BASTILLE

COLDPLAY

LINKIN PARK

EVANESCENCE

ARTIC MONKEYS

MUMFORD AND SONS

OF MONSTERS AND MEN

LAWSON

PARAMORE

FALL OUT BOY

THE VACCINES

IMAGINE DRAGONS

THE PRETTY RECKLESS

TOP10tracks of2013

ALL TIME LOWREVEAL ALL

THE FRAYTHE MEANING BEHIND

THE LYRICS

A-ZOF

GIGLISTING

CLARA BROOKSTHE YOUNG STAR’S RISE TO

THE YOUNG STAR’S R I S E T O F A M E

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16 | TOP 10 TRACKS OF 2013Who’s made it onto this years list?

20 | INDIE QUEEN CLARAOur cover star’s most explosive inter-view.

46 | ALL TIME LOWAll Time Low reveal all.

54 | A-Z OF GIG LISTINGThe only gig listing you’ll ever need.

74 | THE FRAYThe meaning behind the lyrics.

REGULARS

12 | ARTIST OF THE MONTHWho proved to be successful this issue?

28 | RATE OR SLATE?We give our reviews on the biggest indie stars of all time.

50 | WIN WIN WINYour chance to win this week’s hottest prizes.

64 | THE ULTIMATE FAN REVIEWFans from around the world share their opinions on this week’s exclusive music.

84 | THE OUTSPOKEN TESTTake our quiz and find out how much you really know about your music.

100 | LIVESReviews from this month’s London gigs.

20ON THE COVER

‘ISSUE 122

Be the fist to meet indie’s hottest new star

OUTSPOKEN WHAT S INSIDE

Hello readers! This fortnight we’ve had the exclusive chance to interview new indie star Vaneesa. We get the lowdown on her latest album and talk to her about her successful rise to stardom. Make sure you check out our gig listing on page 24 and let us know about your own opinion on our cover star by getting involved on page 72. Hope you enjoy the latest issue, till next time! Chelsea (Editor)

34 | VIEW THE MUSICThe greatest music videos ever.

40 | YOU ME AT SIXBehind the scenes on their world tour.

57 | A TRIP TO READINGOur writers head down to the most famous festival in history. 60 | THE PRETTY RECKLESSWe get to know Taylor.

68 | UPCOMING BANDSThe artists you need to hear.

70 | LAWSONLawson get down and personal.

78 | PARAMOREThe coolest band around give us a lesson in music.

82 | LORDEThe young star on her hit ‘Royals’.

86 | MARY: RISE TO STARDOMThe stylish star talks about her latest single.

94 | ONE REPUBLICOne Republic tell us all about their life in the lime light.

112 | THE AWARDSYour votes are in.

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EDITOR’S NOTE

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OUTSPOKEN EXCLUSIVE

“I’M FAR PERFECT”FROM

WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHELSEA HARPER 21

www.outspoken.com

It was only 6 months ago that Clara was introduced into the hearts of many music fans. Before then she

was simply unknown. “No one knew who I was” she explains. “I was trying to get into the music industry for so long but every time I was even consid-ered I was let down again and again. It’s a very hard process reaching the top but I think I’ve finally done it”. To-day, in our local studio in London, we get the exclusive chance to have a catch up with the star and get to know her from behind the cameras, as well as an excellent opportunity to go ahead with our shoot. It’s easy to tell that this girl of only 17 years is truly passion-ate about her music. Clara has been singing since she was very young (7 years old in fact) so to be where she is today, she herself couldn’t be happier. “I just can’t believe I’m actually being interviewed for a music magazine! Everything in my life at the moment just seems so surreal! Only 6 months ago I was releasing my first single ‘All Night’ and since then everything has just been crazy. I don’t think I’ve had a moment to myself to just take it all in yet”. Clearly fame hasn’t come at all easy to the indie star but for her age and experience, Clara has dealt with it far better than many young music stars we can name! Clara’s first single was released in the summer of 2013 and from the begin-ning the whole world could tell there was something special about her. Many reviewers agreed that her style of music sounded different and unique. “I didn’t want to be like everyone else” says Clara seriously. “I mean don’t get me wrong I enjoy chart music and everything but I wanted my songs to sound a bit more quirky and I wanted the lyrics overall to be more personal. I think it’s good that people can relate to your songs and really I guess, just have fun! That’s why I wanted the balance between both. I want my music to be catchy of course but I also want people to listen to it and think ‘oh yeah that does sound like my situation, this song is important to me’”. Personally we think Clara’s aim to make everyone

happy seems to be working as her hit single was number one within its first week of release however she doesn’t think everyone can enjoy her indie vibes. “Of course not everyone is going to like my material, it might not be everyone’s cup of tea but if they like it and even go on to purchase my music then that’s fucking awesome” she laughs. As Clara answers our questions, it’s immediately noticeable to see how open and calm she is. She’s clearly one confident chick for her age and we wanted to know how she was so relaxed. “I wouldn’t say I’m that confident, to be honest. I might seem like I’m alright but most of the time I’m shitting myself. Whenever I get interviewed at important events and especially when I’m on stage in front of thousands of people, I get so nervous beforehand that my body starts to

shake all over. However when I’m fi-nally up there singing my songs, all my worries seem to go away”. Although Clara confesses to us about how nerv-ous she gets, she is seen as one of the most outrageous and lively souls on the planet. Her crazy performances definitely show her bold character which makes her a prime target for the music tabloids all around the world. “The attention thing, yeah that’s something I still can’t quite under-stand. To me my performances are just a way to express myself but my style is seen as unusual to many. My style just completes who I am. Everyday I’m just being me…what you see is what you get!” Speaking of style, not only is Clara seen as one of the hottest new music stars, she is also a style icon, making her a role model to girls everywhere. “It’s amazing to think I have fans that look up to me- not only for my songs but for my fashion too. Fashion is

definitely important to me, after music of course! My style defines who I am, whether it’s my make-up, my oversized jewellery or my quirky clothes…they all link to my music, giving it an edge”. As far as indie goes, Clara is definitely with the individual look. “I mean, it’s not something overly crazy. I wouldn’t go as far as Lady Gaga but it’s just more interesting than your everyday stuff” she smiles. So has style always been a main aspect for this artist? “Absolutely!” Clara exclaims “ever since I was little I always felt I had my own style but to me, music was always first”. As Clara brings back the subject of music, she again backs up our idea of how im-portant this industry is to her. “Music has always been my life” she begins to explain. “I was born into a family full of musicians so in a way, I was lucky. I guess you could say I was forced into music but personally, I wouldn’t have it any other way. My siblings all play musical instruments and all have many different tastes in music – rock, pop, country – you name it! But for me, I always enjoyed the alternative indie stuff and I preferred singing on stage to learning how to play an instru-ment!” “My mum though, was also a singer; she’s probably my own role model. I definitely look up to her!”. Suddenly a big grin is planted on Clara’s face as she lets us into her past, going through her childhood and school years, we can tell she is still grounded. “My mum used to sing to me when I was a baby all the way through my child years so I guess it came natural to me. It’s like learning how to speak a different language when you’re little; it’s just automatic. When I was in primary school I entered the school choir. Now, it seems pretty silly because that wasn’t my style at all but we all have to start somewhere. When I went to high school, I even joined a band for a couple of years. We were mainly rock focused. To be honest, I thought it was really cool and we all got on really well. We had a lot of fun but I just real-ised it wasn’t for me, I was born to be a

“I WAS BORN TO BE A SOLO

ARTIST”

CLARA BROOKS is simply the coolest star in music. At the moment her CV consist of a number 1 hit single, a platinum award winning album and even a performance at London’s very own Wembley Are-na; this young star has her whole future ahead of her and as she says ‘this is only the beginning’...

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CLARA ON.. . .

Imagine Dragons – They’re real-ly cool! I like their vibes and the meaning of the lyrics behind the songs are really personal. My favourite single by them proba-bly has to be ‘Demons’ because it means a lot however I think some of their music is too slow for me.

The Vaccines – Ooh, these are definitely on my top list. I think their music is the sort of style I’m into. I think it’s great that they’ve recently become more popular, they deserve the suc-cess! I’ve seen them on stage many times, they’re even better live and in the flesh!

Vampire Weekend – I didn’t re-ally listen to them much before but I brought their album in the summer and I was addicted! Their album ‘Modern Vampires of the City’ is definitely a must buy! I’d advise anyone to go an check it out - I think I even got some of my friends to have a listen!

solo artist.” “Even though I’ve been through some hard times getting to where I am today, I’ve always had my friends and family behind me and that’s all I can really ask for”. As we continue to discuss the positives of being born into a strong musical family and the security of great friends, we ask Clara if she has any new friends on the scene… “You mean any famous people? Ha! Well yeah, I know a few” she smirks. “I’m quite close to Hayley from ‘Paramore’. She’s so lovely and I adore her music. I’ve always been a fan of Paramore, ever since I was a young teen so to become good mates with the lead singer, is really amazing. Surprisingly, we have a lot in common too like our backgrounds and stuff and the type of music material we like. I’m also good friends with Taylor from ‘The Pretty Reckless’, she’s so stunning! Howev-er, I think the most exciting person I recently met at Wembley was Rihanna. I saw her outside her dressing room; I was so star struck I couldn’t even get my words right. She seemed like a down to earth girl, you know just nor-

mal. I think she’s fucking amazing. Yep. She’s definitely one of my idols.” Speaking of idols, are there any other music inspirations of Clara’s? “Growing up I was always a fan of ‘Evanescence’ and bands like that so Amy Lee was one of my greatest role models, I really got into the goth-pop sort of sound as I liked how original and different it was and that’s what I plan to make others think of my own music”. She continues: “Recently however ‘Artic Monkeys’ and ‘Two Door Cinema Club’ have definite-ly been my favourites. I’ve attended loads of their shows and I just think they’re amazing live. The tones of their voices and the way they sing sounds really good, I like the edginess. I also think the overall sound of their songs is really interesting and this is some-thing I have considered during my own trips to the studio”. If her great music tastes are anything to go by, take it from us that Clara’s new album (that has yes, already gone platinum may we repeat) is a cool mix of alternative and rocky sounds giving bands such as ‘The Killers’ and indeed ‘The Artic Monkeys’ a run for their

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money. As well as the music and over-all sound being up to scratch, the lyrics involved are also pretty great. As every song on the album has been written by Clara; each song has an individu-al meaning and message. “Yes some songs might be about generally having a good time with your mates” she confirms, “yet others really are about personal issues, the kind of problems you go through in your life. I wouldn’t say I’m as deep as ‘Evanescence’ are or as fun going and up beat like ‘Parmore’ and ‘Two Door Cinema Club’…just a bit in between”. It seems like talent just comes natu-rally to this young star so we had to ask is there anything this girl can’t do? “Don’t be silly!” she shouts. “I’m far from perfect. There are many things I can’t do and I’ve experienced many embarrassing moments in my career already!” Well, seeing as the topic of embarrassing situations has already been brought up, there was no need to urge Vanessa to reveal. “For my first TV performance, I was on a breakfast show singing my first single. I think the performance actually went alright,

especially as it was my first one on live TV but the interview after was so awkward! I had to do my best to promote my music but I completely forgot the release date, my tour dates, everything! My mind just went blank. In the end one of the team members from my management had to whisper to me live on air. It was so obvious and everyone in the studio was laughing including the presenters”. If that wasn’t bad enough, Clara goes on to tell us about her recent famous wardrobe malfunction. “Oh god” she hangs her head in shame. “I don’t even know what to say, all I can remember is I was really nervous so I wanted to get myself ready, you know to calm myself down but I didn’t realise I had my shoes on the wrong feet till I started singing on stage. Everyone noticed but I tried to save myself by acting like nothing was wrong”. Interview nearly over, Vanessa relaxes on the sofa with a cup of tea in one hand. She seems close to world domi-nation but really she’s still a family girl at heart and we can safely say fame hasn’t changed her.

Check Vanessa’s new single ‘All Night’ as well as her new Album ‘album name’, both available to buy on iTunes now.

OUR VERDICTNot only is Clara very down to earth in person, but her music is perfect for any indie lovers. Both her album and single prove her talent and her determination to be succesful. On her album, you get a range of songs from slow ballads to upbeat dance tracks – yet all have a very alternative style. Her lyrics also sound very profession-al, a clear sign of her being able to connect to her fans through all different kinds of issues. Overall, two great products from a new rissing star!

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