The document is a magazine called "Outspoken" that features articles and reviews about various indie artists and bands. The cover story is an interview with 17-year old singer Clara Brooks, who has seen recent success with her debut single and album. In the interview, Clara discusses her musical upbringing, influences like Evanescence and Arctic Monkeys, embarrassing moments in her career, and being a rising star in the indie scene. The magazine also previews upcoming concerts and albums from artists like Imagine Dragons, The Vaccines, and Vampire Weekend.

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OUTSPOKEN
Outrageous, original, outspoken
BASTILLE
DECEMBER 2013
ISSUE 122 £2.99
TOP
IMAGINE DRAGONS
ARTIC MONKEYS
PARAMORE
MUMFORD AND SONS
THE VACCINES
COLDPLAY
FALL OUT BOY
OF MONSTERS AND MEN
LAWSON
EVANESCENCE
THE PRETTY RECKLESS
LINKIN PARK
10
tracks of
2013
ALL TIME LOW
REVEAL ALL
THE FRAY
THE MEANING BEHIND
THE LYRICS
A-Z
OF
GIG
LISTING
CLARA BROOKS
THE YOUNG STAR’S
R I S E T O FA M E

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ISSUE 122
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16 | TOP 10 TRACKS OF 2013
ON THE COVER
Who’s made it onto this years list?
20 | INDIE QUEEN CLARA
Our cover star’s most explosive interview.
46 | ALL TIME LOW
All Time Low reveal all.
54 | A-Z OF GIG LISTING
The only gig listing you’ll ever need.
74 | THE FRAY
The meaning behind the lyrics.
REGULARS
12 | ARTIST OF THE MONTH
Who 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 WIN
Your chance to win this week’s hottest
prizes.
64 | THE ULTIMATE FAN
REVIEW
Fans from around the world share
their opinions on this week’s exclusive
music.
84 | THE OUTSPOKEN TEST
Take our quiz and find out how much
you really know about your music.
100 | LIVES
Reviews from this month’s London
gigs.
20
Be the fist to meet indie’s
hottest new star

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plus to tell us what you think of the new
issue head to @outspoken
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NSIDE
28
106
112
FEATURES
34 | VIEW THE MUSIC
The greatest music videos ever.
40 | YOU ME AT SIX
Behind the scenes on their world tour.
57 | A TRIP TO READING
Our writers head down to the most
famous festival in history.
60 | THE PRETTY RECKLESS
We get to know Taylor.
68 | UPCOMING BANDS
100
EDITOR’S NOTE
86
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)
The artists you need to hear.
70 | LAWSON
Lawson get down and personal.
78 | PARAMORE
The coolest band around give us a
lesson in music.
82 | LORDE
The young star on her hit ‘Royals’.
86 | MARY: RISE TO STARDOM
The stylish star talks about her latest
single.
94 | ONE REPUBLIC
One Republic tell us all about their
life in the lime light.
112 | THE AWARDS
Your votes are in.

4. OUTSPOKEN EXCLUSIVE
20

5. www.outspoken.com
“I’M FAR
FROM
PERFECT”
WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHELSEA HARPER
21

7. I
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 Arena; this young star has her whole future ahead of her and as she says
‘this is only the beginning’...
t 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 considered I was let down again and again.
It’s a very hard process reaching the
top but I think I’ve finally done it”. Today, 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 passionate 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 beginning 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
“I WAS BORN
TO BE A SOLO
ARTIST”
shake all over. However when I’m finally up there singing my songs, all my
worries seem to go away”. Although
Clara confesses to us about how nervous 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 understand. 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 important 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 instrument!”
“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 realised it wasn’t for me, I was born to be a
23

8. CLARA ON.. . .
Imagine Dragons – They’re really cool! I like their vibes and the
meaning of the lyrics behind the
songs are really personal. My
favourite single by them probably 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 success! I’ve seen them on stage
many times, they’re even better
live and in the flesh!
Vampire Weekend – I didn’t really 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!
24
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! However, 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 definitely 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 something 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

9. money. As well as the music and overall 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 individual 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 naturally 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 domination 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.
Not 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 professional, 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!
OUR VERDICT
25