, by the time he finally got the news that he was going to debut, he was excited!!! he hates routine, so at least he would be escaping the repetitive days, right? right? no. his excitement dulled once he listened to the demo for their debut song and disappeared completely when he tried to express his displeasure but was ignored. at the time, he was seventeen and i think we all know that 17 years olds have fragile egos. everything about girls x3 embarrassed him:  the lyrics, the outfits, the choreography, the mv intro, the mv setting, the promotions. the first time he performed on stage ~should have~ been exciting, but daesung just wanted to hide. granted.... seven years have passed and he’s begrudgingly fond of girls x3 now. he won’t admit it, but he listens to it when he’s going through breakups and/or rejections for an extra little boost of confidence. but it’s humiliating if anyone else brings it up.

day six  /  talk about your muse in relation to concepts.   daesung pulls off fun and/or high-energy concepts the best. his stage presence is a fickle thing — even this far into his career, he struggles to not look bored when performing mellow songs (or songs that he just doesn’t vibe with), but he shines when he’s having a good time. he has fun performing upbeat songs and it shows. to date, he’s gotten the best feedback during the eras of just right, lullaby & look, but has also gotten decent feedback during ~manly~ concepts like if you do and you calling my name. his ideal concept would have to be something dark, like mars’ older concepts, but he’s 99.9% sure that impulse will never go in that direction. something that doesn’t feel so out of reach but he knows he could pull off would be something like alien’s jealousy  or charm’s clap — masculine like if you do and ycmn, but high-energy like look and lullaby. any time impulse has done songs that combine those aspects, it’s resulted in a huge headache because of unnecessary beat drops </3 please gold star let him have one (1) concept like this that doesn’t hurt to listen to, he’s begging </3