GirlTalk with Amanda Markley

The stage can be a place of opportunity for musicians, or any performers, to put on a sort of mask and act somewhat different than they would on social media or in their day-to-day lives. Seattle based singer/songwriter Amanda Markley shares with us how that is exactly what she wants to stay away from. She tells us, “I want my fans and followers to see the real me, and I try to stay authentic to myself when I am choosing what to wear or what to post.” Staying true to who she is, Markley has taken over this edition of GirlTalk as a guest blogger, sharing her taste in fashion both on and off the stage. Check out her post below and let us know what YOU feel most comfortable in by tweeting us at @_lucyoutloud!

What you wear is one of the first things people notice about you and it should be a reflection of who you are, but should also be something that makes you feel comfortable and empowered.

When I’m not performing, my style could be described as very casual. This winter I spent most of my days in black leggings, a comfy sweater, and nikes.  I’m more of a jeans and a
t-shirt girl than a dress and heals girl for sure, but I do like to dress up every once in a while and get extra girly. I will also be the first to admit that I wear more black and grey than any other colors. You don’t have to worry about always wearing brand names either if you’re trying to dress like a rockstar. The best fashion advice I’ve ever received is to take one nice piece of clothing and create an outfit around it using pieces that you found on a budget. It can be so hard to keep up with whatever the current trend is of the
day, but I believe that the most important thing is to find a style that suits your personality, and that you love, no matter what other people think about it. When you feel good about your style, and are comfortable in your own skin, you feel stronger and more confident all around.

Photoshoots are where I get to really go all out and where things that I would never think about wearing in my everyday lifestyle. I am very lucky because my sister, Michelle Moore, is an extremely talented photographer, and I love shooting with her. When we get together for a photoshoot, we can let our imaginations go wild and dream up amazing themes, like our last set which was inspired by the show Vikings. Living in the Pacific Northwest helps a ton as well because there are so many beautiful places to explore and take pictures. My favorite brand to wear is Free People because their clothes are so dreamy and always seem to fit my style.

Being onstage is where I feel the most empowered and I feel like it’s where I truly belong. I wouldn’t want to hide who I am when I am up there performing. Some days I feel like being more casual, while others I’ll feel like dressing it up with nice boots or an edgy leather jacket. When I was on tour I kept it more casual, wearing my converse or vans
everyday, even wearing a hat onstage at times. To me, it is more important to show the world who I really am rather than trying to make myself look like the other singers I see out there. When it comes to me and what I’m wearing, it’s 100% me, never a mask of what the world wants to see.

GirlTalk with Sara Scoggins

It’s been almost two years since Sara “Scoggs” Scoggins started her radio show Let’s Talk Music. As one of the only female show hosts on idobi, Scoggs has used her show as a way to connect with peers and share the music she loves. Although the show first kicked off when a friend of hers at idobi asked if she ever wanted to host a show on the station, the driving force behind Let’s Talk Music has always been about cultivating a community of peers who love music and give them the opportunity to share that. Scoggs tells us, “I’ve always felt a deep connection to the friends in my life who love music the way that I do, and this was a way to make that family grow, empower listeners to have a positive conversation about what they love, and help it grow.”

Listeners of the show are well aware of Scoggs’ kickass playlist making skills, so for this edition of GirlTalk, Scoggs has created Then and Now playlists highlighting her top 10 favorite tracks from high school including Brand New and Paramore* and her 10 current favorites including the 1975 and PVRIS. Give a listen to the playlists below!

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*Fun fact – when asked who the number one person she would love to interview would be, Scoggs tells us her dream of speaking with Hayley Williams of Paramore. She told us “I’d just love to talk to her about the evolution of Paramore and the fan base. How she has felt growing up in a band, having the ability to write about her growing pain and angst– while having a huge community by her side. A convo with her would just be so surreal because I admire her a lot, but I also feel like we might have a lot in common.”

Photo credit: Erica Lauren

THEN:
My “Then” playlist is really funny because I’ve never stopped listening to my favorite records from with I was in high school. I still feel the same way about music as I did back then, and as I’ve gotten older, I realized that’s not a guarantee that everyone will retain that kind of connection. So, here’s some stuff I initially fell in love with back Then. 

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NOW:
So many artists I’ve gotten into the past few years. There’s a lot of exciting thing happening in all corners of the music industry right now. Here’s a collection of what you can find on my Spotify search bar right now. 

Sara Scoggins:: Website | Twitter | Let’s Talk Music | Let’s Talk Music Twitter

GirlTalk with Brooke Hummel

It’s not every day that you come across a 16-year-old singer/songwriter who has a passion for helping people. Brooke Hummel grew up in a musical family, quickly finding her passion in singing, and while traveling through high school, has also found her voice in being an anti-bullying advocate. For this edition of GirlTalk, we spoke with Hummel about her own personal struggles with bullying and how she is taking a stand to help those who are currently struggling.

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bul·lyˈ, bu̇-lē, ˈbə-
noun: a blustering browbeating person; especially:  one habitually cruel to others who are weaker

Bullies come in all shapes and forms. They can attack physically, verbally, and emotionally. They are hurtful and intimidating, but above all, they are sickening. Bullies find humor and success in tormenting those that are inferior to them. In one way or another, most people have experienced some sort of bullying in their lifetime – statistically, ¾ of all of today’s youth are affected by it. 16-year-old singer/songwriter Brooke Hummel recently documented her personal struggles with bullies in a raw,
delicate and personal song titled “Cruel,” which can be seen here. Her struggles went beyond just words. “I would walk through the hallways and hear people scream things at me like ‘Brooke kill yourself’ and ‘hold a gun to your head and I’ll pull the trigger.’ A lot of people don’t realize how intense these things can really be,” she shares with us. “I was hurting. I remember feeling so alone and I couldn’t figure out what was wrong with me and why nobody wanted me around them anymore.”

We tend to ask ourselves, why do words hurt so much? Well, simply put, it’s because we are all very vulnerable to the things that people say to us, especially young adults. That is why cyber bullying in particular is reaching epidemic proportions in the United States. Bullies have found a new way to hurt others by hiding behind a screen and saying things that they think will have no repercussions. Rather than keeping silent, Hummel decided it was time to speak out, work towards progression, and attempt to put a stop to bullying. “I came to the realization that I could be helping people in this situation because anybody can ask an adult, but if the adult didn’t go through it, they WILL NOT know how to emotionally help them,” Hummel tells us. Thus, Stop Block Tell was created. Stop Block Tell (StopBlockTell.org) is the home of Hummel’s “Stop Hiding Behind A Username” campaign, used to call action against cyber bullies. It allows young adults to gain insight on how to reach out to others about the dangers of cyber bullying. Hummel explains, “Kids need to be able to go somewhere like StopBlockTell.org and see that someone understands where they are coming from so they feel like they are not alone.”

If you or someone you know is struggling with bullying, please let your voice be heard. Reach out to family, friends, teachers, or just someone you feel comfortable speaking to. Check out websites that help those being attacked by bullies such as StopBlockTell.org, StopBullying.gov, and StompOutBullying.org amongst others. Do not allow others to diminish your light due to their own insecurities.

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Brooke Hummel:: Facebook | Twitter

GirlTalk with Jocelyn Arndt

When we first sat down with Jocelyn Arndt last year, the powerhouse singer blew us away with acoustic versions of her songs “Where’s The Rain” and “Shame.” In addition to being incredibly talented, she is also extremely determined; within the last year alone, Jocelyn and her brother Chris have logged more than 100 performances (including sets at The Sundance Film Festival, Mountain Jam Music Festival, CMJ, and South By South West) and have released their newest album Edges (which is available for purchase here) – while they both attend Harvard University. If that’s not impressive, we don’t know what is.

For this edition of GirlTalk, Jocelyn has put together a playlist of her favorite female musicians, promptly titled “Songbirds and Rockstars and Divas, Oh My!”  The playlist features songs from Aretha Franklin, Adele, Pat Benatar, Joan Jett, and Nina Simone to name a few. Check out Jocelyn’s playlist below, as well as on Spotify here!

GirlTalk with LOLO

When we first came up with the idea for GirlTalk, we wanted it to be a fun conversation about music, makeup, fashion, and everything in between. So when we had the opportunity to talk with Lauren Pritchard, known to most as LOLO, we knew that we needed to feature her in our first GirlTalk segment. 2015 was an incredibly impressive year for LOLO who released her EP on DCD2 Records, wrote an off-Broadway musical titled “Songbird,” joined the co-headling tour of Andrew McMahon In The Wilderness and New Politics, and was featured on two iTunes Best of 2015 playlists for Songs – New Artists and Singer/Songwriter.

For our first GirlTalk interview, we spoke with LOLO about her latest release, Comeback Queen, her tour must-have items, and her opinion on the lack of female presence in the music industry. Read our full interview with LOLO below!

Introducing GirlTalk:: A New Feature from Lucy Out Loud

Image by Sara Marshall.

In addition to running Lucy Out Loud, I have spent the last four years working as a beauty consultant at Ulta Beauty. During those years, the idea and meaning behind beauty and makeup has evolved into something more than just ‘dolling’ yourself up; it gives women the ability to be whoever they want to be: confident, powerful, comfortable, beautiful. But, most importantly, themselves. The topic of beauty is one that people typically tiptoe around because they are afraid of what people will say.

We want to change that.

In a music scene that is often dominated by men, women don’t have many places they can go to discuss beauty habits. This idea was the driving force behind our newest feature, GirlTalk.

This feature will act as a series for women in the music industry (musicians, publicists, photographers, etc.) to discuss important issues like feminism and beauty standards, while also being a fun corner where they can discuss what items they enjoy using when they’re on tour, how they manage to style themselves to feel confident on stage, etc. GirlTalk will consist of a variety of things: interviews, guest blogs, lists (top beauty items, beauty/fashion tips, etc.) and playlist submissions.

Ideally, this will be a feature that covers a little bit of everything, and we are so excited to finally bring it to life! Keep your eyes peeled for our first GirlTalk interview, coming soon!