supernova info

BASIC STATS

full name: gemma grace mitchell

nickname(s): gem, gg (close friends & fam only)

age: 32

birthday: february 5, 1994

zodiac: aquarius

hometown: new orleans, louisiana

current residence: los angeles

gender: cis female

pronouns: she/her

sexuality: bisexual - lean towards women & femme presenting nb’s

relationship status: in a relationship

known for: successful solo career in both acting (child star) & music

band: singer/dancer & founding member of clover 

likes: dogs, white peach redbull, musical theatre, mangos, tropical vacations, a fresh set of acrylics

dislikes: early mornings, shallow small talk, being cold, ignorance, beer, seagulls

hobbies: jigsaw puzzles, nature hikes, building lego sets, producing beats

traits: disciplined, graceful, dramatic, callous, loud, intelligent, adventurous, curious

face claim: megan pete (megan thee stallion)

BIOGRAPHY

New Orleans has contributed many great things to society - jazz music, beignets, mardi gras, and is the birthplace of the legend that is Gemma Mitchell. Known mononymously as Gemma. 

When she’s in work mode - she’s locked in and serious. However, any other time she is a fun-loving, adventurous and sometimes dramatic as hell with a warmth that radiates in any room she walks into. She is keen to encourage and share advice to newer artists coming up. Especially other women of color. She knows the obstacles she’s had to endure and overcome to make it, and hopes she can help make things even slightly easier for the next generations to follow.  

While she can be bubbly and bright, she also finds solace in the quiet moments when nobody and no cameras are around and she can breathe without the pressure of always putting on a smile. she can just be herself. whether it's alone or with the few people who know her beyond the public persona, those are the ones she holds close and keep her sanity in tact.

Her career began on movie and television sets as a child. Gemma was always destined to shine on a stage. Even before that, she was putting on shows in the living room and forcing her family to be her audience during every big gathering. That is what convinced her parents to put her into pageants.

Pageants have a questionable reputation, but for her it was her first taste of performing. That was where she learned to carry herself and walk with confidence. It was the first lesson of public speaking and charismatic smiles that has stuck with her throughout every phase of her career. Pageant training made it easier when she already knew how to hold herself in front of cameras and a public spotlight

Gemma easily became a beloved presence on screens across America. (inspo: Madison Pettis vibes)

As she grew into her teen years, it was clear that most people still only saw that sweet little girl when they looked at her. Like she was frozen in time in all their memories. It was frustrating. Cue transition into music.

She’d always had a beautiful voice but never seriously pursued singing and music as a career before then. It was the push from those close to her that sealed the deal.

Music is where she blossomed and truly came into her own. She was finally able to shed the past little girl image and be seen for the young woman that she was. Mostly. Of course there were critiques and opinions on some of her songs and subject matter. She only expressed what any other person does at that age - sex, friends, parties, love, and heartbreak that feels like the most defining point in your life in that moment. The usual.

As a solo artist, Gemma has left her undeniable mark in the industry throughout her career of over a decade. She’s released six albums, two mixtapes, has several number one hits, and sold out multiple worldwide tours. Among other collaborations such as brand deals, business ventures, and features with other artists. That's not even including other occasional acting credits she's accumulated in adulthood.  

With a resume about as long as a CVS receipt, the sky is the limit as far as Gemma is concerned. Possibilities are as countless as the stars in the sky. She’s often chasing the next big idea and doesn’t always remember to soak it in and live in the moment of her achievements. A reminder she sometimes needs to slow down and appreciate where she is now. 

It’s that exact hunger, drive, and motivation that led to the creation of Clover - a group in which she recruited a couple of her closest friends in the industry who are just as established and successful in their own rights to join. This project was created not out of necessity, but more so to surprise the fans and maybe even break the internet. doing what she loved with people she loved and respected was a bonus. 

Same familiar names, an evolving industry, and an all new level of spectacular starpower when three of the biggest stars come together for a joint slay!!

izzy was born in a suburb of los angeles and always felt like her hometown had nothing to offer her, she was always dreaming of getting out but never actually doing much to make that dream come true

izzy and arden were two peas in a pod from the moment that the aarons decided to foster and eventually they adopted arden into their family because they couldn't bear to separate the two

izzy would tell you that her childhood was fine. uneventful. which is good. no trauma or anything like that but that's all it was, fine. it was boring and sometimes lonely.

izzy had been surrounded by music her entire life but she mostly did it as a hobby. up until arden's band was down a guitarist and needed her to fill in which she did with a lot of convincing and coaxing from arden and ruby. she ended up being the main guitarist of mulholland drive.

she had always been incredibly determined to make it in the music industry after joining the band. especially after her parents told her that she shouldn’t do it, that she should stay on track to become a social worker. she thought, you think it’s a mistake? let me prove you wrong on every front.

but now that she’s here, that she’s gotten everything she said she wanted, maybe it’s not all that it’s cracked up to be. because why does she constantly feel homesick for the place that she wanted to escape for her entire life? why does she feel like she got what she wanted and now she still feels empty?

she has one foot out the door but is keeping the feeling as quiet as she can because she doesn’t want to let her bandmates down. because they all built this band from nothing together. but she can’t fight this feeling that this isn’t what she wants anymore.

basics.

full name. laila lakhani.

date of birth. 24 august.

age. twenty-seven.

gender. cis woman, she/her.

orientation. allegedly straight. actually putting the l in lgbt.

occupation. singer and dancer in honeydew.

personality.

positive traits. diligent. efficient. strategic.

negative traits. controlling. neurotic. repressed.

likes. being right. bustling cities. golden age broadway. headphones. schedules.

dislikes. alcohol. bad reviews. getting attached. mess. silence.

would… offer you a fully fledged stationery kit if you asked for one pencil. greet you good morning at 4am with the energy of a thousand suns. sing through entire albums in the shower. hold a lifelong grudge against you for naming the scottish play in a theatre. be the first to arrive at and last to leave rehearsals.

would not… slow down on the sidewalk so you can catch up to her. drink from someone else’s water bottle, dehydration be damned. stop herself from hard selling honeydew’s discography to strangers on the street. respond to your last text with something short of an essay. tell you how she really feels.

appearance.

faceclaim. sadie laflamme-snow.

skin. on the lighter side of olive. tans deeper in the summer, supposing she isn’t stuck in another summer stock theatre.

hair. dark brown. grown a few inches past her shoulder. compulsively combed and conditioned to be as straight as the laws of physics will allow for. call that manifestation.

eyes. dark brown. either staring directly into the depths of your soul or looking longingly over your shoulder, searching for something so interesting she simply must cut this riveting conversation short.

clothing. personal style leans towards flexible fabrics and cool/neutral tones, without much ornamentation or innovation. performance wardrobes are a different beast entirely. in the nicest way possible she will try to wrangle everyone on that stage into visual coordination.

accessories. a thin, v-shaped golden ring worn on her right hand.

story. (subject to further development based on future plotting!)

tl;dr. local girl gets tossed like a hot potato from young mother to aging grandparents. local girl gets in her head about becoming mother’s antithesis. local girl gets into performing arts high school. local girl gets Very Serious about starting performing arts career and apparently dgaf about how many enemies she has to make along the way. local girl gets little to no action from her abundance of attempts at starting said career and begins waitressing at a family friend’s restaurant. miraculously, local girl gets into supernova records’ premier music group and will do anything – and that means anything – to stay in it. or break out of it after seriously impressing some industry moguls on tour. whatever the label wants. siri play opportunity from annie (2014)

cw for child abandonment. laila’s mother was a free spirit. it only made sense, then, that she gave laila up to her parents so freely. spring of her final year of college, she clambered into their apartment through the fire escape, reconnecting with them for the first and last time in months. there was a baby in her arms, two truths and a lie on her tongue. she’d made a mistake, she said. she’d finish her studies and find a job far away from the man who’d made this mistake with her, she said. she’d come back for her laila, for their family, once her life was in order, she said. moral of the story, as her grandparents will tell it many years later: playing fast and loose does little but put you on the fast track to losing all that matters.

the first time laila saw her grandparents smile, she was four years old, wrists aching from an imperfectly executed series of cartwheels. she can’t remember what spurred the show on in the first place, nor will she ever learn, for her grandfather’s camcorder had been too focused on the floor to capture the moment. she can remember that the show had singlehandedly turned their tiny house, brimming with crumpled bills and other debris from endless cut corners, into something like home. she remembers how they’d call their friends over on weekends and cram them on a dusty old couch, all so they could watch her belt her heart out, grinning like her front teeth hadn’t fallen out the night before. her grandparents, eager to make good on their second chance at child-rearing, supported her talents to no end, fashioning her guitars out of rubber bands, bringing her along to open mics at a family friend’s restaurant. though she tried to pay attention to more practical pursuits as she grew older, throwing herself into class presidencies and spelling bees, she couldn’t shake the thought from her head. the thought that she was meant to perform.

fever dreams turned into reality with her admission to a performing arts high school. what was once an indefinite desire to do her best became, and it showed in the days she spent at dance studios, the nights she spent poring over chord constructions. gone was any doubt that this was the trail she needed to blaze. after all, it wasn’t her future alone that depended on her continued academic success. over the next few years, her grandparents took the liberty of replacing her rubber band orchestra with a real guitar, her beat-up sneakers with shoes that could keep a beat, and in doing so, paid physical tolls they couldn’t hide half as well as the price tags. she was meant to perform, and performance meant finally repaying the people who’d raised her when her own parents wouldn’t.

cw for familial death. laila graduated on top of the world. then, some weeks and a surprise hospital visit later, she watched her grandfather get lowered into the ground. she remembers some of the platitudes offered by neighbors, though mostly because the majority felt like deliberate offenses. it was his time to go was the worst of them all. how could it have been, when he hadn’t gotten to watch her accomplish anything of note? determined to compensate her grandmother, at least, for her continued investment in a career that hadn’t taken off quite as quickly as hoped, laila accepted a job offer from an old family friend, the one who owned that restaurant. it wasn’t the most enjoyable experience, trading in a stage for a slippery diner floor or a handsewn costume for a perpetually-stained apron, but laila liked to look at waitressing as a practical exercise in smiling, serving, and shutting up. a much-needed exercise, so to speak. or, well, not speak.

between shifts at the restaurant and busking around only somewhat shifty train stations, laila learned that it was one thing to intellectually understand that new york spotlight chasers were as ubiquitous a species as subway rats. it was another thing to actually scrounge around casting platforms and her contacts list for one chance at the breakthrough she thought all her training had basically promised. months turned into years. many, many auditions turned into a couple of backing vocal credits, ensemble roles in student filmmakers’ avant-garde 12-hour shoots, supporting spots in musical workshops. maybe she could’ve garnered some kind of social media following if she posted anything but covers, but the prospect of releasing any personal projects required a level of risk-taking obviously reserved for people who weren’t her. people braver than her. people richer than her. then came–

honeydew. neither the presence of someone she didn’t think she’d cross paths with until their 100-year high school reunion, nor the peculiarities of their production, could stop laila from basking in the glory of her breakthrough, however overdue. she had clear expectations to meet and all the reason to meet them. everything was as it was meant to be. 

keyword: was. laila can’t tell if supernova’s latest panoptic publicity scheme is meant to be a blessing or a curse. on one hand, she’s stopped worrying about the reception of honeydew’s debut ep. on the other, she cannot stop worrying about what reception she’ll receive on their debut tour, considering who else is on its lineup. she’s resolved. how many stops she’ll last with these strategies remains to be seen.

misc.

childhood music taste was mostly derived from her grandparents’ 70s-90s-focused radio picks. as a teenager she learned how to tune into whatever played the spice girls/tlc/destiny’s child/pussycat dolls/[insert every other iconic contemporary girl group]’s latest single on loop and it was over for the oldies. presently her playlists include a healthy mix of both genres, albeit with a possibly unhealthy amount of songs centred on ruminative regret

she might also have a playlist of honeydew’s discography that she plays (muted) on loop overnight because they deserve the support (she might’ve just stockholm-ed herself into blindly liking their music) but that’s not important rn

always has a signature pen on her. god forbid a girl thinks she’ll get asked to sign someone’s paper bag at the grocery store. better safe than sorry!

used to take am i gay quizzes just to click all the obviously heterosexual options and pat herself on the back for reaffirming her romantic perpendicularity

somewhat resentful of the woe-is-me reality she’s created where certain people’s careers are being advanced by their queer relationships. tries to hide this resentment behind overenthusiastic, overbearing, i-bought-target’s-pride-collection-for-my-gay-child parent type allyship. does it work? we’ll see about that

semi-related to the above: constantly emptying her browser history. the most personal thing on her phone is a sticker of the playbill logo on the back

has gotten wicked good at the kazoo over the past decade. i'm sorry my girl was doing anything to pad her resume except spend money on more real instruments

has strict time limits set on all social media apps because she’s already wasted at minimum a year of her life refreshing self-tapes just to watch zero views tick up to one. takes pride in what little screen time she has being split between music software and messaging apps. and, like, the lowest quality version of solitaire on the digital market

would unironically play wonderwall first thing at a party 

bonus text posts

STATS

full name: karina paulina ernst-velez  hometown: new york, ny  birthday: august 29, 1997 zodiac: virgo sun, cancer moon, leo rising  sexuality: bisexual   gender identity: trans woman, she/her  height: 5’10”  relationship status: taken children: none languages spoken: english, spanish, conversational french   traits: confident, disciplined, adventurous, vain, selfish, defensive

MEDIA INTERVIEW

tell us about yourself! where are you from and what has your life been like before now?

karina beams, more than happy to talk about herself, her upbringing, her dads, her dancing – all of it, “i grew up in new york with my papá and dad.” pablo velez, the famous broadway choreographer, and harry ernst, real estate agent to the stars, “i was dancing before i could even walk,” her favorite way to say she’s an incredible dancer and has been doing so her whole life so do not underestimate her, “i never felt limited in what i could achieve,” translation: i could get pretty much everything i wanted, “every minute i wasn’t dancing was spent learning about the arts, seeing every show and opera and ballet imaginable, and traveling all over the world. we spent every summer in mexico city with my papá’s family and every winter break we would go somewhere new and immerse ourselves in the culture. it was perfect. and my dads… they always let me be who i wanted to be, they didn’t want me to have the same experience they did. self-expression was always a priority. they’re just lucky that so much of my self-expression happened through dance and music – i was their dream child.” she teases, giving a playful wink. 

is there anything about you that you think would surprise the fans? 

“hmmm…” her fingernails drum against the table as she considers the question, then suddenly the drumming ceases, her palm flat on the table, “probably that i’m a vegetarian? i don’t talk about it a lot, but, yeah, have been since i was twelve.” she shrugs, “i tried veganism for, like, a minute… wasn’t for me. i love myself too much to stop eating so many of the things i love.” 

what are the best and worst parts of fame? 

“best part is the fans, of course,” she lies. the best part is the money and, also, the attention. “the worst part… when the paparazzi gets me on a bad hair day.” bad hair days are rare for karina, but someone on her team said she needs to work on humanizing herself, seeming like a common person. this is the best she can do. 

if you had to have another job, what would it be? 

“maybe this is a cop out, but a dance teacher. i always thought i would just being doing dance for most of my life, so the fact that i get to sing and dance? it’s like a dream come true. little me can’t believe it.” except that little karina can believe it. she’s always known, and her dads have always told her, she was born to be a star. 

what advice do you have for others who want to follow in your footsteps? 

she smiles brightly, looking straight to camera, “don’t give up. don’t let anybody tell you that your dreams are stupid or impossible – they’re not." well, not for her anyway, "and practice, practice, and practice some more. practice until no one can deny your talent.” then she gets a little more serious, her more playful energy fading just slightly, “and i especially want to say to all the trans kids out there: we are beautiful and we are just as worthy of these stages as anybody else.” and if there’s one thing she’s going to do besides smile and look pretty? it’s remind the little kids like her that their dreams are just as valid as anyone else’s.

HEADCANONS/PERSONALITY

incredibly organized; in her planner she has honeydew's schedule jotted down in green, her personal schedule in pink, and then other important dates noted in black

seems to have a bottomless purse, everything you could ever need is in there, just ask

a narcissist but... in a mostly fun way? because she IS pretty and she IS talented so... she's just acutely aware and wants everyone to know it

despite the narcissistic tendencies, a loyal friend! if she loves you, she will have your back no questions asked, though she WILL be brutally honest in her advice giving

incredibly professional when it comes to career things, always on time and always on her best behavior at Official Job Things

had a hyperfixation over the ocean as a child, knows soooo much about fish and sea creatures, does not talk about this with pretty anyone but still always reading about it and learning, LOVES an aquarium

sup ! my name is gel and this is kai ! excited to write with y'all !

full name :  mikayla anne collins reyes preferred name / nickname :  kai (literally no one calls her mikayla) , 'kaikai' (by family + family friends on her dad's side) age :  twenty-eight birthday :  october 8 gender : cis woman pronouns : she / they sexual orientation :  lesbian relationship status :  in a relationship occupation :  drummer for do not disturb hometown : boston , massachusetts parents : mother – anabelle (nee collins) reyes father – johnathon miguel reyes siblings : brother ( - 4 years ) – kenneth milo collins reyes brother ( - 6 years ) - kyle marvin collins reyes faceclaim : isa briones

HISTORY.

kai was born in new jersey, but her family moved to east boston after her brother milo was born. it quickly became their favorite place in the world. born the oldest of three with two younger brothers, kai took on a lot of the responsibility of an older sibling. as soon as she was old enough, she would babysit her brothers while their parents took extra shifts or went out of town.

it was a loud house, full of kids with too much energy and tired parents trying to keep up. but kai was particularly active, eternally restless, and it became a mission to her parents to find something to put her energy into, putting her in all sorts of activities, even better if they overlapped with her brothers' commitments.

❛ it was a busy house , so i think my parents mostly just wanted me occupied with something , and i was shit pretty bad at sports and at school, so i fell into music . ❜

she fell in love with music instead. the first instrument she picked up was bass guitar. she grew up listening to classic and alt rock, and there was something appealing about playing bass – this instrument that people don't realize is crucial to their favorite songs until no one's playing it. she stuck with it for about six months before switching to the piano. her father was excited, had always wanted to learn the piano himself but after about a year, everyone realized it wasn't really the best fit. then came the drums.

❛ they put me in front of a drum set – i think my parents saw me sit still for the first time – and that was it . ❜

the drums were the first thing they'd ever really committed to. after filling the first half of her life with a rotating menu of activities, her focus on the drums was particularly shocking to her parents, but they embraced it nonetheless. the feeling of the sticks in her hand became second-nature and to kai, there was nothing in the world like it. from the moment she picked up an instrument, started writing lyrics, channeling that never ending energy into something that made others feel, she knew she could never go back, never really be anything else but a musician.

❛ never thought about doing anything else . ❜

kai started in a band in high school with their best friend turned girlfriend but it blew up when they broke up. their relationship never really recovered, and after that, she'd cycled through a few attempts at a band by the time she meets her current bandmates. at that point, she's at a crossroads of deciding whether to go to back to school or pursue music full-time. but when they play with their bandmates for the first time, they can tell it's different – that this is different. it takes a couple years to be proven right, tiktok of all things being a main source of their catapult into relative stardom. then supernova records signs them and it's like everything changes – for the better or worse, they're not quite sure yet.

❛ worst part [of fame] ? probably all the people that feel entitled to us in some way – always asking for new music or new merch or more shows or more posts . the best part are the real fans not pulling any of that shit . ❜

fame was never something kai considered all that much. music was her livelihood, her passion, her dream, but fame? it sort of terrified them. so when they start to gain more followers, gain a little more recognition, start getting shoutouts from their favorite celebrities, she starts to hold her cards a little closer to her chest, afraid of strangers getting their hands on the things most precious to her. and it works, for the most part. though it makes the label think this makes them the perfect candidate to play " THE MOODY ONE ", the one who's a little tough to work with, who's either too cool or too private for interviewers .

at her core, kai is driven by their values and want for authenticity. it's what makes her feel particularly conflicted in her career, having to put up a front, but she knows it's more than her dreams on the line, it's her bandmates', too. so they'd be exactly who they need them to be. even if that means losing people she cares about and a bit of herself in the process.

❛ before dnd, i'd be holed up in my room, making too much noise for one person, and now i still get to make noise but on a stage with my best friends. ❜

VIBES.

ENFP-T (Campaigner) - kai is a vibrant force of enthusiasm, creativity, and idealism. her mind is always occupied with new ideas and possibilities. the hardest part of this job is how much they have to tamp things down when interacting with the public. she's got this natural charisma that makes it easy to connect with others.

she's a bit of charmer, very used to getting away with things growing up because she could usually talk her way out of situations. their parents actually thought they'd make a good lawyer, but it was always music for them. kai also uses this charm to deflect and keep the attention off of herself, to keep people from knowing too much about her.

her constantly revolving mind of ideas also makes it difficult for her to focus on mundane tasks or stick to routines. they're 99% sure they've got undiagnosed adhd. kai cycles through hobbies constantly and is more likely to leave a project unfinished than not. that's why them music career is so fascinating to the people who know them best. it's the one thing she's stuck to and the one thing she works harder at than anything.

she's also a bit of people pleaser and struggles with conflict. as the eldest daughter, she always had to mediate for her two brothers whenever they got into fights, but rather than it turning her into a peacemaker, she tends to shy away from conflict instead. it's part of what has kept her from pushing back against the label, what keeps her from telling them no. she has a tendency to keep things bottled up instead, and the feelings leak out at incredibly inappropriate times.

with all of the band stuff going on, they're not exactly into relationships. they're the type to get attached much too quickly (#self aware) so as soon as the label signed them, they decided to forgo relationships... for however long. do not count them out of a flirtationship, though. she's probably got more of those than she knows what to do with.

she has very strong eldest daughter energy. she'd always sort of taken care of herself and other people in a way, so she can be very protective of the people she cares about. once they're on your side, you've got a loyal friend for life.

NOW.

her ability to spin things becomes a weapon for the band and the label sees it as an opportunity to really pull out certain personalities from the band. they don't want to be the douche-y drummer perpetually in a bad mood, but it's for the good of the band.

they didn't realize, though they probably should have, that agreeing to do one thing for the label meant the label would assume they'd do other things too - like get into a pr relationship with 'love me anyway'. and look, kai was great with people, loved to connect with them in fact. but there was something about 'love me anyway' that just gets under her skin and the feeling seems to be mutual. she's not sure how long either of them'll be able to keep it up.

to make things worse, now they've got 'after midnight' lording their 'act' over them to add to kai's stress. it's bad enough to constantly feel watched by the fans and by the label, but now they've got a member of a different band–the band that dnd is literally opening for–holding their secret over their head.

kai had a really good relationship with her family until a couple of years ago. their parents were incredibly supportive and always wanted to come support her at dnd's shows. but in recent years, their mom's grown disdainful (read: disappointed) of what she thought fame (i.e., the label) was turning kai into. there was a big fight before she left to go on tour, and now kai's relationship with their parents is incredibly strained. she still talks to her brothers and her dad checks in from time to time, but their relationship isn't the same. it's made their reliance on the tour and the band much more intense, and with having to keep a fake relationship and now being blackmailed, it may only be a matter of time before it all comes to a head.

WANTED CONNECTIONS.

media interview

tell us about yourself! where are you from and what has your life been like before now?

"i'm born and raised in los angeles! my favorite place is actually the griffith observatory when it's not overrun by tourists. my parents would take me up there when i was a kid and point out all of the stars that we could see past the l.a. smog. my dad said that i was a leo and an only child because the star, regulus, dropped a piece of the sky for our family and that was enough star power for the three of us. it's basically written in the stars that i'm here! my mom and dad were really supportive of my craft growing up. i entered every possible talent show that you could find. my mom was a ballet teacher, so she taught me what she knew. she was the best, she was kind of like miss honey but my actual mom, y'know? and my dad? well, he's an astronomer so that's why he could read the stars to tell me that i was destined to be one. i don't know, it's such a flex for me to say that i'm a product of true love. honestly, from childhood to adulthood, i've just been trying to figure out who i was. i think i've gone through every possible phase as a teenager, and i ran into adulthood head-first. i never went to college because i knew it wasn't for me. i was never a quick learner when it came to academics. there were a little resistance there for my parents, but i knew they just wanted stability for me. i've leaned on them a lot, and i think i owe them my life. and of course, all of my friends who became my found family along the way. i think i've come to understand that i'm just... a super graphic ultra modern girl, haha! anyway... as to why i'm with clover now? i have a lot to say, and i think everybody has to grow and evolve. those are like the same words, aren't they? i just think clover is the perfect band for me after my time with mulholland drive. it was time for me to leave the chrysalis. not that the members now are in a chrysalis; that was just for me. they've been beautiful butterflies!!"

what are you most looking forward to on the tour?

stardom. "fun! plus, i get to express myself in a way more authentic way than i ever could. i'm so excited for my old fans to get together with my new fans to hear what i -- i mean, my band, has to say. it's gonna be so fun to sing and dance on stage, it's just so freeing."

what advice do you have for others who want to follow in your footsteps?

"you do what you gotta do. you'll never get what you want if you don't ask for it. i'm a huge advocate of self-advocacy. i think there are so many fish in the water that you have to make yourself look like a dang mermaid or something. what else can i say?" all of this sounds so damn corny.

headcanons

ruby really trusts in the astrological signs, even if she holds those thoughts close to her chest. unfortunately for you, their first impression of you is what your sun sign is.

they don't feel much remorse about things, as a matter of fact, most of their apologies are pretty hollow. there usually isn't an ounce of regret running through their veins.

she would do sooo much for a klondike bar (double chocolate chip cookie that is crispy on the edge and soft and gooey on the inside).

they own a huuuuuge collection of hair accessories, mainly claw clips. anything eccentric will find its way into this collection.

BASICS

(disclaimer that muse dynamics mentioned below are hypotheticals and subject to future plotting w all of u!! also tw for vague references to transphobia, homophobia)

tldr: riot grrl on the outside and folk on the inside. steeped in christian shame and southern love. seeing beauty in everything around her and praying to god, if he still listens, to bestow it upon her too.

full name: kennedy barrett

nicknames: kenny, kb

age: 27

date of birth: june 28, 1998

zodiac sign: cancer

hometown: wimberley, texas

gender: trans woman, she/her

sexuality: lesbian

position: lead singer, do not disturb

MEDIA INTERVIEW

tell us about yourself! where are you from and what has your life been like before now? 

she is silent for a moment before she fixes her face into something unaffected. “oh, i don’t know. nothing that interesting. i grew up in a small town, i went to college, and now i get to play music i love for a living. nothing else to talk about.” 

she hasn’t been to texas in a decade, not since she left for the last time with the screen door clanging behind her and her mother’s screams echoing behind it, and she hasn’t been to church in just as long. but she still feels an absence when she wakes up hungover on sunday mornings, the guilt sitting on her chest like a cast iron pan. yes, she thinks, the eyes of texas are upon her.

her parents once thought she might go to seminary. teachers thought she seemed happiest in chapel and Bible class. and she wonders how her fans would react if she told them how much she once found comfort in the word of God because of the salvation she thought she would find there if she just studied harder or prayed more. of all the betrayals she had suffered, the first and hardest to bear was that of God - because if Jesus loved her, why would he make her different? 

she doesn't talk about that now. but if she had to, she would say Jesus did love her and that’s why she was created with beautiful mysteries inside of her, with the strength to live her life as the person she was always meant to. she finds love in everything, in the rolling green of a cornfield or in the shining reflection of the steel beam of a skyscraper. and sometimes, when she's jumping around on stage, kicking her boots high, she thinks this really isn't so different than church. it's another kind of worship now - this driving need to be understood, to be seen, to make art that makes sense out of the world and guides other people out of their own darkness.

sometimes she indulges in a little daydream. in that dream, she drives back home to texas. the bluebonnets are in bloom. she goes out to dinner with her parents and no one fights. she takes a girl line dancing and no one looks at them (when she's feeling narcissistic, someone comes up and asks for an autograph). she sits on the back porch of her parent's house with an iced tea and writes a song. she feels God in the breeze.

INTERVIEW

what are you most looking forward to on the tour?

“getting to travel the world with my favorite people.” the giddy grin on her face isn’t just for the cameras (even though, of course, everything is a little bit for the cameras) - she fell in love with her bandmates even before they met, knowing through the glimpses of them she caught in small rectangular clips that it would be magic when they started to create together. and it was magic. “i’ve never left the country - hell, barely left texas before i was 20, and now we get to see the world and play our music. it’s a dream. our dream.”  

do you have any favorite interactions with the fans?

“uh, i’m still wrapping my head around having fans,” she chuckles, running her hands through her hair. “it’s super cool that people listen to us at all, so like, every interaction is special. but i really love when people say our music helps them feel seen, or even better, that they looked something up or learned something because of something we referenced in our music or online. it’s really important for all of us that we take advantage of having a platform.” although she was painfully aware of the limited power of music to change minds - after all, her parents raised her on phil ochs, woody guthrie, and pete seeger. and here they were.  

what advice do you have for others who want to follow in your footsteps?

“only ever be yourself,” she says confidently, meaning it both as earnest advice and as the dig she knows the person who it’s intended to strike will take it as. “it’s hard to put your heart out there through your music, but people can tell when you’re being authentic and when you aren’t, and you’ll never regret being authentic. even if some people don’t like it. because then you know who isn’t worth your time.”

WANTED CONNECTIONS

under construction!

outdoors buddies: kennedy loves to be outside and would love to drag ur muse kayaking, hiking, or camping.

fwb: kennedy is not built for casual relationships but it seems to work for everyone else, so maybe she's trying!

big sister: back at home, kennedy was the eldest of five. even though some people find this annoying, she can't help but give unwanted sisterly advice.

HEADCANONS ETC.

unironic cowboy hat wearer

she tries to visit a dive bar in every city they visit on tour

chronically online but just bought a brick to lower her screentime

certified yearner. she’s in love with the world and just wants the world to love her back. at the genesis of do not disturb, she had tried to pull off an angry, unaffected stage persona, but couldn't sustain it. she does care if you like her.

she is a wonderful gift-giver and a dreadful gift wrapper 

can't sit like a normal person for the life of her.

she says she writes all her music in a moleskine notebook, but she’s a poser and actually does most of her writing in the Notes app on her phone

other loves: waffle house, long drives, cutting her own hair, buying shirts with stupid sayings at the thrift, standing outside the bar to smoke with the old men, fantasy novels

she would never bring it up to the rest of the band but she thinks she could write a pretty good country album (a la kacey musgraves or orville peck)

jess's musical inspirations writing kennedy: hayley williams, scene queen, the linda lindas, meet me @ the alter, poutyface, katie gavin, peach prc, mannequin pussy

kennedy's musical inspirations: dolly parton, bratmobile, bikini kill, sleater-kinney, johnny cash, bob dylan, pj harvey, pete seeger

pinterest!

tell us about yourself! where are you from and what has your life been like before now?

arden leans back in their chair like they’ve already decided how this is going to go. one boot is hooked on the rung of their stool, and their rings catch the light as they drag a hand through their hair. there’s a smile on their face, easy and practiced, but it doesn’t feel fake. (well, not exactly.) “god, okay. tell you about myself...” they echo, like they’re buying time, then huff out a quiet laugh. “i’m arden. arden lin-rose, if you’re being formal about it. i’m from los angeles, which means i’ve spent my entire life thinking i’m immune to bullshit and then being proven wrong in increasingly creative ways.” their mouth quirks. “i grew up loud. like, obnoxiously loud. my family used to call me ‘big mouth,’ which-” they gesture vaguely, “-clearly did nothing to discourage me. i was that kid who always had something to say, even when i shouldn’t. especially when i shouldn’t. and i figured out pretty early on that if you say things confidently enough, people either listen or they get the fuck out of your way.” there's a beat, and their fingers tap absently against their knee. “music wasn’t, like, some divine calling or whatever. it was just… the first place that made sense? the first place being loud wasn’t a problem, it was the point. so when i found out my sister felt the same, we started making noise in garages and hole-in-the-wall venues, and then somehow that turned into this whole thing.” they gesture outward, meaning the tour, the cameras, the weight of it all. “mulholland drive’s been my life for a long time. longer than anything else, really.”

is there anything about you that you think would surprise the fans?

“something that would surprise people…” arden hums, smile thinning into something more thoughtful. “i think people assume i know exactly who i am. like i wake up every day and i’m just, i don't know, like fully formed? no notes, no doubts, completely solid.” they exhale softly, almost a laugh, but not quite. “i don’t. i just got really good at looking like i do.” they glance off-camera for a second, then back, expression brightening just enough to pass. “i’m actually pretty quiet when i’m alone. which feels illegal to admit, but there you go. i like… not performing, sometimes. i just don’t always know what to do with that version of myself yet.” their shoulders lift in a small shrug, like it’s not a big deal. like it isn’t something they think about more than they should.

what advice do you have for others who want to follow in your footsteps?

“advice? don’t follow in my footsteps,” they say immediately, almost too quick. then they laugh, softer this time. “no, seriously. don’t try to be anybody else. you’ll always be worse at it than they are, and you’ll make yourself miserable in the process.” they lean forward slightly, elbows on their knees now, voice dropping just a touch. “figure out what you actually care about. not what looks good, not what gets attention, not what people clap for. find the thing that makes you feel a little sick, a little exposed, like maybe you shouldn’t be saying it out loud. that’s usually the right direction.” a moment passes, and then the grin is back, easy, disarming. “and get comfortable embarrassing yourself. publicly. and repeatedly. it builds character. and, if you’re lucky, a career.”

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