Issuu

ISSUE #92 - FEBRUARY 2019

by Catherine Powell

PRETTYMUCH

FEB. 2019 18 GRETA ONIEOGOU

on moving to los angeles + her current series, all american

04 JADE PETTYJOHN

22 WYLAND

36 PRETTYMUCH

on growing up with her fans + working with nicole kidman

on aiming high + their plans for the future of the band

on not being constrained by genre + their goals with the group

08 LIAM JAMES

24 TOMMY MARTINEZ

46 GABBY BARRETT

on his early acting roles + his latest gig on deadly class

on being the youngest of six + his breakout role in good trouble

on american idol + her debut single, “i hope”

12 CHRIS LANE

28 NATALIE ALYN LIND

50 STEPHEN PUTH

on accidentally falling in love with music + laps around the sun

on the themes of the gifted + lauren’s journey this season

on how “sexual vibe” came to be + what’s next for him

34 NICK HARGROVE

on not wanting a nine-to-five + joining the cast of charmed CATHERINE POWELL

publisher, editor, photographer, designer, writer

SAMANTHA BAMBINO

IAN HAYS

LOUIS OPRISA

CARLY BUSH

RACHEL HILL writer

VANESSA SALLES

writer

ELIZABETH FORREST

NICOLE MOOREFIELD

OLIVIA SINGH

writer

writer writer writer

jade pettyjohn Words by ELIZABETH FORREST Photos by CATHERINE POWELL

Few actors have the chance to come of age with their fan base, but Jade Pettyjohn is in the midst of her transition from child actor to burgeoning movie star. “There’s so much beauty in the world of drama, so I’m just kind of attacking it and going straight on into it,” Jade says. “Just like the people who have been following my career thus far, we’re both growing up and I really just want to explore things that I haven’t done before.” Jade, now 18, began acting at 7. “It’s weird to think I’ve been acting now longer than I haven’t,” she laughs. Her experience in the industry is evident; she discusses her work and process with practiced clarity and self-assuredness beyond her years. “[2018 was] a crazy transition year, with working on projects that are lighthearted and fun and also working on projects where I really have to dive in and challenge myself as an actor and go to those darker places,” Jade insists. From Nickelodeon shows to, now, award show-nominated drama pieces, Jade has proven her versatility. One of Jade’s latest, darkest projects, Destroyer, released on Christmas Day. In it, Jade plays Shelby, the daughter of LAPD detective Erin Bell. It was love at first script read. “I felt like

this is someone I’ve seen and observed and someone who exists,” Jade remembers. “She wasn’t that classic, stereotypical teenage girl who yells at her mom and says she’s ruining her life and slams the door. She goes down a self-destructive path with the only reason being that she wants her mom to pay attention to her and love her. That’s something I think a lot of young girls go through, unfortunately.” She was drawn to Shelby’s strength, brokenness and vulnerability, and wanted to be the one to tell her story. While preparing for any role, Jade has a standard set of one hundred questions she asks herself about her character. Beyond that, her process is ever-changing because every project demands something different. Jade had a special interest in working with spaces and environments while preparing for Destroyer. “I would go to Echo Park, which is where Shelby’s grown up, and just work on the scene and prep in that space,” she recalls. In addition, insightful conversations with the film’s “fearless” director, Karyn Kusama, prepared Jade to play a role that pushed her limits. Nicole Kidman, the film’s star, earned a Golden Globe nomination for her portrayal of Erin. Working so closely with Nicole

gave Jade insight into her craft, both in front of the camera and behind. “Nicole was so unafraid to use her voice and so unapologetically creative. I think that was so strong and empowering,” Jade remembers. “Because of that, she gave this really incredible performance and pulled out amazing performances in everyone else. That really gave me the confidence to use my voice, and if I have an idea for my character, to use it and be unafraid to go to those places and explore.” Even before working on Destroyer together, Nicole was one of Jade’s favorite actresses. Spending time together on set was a surreal experience. “I worked with her for a very short amount of time, but because of the heaviness of this particular project, I feel like we really bonded and like I’ve known her for a longer time period,” Jade says. “Everyone knows how stunning and fantastic she is, but she’s also just such an incredible human being. I have nothing to say but beautiful things about her.” Jade’s latest projects range from dramatic to controversial and political. She played Julie Gilbert in Trial by Fire, a biographical film about Cameron Todd Willingham, an innocent man from Texas who was sentenced to death for murder. The NKDMAG.COM

liam james Words by LOUIS OPRISA Photos by CATHERINE POWELL

Springing onto the TV thriller scene with a great deal of fanfare, Syfy’s Deadly Class has already excited audiences with a star-studded cast and heavily stylized combat scenes. The likes of Benedict Wong and Lana Condor help propel a storyline about the seedy underbelly of 1980s counterculture, focusing on an assassin school for dozens of misfit young adults. With cinematographic choices skewing towards shadows and dark color palettes, the colorful and wacky nature of the show’s cast shines through in an endearing way. Perhaps one of the most intriguing of the main set is Billy, played by Liam James, whose signature green mohawk may serve to be the least interesting thing about him as his character develops throughout the first season. 22 years of age at the time of this writing, Liam James is already an established acting veteran, having played his first TV role at 10 years old in Psych (2006), and his first film roles at the age of 11: Good Luck Chuck, Things We Lost in the Fire, Fred Claus, Alien vs. Predator: Requiem (2007). Born in Vancouver, Canada, he lived with his mother, father and brother growing up. While they weren’t exactly film buffs, Liam always was, and his family was encouraging about exploring art. Liam recalls being thankful as a child and teenager that his parents didn’t hassle him

for watching R-rated movies with explicit content. His favorite movie at the age of 11 was The Green Mile. “There was this unspoken agreement that if it was truly a piece of art and it wasn’t being gratuitous for the sake of being gratuitous, then it didn’t matter if it was more mature,” he explains. Another personal favorite of his is The Simpsons, which he watched with his father regularly. Liam’s beginnings in acting at an early age, he says, were thanks to a friend of his mother’s, who was a background acting coordinator. She got him involved on movie and TV sets, and after enjoying his experience doing so, Liam took on work as a body double. With a lot of downtime in between shot setups and actual filmmaking, he found that he enjoyed the atmosphere of a set and being around adults. Eventually in 2013, he’d even get to act with one of his personal favorite actors. That would be Sam Rockwell, who played William “Wild Bill” Wharton in The Green Mile. This time, they would work together on The Way, Way Back, an experience Liam is deeply grateful for to this day. “This is someone who permeated my consciousness and didn’t even know it, influencing all of my work. Sam’s had an enormous effect on my career,” Liam says. That’s led him to now, where Liam says Deadly Class has been

the most transformative experience he’s ever had in acting. He actively reflects on the litany of time spent channeling so many characters already in his 22 years: “Before Deadly Class, every [role] is special. Every year means something. My first experience with dramatic roles was on The Killing, which was when I was 14. That was when I realized it wasn’t about having story beats, but also about having an experience with the person there and thinking outside the words on the page,” he says. Liam says he was one of the last members cast to portray Billy, a role he’d auditioned for via longform monologue on tape. His agents were stunned but joyous to see their client send it merely one day after receiving the script. Liam attributes his quick turnaround to an infectious energy about the script, especially when it came to the potential for growing Billy’s character. An audition with casting producers was scheduled. “Walking into an audition is not an easy thing to do, but the casting producers were super cool, they wanted me to succeed. They had seen some of my other work from shows like The Killing and because they respect the shows that I was in, they were immediately nice to me and immediately put me at ease,” Liam recounts. Billy himself is a living display of a fractured connection between NKDMAG.COM

CHRIS LANE Words by RACHEL HILL Photos by CATHERINE POWELL

greta onieogou Words by SAMANTHA BAMBINO Photos by CATHERINE POWELL

If there’s one thing that always puts a smile on Greta Onieogou’s face, it’s organization. The 27-year-old loves structure. There’s just something about having a plan that brings her a sense of security and peace of mind. Ironically, her chosen career lacks every one of these qualities. When Greta decided to give acting a real shot, a passion she held dearly since childhood, she knew the road to stardom would be a treacherous one. Success is rarely guaranteed, and if she was lucky enough to land a role, her schedule of filming and press would be all over the map. But she was up for the challenge. Today, Greta’s life is nothing short of a whirlwind as she splits her time between her family in Toronto and professional career in Los Angeles, where she is shooting the first season of The CW’s All American. On the series, which is inspired by pro-football player Spencer Paysinger, Greta portrays Layla Keating, the most popular girl in school who, behind-thescenes, isn’t as put together as she appears. For Greta, who spent the first five years of her life in Saint Petersburg, Russia before her parents moved to Canada, it’s been a thrill to immerse herself over the past year in the hectic Hollywood world.

Greta grew up in a household of academics, but that didn’t mean her upbringing was completely devoid of the arts. In fact, her parents both held deep passions for it. After trying her hand at gymnastics, Greta’s mother enrolled her in a Toronto-based arts school, where she was able to explore new interests such as drama under the guidance of experienced teachers. “Through that, I sort of found acting in a more professional sense. When I was a kid, I would always play make believe or put on little shows, but you don’t necessarily realize that you could do that as a job,” she says. “It just seems like a past time.” By her teenage years, Greta was pretty much set on becoming an actress. Still, she desired a safety net just in case. “It’s a scary industry and you never know what’s going to happen. So I did end up going to university. I studied criminology and classical civilizations at University of Toronto. I think it was partly for my parents, but also, if I’m being honest, partly for me just to have peace of mind to know that if it doesn’t work out with acting, to know I was doing something toward giving myself some semblance of stability,” Greta says. “I really like structure and having a plan, which is most often not the case with this job. It’s usually very

much waiting around and you’re very third-party dependent. So going to school was great for me because it allowed me to have those things.” Thankfully, Greta hasn’t needed to use her backup plan just yet. And if 2018 was any indication of what’s to come, she may never have to. Early last year, Greta received an untitled script for a show that would later be called All American. “I instantly connected with the material and was really excited about it, which doesn’t always happen,” she says. “So it’s always exciting when you’re up for something that you would actually want, and I definitely felt that way about this.” Though Greta admits she couldn’t exactly be picky in the beginning about the roles she was taking, there was just something about All American that intrigued her. The day after receiving the script, Greta filmed herself on tape. By the following afternoon, she learned the network wanted to fly her out to L.A. The next week was spent doing a handful of auditions. Greta was originally up for the role of Olivia, but ended up reading for both Olivia and Leila. By that Friday, Greta was informed that she would be portraying Leila on All American. “I was in Santa Monica with my dad. We had finished everything. I was just unwinding and thinkNKDMAG.COM

WYLAND Words by OLIVIA SINGH Photos by CATHERINE POWELL

Wyland is a band based in New Jersey and comprised of Ryan Sloan (29; lead vocals, piano, guitar), Ariella Mastroianni (27; vocals, keyboard), Chris Luna (28; drums, vocals), Patrick Viso (29; guitar), and Zach Calidonna (26; bass guitar). They’re considered an indie-alternative rock group, but Wyland is still trying to pinpoint their sound. The band was formed by Ryan a few years ago and arrived at the current lineup 22

within the past year. Although everyone hails from a different place – Ryan, Patrick, and Chris from parts of NJ, Ariella from Canada, and Zach from upstate New York – they all converged in Kearney, NJ. For Ryan, the desire to pick up instruments occurred after attending Bonnaroo in 2011 and seeing groups like Mumford & Sons and Arcade Fire perform. “I guess it was a combination of all these different acts that

I was seeing and taking in, in a live setting,” Ryan adds. “I’ve never been to a festival like that in my whole life, up until that point. I’ve seen my friends’ bands play and things like that, but I never saw a band of that caliber control a sea of people emotionally. Something about it just woke up this passion inside of me, just lit a fire.” 2011 was also the year that Ryan discovered Bon Iver, who inadvertently inspired the group’s name. At the time, the

group’s most popular song was Holoscene, and Ryan misheard the lyric, “You’re in Milwaukee, off your feet,” for, “You’re in the world, get off your feet.” That prompted him to think more deeply about the song’s literal and figurative meaning. “That kind of just inspired ‘Why Land.’ Why ever get back on the ground? All the cool, hip kids were connecting words and cutting out vowels, so I ended up with ‘Wyland.’” Each member of Wyland brings a different musical influence. Chris brings Latin, hip hop, and R&B styles. Ariella is drawn to groups like The Staves, which focus on harmonies and unique time signatures, and Zach “is a straightup classic rock guy.” As for Patrick, he’s tough to read. “I think if you can make something that Patrick is going to like and continue to like, that’s when you did a good job,” Ryan says. “He’s always pushing us to just do better and create something that hasn’t been done. All of those influences and all of those velocities mixed together I think is what makes Wyland special.” In 2014, Wyland competed in a battle of the bands contest for spot at a music festival called Skate and Surf. They won, but Ryan knew that he was probably a bit too ambitious at the time. “From there, it was almost like every show we played was almost a little too big for us, but we just kept doing it,” he recalls. The following year, they

played the after party of the Gentlemen of the Road tour with Mumford & Sons and Alabama Shakes in Seaside Heights, NJ. “It all just seemed like madness,” Ryan says. “It was like I knew we weren’t ready for it, but then again, there’s a cocky Noel Gallagher part of me that was like, ‘Yeah, this is what we deserve.’ I’m definitely brought down to Earth. I understand now that that was all just luck and we’re like any other band. We’re just fighting to the top, nice and slow.” Recently, Wyland toured across Canada and the East Coast with Valley and released a song called “Nowhere”. The idea for the track’s chorus struck a year or two ago while Wyland was at SXSW. However, the lyrics didn’t come until 2018, shortly before the band traveled to Ireland to record new material. “I always write the lyrics last,” Ryan explains. “I do that because I just want to pull exactly from where my life is at that moment so that when the song does come out, it’s really close to who I am versus if I wrote it two years ago, that might not be who I am anymore.” In Ireland, the band met with producer Philip McKee and effortlessly created new music. “Everything he wanted to do just made complete sense with who we are and what we’re going for,” Ryan says. “That coupled with the incredible, beautiful landscapes of Ireland,

I think it just really produced a really great, powerful record.” Since traveling to Europe and wrapping up a tour, Ryan’s perception of the band’s sound has changed. “I’m kind of back at that point where I’m not sure what our sound is because I have all these new ideas that are going to change the route of where we are, or at least where I thought we were going,” Ryan says. “I know that the one thing that everybody always agrees with and is always pushing me to do is to just be honest with my lyrics. And I don’t do anything if I don’t believe in it. And the guys respect that and always push me.” Wyland has a few things planned for 2019 but don’t feel pressure to constantly release new content. Whenever Wyland does decide to release new music, Ryan’s goal is for it to resonate with listeners, the same way he was moved by groups like Arcade Fire. “I’m hoping that somebody’s going to feel what I felt when I was standing in a sea of people at Bonnaroo,” he says. “I’m hoping that somebody’s going to be inspired. I think every songwriter hopes that their song is going to be the soundtrack to somebody’s day or week or life or night. I can just hope that if somebody’s having a bad day, or if somebody’s having the best day, that this song can be a blueprint in that person’s memory and whenever they hear it they’re brought back to something positive.” NKD NKDMAG.COM

tommy martinez Words by IAN HAYS Photos by CATHERINE POWELL

Born in Venezuela and raised in South Florida, Tommy Martinez’s household was beautiful chaos with five other siblings. Sports were his outlet. In high school he played everything but football. His sport of choice was wrestling before moving into mixed martial arts like jiu jitsu. “Acting was this hidden passion that didn’t come out until college,” he says. “My parents gave us a lot of freedom. They could still be strict at times, but after six kids, who could blame them? They were like, ‘Just get your homework done and we’ll be good.’” Around graduation, Tommy was at a crossroads. How do you settle on just one path? While he enjoyed sports, he had no interest in pursuing them professionally. He enjoyed writing and exploring photography more deeply. So many of his peers had their future paths slowly carved out by their parents. Tommy had the freedom to set his own path; the unknown staring back, unblinking. He went to community college in Tallahassee, Florida to see what fit. “I had an early life crisis. I was just taking classes, didn’t know where I was going, my friends were getting their degrees soon, and I thought that I was just going to be left in the dust. It was terrifying,” he says. A few weeks into retreat and reflection, he gets a Facebook message. A local, aspiring director reached out about a short film. He

tells Tommy there’s a character that feels like a perfect fit for him. Tommy always had unfettered respect for actors. But for him, acting had never felt feasible. “The first day we started shooting, it really struck me inside. I was like, ‘Damn, this is an amazing feeling!’ I don’t know, it was something I had never felt before to this extent,” Tommy says, “After a month and a half, I was like, ‘This is it!’” So, he dropped out. While he felt the concern in his parents’ voices, they supported him. After a year at home and working a customer service job, Tommy had enough to survive a few months out in L.A. That was nearly three years ago. There was no schedule or bullet pointed list for what came next. While in Florida, he had done some modeling with Wilhelmina. After a few meetings in California, he signed to their L.A. team. He wasn’t sure if it was the path he should be on, but he was willing to do what he needed to. So, for a couple years, he worked in the modeling world, jet setting to different campaigns. “It was about a year and half in that I started taking acting classes,” he says, “I got myself confident enough to walk into a room and be like, ‘This is what I want to do’ – speak from the heart.’” A few months into acting classes, with nothing on his resume and no professional head shot, he

was signed to an agency. He started getting sent out on auditions, his first leading to a small part on Shameless. He was already a fan of the show, so getting an audition blew his mind. As Tommy puts it, it was a “very, very, very little role”one line. But even with that, he was positive after the audition that he had bombed it. The big wigs were in the room and butterflies were in his stomach. They inform of who will be reading lines with him. Lines? He thought he only had one. Panic set in. He whisks through the line, having already mimed knocking on a door. But he got the part. Tommy started going to more and more auditions but wasn’t getting any bites. Modeling had started to slow down so he got a serving job to keep afloat. It was then he auditioned for a part on Riverdale. He was at work when he got the call from his agent. He runs to the back bathroom and is told the news he got the part. “I screamed in the bathroom. I’m pretty sure everyone in the dining hall heard me but couldn’t tell who it was. I came back out all professional, but with just a huge smile on my face,” he laughs. Again, Tommy was trying to process the gravity of getting this part. He grew up watching Cole Sprouse on Suite Life; he’d seen the cultural phenomenon the show has become. It was not just another stepping stone, but validation that NKDMAG.COM

natalie alyn lind Words by NICOLE MOOREFIELD Photos by CATHERINE POWELL

nick hargrove Words by SAMANTHA BAMBINO Photos by CATHERINE POWELL 34

Nick Hargrove never thought acting could be a viable career. After graduating from high school, he embarked on the path most teens find themselves aimlessly traveling attending a decent college, choosing a major with a solid job market, and landing a steady nine-to-five after four years of study. But for Nick, who pursued a bachelor’s degree in economics at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, having a 401K and healthcare benefits didn’t thrill him. A lifelong lover of film and television, he knew he was destined for the spotlight. Despite knowing nobody and having limited acting experience, Nick moved to Los Angeles after his senior year to give his dreams a shot. It was the risk of a lifetime, but one that’s paying off better than he ever could’ve anticipated. Now, the brown-locked heartthrob is gracing television screens nationwide every Sunday night on The CW as Parker in the rebooted series, Charmed, which follows the lives of three sisters who discover they are witches. Though Nick is finally living out his passion while wrapping up Season 1 in Vancouver, he’s still, at heart, the quiet boy from suburban Haverford, Pennsylvania who always had an innate acting ability. “Growing up, I always did accents and voices, watched a lot of The Simpsons and cartoons,” he says. “I didn’t really realize it, but doing those voices and accents, me creating characters and using them to entertain my family, I didn’t know that you could actually do that for a living.” At the age of 11, Nick discovered a booming film market in his own backyard thanks to Philadelphia’s M. Night Shyamalan, and went on a handful of auditions. Still, acting

wasn’t something he envisioned himself doing for the long haul. Admittedly shy throughout middle and high school, the thought of standing in front of lights and cameras just didn’t seem possible. When he arrived at college, Nick studied economics and German. While he enjoyed his classes for the most part, he soon found himself not as engaged as his peers. “It was one of those things where you graduate from high school, you don’t really know what you want to do. You go to the best school you get into, then you study what you think you should study,” he says. During summer breaks, Nick completed several internships, working a typical nine-to-five job in a typical office. “I realized it wasn’t for me at all,” he says. “I’d always been into film and television, so I decided my junior year of college, I would move out to L.A. and pursue acting.” Reflecting on the experience of moving to the opposite coast, Nick describes the transition as simultaneously stressful and exciting. “It was a little bit of both because I didn’t really know anybody out in L.A., so I had to start from scratch, which was nerve wracking because I had just studied something completely different in college. So I was worried that I had just wasted four years of my life,” Nick says. “I also wasn’t sure if I would be any good at it. It was just scary putting yourself out there.” But Nick wasn’t about to sit back and hope for the best. If anything, his lack of acting experience only made him work harder. Soon after arriving in L.A., he enrolled in multiple classes, hired an agent, and went on as many auditions as he could. Last year, after booking a role on

the Netflix mini-series Medal of Honor, Nick’s agent contacted him about another audition, one that would change the trajectory of his career forever. It was for the role of Parker on Charmed. Approximately four months prior, he had auditioned for another male character, but another actor was chosen. “I thought, that’s it. I’m not going to hear from the show anymore,” Nick says. He was wrong. Nick’s audition took place on a Monday, and by Sunday, he was invited back for a chemistry read with Sarah Jeffrey, who plays Parker’s love interest Maggie Vera. The next day, he learned he had booked the role and on Thursday, was settled in Vancouver to begin filming and embrace the enigma that is Parker. “Starting off, he’s kind of mysterious. You don’t really know who he is. He’s this charismatic guy that swoops in, saves the day a couple times. Then he starts dating Sarah’s character Maggie, and as they get closer, you start to find out a little bit more about who he is and his family. You find out that he might not be exactly who he said he was,” Nick says. Currently, Nick and the rest of the Charmed cast are waiting to hear if the show will be picked up for a second season. In the meantime, Nick hopes to get involved with his first feature film. He’ll also continue to revel in the fact that he escaped the monotonous life that was almost his reality. “It’s been great. It’s every actor’s dream to get a regular role in a TV show,” he says. “It’s amazing how quickly it all happened because you go from this grind of auditioning eight, nine, 10 times a week for three years and then all of a sudden, you get a show, and then it’s a totally different grind. It feels like vacation.” NKD NKDMAG.COM

PRETTYMUCH Words by OLIVIA SINGH Photos by CATHERINE POWELL

gabby barrett

Words by VANESSA SALLES Photos by CATHERINE POWELL

Winning the hearts of viewers all across the country, Gabby Barrett nailed every performance on the American Idol stage. Finishing in the top three, the country singer is primed for stardom and is set to make this new year unforgettable. With a newly released single, Gabby’s securing her spot on the top of everyone’s favorite playlists. The 18-year-old, Pennsylvania native - who started singing when she was just 11-years-old - spent most of 2018 on the road. This past summer, she toured alongside her American Idol co-stars, and more recently wrapped a massive, nationwide tour with Chris Lane and Mason Ramsey, and has big plans to put out original music throughout 2019, and is currently working on a new release with award-winning songwriter Ross Copperman.

NKD: How did you know it time to take the leap and audition for American Idol? Gabby Barrett: It was always a dream of mine to be on it, because that was the show to be on. I remember my parents voting for Carrie Underwood to win. American Idol casting producers had found my singing videos on the internet and reached out. They wanted me to audition for the judges in Nashville, TN and that’s where it all started. It was the best experience of my life! NKD: What’s something about the Idol experience that fans would be surprised to know? GB: Something the fans would be surprised to learn is that it’s an extreme emotional roller coaster. I wasn’t expecting it to be that at all! Also, no mat-

ter how prepared you are for something, you will always be feel challenged. I thought I was so prepared going in, knowing I’m a performer/entertainer, but I had to face quite a few challenges. NKD: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever gotten? GB: The best piece of advice I’ve gotten has been from my dad. He told me how you have to believe in yourself before anyone else can believe in you. NKD: What’s the creative process usually like for you? GB: When I write songs or create videos, I want to make sure they connect to other people. I write from a point of someone’s happiness or pain. I want girls to know, that I go through the same things that you do.

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stephen puth Words by CARLY BUSH Photos by CATHERINE POWELL

Growing up in small-town New Jersey in a musically inclined family, Stephen Puth was encouraged by his mother to learn piano, along with his siblings, older brother Charlie and twin sister Mikaela. Later, despite being what he calls “the farthest thing from an academic,” he chose to study English and History at Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania. He enjoyed producing music, and during his time at Gettysburg he gained a small following on YouTube for his cover videos of pop songs. After graduating in 2016, Stephen recalled a poetry class he had taken during his junior year, which had sparked his interest in writing original music. He believes his education made him capable of articulating himself in more unique and innovative ways. Not only that, but it changed the way he engaged with music. “I think it just made me hyper-aware. I would go back and listen to my favorite songs, and I would pay attention to the structure, and how weird it was, and how everything unraveled,” he says. With an autodidactic intensity, he began to analyze songs, listening to them up-wards of hundreds of times before the subtleties became clear to him. Ultimately, he decided to pursue songwriting at the professional level. It didn’t take long before he made the right connections; he signed a publishing deal and made the transition from liberal arts campus to Hollywood almost overnight. Soon after, he met David Massey, the CEO of Arista Records. After signing his first record deal, Stephen was quickly confronted by the simultaneous thrill and chaos of the entertainment world. He recalls attending an industry party when he first moved to Los Angeles. “It was at a nightclub, the most terrifying place for someone with crip-

pling social anxiety like me,” he says. By the end of the night, he was entranced. “I kind of liked it, you know?” Early the following morning, inspired by the electric pulse they had experienced at their first Hollywood party, his friend called him. “Let’s go to the studio,” he said. “The whole time we were sitting there,” Stephen remembers, “We were trying to think of a fun thing, with a fun melody—a fun thing to say. The whole time he’s just playing the guitar, saying, ‘You know, it’s got to have the sexual vibe.’” Stephen’s friend was using the term as a descriptor, not suggesting a title—but the song that came out of that late-night writing session was “Sexual Vibe,” Stephen’s first single. It dropped this past December and was favorably reviewed by critics, who were impressed by the bluesy backbeat and sensual R&B vocals. For a debut single, it’s a remarkably sophisticated blend of sounds, indicative of the amount of time Stephen spent writing behind the scenes before releasing music to be heard by the world. What influences are lurking behind “Sexual Vibe”? According to Stephen, a vast majority of different genres. “I liked my parents’ music, like Van Morrison and Led Zeppelin,” he says, going on to say that he has always been inspired by a lot of 1960s surf rock, mainly The Beach Boys. The laidback simplicity of “Sexual Vibe” certainly suggests this. Despite Stephen’s claim that he is more of an artistic than an academic, he speaks with conviction and intelligence about song structure. While he’s not one to gen-eralize (“I don’t think everything on the radio sounds the same, because that’s not true”), he has noticed a certain

trend in modern pop music—one he’s gone out of his way to try to avoid. “They want everything to build up with tension. They want the verse to have a lit-tle energy, the part before the chorus to be a little bit energetic, and the chorus to be the big explosion,” he observes. When Stephen went back to revisit many of his favorite childhood songs, he found that they were less structured, that there was more of a “groove.” When it came to writing “Sexual Vibe,” a consistent groove was exactly what he felt the “style of the song called for.” Stephen is a solid songwriter, but he’s a self-taught producer with a lot of technical knowledge, which enables him to create a soundscape that suits a specific song. He’s worked with artists who enter the studio with the expectation that he can make them sound exactly like another specific artist, but his personal approach is more organic: “Some people are really good at emulating, but I’m really bad at emulating! I’ll try to sing like that, and it’ll sound completely different.” With “Sexual Vibe” standing in direct opposition to much of what is current, it’s understandable that many fans are wondering if Stephen will continue to blaze his own trail in the industry, or if this track is simply a snapshot of where he is crea-tively right now. “The next single,” he teases, “has the same feel. It’s a live band playing, essential-ly. But there are a few 21st-century elements in the mix. It’s not me trying to rip off myself,” he says. Looking ahead to the future, is Stephen determined to put out an album any time soon? “I have a body of work. I could put out an EP, but we’re just playing it by ear, seeing how each song does. I think we’re just letting it generally evolve,” he says. NKD NKDMAG.COM

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