Carrie Berk is a bestselling teen author, influencer, and @NoBully_org Ambassador (#nobully) who has already published 21+ books by age 15. Her first book series, The Cupcake Club, was published with her mom’s help in second grade! One of her personal passions is to help stop bullying in America. To that end, her latest book series called Ask Emma deals with her personal experience being cyberbullied and sheds light on the damaging effects bullies can inflict on their targets. The first book in the Ask Emma series was published earlier this year, with book two due January 2019.

Carrie experienced what bullying in America was like when she received hateful comments on, and was made fun of for, her online social platforms. Through her writing, she wants to let teen readers know they are not alone in dealing with these issues. The book even includes an appendix on cyberbullying resources as an extra support.

Since October is National Bullying Prevention Month, we decided to conduct a Q&A with Carrie to inspire you and also give you some advice if you are being bullied in person or cyberbullied. We can stop bullying in America if we continue to raise awareness and take effective action — like Carrie is doing. Now onto the Q&A! ❤

Hi Carrie, nice to e-meet you! Before we get into your book series Ask Emma, tell us a little bit about yourself and your background.

I have always loved to write—the day that my second-grade teacher taught me about realistic fiction, I came home and wrote a book proposal. The paragraph I put together was about four girls who are misunderstood at their school; they come together to form a cupcake club that combats bullying. My mom sent the idea to her literary agent because I nagged her to, and surprisingly, we got a call at sea when we were on a Disney cruise saying that there were three publishers interested!

I would have never imagined that The Cupcake Club would turn into a 12-book series and sell 400K copies around the world, and I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to spread such important messages to young girls through my writing.

Thanks! Now, please tell us where the idea for Ask Emma came from, and what’s it about?

The bullying in The Cupcake Club was inspired by the cruelty I witnessed as a peer mediator in elementary school. I never really knew what it felt like to be bullied until I started middle school, when I, myself, was cyberbullied. Others spread cruel rumors about me that left me feeling helpless and hurt.

There are not a lot of books out there that depict bullying from a teen perspective, so I felt like I had a responsibility to make one. My mom loves Jane Austen’s Emma, so we decided to combine our interests into Ask Emma, a modern day take on the 19th Century novel where a middle school advice blogger faces cyber bullies. The response has been incredible from readers; they are really connecting to Emma, and I know it’s because the words are written straight from my heart and soul.

What can readers expect from the second book coming out in January 2019?

The first book set up the characters and the early issues Emma faces in launching her blog. The second book, however, depicts the challenges in the relationships between the characters, specifically Emma and her best friends, Izzy and Harriet. All tweens and teens are familiar with frenemies, so I wanted to show how to handle yourself in that type of situation. You will also see Emma and Jackson’s relationship continue to grow 😉

Looking at your Instagram page and your website, it doesn’t seem like you are the typical target for bullies. What sort of bullying have you experienced and how did you deal with it?

Everyone is an easy target for bullies, no matter how extreme or subtle that harassment may be. Some bullying is quiet, such as the eyes that roll when you wear your favorite glitter sneakers to school, or when you’re squished at the end of the lunch table because no one wants to make room and include you. I have been made fun of my fashion sense for many years now; people tell me that my style is too “out there,” or bluntly state “What are you wearing?” in the school hallway.

I have learned that my style is my superpower, which turned into the slogan for my style empowerment blog, Carrie’s Chronicles. The goal of the website to empower others to embrace their individuality through fashion, beauty, fitness, food, etc. Being different is what makes you beautiful, so own who you are!

What do you think is the difference between bullying and just plain criticism – which we are all subject to and is a normal part of existing?

Constructive criticism is when others make recommendations that are genuinely out of concern for your best interest and are meant to lift you up. For example, when someone points out that you have chocolate smudged all over your face or that you have toiled paper stuck to your shoe. Bullying, however, makes you feel broken and belittled. Girls at my ballet school used to tell me that I was not talented or pretty enough instead of giving me constructive ways to improve my skills. That’s the difference.

What tips can you give to other teens out there who are being bullied?

It gets better. Don’t let bullies bring you down. They strike solely out of self-hatred and insecurity—it’s not your fault. As soon as you’re being bullied, don’t hesitate to reach out to a trusted adult and tell them what’s going on. You’re not a tattletale, you’re simply being smart. As a teen ambassador for No Bully, I am currently helping encourage tweens and teens to practice empathy and respect each other. The more we become aware of the issue, the closer we’ll be to a bully-free world.

Tell me something people would be surprised to know about you?

I love boxing! I’ve done ballet for 14 years, and boxing allows me to break my perfect dance alignment and release stress.

Biggest pet peeve (apart from bullying in America)?

People who are ungrateful for their circumstances. My mom has taught me to stay humble and always be thankful for the opportunities I’m given. Those who forget to stay grounded are not truly worthy of success in my opinion.

Secret obsession?

I love watching One Tree Hill! I’m such a fan girl…lol.

Favorite food?

Sushi.

Favorite song ever?

“Breathe” from In the Heights.

One thing I always carry in my purse _______________.

Are Ice Breaker Mints.

Most embarrassing moment IRL you wish you could do over?

I’ve dropped my clutch on the floor at so many fashion events, I can’t count. I’ve got to be less clumsy, although my mom tells me that they are total Carrie Bradshaw moments.

What else are you working on or have coming up?

In addition to my new Ask Emma book coming out in January, I am redesigning the Carrie’s Chronicles website this December for its one-year anniversary! But overall, I want to continue to use my writing as a platform to spread positivity and empower others. Whenever you’re feeling down, remember this: You are unique. You are beautiful. You are enough. I believe in you.

Could we get a selfie?

Instagram: @carrieberkk 
Website: https://www.carrieberk.com
Blog: http://www.carrieschronicles.com
To Purchase Carrie’s Books: Amazon, Barnesandnoble.com and at bookstores nationwide.

Funny memes make our day. These mini works of art, in a million categories from #PSAT memes to Pepe to moths and made by taking bits and pieces of our culture (mostly screenshots of copyrighted stuff) and slapping the perfect caption on them, capture how we feel about life at any given moment better than just about any other form of communication. Funny memes are also big business, with many meme account admins on Instagram and Twitter making decent livings by promoting brands alongside their viral posts.

We wanted to find out what makes a meme account tick, so we reached out to a rising Instagram funny memes account owner about how she got started and some tricks of the trade.  Meet Caissy, a 16-year-old highschooler who runs the @caissyspams account on Instagram.

Hi Caissy! Nice to e-meet you! We literally wanted to interview you simply because we follow your account and you got good taste in memes. So with that out of the way, tell us a little bit about yourself.

My name is Caissy Chase. I’ll be sixteen in a few days and I’m from Florida.

Why did you start the @CaissySpams account?

I started my account three years ago because all of my friends had a spam account and I felt the need to make one as well. That’s where I got the username from because it was originally a spam account that then turned into a meme page.

Your main account has about 1,000 followers…yet your meme acct has almost 17,000. How did you grow your followers—or did it just kind happen? (like did you use hashtags strategically or anything like that?)

It honestly kind of just happened. I never used hashtags and the only people I asked for shoutouts were my friends when I was first starting the transition into a meme page. I haven’t spent money on the account to grow it, it’s just posting the right stuff at the right time and hoping they do well.

Do you ever create your own funny memes, or do you always post from other sites? 

I usually just repost from other accounts because I’m not the most creative person and I don’t have the time unless an idea pops in my head and I’ll make it into a meme.

What is your personal favorite meme you have posted ever?

My personal favorite meme at the moment is probably the moth meme. I don’t really have a reason I just find them funny.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by cassy cheese 🥀 (@caissyspams) on Sep 29, 2018 at 1:40pm PDT

Do a lot of people at your school follow you? (on Instagram, I don’t mean around the hall or down the street)

A lot of people from school do follow me, that’s basically how the account started.

Which meme on your acct has gone the most viral/most likes, and why do you think so?

The meme that went the most viral was the one linked below. It reached over a million people with almost 90,000 likes, 720 comments and 27,500 saves.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by cassy cheese 🥀 (@caissyspams) on Sep 2, 2018 at 11:31am PDT

Have you ever had to remove a post because somebody got offended or complained?

When someone does get offended, depending on how bad of a backlash I get or how much it offends them, I will usually just turn off the comments but I have had incidents where I’ve taken stuff down. Once, out of the three years of having this account, a post has been reported and taken down.

You post a lot…how much time would you say you spend doing this on a daily basis?

I do post a lot, I have a friend who helps me by sending me memes every day which is @crispy.riley. I feel like she deserves some credit too because it’s not just me making it happen. I would say that I do spend 2+ hours a day going through posts, posting, reading comments and such.

Are you looking to turn this into a business, or do you just do it for fun?

As of right now it’s just for fun, but I would like to start promotions for small businesses in the future.

What are your long term goals for the account?

My long term goals for the account are to keep it how it is and never change how it’s ran. I would also like to have 50K followers but that’s a lot to ask so we will just see what the future holds.

If you had to break it down, what do you think is the trick for a good meme? Like does including a cat make it funnier…or what’s the secret sauce?

In my opinion the trick for a good meme that will do well when you post it, is to post what’s popular. See what everyone else is posting but also post what you think is funny because there’s no fun in just posting what everyone else is. Uniqueness is always a good quality to have when posting or making memes.

What do you do besides share funny memes…any other talents? : )

I don’t really have any talents but I do show and work with pigs from September to January and then the rest of the year is school and running the account.

What other accounts do you recommend people follow for good memes?

@pablopiqasso
@memezar
@deadroses.spam
@puncrastination

Caissy rarely shows her face on her funny memes account, but here she is!

J Money Kix (@official_JMoneyKix) gets to know Bianca and Chiara D’Ambrosio, best known as the D’Ambrosio twins (@dambrosiotwins), and then puts them through TWO twin challenges — the Twin Telepathy Challenge and How Well Do You Know Me Challenge. Do you think the girls are psychic or not?

13 Year Old Twins Bianca and Chiara D’Ambrosio’s new projects:

• “Day In The Life” YouTube series
• Collaboration on the Brooklyn and Bailey’s ‘Squared’ YouTube channel for twins,
• Starring roles in the TigerBeat TV original series “Sage Alexander: The Dark Realm” (starring alongside Hayden Summerall, Madison Hu, Brooke Butler, etc.).

Check out TigerBeat’s exclusive BTS look at “Sage Alexander: The Dark Realm” here

Watch Bianca & Chiara’s “Young and Free” Music Video

(Feat. Hayden Summerall / Co-written by Marko DeSantis of Sugarcult)

Bianca and Chiara began acting at just 3-years-old, with their breakout role as Summer Newman on The Young and the Restless (CBS). They continued with Feeding Mr. Baldwin (2013), and then a role opposite renowned actor Ray Wise in Reflections (2014). They have also made appearances in Nickelodeon’s Game Shakers and ABC Family’s Freak Out, as well as Nickelodeon’s Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn (2018).

Musically, the D’Ambrosio Twins starred in Bon Jovi’s music video “What Do You Got” and have also released their own music videos plus an album of cover songs called “Got You Covered” with somgs by The Ramones, Twenty One Pilots, Weezer, The Clash, and Bay City Rollers.

Listen to Bianca & Chiara’s “Got You Covered” Album here

The D’Ambrosio Twins are also passionate about animals and anti-bullying, being Youth Ambassadors for the Boo2Bullying Organization and even releasing a song around this issue called “Let Your Light Shine.” The accompanying music video was screened in over 30 international film festivals and garnered them a Gracie Award win.

Follow the D’Ambrosio Twins:
https://www.instagram.com/dambrosiotwins
https://twitter.com/Dambrosiotwins
https://www.facebook.com/BiancaAndChiaraDambrosio/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnOqSsxgfWypQ0I3Ms4O4SA
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3090925/
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3090922/

Follow J Money Kix (Jaydyn Price):
https://www.instagram.com/official_jmoneyxix
https://twitter.com/jmoneykix
https://www.facebook.com/jmoneykix/
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9362748/

Follow Teens Wanna Know:
http://instagram.com/teenswannaknow
http://twitter.com/teenswannaknow
http://facebook.com/teenswannaknow

I Am Frankie, Nickelodeon’s show about a teenage girl who is not what she appears to be, recently kicked off its second season. Joining the cast is Zachary S. Williams, best known for his recurring role in Oprah Winfrey’s Greenleaf series.

Zachary stars as Zane Markosian, a student at Sepulveda High who loves theater. The premise of I Am Frankie is that an experimental android (played by Alex Hook) goes to high school, and she quickly learns that even robots are not exempt from the perils of teenage life as she navigates social situations and even gets a boyfriend.

We asked Zachary a few questions about his background and his role on I Am Frankie…scroll down for the interview!

Hi Zachary, nice to e-meet you! Before we get into your role on I Am Frankie, tell us a little bit about yourself and your background.

Haha nice to e-meet you too! Well, I was born in Miami, FL and grew up in Central FL. I started acting when I was about 8 years old. There was this summer camp I would go to called “Kid’s College” and they had a theater program. I’m not sure what motivated me to participate in theater but I’m so glad I did. Once I got an agent, I started booking commercials and print work and just kept going at it. I enjoy singing,  playing the piano and alto saxophone during my free time.

Cool! You joined the cast of I Am Frankie for Season 2, which just started airing. Tell us about your character and how he fits into the grand scheme of things on the show?

Yeah! So, my character, Zane Markosian, is a new student at Sepulveda High who really loves theater. He loves it so much that he writes and directs the school play, “Bae of Frankenstein.” When a great divide (Yes Androids Here and No Androids Here) splits the school in half, Zane rewrites his play in hopes to influence people’s perspectives on accepting and respecting other individuals, no matter what differences there may be. The situation becomes provocative but the play is proactive and sends a great message to fans.

The show is a recreation of a Nickelodeon show which aired in Latin America called, Yo Soy Franky. Is your character a new creation for the American version, or will viewers of the Spanish version recognize him?

My character is brand new for the American version! Although there are some similarities between the two shows, I Am Frankie is so different and definitely takes on a life of its own.

What’s been the funniest moment or blooper filming on that set so far?

The funniest moment(s) on set would have to be all of the audition scenes in episode 210! We had majority of the cast in those scenes so it was really fun to film and each character’s audition was hilarious!

It’s been a couple of years since your role acting along Oprah Winfrey in Greenleaf. How did life change for you after that—and do you feel it opened doors?

It’s crazy how fast time flies. In all honesty not much changed! I still went to public school, I still participated in my high school theater department. After working on Greenleaf, I do believe there was more interest directed towards me when being considered roles, however, there is so much that goes into casting, I could never be sure of a direct connection.

What was the biggest lesson you learned from working with Oprah, and do you still keep in touch?

No, I wish! The biggest thing I took away from working on that set was how to interact with individuals professionally and to always follow my passion and what I believe in.

Most boys want to be a firefighter or an astronaut when they grow up. According to a post on Just Jared Jr, you wanted to be a bus driver. Not tryna throw shade or anything, but what exactly made that appealing to you lol? : )

When I was in the second grade, I sat right behind my bus driver. I’ve always been fascinated with forms of transportation so I think one day I just started asking her questions and every day after that she would teach me something new. When I was younger, being a bus driver was just something I couldn’t wait to grow up for!

Tell me something people would be surprised to know about you, that you haven’t already revealed in other interviews?

Speaking of forms of transportation, I love planes. I find plane-watching to be peaceful and flying is always so much fun for me.

Biggest pet peeve?

When people park over the line in a parking lot.

Favorite place you’ve traveled to and why?

New York City! I love the energy and views.

Favorite food?

Fried Conch.

Favorite Marvel Universe character?

Black Panther.

Most attractive thing in another person?

Personality. Hands down!

Most embarrassing moment IRL you wish you could do over?

Oh goodness. Every year, my high school chorus department gets invited to be an Honor Choir for Disney’s Candlelight Processional in Orlando. One year during rehearsal, some type of bug decides to fly into the tent and land on my head. Let’s just say rehearsal was paused for a brief moment.

What else are you working on or have coming up?

Right now I’m on hiatus for I Am Frankie and I’ve just been relaxing, enjoying time with my family and friends. doing some publicity for the show, just living life!

Could we get a selfie of whatever you are doing at the moment? It’s something we ask to keep it real for the fans!

Zachary on Social:

IMDb | Instagram 

Australia’s #1 Youtuber Wengie teamed up with Yoobi and other famous youtubers and social media stars Brynn Rumfallo from Dance Moms and America’s Got Talent, singer-songwriter Skylar Stecker, Youtubers Cassie Diamond and Alexa Mae, Youtubers the GEM Sisters, and Khloe from Khloe Kares to hand out over 400 boxes of school supplies to kids in need at McKinley Elementary in Compton, CA. Also features interview with Yoobi CEO Ido Leffler.

“Over 460 elementary school students received free Yoobi school supplies at a back-to-school donation event with YouTube star Wengie. Yoobi Co-Founder and CEO Ido Leffler, and Chief Giving Officer Justin Wolff co-hosted the event with Wengie engaging the students in a Yoobi Dance Party, revealing a brand-new mural on the school’s playground, and awarding one special student with the “Yoobi Changemaker Award” for outstanding achievement as a young leader who is positively impacting their community. Wengie was joined by fellow YouTube stars Cassie Diamond and Alexa Mae, pop singer-songwriter Skylar Stecker, reality star Brynn Rumfallo and LA DJ Kevin Writer in visiting classrooms to deliver Yoobi school supplies, engage one-on-one with the students and raise awareness of the need for school supplies across the U.S. with their social followers.”

As you can see in the video, Wengie was absolutely mobbed by the kids who enjoyed a nice dance party and hanging out with some of their favorite social media stars. After the party, we followed Wengie and Yoobi CEO Ido Leffler as they gave away school supplies to a kindergarten class and spent some quality time with the kids at McKinley Elementary in Compton, California.

What do you think Brynn’s must-have school supply is (you’ll be surprised!)? What about the GEM sisters? Click on the vid to find out!

Follow Teens Wanna Know:
Instagram: http://instagram.com/teenswannaknow
Twitter: http://twitter.com/teenswannaknow
Facebook: http://facebook.com/teenswannaknow
Visit our Café Press store for merch http://cafepress.com/teenswannaknow

Business inquiries & bookings: info@teenswannaknow.com

Three Guests is a pop band comprised of two friends from Erie, PA, Noah DeVore and Jordan Rys. The duo first made waves with their debut single, “Marilyn,” which has over a quarter-million hits on Youtube. A four-track EP called 3G was followed up with their latest output, a recently released full album, Sunset Lane,  with 8 new tracks including their latest single, “Sunset Lane,” which is on our Top 50 New Music Blastoff this week!  Rap star Chingy makes appearances on two tracks, adding another dimension to the guys’ sound.

We asked Noah and Jordan about their new tracks, the loss of one of their members, and some general get-to-know-you questions. Scroll down for their answers and to listen to their new single, “Sunset Lane!”

Hi guys, nice to e-meet you! You recently released a new record with 8 new tracks, Sunset Lane. Before we get into that, how about each of you tell us a little about yourself.

Noah: My name is Noah DeVore and I am heavy into the production side of the music. I grew up playing the piano and fell in love with music at a young age! I am from Erie, PA just like Jordan, we are homies! As well as music I dabble into modeling and acting. I also love to listen to other music, watch the TV show “Friends” haha, and travel to other cities!

Jordan: My name is Jordan Rys and I am the lead singer of the group. I have always had a dream of living a significant life and straying away from the average way of doing things. Music started off as just a hobby, but with the help of Noah it has become and career and reality. My biggest hobbies are playing soccer and going skiing.

Great! Now, let’s get into the music. Sunset Lane is a full-length album. In an age of mixtapes, EPs and singles, what made you go against that trend?

Well at first, an album was never the plan. But after hitting the studio to record song after song, we realized we have sooo many GREAT songs! We couldn’t get it down to an EP so we decided to just release our first studio album. As you can see all the songs on the Sunset Lane album are top hits!

How has the sound on these new tracks evolved from your earlier work?

Our sound has evolved drastically. Trust us, you don’t want to hear our first body of work…. The music wasn’t actually THAT bad, but it has definitely evolved. We have gotten so much better over the years, almost 3 years to be exact since we started.

We are starting to use more intricate and innovative progressions and melodies, things even today you don’t hear on the radio. However we still keep it classic with piano ballads and other instrument-based, deep songs. Our lane (sound) has changed and we really love our new vibe. We are planning to stick with this sound in the future!

Listen to “Sunset Lane” single here, and keep scrolling for the rest of the interview:

What was the biggest challenge in putting this record of new tracks together?

To be honest, the biggest challenge in putting the record together was truly finding the top 8 songs that would not only showcase our best work but also flow well together and display our variety.

From what I gather, Three Guests was formerly a trio, but I don’t see any info about the change online. So, what happened regarding your third member Ben Waldee, and what was the transition to a duo like?

Ben was such an awesome creative member and to see him go was more than tragic. Ben had other passions and he decided to pursue those instead. However, his decision was ultimately was best for everyone.

To go from a trio to a duo, I will admit, has a lot less stress but it is losing a creative mind. Either way we have adapted to the change. Moving forward, we believe that losing Ben was not a setback as we continue to produce great music!

FAN QUESTION FROM INSTAGRAM: “Do you love what you do?”

We absolutely LOVE what we do. I think the word love would be an understatement. Every day, music is in our lives whether we are making it, engaging with our fans, or listening in the car — music is a lifestyle for us. Even if music wasn’t our career, I still believe we would create it just for fun.

I’ll follow that up with, what DON’T you love about what you do?

Noah: What we don’t love about music is the saturation in this industry. Although we want everyone to succeed and wish nothing but success for others, sometimes getting the right recognition from fans and other important people can be hard because of the millions of other musicians out there.

Also the message portrayed by most artists these days in hip-hop and pop culture is really not healthy or something I’d want my kids listening to. We hope to change the norm of pop culture to a more inspiring and peaceful message.

Tell me something people would be surprised to know about you.

Noah: Something people would be surprised to know about me is that I am a huge original acoustic T-Swift fan!!

Jordan: Something people would be surprised to know about me is that I did a year of Cybersecurity in college and that I am a huge nerd.

Biggest pet peeve?

Noah: One of my biggest pet peeves is when people listen to music in the car with the volume so low, cmon now.

Jordan: One of my biggest pet peeves is when Noah loads the shared bathroom area with all of his hair products.

Favorite book?

Noah: My favorite book has to be Tale of Two Cities.

Jordan: My favorite books are the Magic Tree House series.

Favorite food?

Noah: My favorite food is some homemade chicken pot pie!

Jordan: My favorite food is a saucy dish of Pad Thai with no peanuts or bean sprouts.

Favorite movie?

Noah: My favorite movie is Fight Club.

Jordan: My favorite movie is Hitch.

Most attractive thing in another person?

Noah: Confidence is the most attractive thing in another person hands down.

Jordan: A firm belief in positive morals is the most attractive thing in another person.

Most embarrassing moment IRL you wish you could do over?

Noah: I once, during an honors ceremony for high school, played the piano while students walked to their seats. For some odd reason I decided they were done walking and stopped playing to go sit down. I was then notified it was not over and so I had to awkwardly walk back up stage and continue playing!! It was so embarrassing!!

Jordan: I was listening to a conversation between some pretty important people in the music industry and heard one of them say we should grab lunch sometime and hangout like normal people. I then spoke up overly excited and said we totally should only to find out he was talking to someone else. Very awkward and embarrassing.

What do you have coming up next? Any new tracks?

Next up for us is most surely performances and shows. Make sure to follow us on all social media to get the latest updates on any venues we may be playing at! Also definitely and maybe sooner than you think MORE MUSIC!!

Could we get a selfie of whatever you are doing at the moment? It’s something we ask to keep it real for the fans! (could be both together or a separate shot each)

Noah DeVoreFollow Three Guests to stay up to date on new tracks and other news:

https://threeguests.com/
https://www.instagram.com/threeguests/
https://www.facebook.com/threeguests

Tweets by threeguests

Here is the first song they released, “Marilyn:”

EDM has taken the world by storm, and what used to be an underground movement which started with techno and house music parties (raves) in the 1980s has exploded onto the mainstream scene. Artists such as David Guetta, Steve Aoki, Martin Garrix, Marshmello and others have incorporated the heavy beats and electronic sounds of the pioneers, such as Juan Atkins, Frankie Bones, Richie Hawtin, Todd Terry and others, into radio-friendly hits.

One thing which hasn’t changed from the origins of electronica is the do-it-yourself, home production vibe. Entire careers have been hatched from bedrooms and living rooms, and its getting even easier to produce thanks to cheaper gear and software.

Teens Wanna Know is featuring one of these emerging artists. His name is Dylan Huey and goes by the stage name Rodin Flash. If you want to learn how to make electronic music in ableton, produce your own beats or enter the world of international deejaying, you are going to love this feature, because in addition to a written Q&A, Rodin provides a video where he shows off his music production gear and deconstructs one of his tracks to show how it was made in Ableton Live. It’s dope!

First, a few facts:

• He is 16 years old
• Uses Ableton Live
• Released his first EP, called the Royal EP, in June 2015.
• Released two more EPs, on in December of 2015 and one in March 2017.
• Has over 250K followers and 3.5M+ likes on Musical.ly and close to 70K followers on Live.Me
• Over 20K followers on Instagram
• Consistently on ReverbNation’s Top 10 EDM producer chart, and recognized on Shazam and Global DJ Rankings
• Tours regularly

Now, let’s get on with the interview!

Okay, let’s start with your stage name Rodin Flash. At first I thought it was some kind of superhero name, but then I read that it actually comes from “Rotten Flesh!” Please elaborate lol.

Yeah, as I kid I was surrounded with video games and I loved playing them. When I was in elementary school, the hype was around Minecraft and in the game, there was an item you could collect called rotten flesh. It was edible, but you’d lose health from eating it. So you could say my stage name is based off bad food!

What do you consider your musical style to be?

Pop/EDM/hip-hop

What part has Musical.ly played in your music career? – or is it all just cringey looking back at your old ones lol?

Despite the fact that I have parted ways with my Musically past, I am still active and seeing what my friends are up to on the app. Musically has definitely helped me grow my fanbase and give my music publicity and a platform to be seen. It has also allowed me to find like-minded individuals and collaborate with them.

Do you DJ as well, or do you plan to stay strictly as a producer?

I’ve DJ’d in the past, but it wasn’t something I was truly passionate about so I decided to strip the DJ’ing aspect from my concert performances. Instead, when I perform I sing, interact with my supporters, and more!

Many artists are skipping record labels and doing it all themselves. Do you think record labels are obsolete, or is signing with a label still important?

Signing with a record label is still crucial to grow as an artist without an already defined fanbase. Labels give developing artists the push they need to develop their craft and help provide resources to grow for artists to grow as individuals.

Tell us what’s in your production gear setup.

Software: Ableton Live
Computer: Apple MacBook Air
Microphone: Rode NT1
Keyboard: Akai Pro MPK
Accessories: Novation Launchpad

Watch this video to see his equipment and how one of his songs was made. It will help with you how to make electronic music in Ableton:

Biggest pet peeve?

High pitch noises and people eating with their mouth open

Most embarrassing moment IRL?

I’ve had too many embarrassing moments. Most of the times were me just being clumsy lol.

Favorite food?

Pizza, Mac & Cheese, or Ice Cream

Favorite book?

Follow Me – Ricky Dillon

Favorite movie?

Expelled (the one with Cameron Dallas)

Favorite musical act…never mind I know it’s the Chainsmokers. Okay, how about favorite DJ?

The Chainsmokers are also DJ’s, but other than the Chainsmokers, Cheat Codes, Martin Garrix, and Marshmello are pretty dope as well.

What do you have coming up next?

A new pop/hip-hop album different from any of my previous albums. You’ll definitely be surprised! It’s gonna be lit.

Can we get a quick selfie of wherever you are at, to keep it real for the fans?

I’m in Toronto!

Follow Rodin Flash:

https://www.instagram.com/rodinflash/
https://www.facebook.com/rodinflash/
http://www.rodinflash.com/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYs6Hkk55YwzaaxlsfJE4jA

Tweets by RodinFlash

Actress & singer Gigi Cesare sits down for an interview with J Money Kix (Jaydyn Price) and a hilarious round of the Whisper Challenge!

Follow Gigi:
https://www.instagram.com/gigicesare/
Tweets by GigiVCesare
https://www.facebook.com/gigivcesare/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4NPXGuaRdFFWi90eFgfD-A
https://www.iheart.com/artist/gigi-cesare-31938930/

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5272041/

Follow J Money Kix:
https://www.instagram.com/official_jmoneykix/?hl=en
Tweets by jmoneykix
https://www.facebook.com/jmoneykix/
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9362748/?ref_=nv_sr_1