DEC. 2017 18 DYLAN GWYN
on what to expect from the second season of beyond
04 CORBIN REID
20 RUSSELL DICKERSON
38 CARLY PEARCE
on learning from viola davis + her new series valor
on all the things he checked off his bucket list this year
on a life-changing year + the success of “every little thing”
08 THE KNOCKS
26 WALKER HAYES
48 COREY HARPER
on their new single “house party” + 2018 plans
on his debut album + giving his kids the vip treatment
on picking up the guitar + learning how to write songs
12 BOHNES
30 EMMA DUMONT
52 TAYLER BUONO
on empathy, travel + the meaning behind the name
on how the gifted parallels today’s political climate
on showing a different side of herself with “who am i”
36 LYRICA OKANO
on finding a role that doesn’t play into asian-american stereotypes
CATHERINE POWELL
publisher, editor, photographer, designer, writer
SAMANTHA BAMBINO writer
CARLY BUSH writer
ELIZABETH FORREST writer
IAN HAYS
STACY MAGALLON
writer
writer
MARISSA JOHNSON
NICOLE MOOREFIELD
writer
writer
BRITTANY LANDAU
VANESSA SALLES
writer
writer
corbin reid Words by MARISSA JOHNSON Photos by CATHERINE POWELL
Actress Corbin Reid “took a leap of faith” and left everything to pursue her dreams in Los Angeles and isn’t looking back any time soon. Growing up in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Corbin always followed in her older sister’s footsteps. From taking dance classes to being a figure skater, Corbin mirrored her sister, eventually leading her to her first role in The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. From then on, she continued performing through high school and into college at the University of Michigan. During her time at the University of Michigan, a school that she says from the beginning “felt like home”, she had the best of both worlds: an ability to take regular classes and attend sporting events, even taking on a minor in Spanish, wanting to learn everything she possibly could while also being in one of the top rated musical theater programs in the country. After college she toured with Rent, High School Musical, and Xanadu, and worked as a cocktail waitress and receptionist until she landed her first Broadway role in American Idiot. As a “swing” for four characters, Corbin had to essentially memorize the entirety of the show, sometimes being expected to run on stage with only a few minutes’
notice. “It felt like boot camp for me,” Corbin says, “After that, everything was a piece of cake.” Despite the reception she was getting from managers and representatives in New York, she really wanted to be in Los Angeles. With Los Angeles constantly popping into the forefront of her mind, she made the choice to leave New York, much to the disappointment of her representation. Her team’s lack of faith in her ability and motivation to make the move to Los Angeles lead her to the decision to start over with a new team, and with help from an old friend from college, Darren Criss, she picked up new representation and started the audition process in a new city. Corbin was met with much enthusiasm from the industry in Los Angeles, unlike her previous representation, decisions she’d made were backed with nothing but positivity- she knew that the people behind her fully believed in the moves she was making. For her first project in Los Angeles, Corbin became involved with a show called For the Record, a live theater company that builds its scripts and music off of the work of famous directors like Quentin Tarantino and Martin Scorsese. As she was auditioning,
Corbin also worked three jobs to make ends meet. She was a nanny, watiress, and even spent time as a product demonstrator at the Home Depot, until she finally got her first pilot: a role on Issa Rae’s project, Words With Girls, a show that highlights minority characters Corbin describes as “The L Word meets Girls”. The show made its debut at HBO’s film festival. Nine months later, Corbin had the opportunity to audition for a role in an “unknown” Lionsgate film called The Stakes. Knowing only that it was a horror movie, Corbin went through several rounds of auditions. The audition process for this film was unique in that the director had a very specific method of obtaining the performance that he needed for each scene. “He would wear us down,” Corbin recalls, stating they would do scenes 25-30 times. Corbin landed the part, getting a call from Lionsgate saying that she would have to sign on to the movie before they could disclose any more information. Even without knowing what exactly she was getting herself into, Corbin agreed to the role, and, after signing a contract and a hefty NDA, she learned that she had just been cast in the top secret Blair Witch Project seNKDMAG.COM
05
08
the knocks Words by VANESSA SALLES Photos by CATHERINE POWELL
If this past year has been any indication, The Knocks are set to have a very eventful 2018. The American electronic music duo, comprised of Ben “B-Roc” Ruttner and James “JPatt” Patterson, hit the Top 40 Radio charts last month with their feature on Sofi Tukker’s “Best Friend” and are currently working on their new record and follow-up to their 2016 release, 55. “On our last record, we had our sound but we didn’t have a story or personal connection to it,” Ben says. “Now, we’ve really figured it out and have tapped into what really makes us, us. It took a long time for us to get here and I think there were some delays at the beginning of our career but
this record is the best example of what represents us the most. Everything happens on its own time but things are definitely exciting now.” JPatt and Ben, who met in New York, credit the city as a major source of inspiration. “Open format DJing originated in the city and I think we try to incorporate that into our sound and keep that alive by using different genres,” JPatt shares. “It can be hard being ‘too’ versatile because, nowadays, people seem to like one thing and stick to that. When you switch up on them, you run the risk of losing fans. However, I think we’ve done a good job at experimenting with our sound and keeping the listeners happy.” Over the years, the duo NKDMAG.COM
09
bohnes Words by IAN HAYS Photos by CATHERINE POWELL
dilan gwyn Words by NICOLE MOOREFIELD Photos by CATHERINE POWELL
It was a long climb to the top for Beyond actress Dilan Gwyn, who has overcome discrimination and hardship to become an overnight success as Willa Frost in the Freeform original series. But for the 23-year-old star, the opportunity to bring such a strong character to life is well worth the difficult journey. Born and raised in Stockholm, Sweden, Dilan’s unique childhood shaped who she is today. Her parents were political refugees from Turkey, where 18
they were persecuted for being an ethnic minority. With her older sisters, they fled to Sweden before Dilan was born. Dilan’s father, a journalist and activist for Kurdish rights, died when she was only 11, upsetting her entire world. “My whole teenage years were spent trying to find a way back to normalcy and happiness,” Dilan says. Dilan found refuge in acting when she was around 17-years-old. Three years later, Dilan was accepted into both the Stockholm Film School and
the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. “I had to make a crossroads decision — should I be behind the camera or in front?” she reflects. Eventually, she decided to accept the once-in-alifetime opportunity to attend drama school in the United States, leaving everyone she knew behind for California. The stark contrast between Stockholm and Los Angeles came as a shock to Dilan, whose only knowledge of the area came from a quick Google search.
“You don’t see any pictures. It’s just the skyline and palm trees. But what does it look like, what is life like?” she says. The weather and locals in Los Angeles proved too strange for Dilan, who transferred to the New York campus for her second year. “I love New York. For me, it was such a natural place to be,” she says. The culture and history of the city were more familiar to Dilan, and she quickly became infatuated with her neighborhood in Queens. “I like New
Yorkers. I like their way of being and living and talking,” Dilan adds. “I connected with them a lot more.” Dilan’s first two roles after graduation were Swedish films, but she quickly realized her appearance was too “exotic-looking” for Swedish directors. “The lack of on-screen diversity is a problem in Sweden,” Dilan adds. Instead, her success came in London, where studios were more open-minded. Dilan first booked a small role in Dracula Untold, then landed a guest appearance in Da Vinci’s Demons within the same week. Beyond has been Dilan’s biggest role yet, where she plays the mysterious and independent Willa Frost. Dilan was drawn to the role of Willa because of her take-charge attitude. As soon as she auditioned for Willa, Dilan fell in love with the character. “I really enjoy playing strong women,” Dilan passionately remarks. Where the first season was about Holden (Burkely Duffield), Season 2 will focus more on his companions, especially Willa. “For me, the second season was a lot more fun because now we have established the realm and the [relationship between Willa and Holden],” Dilan says. Although helping Holden remember was essential to the storyline, it didn’t leave a lot of room for Willa to shine as a character. In contrast, Season 2 will explore what she wants out of her life. “I think for Willa, she didn’t even know that herself. It’s always about the realm or what Arthur wants, but what does she want?” Dilan reflects. “A part of [Willa] wants to be a normal girl and have a normal life, which she’s never had before. She’s very much drawn to that. She was really drawn to Holden having a normal family,” Dilan adds. Willa has never had a family or real friendships before, so the relation-
ships she is developing are still very new to her. As she learns how to make friends, attend family dinners and go on dates, “she tries to plaster this idea of a normal person on top of her, and she’s not very normal.” Season 1 was an instant hit, growing a wide fanbase soon after its release. Dilan attributes some of the show’s success to its accessibility. Because the entire show was available to stream at once, many new fans were drawn in immediately by the plot. Dilan sees Beyond’s unusual release format (for Freeform) as beneficial to shows without a pre-existing fanbase, since the intended teenage audience likes to binge their favorite programs. Because there is no delay from week to week, fans are less likely to miss an episode or lose interest in the series. The night of the show’s release in January, Dilan’s social following exploded from a few thousand to almost twenty thousand people. Before working on Beyond, Dilan’s didn’t consider herself much of a personal “sharer” on social media, but she has taken the opportunity to grow her presence and stretch her comfort zone. “I need to think twice now before I post something stupid,” Dilan jokes. Although documenting her daily life is still unnatural to Dilan, she enjoys being able to live tweet the show and interact with fans. In the year since the premiere, Dilan has learned how to take selfies and document her meals – concepts that were once foreign to the actress. Behind-thescenes footage was also a new experience for Dilan. It took a while for her to become comfortable around the camera, but now she is a pro at acting natural and looking directly into the lens. “[The directors said to] just be yourself...what do you mean? I can’t be myself, I’m an actor!” she laughs. NKD NKDMAG.COM
19
RUSSELL DICKERSON Words by BRITTANY LANDAU Photos by CATHERINE POWELL
20
NKDMAG.COM
21
walker hayes Words by SAMANTHA BAMBINO Photos by CATHERINE POWELL
Two years ago, Walker Hayes received something most artists only dream of: a second chance. For some time, the country music performer was at the lowest point of his life, battling alcoholism and working odd hours at Costco after his original label dropped him. Now, with the release of his new album boom. on the horizon, Walker is ready to become a permanent fixture this time around in the country music world. Since NKD last caught up with Walker in 2016, his career has taken a major leap forward. He now has a brand new record label to call home in the form of Monument Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment and the brainchild of Shane McAnally and Jason Owens. “It’s a golden opportunity,” he says. “I can’t think of any better 26
place to be in today’s country radio climate.” For Walker, who knows firsthand what it’s like to lose the support of a label, having a team of industry veterans dedicated to his success is a breath of fresh air. As the launch artist of Monument, all hands have been on deck to produce boom., which appeals to old and new fans alike. When Walker first set to work in the studio, he began taking tracks from his previous albums, 8Tracks (Vol. 1) Good Shit and 8Tracks (Vol. 2) Break the Internet, and putting a larger band behind them. “We didn’t change anything really,” he says. “Same vocals that we did in the shack, same snaps and beatboxes.” A few of these tracks have since been released to get people
excited, including the honest yet catchy first single “You Broke Up With Me”. The song was officially released to radio on June 26 and the public quickly latched onto the relatable track, allowing it to soar up the charts. “Country music radio is still keen. Your best career move is to get that massive audience via radio,” Walker says. “You Broke Up With Me” will be one of seven songs on boom. remastered from 8Tracks. The final three will be brand new and exclusive to the album. With more songs under his belt than could fit on the 10-song track list, many tough cuts had to be made. But for the ones chosen, Walker says there are some interesting stories behind the selections. For example, “Mind Candy” almost didn’t make it. When his
NKDMAG.COM
27
30
emma dumont Words by STACY MAGALLON Photos by CATHERINE POWELL
NKDMAG.COM
31
36
OKANO
Words by ELIZABETH FORREST Photos by CATHERINE POWELL
LYRICA
Lyrica Okano’s journey to the screen has been anything but conventional. Her acting career accidentally jump-started at the age of 7 when she tagged along with a friend to an audition for Memoirs of a Geisha in Chinatown. “At that age, I saw little people in the television screen and thought they were living there,” she laughs. She admits she had no idea what she was doing and only auditioned because of her playdate, but she made it as far as the screen test. And although she didn’t get the part in the end, she’s acted on and off since then. Most of her energy went into rhythmic gymnastics until the age of 15 when she made the national team, but once she retired, acting became her primary focus. Lyrica’s first major role is as Nico Minoru in Marvel’s Runaways. The Hulu series premiered on November 21 and centers around a group of teenagers whose parents are secretly supervillains. “As much as I wanted a really good role like this, I never really thought that it would come so quickly,” she explains. It came as a bit of a shock as well; during auditions, she wasn’t given much information about the role. She knew that they were looking for a Japanese-American to audition for the role, but she had to connect the dots herself to figure out who she was auditioning for. “It’s still rare for me to find Japanese or even Asian-American roles out there that aren’t just the best friend or the smart kid in class or the edgy Asian with a sword,” Lyrica says. Because of this, the role was huge to her and she was enthusiastic about the part from the very beginning. She hadn’t read the Marvel comics before auditioning for the role, but she had watched Marvel movies and loved
Jessica Jones beforehand. That, combined with the role itself, motivated her to give justice to the part. “Nico’s a badass Japanese-American who’s rebelling against her parents. You don’t read about that a lot,” she laughs. Nico is also Wiccan goth, which only added to the appeal; Lyrica was a witch for every Halloween since she was a kid. Her talent and desire for the part showed, and immediately after getting the call that she would be playing Nico, Lyrica packed up and moved all the way from New York to Los Angeles. Filming for Runaways wrapped in late October. Since she moved so far so quickly, Lyrica could have easily felt homesick, but she never felt alone. She was close to everyone in the cast, including the older actors. Being on set was a relatively new experience to everyone in the cast, minus Gregg Sulkin, so bonds were formed as early as during the initial filming of the show’s pilot. The shooting location was far from where everyone was staying, so the cast stayed together in an Airbnb for a week. During that time, they did everything together, from eating dinner to filming the show to early morning pick-ups. “It was really fun,” Lyrica remembers. “We got really lucky. I’m glad none of us are assholes.” Things have changed a bit for Lyrica since becoming involved with the show. The biggest change was moving to Los Angeles; she had lived with her parents in New York her whole life until that point. And because of a terrible driving test experience in her past, Lyrica doesn’t drive. She admits that she still feels like a tourist in Los Angeles because she relies on Lyft to get around. Though she’s noticed the changes, she’s been so busy that it’s been difficult to take a breather. “I
don’t think I’ve gotten much time to process what’s been happening,” she admits. “Now that we’ve wrapped, I’m finally like, ‘Wow, we just did four months of shooting this really incredible show. It’s kind of crazy.’” In fact, she was so focused on her part that she was caught off guard by her first experience with fans of the show. During New York Comic Con, it became clear to her how highly anticipated the release of Runaways truly was. Lyrica’s Comic Con experience was a two-day event: the first day featured a panel and screening, and the second day, Lyrica and the rest of the cast were able to meet and interact with eager Marvel fans. It came as a complete shock because, while shooting, everyone was on their own. Everything was a secret and nobody was even allowed to post anything to social media. “I thought once we got to Comic Con there would just be ten people in the crowd, which would have been great still, but to see all those people excited about our show was so humbling,” she remembers. A highlight of Comic Con was that hundreds of fans were able to preview the pilot of the show. “We got to see everyone’s reactions to that,” Lyrica says. “It was so crazy! I was so scared, but it worked out.” Once the viewing was over, she met with fans and signed posters for them. Because of the unexpected confirmation that there was a huge fanbase behind the project, it prepared her for the show’s release to the general public. And although Lyrica is focused on Runaways for now, she hopes to keep auditioning and find other opportunities in the future, both in film and theater. “I’m open to anything right now,” she says. Goth eyeliner optional. NKD NKDMAG.COM
37
CARLY PEARCE Words & Photos by CATHERINE POWELL
corey harper
Words & Photos by CATHERINE POWELL
48
If there’s a guitar in the room, it’s nearly impossible to have Corey Harper’s full attention. Corey was born in St. Louis and grew up around music. His parents were constantly playing music around the house, and he would hear music in church. His dad is a big classic rock fan
Corey would play guitar along to tapes and CDs in his house and truly got a feel for the instrument. Long before he started singing, Corey was already writing songs just on guitar. “They didn’t really necessarily have lyrics, but I would make up chord progressions and I would
singing to his skill set. He appreciated that he was recognized both as an incredible guitar player, and as a great singer and wanted that for himself. “I believe everyone has a voice, and everyone can learn how to sing, it’s just digging down deep,” he says, “If you really think hard
“If you really think hard about something and you’re really emotional about something, and you really want it that bad, you can find it and get it out.” and his mom drifted towards 1960’s/1970’s singer/songwriters. He started to discover his own sense of music in middle school when he got his first guitar. Artists like John Mayer, Nirvana and Dave Matthews Band were artists he found inspiration in early on. Throughout his adolescence,
play songs that sounded like other songs I really liked and make up my own words,” he says. This early delve into writing served as practice for learning how to sing and play guitar at the same time – a skill many take for granted. John Mayer was Corey’s main inspiration for wanting to add
about something and you’re really emotional about something, and you really want it that bad, you can find it and get it out.” Above being an artist, Corey always wanted to be a guitar player, and his career took off pretty quickly. Once he moved out to Los Angeles when he was
NKDMAG.COM
49
tayler buono Words by CARLY BUSH Photos by CATHERINE POWELL
Tayler Buono is difficult to characterize by genre. She considers herself influ-enced by electronic pop and R&B, and her biggest influences include Frank Ocean and Chance the Rapper. But the 24-year-old songstress’ true talent lies within her heartfelt lyrics, through which she expresses simultaneously personal and 52
universal sentiments. The youngest of three children, Tayler grew up in Orlando, Florida, where her family encouraged her vocal talents, which she began to display around age 8. At 14, she began writing her own songs. It was around this time that Tayler began to seriously consider pursuing her passion on a profes-
sional level. “That was when I became, like, really obsessed, and knew, ‘This is what I need to do with my life’,” Tayler says. She remembers carrying her phone around with her at school, constantly writing down ideas for songs, but knowing no one in the Orlando industry put her at a disadvantage. “It
was overwhelming, because I was so passionate and I didn’t know where to start,” she says. When Tayler was 18, she did what many other aspiring songwriters in the south do. “I started going to Nashville,” she recalls. At first, her ventures into Music City were tentative. She was determined to meet people who had made their dream into a reality and learn as much as she could about the Nashville songwrit-ing world. “I started co-writing with other writers,” she says, and not long after won the Florida Grammy Showcase with her submission to a statewide songwriting com-petition. This allowed her to play the Grammy Festival on the See Women Who Rock Cruise, where she made a close friend who encouraged her to relocate. “I moved [to Nashville] about two years ago,” Tayler says, “And just started writing a ton.” Having made the transition to a slightly larger music community opened the doors even wider for her: she started flying out to Los Angeles, where she wrote her breakout hit “Technically Single”. Although the song was written in only three hours, during what Tayler calls a “random session,” it is nonetheless deeply meaningful and significant to her on a personal level. The song poured out of Tayler in the studio as she began exploring her emotions related to a confusing relationship she was in at the time. The message is one that many millennials will find familiar: “We were more than friends, but not technically in a committed relationship,” Tayler says.
The song was an almost overnight success, amassing 20 million streams on Spoti-fy independently. Without any traditional promotion or a label backing Tayler, her experience of being “technically single” nonetheless seemed to strike a chord with listeners. When it reached her now-manager at Red Light Management, she was signed to RCA Records and her career began to take a strong upward trajecto-ry. Tayler’s most recent single, a slightly more balladic pop track called “Who Am I”, was released in October. It is nothing short than a glance into Tayler’s heart. “I was going through this breakup,” she explains candidly. “In this breakup, the hardest part was that I was told that I was too emotional, and it kind of left me feeling like, ‘Am I too emotional? Am I too much?’ It really left me, like, ques-tioning, ‘Who am I, actually?’” She feels certain that though the song accurately depicts the hardship of a tumul-tuous breakup, it also has the ability to provide strength and courage to young women struggling with self-doubt. “It has a really empowering turnaround in it,” Tayler says. “I’ve always been a really emotional person,” Tayler says. Her original communi-ty of Nashville writers, well acquainted with diaristic songs about heartbreak and sorrow, allowed her to embrace this. But as time went on, Tayler’s approach changed. She shifted from writing solely on guitar to collaborating with different producers and creating her music
against an unfamiliar landscape of electronic beats. It inspired her, but didn’t constrain her. “I started writing more, like, straight pop. But overall it’s had a theme of more honest pop, because that’s just what I write. The lyrics are always really honest,” she says. What is the process when Tayler enters a studio with a new collaborator? “It’s al-ways different. There are really new rules. It’s whatever the inspiration is. Some-times I’ll have a concept or idea, like, that I got from something I went through recently, and I’ll just start with the concept idea and start singing melodies. Sometimes the melodies come first. Sometimes the lyrics do,” she says. Thus far, Tayler has remained committed to the goal she set in place for herself in her early teens: she will only release songs she has written herself. “Part of the reason I’m so passionate about singing is because I’m singing something that I be-lieve in, something I can relate to,” she says, “Before I started writing songs, if someone would ask me to sing for them, I’d start crying and get so nervous. It’s so different when it’s coming from, like, a real place and I have a vision behind what I’m saying.” The response to “Technically Single,” and the joy Tayler received upon seeing that many listeners found it relatable, was encouraging. She has felt motivated to keep penning songs that are authentic, real, and true to life, no matter what. Tayler is currently working towards releasing a full-length album, touring more extensively, and gaining a more devout fanbase that she can engage with. NKD NKDMAG.COM
53
NKDMAG.COM