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ISSUE #88 - OCTOBER 2018

DANIELLE PANABAKER

OCT. 2018 20 ERNN WESTBROOK

04 ALEC BENJAMIN

on her role on insatiable + what she loves about playing magnolia

06 MADDIE POPPE

on staying authentic + his latest single, “dear insecurity”

10 BRITT BARON

on building her career + her latest role on new amsterdam

16 PVMNTS

on chasing her musical dreams + her recent collaborations

on working on his songwriting + his love for eminem

on being used to hearing “no” + her time on american idol

on the second season of glow + what she loves about the show

on their musical influences + their goals with the band

44 BRANDON LAY

24 GNASH

on fusing together his influences + touring with kenny chesney

30 JANET MONTGOMERY

on the fifth season of the flash + making her directing debut

34 MATY NOYES

on learning as she goes + her new album, oh, jonathan

38 BISHOP BRIGGS

on keeping the momentum up + his latest single, ‘be alright’

46 DANIELLE PANABAKER 56 EMILY KINNEY 60 DEAN LEWIS

on growing up around the globe + her growing career CATHERINE POWELL

publisher, editor, photographer, designer, writer

SAMANTHA BAMBINO

IAN HAYS

VANESSA SALLES

writer

CARLY BUSH

RACHEL HILL

writer

LEXI SHANNON

ELIZABETH FORREST

NICOLE MOOREFIELD

writer

OLIVIA SINGH writer

alec benjamin Words by RACHEL HILL Photos by CATHERINE POWELL

For a budding singer-songwriter who just played his first headlining show in August, Alec Benjamin is still getting used to being the main attraction. His insightful lyrics that rival the likes of today’s conventional pop have caught the eye of industry vets, leading him for open for acts such as Jon Bellion, Hoodie Allen, Camila Cabello and Matisyahu. The 24-year-old raconteur grew up in Phoenix, Arizona with a ‘desert kid’ mentality which he alludes contributed to his different perspective on life. His first musical memory is watching his dad play the four basic chords on his acoustic guitar. “When I was really little my dad bought me a little guitar and I would sit and strum along while he would play ‘La Bamba’ and I would pretend that I was playing, but I never really took guitar seriously,” Alec reveals. A few years later, Alec gave in to his parents’ wishes of him participating in piano lessons, which lasted all of three weeks. Standing headstrong, he really didn’t pick it back up until the age of 18 when he alone determined he was up for the challenge and taught himself the millennial way — via YouTube. What ignited his creative, lyrical spark was none other than Eminem. Alec recalls his second grade self, hunkering down in his room and running through Eminem’s extensive discography until he mastered every track. “I would sit in my bedroom and listen to the song over and over and over again until I made sure that I knew literally every single lyric. I know the track listings of all those albums by heart,” he says, “Eminem is my

favorite lyricist of all time. One hundred percent.” As a self-proclaimed — and rightfully so — narrator, it’s apparent why Alec connected with Eminem’s work so deeply. Because, of course, he is dubbed as one of the greatest lyricists in generations. “The cool thing about Eminem to me is that I love the stories that he was telling and it was fascinating that somebody could write a rap song that could make you want to throw up at the end.” Alec gives the example of the infamous song Stan. “I was like, ‘Oh my God, I didn’t know you could do that with words’.” When Alec graduated high school, his parents took a play out of the traditional parenting handbook and suggested he go to college and attend law or medical school after. Again, a plan he didn’t necessarily select for himself and was hesitant about, yet ended up attending a university in California, pursuing music on the side. That is until he was signed to a record label in 2014. However, he ended up being dropped right after he completed his first album. It’s in this point in time when Alec really hit the ground running and built up his fan base. Quite literally in fact. He ventured out and performed for fans lining up outside Shawn Mendes and Troye Sivan shows, handing out business cards to anyone who would listen. This past summer Alec and Shawn happened to both be performing at the Cavendish Beach Music Festival in Canada. He describes it as a full-circle moment. “I got to tell him ‘Hey man, I used to play in front of your concerts’ and he was like, ‘Oh, that’s really cool!’”

He now makes it his mission to upload as much content as he can for his fans on YouTube. Not only is it a way to connect with those who support him, but it also serves as a release of his stream of conscious. Alec’s song “Let Me Down Slowly” has amassed almost 50 million streams on Spotify and has been featured on their highly coveted Today’s Top Hits playlist while “Death of a Hero” and “If We Have Each Other” can be found on Pop Rising. The latter was actually written as a tribute to Alec’s sister, who he shares a special bond with. “The song is about the one person that you can always count on and so I just wrote a song with three separate stories. Each verse is like a different story about the same thing.” These three songs are just a drop in the bucket of the over 140 Alec has written in the past year. He aims to write at least every other day. Of course, many of these don’t see the light of day, but he’ll be showcasing more this fall as he heads out on his first headlining tour in November. Alec admits the process of transitioning his songs from the studio to a live set has been somewhat of a challenge as he’s never played a full set, let alone for his own audience. “I think the vibe will just be like a bunch of people coming to hang out and listen to stories and it’s going to be pretty much just me and low key.” He cites Paul Simon, Simon and Garfunkel as vibe guides, looking to their performances as inspiration. “So for my first tour I’d like to keep it relatively stripped, but I’m definitely going to step it up and add some new things that I haven’t done before.” NKD NKDMAG.COM

MADDIEPOPPE Words by ELIZABETH FORREST Photos by CATHERINE POWELL

Maddie Poppe, winner of Season 16 of American Idol, remembers exactly what she was thinking when Ryan Seacrest called her name during the season finale. “I had a flashback of everything that happened on the show,” she says. “I went from my audition, to the Hollywood week, to Top 50, to Top 24. I kind of reflected on all the moments I never thought I could do it, and it was unbelievable.” Music had always been a part of Maddie’s life, but she was no stranger to the word “no” going into the show. Maddie’s musical journey began at 5- years-old when her father recorded the family singing Christmas songs to send on CDs to their relatives. From there, music was a constant throughout her childhood. Her dad was in a band and would sometimes allow her onstage to sing with him. She sang a duet with her sister at the school variety show at 14, and then never looked back. Auditioning for American Idol was when Maddie’s musical career truly began to flourish. She went from playing gigs in Iowa during the summer and dealing with rejection to singing in front of Katy Perry, Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie and millions of viewers weekly. At 20, the change was something that took some getting used to. When asked how she stays grounded, Maddie says, “I think about where I was a year ago. This wasn’t something that was just handed to me right away. This was something I really had to work for and I’ve worked for, for a long time.” To Maddie, the decision to audition for American Idol was an easy one. She grew up watching the

show with her family and admired the track record for its winners and contestants. That might intimidate some, but when it came to auditions, Maddie wasn’t afraid. “I didn’t think I had anything to lose. I had been told ‘no’ so many times that I wasn’t really scared anymore. I decided to just go for it,” she says. Being separated from her family during the show was difficult. Time with them was limited and she was exposed to an entirely new lifestyle far from her Midwest hometown. She credits the rest of the cast with making the show such a great experience. “I don’t think I would have been able to do it without them,” Maddie admits. “All of us were experiencing this for the first time together, so we could all relate and we were all going through the same journey.” Even after the show has ended, Maddie considers some of the people she met on the show her best friends. Maddie’s favorite performance from American Idol was “Rainbow Connection”. She remembers it fondly not just because she was privileged enough to sing with Kermit the Frog, but also because it was her performance on the night that the winner was announced. “If I messed up the words or forgot a line or wasn’t perfect, it wouldn’t matter because all of the votes were in. I could really relax in that moment,” she remembers. After her win, Maddie was on the American Idol Live! 2018 tour until mid-September. In addition to being a fun time on the road with other contestants she considers her “little family”, it confirmed to her in a concrete way that she had fans. “You always wondered

on the show, ‘how many people are really watching?’” she explains. It was hard for her to picture the millions behind the screen. “But after the show when we met people and looked out into the crowd, you saw little girls with ponytails and overalls. They were so excited to meet me and it’s crazy because I still feel like I’m still such a regular, normal person,” Maddie laughs. Not only did Maddie win the hearts of young girls; Katy Perry and Idina Menzel are fans of the 20-year-old, too. The enormity of that fact still hasn’t sunk in. “It’s definitely cool to have her in my corner because she’s such a pop star and one of the biggest names in music,” Maddie says of Katy Perry. “I’m not playing the music that’s main stream and I’m not playing the music she’s playing, so for her to be in my corner and support me is really awesome.” Before Maddie had the support of the American Idol judges, she had the support of her father. In 2016, Maddie and her father, the supervisor of an electric company, recorded an album called Songs from the Basement together. That experience helped Maddie prepare for professional song recording. “I feel like I have a leg up because my dad definitely knew what he was doing,” Maddie says. “Now, it’s not much different except for there’s a lot more people involved.” The first single Maddie released post-Idol was “Going Going Gone”, the coronation song she performed the night she won the competition. In it, Maddie sings of the fear of leaving home and the need to leave to explore who she is. “The people I met on the shoot and driving that old Mercedes around was a lot of NKDMAG.COM

britt baron Words by OLIVIA SINGH Photos by CATHERINE POWELL

PVMNTS

Words by NICOLE MOOREFIELD Photos by CATHERINE POWELL

Freddy Ramirez, Tyler Posey and Nick Guzman want you to know that better days are coming. As pop-punk band PVMNTS, the trio tackles serious issues while remaining lighthearted. “Our songs really reflect who we are,” says Tyler (guitar/vocals). “We have songs that are really funny, songs about getting laid, and then we also have songs that are heavier about addiction and depression and losing loved ones.” As a kid, Freddy (guitar/vocals) remembers making beats with pots and pans. “I used to make these songs in my head while I was playing with hot wheels,” he recalls. At age 7, he took his first three drum lessons and taught himself the rest. “I picked up guitar in high school as a freshman, and then everything just kind of followed, like bass. I was in choir senior year, which started my singing,” he adds. Once he started writing, Freddy never stopped, joining his first “real” band at 16, where he met Tyler. Tyler’s story starts with Blink-182. A child actor known for Maid in Manhattan and Teen Wolf, Tyler found the band at age 8, filming Doc in Toronto, Canada. “I was the only kid,” he remembers, and spent free moments browsing through Blink-182 CDs and merchandise. After watching their documentary The Urethra Chronicles, Tyler “fell in love with the whole entire image: the scene, their camaraderie, their laughs, their jokes, how deep they would get,” he explains. “Even though I was so young, I still didn’t really feel like I fit in in the acting world,” but the punk scene felt more inclusive. Tyler started his first band at 12 and played his first live show at NKDMAG.COM

erinn westbrook Words by OLIVIA SINGH Photos by CATHERINE POWELL

Erinn Westbrook was born in Long Island, New York and moved to St. Louis, Missouri at 6-yearsold. After graduating high school, Erinn went to Harvard University, where she majored in English and American Literature, received a secondary degree in Dramatic Arts, and got a citation in Spanish. Going into college, she knew that she wanted to pursue acting at some point, but it was on viewed more as an extracurricular activity. Instead, focusing on English in the hopes of landing a steady, secure job seemed like a realistic choice. “There’s no controlling how or where you end up in acting,” Erinn explains. “There’s no definitive path there. It’s not a safe choice to make to pursue that as a career.” Erinn had other interests besides acting, too. She felt like she could apply the writing and analytical skills from her major to a variety of jobs – whether it was being a broadcast journalist or a novelist. During her senior year, she started to explore activities outside of academics, which included being a VJ for MTV (and the youngest ever to host MTV Spring Break). In addition to being an on-camera personality, she participated in theater productions. At the time, acting was on the backburner, but

Erinn knew she wanted to dive into it once she earned her degree. “That’s where my heart really was and being a VJ for MTV was great, but I was like, ‘I really have to figure out a way to be true to myself and be in front of the camera as a character and not as Erinn’,” she says. After Erinn’s mom introduced her to her now-manager who signed her, things took off. “It was really a sign from God,” she says. “I’m a spiritual person, so I believe that there’s a plan for every person and if you pray and you’re a good person, things will work out. I just felt like that was a huge moment and indication for me that I was in fact supposed to pursue entertainment and go to L.A. and act. And that’s what I did.” In 2012, Erinn booked her first role, on ABC Family’s Switched at Birth. She recalls only being in one scene, but taking the job seriously nonetheless. “I was so prepared and so excited to be part of that world officially,” she says. “And it also instilled confidence within me. It was definitely a step in the right direction and I was like, ‘Alright, I can do this.’” From there, she went on to appear on shows like Glee, Supernatural, Jane the Virgin, and Awkward. Along the way, Erinn

learned that in order to continue acting, she needed to maintain tenacity, perseverance, optimism and mental strength, “As actors, we experience so much rejection,” she says. “Even though you see all of those roles that I’ve gotten – and they have been so, so, wonderful and I’ve been so lucky – I think that for every role I’ve gotten, there have probably been 20 that I haven’t. And you have to just be able to keep going and roll up your sleeves and know that if you do the work, something will work out and things will continue to work out.” Erinn’s attitude has led her to her latest role, as Magnolia Bernard on Netflix’s Insatiable. When Erinn read the pilot episode, she was struck by its unique comedy and the fact that it came from a female showrunner. “It seemed like the humor was something I hadn’t seen anywhere else on any sort of project and if you meet our showrunner and our creator Lauren Gussis, you automatically sense that she has a different type of humor than a lot of people,” Erinn says. “And it’s a special type of humor and she’s also super vulnerable and she wants to put her flaws and her truths on display to hopefully make other people feel comfortable about talking about their NKDMAG.COM

gnash Words by LEXI SHANNON Photos by CATHERINE POWELL

janet montgomery Words by ELIZABETH FORREST Photos by CATHERINE POWELL

British actress Janet Montgomery found herself in a unique position during this year’s television pilot season: she had to choose between multiple show offers. “That doesn’t happen very often in one’s career, so I definitely felt like it was a moment for me,” she remembers. Janet’s interest in acting originated with storytelling. She came from a dance background and only realized she wanted to act while studying dance professionally. Once a week, a teacher came to the dance class for an additional acting lesson. After working with Janet, the teacher looked at her and said, “I think actually, maybe you’re an actor.” That confirmation and nudge in the right direction helped her find her way. Acting allowed her to continue to tell stories in the way that she could with dance. “I think unless you have a showbiz family, which I don’t have, you don’t know the way in or exactly what you want to do,” Janet remarks. Breaking into the industry was difficult in the beginning. The opportunity for her first major role came while working in the same building the show Skins was being cast. After she spotted a director outside, Janet approached him and asked if

she could be considered for a part. Although she didn’t have an agent at the time, she was given the opportunity to audition and booked the role. “I got lucky. I was in the right place at the right time and professionally, that was a defining moment for me,” Janet says. “I put myself out there. I took a gamble and went for it.” Janet has come a long way since Skins. After debating between multiple offers this pilot season, she joined the cast of New Amsterdam, an NBC medical drama that premiered on September 26th. What initially drew her to the show was the strength of the script, but even with that, since all she knew was the pilot episode, she was a bit dubious. That changed when she met with David Schulner, Pete Horton and Kate Dennis. “I just thought ‘I really love these people and I want to work with them’,” Janet says. “They’re really nice people, which is a big part of when you’re taking a TV show. It’s not just the script; making sure you’re working with people you like is really important.” New Amsterdam takes inspiration from New York’s City’s Bellevue, the oldest public hospital in the United States. As New Amsterdam is a

medical show, Janet promises drama; but what really makes it stand out from other shows, medical or not, is the emotion that comes with the show’s strong writing. “Some things will really pull at your heart strings,” Janet says. “When it’s authentic, it feels really special.” In addition to raving about the show’s writing, Janet also has great things to say about her part on New Amsterdam as Dr. Laura Bloom. She found Laura appealing from the start because she went against the grain wasn’t a typical female part. She is the aggressor in her sexual relationships, incredibly intelligent and someone who puts her patients’ lives before her own. “There was something about her that made me think, ‘This is someone that I’d like in my life,’” Janet says. That thought was what convinced her that she needed to play the part. New Amsterdam isn’t Janet’s only new show. She will also play Michelle Westbrook in The Romanoffs, an Amazon series written and directed by Matthew Weiner of Mad Men. The show, premiering on October 12th, centers around different families that believe they are descendants NKDMAG.COM

MATY NOYES Words by IAN HAYS Photos by CATHERINE POWELL

Creating art is never a simple task. But, too often it is conflated with the idea that, no matter the subject matter, brooding is always part of the mix. While somber reflections are necessary, shouldn’t the process of making your art fill you with joy, too? 21-year-old Maty Noyes is a seasoned vocalist and songwriter filled with an enthusiasm for making music, knowing there’s a chance it will speak to someone, anyone. Maty was born and lived her early childhood in small-town Mississippi. The early years were spent listening to The Beatles, loving all the harmonies. She got a schooling in classic rock from her father but branched out to a menagerie of genres as she started getting more serious about music. “There was a weird mix of stuff. I went through a screamo phase, to loving indie bands like Arcade Fire and Edward Sharpe. My first love was Elvis and he really inspired me a lot. Just a mix of everything,” she says. As Maty began taking music more seriously, she looked to her aunt for inspiration. When Maty was a child, her aunt sang and

wrote in Nashville. She was the one who encouraged her to be different, to be open and see what you can offer through your art. Maty took piano lessons for a bit, but like many before her, rebelled against the institutionalized process. This led to her learning guitar at twelve. “I did all the sports and cheer and stuff. But, once I found the guitar, it was just like, ‘Okay, this is what I’m doing,’” she recalls, “I wrote all those first songs on acoustic guitar by myself. And I was still in Mississippi, parents all confused and asking how I learned to write songs. And I’m just like, ‘I don’t know? It just happened!’” With the support of her parents, Maty started gigging at open mics around town. As her writing and performing became more serious, Maty and her mom would drive up to Nashville on the weekends. She played anywhere and everywhere she could. A love for writing and performing music blossomed. Maty was hooked. At 16, Maty persuaded her parents to let her drop out of school, move to Nashville, and pursue music as a career. The music industry is not

known for its kindness and young Maty dove in head first. She babysat for consistent cash. She took online classes to appease the parents. But while most would feel anxiety under the weight of so much potential opportunity, there was none of that for her. “That time was really beautiful because I didn’t have any fear. At that time, it was just full belief, full steam ahead, somehow its going to happen. I always try to remember back to that time and be like that. The older you get – you know, you move to L.A. – it’s easy to get sick of it all, so you have to hold on to that part of yourself,” she says. Music is infinIte, that’s why there are so many styles. An artist shouldn’t be chained to one sound. That leaves no room for finding that ‘something more’. And that’s often found in those moments of joyous clarity as art is brought into the physical universe. The more writing Maty did in Nashville, the more she felt like something else was missing. So, she started attending writing trips out in L.A. She soon found herself missing L.A. when she NKDMAG.COM

bishop briggs Words by SAMANTHA BAMBINO Photos by CATHERINE POWELL

LAY

Words & Photos by CATHERINE POWELL

BRANDON

Brandon Lay was born in Jackson, Tenn. – a town smack in the middle of Nashville and Memphis, and basketball was his first love. He played the sport all throughout his childhood and played for three years in college – but music was always around. “My mom had really good taste,” Brandon reflects. Growing up in Jackson, Brandon fielded influences from both directions: soul from Memphis and country from Nashville. “I remember watching CMT when I was really young and just trying to emulate the Class of ’89 – Clint Black, Travis Tritt, Garth Brooks and Alan Jackson,” he says. As he got older, his interests expanded to nearly all other genres – especially hip-hop. “We’d go from Hank Williams Jr. to Juicy J,’ he reflects. In college, Brandon started learning guitar and was writing lyrics before he even learned three chords. At the encouragement of his teacher, he went and played an open mic night and got hooked. He quit the basketball team, put a band together, and moved to Nashville after graduation and started playing locally, and eventually regionally. “I made my living on frat parties for a few years,” he laughs. In Nashville, he lived in his sister’s guest room for a few years while he grew his name. He would write songs during the day and play songwriter nights at night, and then hit the road on the weekends. Eventually, he landed a publishing deal, which then led to a record deal. He’s been on Universal Music Group for three years now. “They told me it was a ten-year town when I moved to Nashville and I didn’t believe them, but I’m coming right up on

ten years,” he says. While Brandon has been grinding away for years, it wasn’t until last year that he released his first official single via Universal: “Speakers, Bleachers and Preachers”. Since then, he’s released four more tracks and a full-length album is completed and on the way. “The oldest song on that body of work is five years old, and the newest one at the time was six months, so it really covers a broad spectrum of songwriting,” he says, “I just tried to hold onto what was the most me.” Brandon co-produced the album as well, which is fairly unheard of for a debut artist. He worked with Paul Digiovanni, who most recently produced Jordan Davis’ debut album. Brandon is aware of how music is consumed now, which is why songs have been coming out slowly. “I’ve been in a spot of frustration just because I feel like I am more of an album-based artist than a single-based artist, but the formats kind of lend themselves more to one at a time, or two at a time,” he says. Currently, he’s pushing “Yada Yada Yada” at Country Radio, and the success of that will determine when the full record comes out. When Brandon pieced together his album, he tried to do so as honestly as he could. “Being an A.D.D. music fan and liking stuff from all over, we cover a pretty broad spectrum – especially for a new artist,” he says. “Yada Yada Yada” is more contemporary country with its R&B influences, but a song called “Starting Young” falls more traditional. He didn’t think much about singles, and instead opted to put the best package of songs together – hoping that a few of them would then be deemed radio worthy. “Luckily I’m

at a label where they let me do that. We picked the singles after we made the album,” he says. With Brandon’s biggest musical influences being country and hiphop, the recent fuse of the two in contemporary country is exciting for him. “Arguably, those are the two most authentic genres of music,” he says. He acknowledges that people have strong feelings about “keeping things traditional”, but he knows that any time something changes people react strongly. “It’s letting people really be who they are,” he says, “I think authenticity is what the genre is about more than anything.” Brandon spent his summer on the road with Kenny Chesney, Thomas Rhett and Old Dominion – playing stadiums all across America. Getting to watch some of the genre’s biggest names every night has proved to be an invaluable learning experience for Brandon. “One thing I learned from Kenny is just how much he gives to his audience. He lives in the moment,” he says, “As a new guy, my temptation is to think about hitting the right note or not missing a guitar lick, and standing cool and looking cool, when really it’s all about giving all of your energy to whoever is there and paid a lot of money to see you.” As the first one on stage each night, he took his job of warming up the crowd very seriously. “It’s our job to get everybody hyped off,” he says. Looking forward at the rest of the year, Brandon will be playing shows around the country and spending time with the latest addition to the Lay family: baby Ryder Knox, who was born at the end of September. “I’m a very blessed man,” he says, “As long as we can keep the wheels rolling I’ll be happy.” NKD NKDMAG.COM

DANIELLE PANABAKER Words & Photos by CATHERINE POWELL Make-Up by HELENA TINT Hair by EMILY DAWN Styling by AUDREY BRIANNE

LOOK 1: Sweater by WILDFOX; Skirt by VESTIRE; Rings by MR. KATE LOOK 2: Shirt by VESTIRE LOOK 3: Shirt by WILDFOX; Jeans by UNPUBLISHED LOOK 4: Romper by FOREVER 21 LOOK 5: Shirt by THREE FLOOR; Pants by TRUE RELIGION LOOK 6: Shirt by FOREVER 21; Pants by I <3 TYLER MADISON; Heels by STUART WEITZMAN ON THE COVER: Sweater by HAUTE ROGUE; Bra by AMERICAN APPAREL; Jeans by TRUE RELIGION; Shoes by BETSEY JOHNSON

emily kinney Words by CARLY BUSH Photos by CATHERINE POWELL

Emily Kinney is best known as Beth Greene on AMC’s post-apocalyptic take on the zombie genre, The Walking Dead. What horror fans might not know is that the actress known for her iconic portrayal of the resilient teenage zombie outbreak survivor is also a prolific songwriter—of unexpectedly sweet, sugary pop melodies. Born in Wayne, Nebraska, to high school sweethearts, Emily grew up in small farming communities throughout the American heartland, but nevertheless aspired to achieve success in the entertainment industry. How does someone from blue-collar Nebraska end up in Hollywood? In short, her parents provided outlets for her burgeoning talents. They never discouraged it, but incorporated music and Broadway culture into the familial lifestyle from the beginning, which inspired Emily to begin performing herself. “Music was a big part of my parents’ social life,” she says, reminiscing about their vinyl collection, including records by classic acts like The Carpenters. When she was 7, Emily began performing in local Lion’s Club talent shows and leading worship services at church. For Emily, performing was never really about ego or attention; it was about storytelling. (“I always wrote little poems,” she recalls.) Being on stage was a way to tell stories, to slip into the role of a character.

As you might expect, it wasn’t long before Emily’s interest in music developed into a separate but equal fascination with acting. She began taking roles in local community theatre productions. She gravitated towards child stars, purposely gathering neighborhood kids together to act out famous scenes. The girlish dream of being a “pop singer” evaporated as soon as Emily realized that songwriting was “a job that you could have.” She focused her attention on lyrics and composition, and after high school rode a full scholarship to Nebraska Wesleyan University, where she initially declared music as her major. “Eventually I switched my major to theatre,” she remembers, but felt restless in Northeast Nebraska, where opportunities in the entertainment industry were admittedly slim. Wanting to get closer to the action, she applied—and was accepted—to the Tisch School of the Arts at NYU. While studying at Tisch, she began to hit the streets and learned how to search for open calls around New York. Eventually, she quietly left the Tisch program, partially due to financial struggles, and partially because her career was genuinely starting to take off: a few weeks in, she landed a role in a play, which ended up being a fulltime commitment. “As soon as [the play] closed, I moved back to Nebraska for

a while, because I didn’t have an agent and was really broke. I worked in a coffee shop in Nebraska to make money, and moved back to New York again—that time for good.” Once settled in the big city, she focused her attention on securing a commercial agent. While working as a barista at a coffeehouse on the edge of Williamsburg to make ends meet, she had her finger directly on the pulse of the vibrant nascent Brooklyn music scene. “This was around 2005, 2006,” she remembers, when her coffee shop was one of the only ones in the neighborhood, and thus frequented by many likeminded bohemians. “I started singing backup for bands, and eventually, around the time I started working on Spring Awakening on Broadway, I started to develop my own music.” After Spring Awakening, gigs began rolling in at a steady pace, and for the first time in her life, Emily was able to support herself entirely as a musician and actress. She quit her coffee shop job and began speaking with casting directors who provided her with tips on how to navigate her admittedly competitive and occasionally ruthless industry: “Nobody in my family was in the entertainment industry. I really didn’t know how to get an agent or anything.” In the mid-2000s, Backstage— now an online hub of casting calls NKDMAG.COM

dean lewis Words by VANESSA SALLES Photos by CATHERINE POWELL

A true artist on the rise, Dean Lewis is a name you want to get familiar with. The Australian singer/songwriter has had an unforgettable year and if the recent success of his latest single is any indication, the ‘Be Alright’ singer is on the fast-track to the top. “I haven’t really experienced anything quite like this before,” Dean reveals. “I’ve gotten heaps of people commenting and sending messages on Instagram telling me how they connect to the song and it’s great. I feel so fortunate to have a song that’s resonating with people the way that ‘Be Alright’ has.” As for the way the popular track was created, Dean cites inspiration from his friends and his own personal experiences. “I combined a bunch of stories that friends had told me over the years,” he explains. “I took some weird and sad things that’s happened to them in relationships along with things that’s happened to me. Mostly, the song is centered around me seeing a message on my ex-girlfriend’s phone.” Dean’s creative process stems from finding his love for music at such a young age. “Music was always a huge part of my life,” he says. “I was very, very inspired by Oasis and Noel Gallagher’s melodic songwriting. I had this crazy thought that if Noel could write five albums of amazing songs, then I could write one as good as his worst. That’s what kept me motivated when I first started writing songs.” Describing his personal sound, Dean tends to stay in the acoustic lane. “I like to keep things quite raw,” he says. “I love acoustic guitar and I

always aim to get the production to feel like guys playing in the room, or at least get a little of that feeling across. When I’m writing, it’s always just me on my acoustic guitar or piano just riffing ideas until something sticks. Lately, because I’ve been on the road so much, I’ve found myself creating in rehearsal rooms. I’ll set up the mic, put some reverb on my voice, and just start mucking around while recording on my phone. I just let a bunch of ideas fly out and listen back the next day to see if anything jumps out at me. Lyrically, I’m very into describing scenes in first person; it’s the best way I know how to put the listener into the world of the song.” With the whirlwind success of “Be Alright,” Dean recognizes his good fortune and is using his newfound momentum as a way to propel himself to higher grounds. “It’s this incredible opportunity that could stop at any moment,” he says. “So, I’m throwing myself forward into everything I can. Being so new to it all, I feel like I’m always rushing to get things finished and done on time; it’s hard to even think about anything else going on. I think, next year, I’ll have more of a grasp on how this all works.” On the road, Dean’s found a routine that’s kept him sane when things get a bit too hectic. “I feel so lucky that people actually want to talk to me about my music,” he says. “It does of course get overwhelming sometimes. I have a notebook that I write in every morning and plan things out in; I’ve found that it helps me think ahead and even helps me be able to relax.” Dean’s also found a newfound love for the simple

things in life that make things easy. “I recently bought a new suitcase and it came with this dirty clothes bag that I can just put all the worn clothes in,” he recalls. “It makes things really easy when it comes to identifying which clean clothes I have left. It sounds boring, I know, but it just makes my life so much easier when I have to live out of a suitcase. I appreciate things like that.” With an audience that performs the lyrics right along with him, Dean has learned to dominate the stage the way the greats have done before him. Though inspired by many artists’ stage presence, the star-in-the-making reveals the secret to a great performance is finding (and perfecting) the art of losing yourself in the music. “I think I just get on stage and try to be in the moment,” he says. “I read in Springsteen’s book that the worst thing you can do on stage is think about yourself. Trying to let go has worked for me and getting out of my head and feeling the music is what keeps me living in the moment.” As for what’s up next, Dean’s only mission is to continue to grow and continue to be the best version of himself that he can be. “There have been so many highlights this year,” he says. “If I had to pick one, it would probably be selling out 3 Metro Theatres all within minutes in Sydney. We ended up doing two more of those but it just blew my mind how quickly those sold out. It put everything into perspective of how fast everything is growing and where I want things to be. My goal is to keep building towards doing the same size shows that I’m doing in Australia everywhere around the world.” NKD

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