How To Look Good For A Video Shoot, By Alessandra Clarence

Whether it is a music video, a company holiday party, or your best friend’s wedding, there is more to looking your best on the big day than make-up, a manicure and a hot dress.  In fact, the clock begins ticking at least one week before the event.  I am not talking about any radical diets or extreme exercise programs, which may zap your energy and have you feeling moody, stressed or groggy.  The idea is that you should enjoy the occasion to the fullest and of course, look amazing at the same time.  We turned to Sapphire, singer for pop rock group Millennium and the mistress of transformation for a few tips on how she prepares for video shoots.

Do you look forward to video shoots or do you dread them?

I actually welcome them because it’s a chance to get your body on track again just in case you haven’t been eating the best foods, working out as much as you should or not getting enough sleep.  I see the shoots as a reminder that I need to take care of my body.  The most expensive makeup artist and lighting and camera equipment cannot make you look well rested, vibrant or healthy.

So what is the first step to fabulous?

At least one week before the shoot, I begin to be aware of what I normally eat and drink on a daily basis and make sure to cut out all the naughty stuff.  We all have our weaknesses.  For me, it is flavored lattes, cheese and desserts.  This first step is an exercise in restraint. 

And what are the next steps?

The steps that follow require me to be a little more proactive:

- I step up my usual workout regimen by going to the gym an extra two days that week, staying for an hour longer than normal, and using weights that are at least 5-10 lbs. more than I’m used to.  Working out with my partner in crime, Stryker, is key to keeping me focused and determined.  I also take fitness classes that are one level more difficult than I normally take.

- I have chicken breast or fish the week up to the shoot, rather than having other dishes like pasta or beef with rich sauces.  I also consciously eat more veggies and fruit.

- I drink water all throughout the day and while I am having my meals to keep me from overeating.

- I make it a point to get 8 hours of sleep every night.  If I am not able to get 8 hours, I take a nap or make sure I get some physical rest the next day.

That doesn’t seem too bad.  And what do you do on the day of?

Video shoots have been known to last 20 hours straight.  I have a big breakfast, a large cup of dark roast coffee and treat the day like one big adventure.  I feel like the hard work is now behind me and now I only need to focus on being present, being genuine for the camera and having fun!

www.WhoIsMillennium.com

The Day I Found My Voice, By Sapphire

All these years of feeling trapped, tense, constricted and holding my tongue.  Out of the blue, I was offered an opportunity to express myself freely, unabashed, whole-heartedly as the part of Sapphire in the music group Millennium.  Sapphire is not some fictional character that I made up to attract attention.  She is to me what the Phoenix is to Jean Gray.  We are the same person, but she is the part of me that was suppressed from the world as I was growing up.  I admit that I am frightened showing this part of me.  But there is a faint voice telling me that I owe it to that four-year-old girl inside me to continue to pursue this path and see where it leads.  That way, all those years of being afraid would not feel so wasted somehow.  Regardless of how intimidating this new role is for me, there will be no other opportunity like this again.  I refuse to add this to my list of regrets.

To me, being in Millennium is not about me singing.  Unlike me, there are many amazing singers out there who can belt out notes like nobody’s business.  I am just a soft soprano with a limited range, a C+ on vocal aptitude at best.  It is about channeling the songs through me to allow me to express myself and my personality more openly and to awaken elements of me that I never knew existed.  This is similar to how an actor uses the script to channel emotions that already exist within them, thereby bringing their character to life.  The difference is, as I mentioned before, Sapphire and I are the same person.  It comforts me to know that no one else can play the role of Sapphire.  No one else has her personality.  No one else has her voice.  Whether she skips on stage or trips on stage, she will be real and authentic.  She will be me.

My motives for being in Millennium are not purely selfish.  Deep down, I want to connect with people.  I have avoided making strong connections with people for most of my life.  I wanted to prevent the possibility of disagreements, misunderstandings or hurt feelings but in the end, I missed out on many good friendships and many happy moments.  I refused to take on the bitter and thereby missed out on the sweet.  From now on, be it love or hate, for better or for worse, I am ready to be vulnerable, honest and open to the world.

I believe everyone’s story is special.  Everyone’s voice, regardless of how small, should be heard.  If you go through a very difficult or painful experience, every time you say yes to an opportunity, you are moving forward.  You begin to live life fully, as you were meant to.

www.WhoIsMillennium.com

Merchandise Matrix, By Jody Yaniv

Do we really buy a product for the product itself, or do we buy into the notion that we will become a different person after acquiring that product?  Is that item some kind of magical amulet that will transform you into a more desirable individual with a charisma quotient that goes through the roof?  If you really believe that to be the case, then the price of those brand new boots, sunglasses, watch, smartphone or fill-in-the-blank is a definite bargain. 

 

Regretfully, I have spent thousands of dollars on material items that have given me a few hours of gratification at best, but have not changed me in any way.  A good portion of my youth has been spent trying to discover my best, most incredible self in malls or store catalogues.  By some random fluke, I was able to receive several fashion magazine subscriptions for free.  After a few months of sifting through endless ads on facial serums, clutches and bangles, I had the startling realization that I have been living in a Merchandise Matrix all my life.  Everywhere I go, whether it is in my car, online or watching television, there was some billboard, ad or commercial telling me I needed this one special product to make my life complete.

Not everyone goes through this aha-I’m-living-in-a-web-of-lies moment in the same manner, if at all.  For Sapphire, a singer with pop rock group Millennium, it was living out of the country for a while that allowed her to get some space from the materialistic clutter.

‘I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to live abroad for a couple of years in a beautiful, quiet seaside town.  Instead of driving cars, people took pleasant strolls around town.  In place of malls filled with mass produced items, there were bazaars filled with one-of-a-kind, hand-crafted pieces.  In place of Starbucks, there were quaint cafes where people spent hours in deep conversation.  And in place of Whole Foods, there were farmer’s markets filled with the biggest, most brightly colored fruits and vegetables I have ever seen.  When I returned to the US, I must say I was impressed by all of the abundance in this country.  But I soon realized that it was mainly an abundance of stuff and a significant lack of the things that really matter, like quality time with loved ones, children, parents and good friends.’ 

Put another way, Sapphire was unplugged from the matrix and once you have been unplugged, you see the material world in a whole new light.  Now I am not promoting an ascetic lifestyle or asking you to ban the purchase of all material goods for the rest of your life.  But before you whip out that credit card to buy the next new, shiny thingamabob, ask yourself if you are purchasing this particular item because of its actual benefit to you, or because you want to look like the model on the magazine (who just so happens to be heavily airbrushed by the way).

www.WhoIsMillennium.com

Can This Los Angeles Group Redefine Pop Music? By Karin Francisca

 

Darkness appears to have descended upon the world of pop music. Following the embarrassing debacle of the 2013 MTV Music Awards and other staged attempts to shock audiences employed by major artists in recent months, the music industry once again appears to be teetering on the verge of collapse. As the increasingly desperate antics of pop artists and their record labels further alienate audiences, it is no longer clear what direction mainstream music will take. But if history proves anything, it is at that exact point of emptiness and uncertainty when the seed of the next big era is planted. By most indications, this seed will not come from any of the emerging experimental pop artists whose commendable risk-taking is too much of a moving target and fails to yield anything accessible to mass audiences. It’s even less likely to come from any of the emerging teen pop artists whose out-sourced lyrics and music represent the most tiresome aspects of the status quo. This seed must embody qualities that have long been missing from pop music, such as honesty, creativity and integrity. However, it must also appeal to modern sensibilities, adhere to the highest production standards and produce music that is both familiar and new- an enduring staple of any successful pop act. Enter Millennium. If any seed could possess these qualities, it would certainly be pop music’s newest anti-hero, an emerging group out of Los Angeles, California with a big future. Exactly what ideas come to mind when you hear the word Millennium?  Futuristic? Trend-setting? Cutting-edge?  Perhaps the word invokes images of the ancient world and its timeless ideals passed down through the ages. In the case of this group, you would be correct on all counts.  There is an intriguing tension between the old and new worlds in Millennium making them hard to discern and, at the same time, hard to dismiss. Their image alone is a striking combination of Cleopatra meets Riddick. Their music runs the gamut from hard-hitting electronic dance to pop rock, funk and reggae. Yet all of their songs have a timeless melodic quality with the potential to win over mainstream audiences. Who is Millennium and what makes them so different? Millennium consists of singer/songwriters Stryker and Sapphire, both classically trained musicians with a lifelong love of music. Stryker and Sapphire are not teenage rubber people singing about things they couldn't possibly understand nor have any connection to. Both possess some life experience and have something to say about it through their music. As a result, their songs convey unmistakable integrity, going against the grain of today's pop music in a major way. The duo is also backed by Brad Dawson on drums, Gaku Murata on guitar, Nathan York on bass, and Fred Smith on keys. There is nothing superficial about the look and sound of this group. Stryker is as sensitive, complicated and temperamental as his image conveys, and Sapphire is as sweet, sassy and unpredictable as her image would lead you to believe. However, beyond their distinctive style is their equally distinctive sound. According to one music industry executive, ‘Millennium is pop culture at its best’ - a group that can create great songs in almost any genre, whether it’s rock, dance, reggae, funk or acoustic.  However, what actually sets Millennium apart in a crowded industry is their soul.  No, I’m not referring to the American Idol version of soul, where a singer passionately belts out someone else’s song.  Millennium’s definition of soul lies at the heart of how they create music- by writing, composing, recording and producing all of their own songs in their own home.  This purist approach opens up a direct, uninterrupted channel between the life of the artist and the life of the audience. The difference between this approach and the production-chain approach currently used by most pop artists cannot be overstated.  While this may sound like a harsh indictment of music industry practices of the past decade, it certainly explains the current crisis in pop music. It also explains why a group like Millennium may be uniquely qualified to bridge the chasm between old and new and usher in a new wave of music. Change is an inevitable part of life and nowhere is this more evident than in pop music, where the shelf life of a typical song has shrunk to about one month. This is the natural consequence of continuing to manufacture music with no artistic soul. In the current system, whatever beauty and inspiration that was initially captured in the mind of the songwriter gets diluted and lost through the chain of other songwriters, singers, composers, producers, mixers and mastering engineers. It’s a small wonder why music today has become little more than background to people’s lives. Beneath the precision-manufactured, shrink-wrapped pop puppets, there is nothing human for audiences to connect with. Worse, there is nothing to fall in love with. Anyone skeptical of this need only visit YouTube to check out who attends concerts by great artists of the 70’s and 80’s (who, incidentally, haven’t had a song played on radio in over 30 years). The answer: Stadiums full of loving fans who share a real, lifelong bond with the artist. Now, fast-forward 30 years and consider who do you think is going to attend the Stephan Moccio/Sacha Skarbek /Maureen Anne McDonald/Dr. Luke/Circuit/Larry Rudolph/Miley Cyrus production team concert?  Yes, it’s okay to laugh. We both know such a fiasco would never even materialize. But the point is clear. Change is inevitable, but the qualities of artistic honesty, creativity and integrity hold their value well through decades, centuries and even millennia. Millennium has already released a couple of provocative singles from their upcoming debut album entitled ‘Fusion’, which is due to be released next year. The album is definitely worth the early attention it’s garnering. Anyone wishing to hear what pop music of the future sounds like could easily start here, where artistic integrity and great songwriting meet cutting-edge acoustic and electronic production.  The radical, yet timeless, image and sound of this group make them one to watch in 2014.  To learn more about Millennium and its members, visit www.WhoIsMillennium.com.