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P U L S E S P I K E SS U M M E R 2 0 1 7

T a l i t h aB a t e m a n

C A N Y O U H E A R M E ?

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Anna Zhang

What qualifies a revolution? A movement that creates conversations and change.

The modern-day revolution is a combination of strength, resistance, and courage. To disturb the deaf-ening silence, to raise a voice for freedom, that is an act of revolution. When most succumb to injustice and conform to societal standards, some challenge these ideas with unwavering love and unbeliev-able power that unite rather than divide the community. This issue focuses on the beauty of out of the box, innovative thinking.

founding editor-in-chief

revolution

FRONT & BACK COVER PHOTOS TALITHA BATEMAN BY MAARTEN DE BOERPUBLISHED BY WORLD PRESS GROUP, INC.

ISSN 2381-3636 (PRINT)ISSN 2381-3644 (ONLINE)

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NIKI KOSS BY LENNE CHAIHAIR AND MAKEUP BY AARON BARRY

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contents

editorials

features

trapped

art in revolution

garden creature

talitha bateman

niki koss

honne

gracie dzienny

jordi whitworth

machine gun kelly

vérité

steffan argus

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PHOTOS RILEY TAYLORMODEL CLARISSA MAY

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t r a p p e dt r a p p e dt r a p p e dt r a p p e dt r a p p e dt r a p p e dt r a p p e d

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a r t i n r e v o l u t i o n

ARTWORK MAIYA BUCK

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Wake Up World

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You Make Me Feel Like

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Blur

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GOWN MICHELLE HÉBERT

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t a l i t h ab a t e m a n

PHOTOS MAARTEN DE BOERSTYLIST SARAH KINSUMBA for UNTITLED ARTISTS LDN

MAKEUP GRACE PHILLIPS at STATE ARTISTS using SURRATT BEAUTYHAIR STEVEN MASON for EXCLUSIVE ARTISTS using SCHWARZKOPF PROFESSIONAL

CREATIVE DIRECTION ANNA ZHANGSTORY SARAH KEARNS

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Talitha Bateman may only be fifteen, but she’s already established herself in Hollywood’s film industry. The young actress recently starred in the drama flick So B. It, which made its debut this past April, and appeared in science fiction blockbuster The 5th Wave last year.

“So B. It is about a young girl who is raised by her neigh-bor because her mother is mentally ill and only says twenty-one words. My neighbor is also handicapped because she has agoraphobia, so she can’t go outside of her apartment.” Bateman portrays the protagonist, Heidi, who goes on a journey to find her father and grandparents. So B. It was her favorite project to film. She recalls the film as "the one that helped [her] grow the most as an actress.” The movie is based off of the novel of the same name by Sarah Weeks.

So B. It was one of Bateman’s first major film performanc-es, but stellar nonetheless. She credits her skills to play-ing with her eight siblings growing up. “When we were little, we kind of messed around, doing different plays, different characters, and trying out different things af-ter we watched movies.” Though it was an essential part of her childhood, it wasn’t until Bateman was older that she began to professionally act. “My sister started acting

and she moved out to Los Angeles to pursue it. Then her agent looked into me and my little brother.”

Now, after several film and television roles, Bateman has developed her passion for acting into a full-time career. In addition to that responsibility, she finds time to com-plete her education. “I’m homeschooled, so that makes it a lot less difficult. I get to go on set and do three hours of school online, which is what I do at home anyway.” Bateman juggles her duties of working and schooling well, but admits that there are some downsides. Being a child actor isn’t always all it’s cracked up to be, and it' can be frustrating for Bateman. “I feel that because I do look even younger than I am, people are condescend-ing to me.” Bateman is often underestimated in the in-dustry, even though she’s extremely accomplished for her age, “I get annoyed when people baby me a lot.”

Bateman never knows what’s next in store as her sched-ule is constantly changing. “Sometimes, I’ll have two au-ditions in one day. They [can] be at six or two p.m. or eleven a.m., so I don’t have an exact routine.” The same goes for her career. When it comes to acting, Bateman has tried her hand at everything, from science fiction to drama to comedy.

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GOWN MICHELLE HÉBERTEARRINGS STYLIST'S OWN

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DRESS EKATERINA KUKHAREVAEARRINGS STYLIST'S OWN

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TOP NEVER FULLY DRESSEDSHORTS WHITE FOX

BRACELET BRIWOKEARRINGS ZARA

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In August, Bateman will make her horror debut in Annabelle: Creation. The film is a prequel to the 2014 hit, Annabelle, and is the fourth film in The Conjuring series, “I loved doing that, it was definitely very different from most of the other films I’ve done.” On set, Bateman had to completely alter her persona to assume a different identity. “With every project, I take a minute and get into character. With Annabelle: Creation, I had to feel fear, so I did have to take a minute to pull out of myself. That was definitely unique from any other project I’ve done.”

Bateman’s following role was a sharp contrast to hers in Annabelle: Creation. In April, she wrapped up filming for comedy-drama film Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda. Bateman portrays Nora, the protagonist’s younger sister, “My character is very bubbly and extremely awkward and does stumble over herself. She’s always goofing around with her brother and making fun of him.” Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda stars Nick Robinson, Katherine Langford, and Miles Heizer. It is set to be released in March 2018.

Bateman’s career probably seems overwhelming to most, but she remains grounded despite it all. Her priorities lie in her family, who are her best friends, “All my siblings are a different part of me. They’ve taught me a lot of differ-ent things about life.” Bateman leans on her parents and siblings for balance amongst the chaos of the cutthroat film industry.

She may spend her time auditioning, rather than going to the mall, but deep down, Talitha Bateman is a normal teenager. She’s goofy, sassy, and loves her family more than anything.

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SHIRT MICHELLE HÉBERT

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DRESS BARUNIEARRINGS ZARA

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DRESS EKATERINA KUKHAREVAEARRINGS STYLIST'S OWN

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n i k iko s s

PHOTOS LENNE CHAIHAIR AND MAKEUP AARON BARRY

STORY ANA SANDOVAL

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In a world full of overproduction, it is hard to come by people who are truly genuine. In an attempt to create an illusion of absolute perfection we devalue the importance of realness. This new focus that soci-ety has placed on idyllic people has cost us some of the rawness that we used to be able to offer each oth-er. And it is this rawness that truly enabled people to be bold and brave, to stand tall and proud in an ever turbulent world. This is why coming across someone who is truly raw is so incredible. Niki Koss has that rawness that is so difficult to come by, and we love it.

Koss grew up in Los Angeles, constantly pushed and encouraged by supportive and open parents. When Koss told her parents she wanted to be an actress, they were both open to the idea. This led to Koss be-ginning to take theatre classes and eventually get-ting signed to a youth talent agency and later Ford Models. Koss describes her childhood as one filled with creative energies that inspired her to continue to work towards her goal of becoming a successful ac-tress. However, as we all know, this is not an easy path.

Koss stars in Freeform’s new show Famous In Love.

The show has been highly anticipated as Pretty Lit-tle Liars’ Marlene King developed the show. Marlene King has been a woman pioneer in the business of producing and creating TV shows. As Koss put it, “Marlene is so inspiring. She’s always so focused and she’s just the ultimate girl boss. I really look up to her.”Famous In Love centers on Paige, who is played by Bella Thorne. Paige is an ordinary college student who gets the chance of a lifetime after landing the starring role in a Hollywood blockbuster. The show depicts Paige's journey as she attempts to navigate her new star-stud-ded life and the love triangle with her two co-leads while uncovering the truth about what happened to a famous missing popstar. Alexis, played by Koss, is con-fident and entitled, directly competing for the same role as Paige. When I asked Koss what she felt she had in common with her character she said, “[Alexis’s] career is the most important thing to her. We’re both very determined and hard working and we both like to be glamorous as often as possible.” However, she has some skeletons in her closet. Koss describes the show as “an inside look into the world of young Holly-wood. It’s a fun guilty pleasure that will definitely keep you entertained.” The show is out now on Freeform.

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Playing a big role in a highly anticipated show has its difficulties. The anxiety that comes with knowing that so many people will see you makes Koss feel “strangely vulnerable and exciting." However, this is not enough to scare Koss away, “Of course we were all nervous about the show coming out, but we all knew we had something special with this show.” The gratification of having the show out is what motivates Koss and allows those feelings of anxiety to melt away a little. These seemingly minor acts of bravery are the building blocks to Koss’s personality. The ability to allow herself to stand completely vulnerable in front of so many people is part of what makes her such a great actress. Additionally, it can be very difficult to constantly be in the public spotlight. However, Koss is very good at handling the attention. “Being in the spotlight has its highs and lows. It can be really fun at times but having significantly less privacy than the average person can be tough sometimes too.”

Another one of Koss’s goals is to do some more directing. In the past, Koss has directed, written or produced various short films. Some of these short films include Abud Shama, Zoe Beth, Assassins, 27 Plus One, Help Wanted and a TV pilot called The Monroes. In an industry that seriously lacks female directors and producers, there is nothing more import-ant than continuing to encourage women to take on these roles. For Koss directing “is one of [her] biggest passions and one of [her] greatest dreams.” Her ongoing list of talents and passions does not cease to amaze us. Aside from acting, Koss is very passionate about helping others. She cares very deeply about environmental issues and homelessness. She spoke to us about “a great charity called PATH. They work to help the homeless in a pleth-ora of ways. Definitely check them out if you haven’t already. They have great volunteer opportunities.”

Koss is truly a brave and compassionate person. Extremely passionate about her own work as an actress and continuing to remain focused on achieving her dream, she also allows time in her very busy life to give back to those who need it the most. As we assess various different brave and bold people, we can find similar characteristics. Open, aware, passion-ate, determined, fearless. Niki Koss has all of these. We are certain that we will be hearing a lot more about her in the coming years and we cannot wait to see what lies ahead for her.

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honne

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STORY HAERI KIM

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HONNE has it all—the head-bopping beats, the heart-melting vocals, and the charismatic lyrics. Not to mention, the numerous women at their shows would easily attest for their charming accents and handsome appearances. This electronic soul duo, consisting of James Hatcher, multi-instrumentalist, and Andy Clut-terbuck, singer, who both songwrite and produce their own music, have grown exponentially in popularity, performing at numerous festivals like Coachella, Pan-orama, and Lollapalooza. In addition, they’ve travelled all across Europe, Asia, and America.

Since they have debuted in 2014, they have definitely left a footprint in the music industry. Their music, described in one word, would have to be diverse. In the 21st cen-tury, it seems as if everyone tries to sugarcoat things, en-hance their lives and brag about the lifestyle they lead.

The realness and rawness that HONNE possesses allows for them to attract a huge crowd. Their lyrics hit home with many listeners, as it should, since they draw from their own experiences in the modern world. Needless to say, the technology of the 21st century has impacted the dating scene with new dating apps such as Tinder. Modern souls will feel as if the lyrics, which usually are about seeking real love in this digital age, are one of the many charms that the band holds. Despite the relatable lyrics that fit the modern society, the music videos that are produced, as well as the music itself, have a vintage vibe to it, almost as if it should be listened to on the re-cord player. This stark juxtaposition is not very common in other artists; their music is extremely reminiscent of music from the late 70s and early 80s but at the same time, they have contemporary electro-R&B influences with lyrics that modern lovers would agree with.

“We sing about real things.”

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Well-deserved acknowledgement has been increasing for the band. The band Coldplay tweeted a link to the live performance of the song “Someone That Loves You,” by HONNE, promising that it “might make you happy.” On HONNE’s Instagram, the comment section is flooded with international fans begging the duo to perform at their city. At actual concerts, the crowd wholeheartedly sings the lyrics with the band and moves to the catchy beats. The band’s energy and passion for music is evi-dent as they perform.

However, if you do not know who they are, Clutterbuck recommends you listen to one of their most popular songs, “Warm on a Cold Night,” for which their album is a namesake, because it perfectly “describes [their] sound.”

The duo met in college and has been making music to-gether for almost 10 years. Because of this, they have a unique relationship; Hatcher states that the two have “almost become the same person.” With a laugh, Hatch-er adds on, “Sounds a bit corny, but we do, kind of, tell the same jokes at the same time.” Despite this extremely close relationship, both members admit that when they

work on a new album, they have to spend time together writing and in the studio before they are wholly musical-ly and mentally in sync.

The band name, HONNE, is actually a Japanese word that means “true feelings.” Clutterbuck reveals that orig-inally, they did not have a name for the band. Instead, they just wrote their songs and when they discovered the word, it seemed like a fateful match. “It kind of just made perfect sense because we were writing about stuff that was true and honest, and it all fit together per-fectly.” When asked where they get their inspiration for their lyrics, Hatcher responded “everything pretty much. We always try to write about things that are relevant to us, like stuff that has happened to us or maybe people that we know, like friends and family.” Understandably, this is what fans adore; the raw and honest nature of their music is what many fans cite as their best trait, and when asked what they believed as making them stand out, they said similar things. “We sing about real things.”

The band will be performing at Panorama Festival in Randall’s Island Park, New York City on July 28th to July 30th, so don’t miss out!

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PHOTOS MARTINA TOLOTSTYLING MONTY JACKSON

HAIR RYAN RICHMANMAKEUP JENNA KRISTINA

STORY HAERI KIM

gracie dzienny

CBS’s hit show Zoo, currently on season 3, has picked up a new main cast member: Gracie Dzienny. She plays adult Clementine Lewis, the daughter of Dr. Mitch Morgan, portrayed by Billy Burke. If her name sounds famil-iar, you may be able to recall one of her numerous roles, including Greer Danville on Freeform’s Chasing Life, Stacy Dover on NBC’s State of Affairs, and Amanda McKay on Nickelodeon’s Emmy winning action-comedy, Supah Ninjas. The 21-year-old has been developing a name for herself in the industry. She actually started as a L’Oréal mod-eling contest winner at the age of 5, but decided to pursue an acting career because of musical theater. “I au-ditioned for Aladdin on a whim in sixth grade and none of my friends did because they thought it was dumb. I auditioned and I got the part and I took it. It was so much fun; I kind of fell in love with acting then.” Even now, she remains fully in love with acting. Her favorite part about acting? She responds, “I know this is an overused answer, but playing dress-up.” To elaborate, Dzienny speaks about how she enjoys the numerous characters she had the honor of playing and the manner in which she changed her personality every week. Understand-ably, from those numerous characters, Dzienny has a difficult time choosing one favorite. “I feel like I’ve been really lucky because every character I’ve played hasn’t been typical. Like, I’ve never been the typical popular girl or I wasn’t the typical lesbian character in Chasing Life, and now, I’m not the typical daughter with the usual problems that daughters usually have. It’s very tough to pick... They all have a special place in my heart.”

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Dzienny’s busy work schedule prevented her from attending traditional school. Nonetheless, Dzienny learned extremely valuable lessons through acting. “I didn’t go to a traditional high school or a traditional college... You have a bit of regret when it comes to not going to the normal, traditional school, but I think I learned a lot about people, and a lot about conversations. You learn differently. It’s not like you’re forced to. Like right now, I’m reading all the classics that you read in school because I didn’t have to read them in school, but I felt like I missed out on some-thing. Now that I’m going back and reading them, I’m realizing that I didn’t really miss out on anything and everyone learns everything differently.” When I asked her what she believed to be the most important lesson she learned through acting, she replied with “how to be myself,” and “you’re playing so many characters all the time, and you learn more about yourself that way.” Dzienny is not solely talented in acting. As displayed by her participation in musical theater, Dzienny also displays interest in music. She stated that she, as well as Kristen Connolly, a fellow cast member on Zoo, are huge fans of musical theater. Despite admitting that she, personally, would not go down the pathway to a music career because of its difficulty, she confides, “I love showtunes. It’s my favorite thing.” Even as a hobby, Dzienny enjoys attending Broadway shows and dance shows. Dzienny also danced when she was younger; she danced tap, jazz, ballet, and hip-hop. This athleticism carried on. When asked what things she enjoys doing, she cited “work-ing out, hiking, and a dance class every once in awhile.” Dzienny also had a DIY show on the YouTube channel AwesomenessTV. For her DIY projects, she expresses that she gets her inspiration from “everywhere! Instagram a lot of the times.” Recently, as a gift to her cast members on the set of Zoo, Dzienny recalls that for her most recent “craft endeavour,” “[she] made a hundred paper air-planes filled with animal crackers because the show takes place on a plane.” With a laugh, she continues, “I got a hand cut. Like, there were seven pieces of paper for each airplane and I had to cut all of them out. I mean, I didn’t have to, I brought it upon myself; I enjoy it.” Despite being insanely, immensely talented, it is not infrequent for members of the entertainment industry to receive negative comments. Dzienny is no exception, yet she keeps a cheerful disposition. Dzienny thinks that the key to remaining positive is “surrounding yourself with family and friends and people that support you and love you and lift you up.” Dzienny adds on by characterizing the people in her life as understanding. Even her friends, who she acts with, are not competitive with one another, but rather wholly supportive. “My family has been supportive since day one, so I’m really lucky.” Clearly, Dzienny has a strong relationship with her loving and kind family. She even called her mom her role model! “She’s a really hard work-er and she’s always giving to others.” Dzienny is an actress, yet she remains very real—many people will find that she is easy to relate to. Her positive attitude, sense of humor, huge amounts of experience and talent, and unique genuinity is part of what helps Gracie Dzienny stand out from the other stars in Hollywood. Dzienny will continue to rise in popularity and will eventually leave a lasting mark in the entertainment industry.

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I feel l ike I ’ve been really

lucky because every character I ’ve played hasn’t been t y p i c a l .

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jordi whitworth

PHOTOS ASHLEY KIMSTORY ANA SANDOVAL

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Triple threat Jordi Whitworth is keeping us on the edge of our seats. The British singer, model and actor is making all the right moves towards his success. Best known for his participation as a 2014 X-Factor finalist along with the former band Overload, Whitworth has been blowing audiences away with his talents. Despite his success with Overload and love of the band, Whitworth has chosen to go his own way for this year and establish himself as a solo artist. The release of his single “Mam-bo” marked the beginning of his new musical stage. Whitworth is set to release his debut album later this year.

How did you get into music? I was approached for the boy band Overload on Twitter back in 2013. Before that, I never considered music as a career. I was involved in other areas of the entertainment industry, and was excited to try this new adventure. Once I started singing and performing, I knew it was something I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I was hesitant in the beginning because I was starting a lot later in life and was competing with other people who were singing since they were young kids. One thing I want to get across to all of my fans is to follow your dreams at any age. You don’t have to start at a young age to make it hap-pen, just go for it.

How do you hope to grow as a solo artist? Now, being a soloist, it’s easier as the de-cisions and outcome on what happens all comes from me. I don’t have to depend on other people to do their parts to get things done... There is a lot more pressure because when I was part of the band, there were four other guys to back you up or rely on in case something happened, but now that the focus is all on me, if I mess up, it won’t go unnoticed. One of the greatest parts about being a solo artist is being able to pursue my own sound. When I was in the band, we were sticking to strictly pop music, but my personal style is more of R&B so I am able to combine the two and discover my

own sound. I am also now way more involved in the songwriting process and production of the music.

What can we expect from your album? The process took a lot longer than expected, but since this is the first time my fans will see and hear me as a solo artist, I wanted to make sure it was perfect. In terms of the music style, it is a blend of pop with an R&B edge to it and something unique. My first single, “Fire," is definitely a more fun, upbeat summer song. It is about an instant spark in a relationship that has the intensity to start a fire.

What inspired you while you were writing it? Personal experiences and experiences I know other people in my life have gone through. There are a lot about different parts of a rela-tionship, because I know many of my fans can relate to those experiences. I wanted to cre-ate something fun but then when you listen to the lyrics it gives another deeper appreci-ation for the song.

Do you have any musical icons that inspire you daily? I always listen to The Weeknd’s music and I love how dark and diverse the lyrics are so he inspires me a lot. In addition to his musical talent, he is a true performer; when he is on stage, he can command an entire room.

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g a r d e nc r e a t u r e

PHOTOS ALLEGRA MESSINA

MODEL JAMIE DAUGHERTY

HAIR AND MAKEUP AMANDA BOURNE

DESIGNER MICHELLE HÉBERT

FLORIST SARAH SIEGEL

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m a -c h i n eg u nk e l l y

PHOTOS ROWAN DALYSTORY SARAH KEARNS

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I d o n ’ t w a n t t o

d o a n y t h i n g t h at ’ s

n o t g o n n a m a k e

s o m e b o d y f e e l .

“

Ten years ago, Colson Baker was a to-be single father, work-ing at Chipotle to afford rent. Flash forward to present day, the 27-year-old, who goes by the stage name of Machine Gun Kelly, has established himself as a household name in the rap community and recently released his third album, Bloom, in May. Challenging the ideals of conventional rap, Bloom serves as a testament to Kelly’s emerging status as a breakthrough artist.

Bloom is compiled of thirteen tracks, each of which coin-cides in conveying one ulterior meaning. “The message behind Bloom is to not be scared to evolve and grow and show people what's really underneath.” This extends to be-yond the lyrics. The unique sound of Bloom puts the theme of growth and evolution into practice by defying the expec-tations of mainstream rap. As Kelly describes the album, “It’s like its own genre.” Kelly has come to embrace the freedom of working without conforming. “The message is so deep and real. And mainstream doesn’t allow too much ‘real’ in it.”

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If that ever goes away,

I could give two fucks

about the celebrity part.

I just want the art to stay.

”

Bloom is the embodiment of real. “Let You Go,” a single on the album, chronicles Kelly’s experience of breaking up with a woman he loved. “During our last argument, everything she was saying was so poetic. ‘You’re like a drug, but I can’t get high off you.’ or ‘You’re not mine anymore. Let me go.’ All these small little things, I would just take them and write them down.” The conversation was eventually reworked into the lyrics of “Let You Go,” which has become Kelly’s favorite song to perform.

The album cover features Kelly’s hand covered in thorns, a metaphor for his personal experience with prejudice. “That’s the first thing people would see when they saw me; all these flaws or things they didn’t like or things they were uncom-fortable about.” Peeking out from between Kelly’s fingers are rosebuds. “You have to look past all that to see what’s real-ly behind it. And behind those thorns and that hand is the man.”

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Bloom snagged the eighth spot on this year’s US Bill-board 200, partially due to the success of Kelly’s pre-released single and tenth track on the album, “Bad Things,” with former Fifth Harmony member Camila Cabello. Other collaborations on the album include Hailee Steinfeld, James Arthur, Quavo, and Ty Dol-la $ign. As successful as they were, Kelly currently has no future plans to work with any artists. He’s not going to be recording another album anytime soon either. “I’m ready to just start doing tours with bands now. Me and Linkin Park are going to be doing one this sum-mer that’s gonna be pretty game changing.” With Kelly as a special guest, rock band Linkin Park will be com-mencing their One More Light World Tour in late July.

Though he has garnered a massive fanbase, achieving fame was never Kelly’s intention. In fact, he even regard-ed it as beginning to receive recognition for his rap in-stead of his look or reputation. “Now, people come up and they have so much respect for my music and some of the videos we’ve done and movies and tele-vision shows and certain performances. They’ve affect-ed their lives or changed culture in their eyes.” To Kel-ly, this makes it all worth it. “That right there is when I’m the happiest, when I hear how I’ve affected somebody.”

Aside from music, Kelly is pursuing a career in acting. He has starred in the movies Beyond the Lights and Nerve, along with making guest appearances on TV shows such as Catfish and Ridiculousness. Kelly recent-ly finished filming for a sci-fi movie titled Captive State. The project was directed by English screenwriter and producer Rupert Wyatt and will be released mid-2018.

Whether it is in the recording studio or on-screen, Kelly seeks to create a lasting effect with his perfor-mance. “I don’t want to do anything that’s not gonna make somebody feel.” His goal is to create conversa-tion and change, regardless of what that means for his career. “If that ever goes away, I could give two fucks about the celebrity part. I just want the art to stay.”

Machine Gun Kelly has come a long way from his days at Chipotle. He isn't just Colson Baker anymore. He's a rap revolutionary, breaking boundaries with every verse. And in doing so, he's taught us that it's okay to do the same, to break the boundar-ies surrounding us in whatever form they may be.

Maybe, just maybe, we’ll bloom.

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v é r i t éPHOTOS ANNA ZHANG

STORY ELIZABETH STAFFORD

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With flawless alt-pop melodies and hypnotiz-ing lyrics, VÉRITÉ is taking over the music world, and she’s putting out music you will find yourself coming back to time and time again. If you like the sounds of Halsey or Ellie Goulding, you will love her style. We luckily had the chance to ask her a few questions. When asked about the cool, electronic vibe of her new album, Somewhere in Between, she said, “I wanted to create a sonic landscape that could be dynamic and driving and create a distinct world. We layered electronic and live instrumentation, dark synths and heavy per-cussion. I wanted the music to compliment and compete with the content of the songs.” I gave the album a listen for myself, and I felt myself blissful-ly drowning in the silky vocals and deep emotion. VÉRITÉ cut herself open for this album and dove headfirst into the pool of human feeling. To her, writing music is “a process where [she] can sub-consciously work [her] shit out." I personally have major respect for women who put their emotions out there and let you do with them what you will. They don’t extend apologies for it, and they stay true to the path they are blazing. And this is exact-ly the reason VÉRITÉ is a prime example for our theme of revolution.

In a day of online beauty contests and dying origi-nality, VÉRITÉ is setting social expectations aflame. She has worked with some of the industry’s top producers such as Tim Anderson and Liam Howe, who have worked with artists such as Twenty One Pilots and Lana Del Rey, but she doesn’t use that as a ticket for success. She’s earning her own place in the forefront of music. When I asked her about working with big names, she replied with, “Working with them is the same as working with lesser known producers. It’s not about the name or credits. Working with producers is about shar-ing a mindset and vision. I’ve been lucky to have amazing people work on this album.” This passion and work ethic is apparent in her success, with her single “Phase Me Out” having reached over 3 mil-lion streams on Spotify.

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Even with her success, she has kept a level head and an admirable independence. I asked her to brag about her-self a little bit, and with humility and some slight discom-fort she said, “I’m trying to show that there is a different path to success outside of selling ownership and control of your music and career. I’ve been doing it successful-ly enough for 3 years as an independent artist without a day job.” Not only is she an independent artist, she is a female independent artist. The work force is notorious for passively attempting to weed out strong females, but this woman is not budging, and Pulse Spikes stands behind her through it all. I highly suggest you turn on this album and fully allow yourself to sink into the deepest parts of yourself. Not only is this album beautifully produced with mature technical ability and thought, it provokes thought and makes its mark.

Pulse Spikes encourages you to also be a gamechanger. Be bold. Be fearless. Make your own path in this world, and don’t listen to all the negative noise. Like VÉRITÉ, you are also capable of setting yourself apart from the crowd. I asked her for some advice for the courageous creators of this world, and I couldn’t have said it better myself. She wrote, “Don’t give your doubts and fears a space to thrive. Shut those thoughts out immediately. Failure is inevitable and is knowledge. Fear of failure is a waste of time.”

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“ D o n ’ t g i v e y o u r

d o u b t s a n d

f e a r s a

s p a c e t o

t h r i v e . ”

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a new voice

PHOTOS LOGAN COLESTORY LIAM CURTIS

s t e f f a n a r g u s

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Singer. Actor. Songwriter. Model. Dreamer.Just a few words that characterize Steffan Argus. Born and raised in Chicago, this 18-year-old performer has expressed a passion for the performing arts since early childhood from belting around the house, strumming away on the guitar to singing onstage at summer camp.

In third grade, Argus watched a music performance, where his sister played the Spanish guitar in front of her school or-chestra. “It was super inspiring,” explained Argus, “Ever since then, [I knew] that [music] was something I wanted to do.” In due time, Argus began taking Spanish guitar lessons, which he continued for about four years. In addition, Argus can play the piano, french horn, cello, ukulele, mandolin, banjo, bass guitar, and a little bit of percussion.

At age 11, Argus auditioned for his first play, Those Little Rascals, just expecting to be part of the ensemble. Typically, teenagers were cast in the main roles while the younger kids were cast in the ensemble. However, Argus booked Alfalfa, the lead role. “So that kind of just set me on this path of pur-suing, like, performing arts in general,” noted Argus, “It con-firmed that that’s what I wanted to do with my life.”

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A couple months later, Argus and his family at-tended a professional production of Mary Poppins, which left Argus both fascinated with and passion-ate about the performing arts. Shortly after, Argus auditioned for two talent agencies in the Chicago area and both offered him contracts. He went on to sign with Stewart Talent Agency, and subsequent-ly, modeling for Kohl’s and Carson’s, appearing in commercials for Let’s Move and Belk, and starring in films such as Stitches, and Disney’s Paige and Frank-ie and Virtual High. For two years, Argus starred in the chart-topping children’s music franchise, Kidz Bop. With Kidz Bop, Argus recorded albums, starred in videos, and performed live across North America.

Argus says he’s been singing in and around the house ever since he was little, mentioning that, “The first song I ever learned to sing and play was ‘I’m Yours’ by Jason Mraz and that’s kind of what in-spired me to start writing music as well.” Argus also cited David Bowie, Kishi Bashi (a multi-instrumental-ist), and the Yellow Band (an indie band) as musical inspirations.

At the moment, Argus’s musical style is pretty fluid, expressing that “identifying with a certain genre is not [his] main priority.” However, Argus describes his music within the lines of folk, pop or alternative rock. The budding rockstar also characterizes his work as “very thematic and pretty abstract," and has an interesting creative process. Usually, Argus will see or hear something that inspires a metaphor and write it down in his journal or phone. Next, he’ll write a bunch of lyrics that build on that concept. Then, he’ll sit down with one of his instruments and start writing melodies that back those lyrics.

In 2016, Argus debuted with his upbeat break-up song, “Make Me Cry.” “Make Me Cry” has been streamed over a million times on Spotify and Soundcloud and its music video has been viewed hundreds of thousands of times on YouTube. With

“Make Me Cry,” Argus beat out The Chainsmokers and Bastille to hit the #12 spot on the Ultimate Gui-tar Phone App’s Top 100 song chart for most down-loaded ukulele song tabs.

In May of 2017, Argus released his debut EP, Lost at Sea. The folksy four-song collection plays like a cohesive story, taking listeners away on a fantasti-cal journey. “That was heavily inspired by the story of Peter Pan,” he revealed. The EP centers around “Leaving London,” a masterful song inspired by Peter and Wendy’s escape from London. The Peter Pan-style journey continues on “Lost,” a song about isolation and finding oneself. The story moves to a ship on “Ship in a Bottle,” a song about discovering one's identity, and ending with “Abandon Ship,” an empowering song of social rebellion.

Argus’s imagination and eclecticism can also be seen in his fashion choices. “I love dressing up. There’s not one day that goes by when I’m wearing some wild outfit, testing my own limits,” he con-fessed. Argus appreciates earthy tones, crazy pat-terns, and vintage clothing, plus designer brands like Calvin Klein, Raf Simons, Gucci, and Yves Saint Laurent. In 2016, Argus modeled in Barney’s Spring/Summer Showcase for Saint Laurent.

More recently, season two of Awesomeness TV’s The Commute premiered. Argus co-stars in the web-series with Claudia Sulewski; season two follows their complex relationship into the next chapter. This year, Argus filmed for FOX’s new Marvel show The Gifted. This series—based on X-Men—is sched-uled to premiere on October 2nd on FOX.

Well, 2017 will be quite the year for Argus with the release of his debut album, the succeeding season of The Commute, the upcoming release of The Gift-ed, and a sophomore album in the works. With a variety of projects debuting exploring his different talents, Steffan Argus is one to follow.

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W H A T G E T S Y O U R H E A R T R A C I N G ?

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