Kira Kosarin – Composure Magazine

STORY BY MIN. A. LEE 

PHOTOGRAPHY BY KAREN ROSALIE

MAKEUP BY ARCHANGELA CHELSEA FOR CELESTINE AGENCY

HAIR BY LUCY GEDJEYAN FOR CLOUTIER REMIX

STYLING BY JACLYN FLEURANT FOR THE ONLY.AGENCY

Kira Kosarin may be known for her superhero moves as Phoebe on Nickelodeon’s longest running tv series The Thundermans, but she’s here now to show us the very sincere and human side to her. The series may have said its final goodbye, but it’s the beginning of a new chapter in Kosarin’s career.

Taking on the music scene with her mesmerizing vocals and songwriting abilities, Kosarin’s debut single “Vinyl” was met with deep respect and praise. The song pulls at you, reminds you of past loves, and leaves you wanting to know what music will come next from the new recording artist. We can’t help but be impressed with Kosarin’s ability to transition effortlessly back and forth between two of the toughest industries.

For our 20th issue, Kosarin shares with us more on her journey from a young teen actress to a self-confident woman—no cape, no mask, no disguises.

 

Composure Magazine: Looking back, what were some of the most valuable lessons you learned while working on Nickelodeon’s The Thundermans?

Kira Kosarin: I learned how big the world is, and how much smaller it feels when you travel the world. I am grateful to Nickelodeon for all the incredible experiences I had while doing international promo for the show.

CM: How does it feel to shed the image of Phoebe and share more of yourself with the world?

KK: It’s a relief to be able to share myself in a more authentic way, even if it does open me up to a lot more criticism. People are very used to a preconceived notion of who I am or rather who I was as a young teen on television.

 

READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE.

Amanda Steele – Composure Magazine

Read the full feature and interview at Composure Magazine!

 

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STORY BY MIN. A. LEE 

PHOTOGRAPHY BY SARAH KRICK PHOTOGRAPHY

MAKEUP BY ARCHANGELA CHELSEA

HAIR BY PRESTON WADA @OPUS BEAUTY

STYLING BY FRANZY STAEDTER

Amanda Steele keeps it very real for our nineteenth issue. While many know her as a YouTube phenom, we see a brilliant, driven young woman who’s had her fair share of struggles. Steele refuses to get lost in the hype of numbers and instead produces content that is loyal to herself and her fans. She never loses sight of what initially put her on the map, and continues to be humbled by those who believed in her from day one. Putting vlogs out in a public space since only Elementary school has given Steele the ability to adjust her career as she grows, but also learn how to take on the pressures that come with. It’s never easy to see others tear down work that took a long time to create, but Steele gives sound advice for anyone facing bullying online and offline.

Sharing a personal look into her life and style has always been at the forefront of Amanda Steele’s empire, but also she continues to pursue acting—strengthening her abilities to take on new roles. With time we expect her to make a substantial mark in Hollywood, and we can’t wait!

ON BEING A CONTENT CREATOR

Composure Magazine: Building such a prominent career at a young age opens you up to a lot of criticism, how do you combat this negativity, and what have you learned from the challenges of being in the public eye?

Amanda Steele: The negativity was something that was really hard for me as I was growing up while posting my life online. It was really hard to find myself while thousands of people were telling me who I was. I just had to step back and realize that I am doing what I love and indulging in my passions while haters are just spewing negativity from behind a computer screen. Over time I have found that if I had never let any haters get to me, and I continued doing exactly what I was, I would be much farther in my success. The positivity outweighs the negative, and the people that do love my videos—that is who my content is for. I am not going to change what so many of my followers love because some other people out there are taking their personal problems out on the internet. My content is for my loyal followers, and nasty comments aren’t ever going to take that away from them and my own success.

CM: Your success did not come without hard work and sacrifice, was there ever a moment you felt like everything was too much to handle?

AS: Being a YouTuber is a full-time job. At my peak growth and demand, I was also in public high school. Juggling both took a stressful amount of not only time but emotion. I think high school sucks no matter who you are, but on top of school bullies and feelings of loneliness, I had thousands of haters online too. It became very overwhelming for me when I would spend nights crying over mean youtube comments and then waking up and hearing more negativity from my classmates at school. This point in my life was very hard on me, but things started to look up when I began online school and could focus more time on my YouTube channel.

CM: The digital world moves quickly with its constant changes, algorithms, etc.. How do you stay passionate as your work continues to progress?

AS: I stay passionate about my work throughout the constant changes of the digital world by keeping in touch with who I am and why I do what I do. It is easy to get sucked into numbers, growth, and competition, which could honestly lead to a fall. Luckily for me, I started my YouTube channel so young that I know exactly what my passions were. Fashion design is the reason I started YouTube. I have an intense love for beauty and connecting with other people online that like the same things as me. I was never a very social girl. I chose to stay inside on the computer most nights instead of meeting new people and hanging out with friends. This makes me so passionate about the fact that fashion, beauty, and tech are all things I have loved from the beginning. I know to follow my heart, do what I love, WORK HARD, and everything will work out.

Jeannie Mai – Composure Magazine

Read the full interview at Composure Magazine!

 

PHOTOGRAPHY BY SARAH KRICK

MAKEUP BY ARCHANGELA CHELSEA

HAIR BY IGGY ROSALES

STYLING BY CHARLIE BRIANNA

WRITTEN BY MIN A. LEE

Composure: First off, we want to say a huge congratulations to you and your co-hosts on winning an Emmy this year! From the very beginnings of The Real til now, did you ever imagine taking home an Emmy would happen?

Jeannie Mai: Thanks for the congrats! No, I never imagined that I would win an Emmy, but not because I didn’t think I was deserving. It just wasn’t a focus for me. When I started out in this business, my focus was to be the very best at being comfortably myself. Well, that and being booked! That focus stays the same today, as well as my mission of empowering women in an entertaining way. So Emmy or not, I’m going to stay killing it doing just that.

C: What thoughts and emotions ran through your mind the very second they announced the win?

JM: Real talk? I couldn’t believe they called our names! We were ecstatic. Shoes went flying, and I had to try to keep my extensions in. Everything else was a grateful blur.

C: What do you hope the future holds for The Real?

JM: I hope The Real is on for another ten seasons. I love growing with our audience. In just five years, we’ve gone through marriage, divorce, babies being born, and even tragedy, and through it all, we’ve held each other closer than ever, with our #RealFam. Our show is a genuine example of how I wish the world could be, differences and all—we are family.

C: Let’s talk about fashion a bit! Looking at fashion as a way to empower, when did you first genuinely start to see clothing as something much more psychological?

JM: I first recognized the power of clothing through my mother. I saw her transform from a wife and mom of three kids to an entrepreneurial businesswoman in just one outfit. I call it “Wearapy” today. “Wearapy” describes the instant therapeutic mood clothing can give you from the outside in. It is a very powerful tool women can use to put the game face on for anything they want to achieve in life and relationships.

C: Over time, what sort of impact, positive or negative, have you seen social media have on the fashion industry?

JM: Social media is like a puppy. It’s cute and cuddly and looks easy to handle at first, but then you realize it can be a little punk that needs constant attention and care. While I like that social media allows me to see internationally what’s trending, and what everybody is wearing in different parts of the world, it has also made bullying easier and leads women to believe that things in social media are what real life should look like. FALSE! Social media is a mere highlight reel of your best filtered moments filtered. As long as you know that nothing can replace the true beauty in the ups and downs of real life, then continue playing the social media game unattached.

C: What is the best piece of style advice you have received growing up that has stuck with you over time?

JM: The best piece of style advice came from Mama Mai—that the sexiest thing I could wear is my smile, and it’s true. Even when you’re not feeling your best, walking in with a bold, confident smile leaves a lasting impression that people want to remember about you anyway, that you love yourself and the life around you.

Baby Ariel – Composure Magazine

Read the full interview at Composure Magazine!

 

PHOTOGRAPHY BY KAREN ROSALIE

MAKEUP BY ARCHANGELA CHELSEA

HAIR BY RENÉ CORTEZ

STYLING BY ROBIAT BALOGUN

WRITTEN BY MIN A. LEE

Composure: To start, we want to congratulate you on your debut movie role in Bixler High Private Eye for Nickelodeon! How excited are you? Can you share with us how it felt to be on your very first film set?

Ariel Martin: It was unbelievable! I loved every minute of it. First of all, Jace (Norman) is hysterical. So, much of the time, we were just cracking up being silly and goofy. I’m so thankful to have his friendship and that he was there through my first feature—it made it really easy and fun. Our director, Leslie (Kolins Small) was also amazing. She made it very comfortable for us. And Nickelodeon was so incredibly supportive. I loved working with them and the crew.

C: We’re in love with your newest single, “Gucci On My Body.” From Musical.ly (now known as TikTok) to being a recording artist, how has this transition been for you?

AM: Thank you! It has been so cool. Music has always been such a part of my life, so for me, it is part of the reason I fell in love with Musical.ly in the first place. I started playing the piano when I was a little girl, and my dad is a songwriter, so it felt very natural to work with other writers and get into the studio and record. 

C: As your popularity surged, what were some of the difficulties you faced and had to overcome?

AM: The first thing that was really hard and weird was the cyber-bullying. It was hard reading all of these horrible things people would write about me—people who didn’t even know me. I’ve learned to mostly tune that stuff out. As a result, part of what drives me is the desire to inspire other kids to be proud of themselves and stand up for themselves and tune out hate. The other thing that’s been weird is that so many people are so quick to judge and be dismissive of me as a recording artist or actor or creator. It’s as if because I gained an audience on an app, I’m not allowed or shouldn’t try to put music out or pursue other interests. I find that really strange. My whole life I’ve acted and been around music, and I don’t feel that just because I happened to gain a following in social media, I shouldn’t be able to pursue other things that I’m passionate about or enjoy.

C: Your book Dreaming Out Loud is out now! How does it feel to have it on shelves and your fans connecting to you through your words?

AM: It feels amazing. Something I’ve always loved doing is going to bookstores looking for great poetry collections or novels or psychology books. So to be able to walk into my favorite bookstore and see my own book on store shelves is almost beyond my wildest dreams, and to know that my supporters are able to get a deeper connection into my heart and thoughts means so much.

C: Let’s get into some beauty questions, who first taught you about skincare and makeup?

AM: Haha! I would say my mom, but she would tell you herself that she doesn’t know what she’s doing when it comes to makeup! However, she has taught me a lot about skincare and making sure that I treat my skin right. For makeup, like a lot of kids, I’ve watched YouTube videos and have been lucky to work with some really good makeup artists who always share their tips with me. 

Lindsey Stirling – Composure Magazine

Read the full interview at Composure Magazine.

Styling: Samantha Burkhart

Makeup: Alison Christian

Hair: Craig Gangi

Photography: Cara Robbins

Composure Magazine: When was the first moment you incorporated violin with dancing, and what influenced you to do this?

Lindsey Stirling: I was in the Junior Miss pageant my senior year of high school. It is a scholarship program, and I was trying to win to help pay for college. There were several other really talented violinists in the competition, and I was trying to find a way to stand out so I decided I would choreograph my performance and do a rock song instead of classical. It was so different, and I wasn’t sure what people would think—but I won.

CM: You have an extensive list of collaborations with other artists and musicians, what were some of your favorites?

LS: I loved the process of working with The Piano Guys. They are the best, sweetest, funniest humans in the world and I adore them. Not to mention they are super talented. I was the most honored to work with Celine Dion.

CM: With your newly released Warmer in the Winter: Deluxe Edition album, and a growing list of accolades, at what point did you realize you were going to be able to do what you love as a career?

LS: I had been releasing videos on YouTube consistently for about ten months, and they had done ok. My covers were mostly what people wanted to see, but then I released an original violin Dubstep song that I had written, and in one day it got one million views. That was HUGE for me. I was speechless. Not only did more people watch it than had ever watched one of my videos—they loved MY music, not just my covers. At that moment I realized my life had just changed. That it was not just a dream, it was my future.

CM: You’re currently on your acclaimed Holiday Wanderland Tour visiting several cities around the United States! We wonder—how did it feel to co-headline on Evanescence’s Synthesis Live and play with an orchestra after so many years?

LS: I loved being on the Evanescence tour. I have been a fan of Amy and the band for years—like, a huge fan. It was mind-blowing to get to tour with her and share the stage with her night after night. Playing with a live orchestra was intimidating, but wow it was cool. It brought my past music world and my current music world together.