Interview for Double Page

James Vice is the newest artist on the block. He’s certainly been a hit with young girls but how will they react with a possible girlfriend on the scene? Partying, performing and a lot of persistent working has gone into the pop sensations last few months. His new album ‘Motives’ is set to hit number one, once it is released later on in December. The pop/rock star has had a crazy year after his debut single ‘Lockdown’ sky rocketed to number 1 in the iTunes top 10, how will his family and friends react to the changes in James, and how will the artist himself overcome the life changing events that have happened and that will carry on happening throughout his career? 

Full of confidence, strutting into Jukebox’s studio with a massive grin on his face, James seems ready to start the next chapter in his life. So, James, would you have ever thought last year you would be here today, performing on stage to millions and releasing your own album? It’s an unbelievable experience you have been through! 

Yeah it’s pretty mad (he laughs). I mean, this time last year I was just an ordinary 22 year old lad with a long list of dreams that I would never think in a million years would come true. Performing has been my biggest dream, it’s something I’ve felt passionate about for years! I’m just grateful to all the people who have stood by me, and especially the fans for believing in me. It’s been hard to get this far, I’m so excited for the album release, I just hope all the fans like it! 

Oh, I’m sure they will! You seem to have a lot of female attention as well, I bet thats weird hearing about girls having your poster on their bedroom wall! I must ask you, for all those girls reading, what’s this about a girlfriend? Our female readers will be gutted!

(Blushing) It’s so weird thinking everyone knows my name and who I am, let alone the fans having my face on their walls! Signing autographs is really strange and then people screaming my name, I don’t think I’ll ever get used to it (he laughs). Nooo, I’m still single, I don’t even know where this rumour has came from, it’s pretty crazy how you hear all these different things about yourself, especially when they aren’t true! Im just concentrating on the album, I want it to be perfect so that’s all I’ve had time for! 

Well the female readers of Jukebox will be thrilled to hear that! So, the album, what inspired you, was it a specific album or your favourite artist? We want to know everything!

Well, I can’t tell you much! But what I can tell you is that there is going to be a lot of acoustic versions, one of my favourite parts about the album is that I’ve used my guitar. I love performing with my guitar, It pretty much makes me who I am. My music taste is really varied, so my album has been inspired by artists such as Bon Jovi and Eminem, and not forgetting The Beatles! I’ve tried to make each song different and stand out, so there’s a bit of rapping as well, It’s been such an experience creating it. I named the album ‘Motives’ because I think in life everyone has different motives and loads of choices and that’s what I’ve made the songs about, hopefully everyone will get the message (he laughs). 

Wow! That certainly sounds like a lot of work! Here at Jukebox, we can’t wait for the release of ‘Motives’ and we love the name choice. I bet this has been strange on your family, how are they taking it in? It’s not every day you see your family member on the television or on a magazine cover. 

It’s been really testing on me as an artist, in my opinion creating the album is where you realise if it’s something you are good at, so I hope it turns out the way I have expected and planned! Oh yeah, I’ve had relatives call me up on several occasions screaming down the phone because I’ve appeared in a magazine or my single ‘Lockdown’ was played on the radio. My mum is completely different, she just goes on as if nothing has changed, she’s really proud of me but she treats me exactly the same, which I’m a 100% grateful for. 

So out of your family, who would you say is your biggest fan?

My Nan. She doesn't quite understand the meaning of the songs and once she even told me off for being too loud (he laughs). But she’s always going on about me, and telling me how proud she is. 

I bet you never get sick of her bragging about you! You’ve had such a busy year, all the parties and performances, so what’s the highlight? If you can pick out of all the amazing things you’ve been doing!

Yeah thats a tough one, I’ve done so much in such a short amount of time really. The parties have been amazing, especially B.O.B’s birthday bash! It was incredible to be around different celebrities, people who I’ve looked up to and who have inspired me, I was amazed to get the invite if anything! But the performances have just been out of this world (he says grinning) the atmosphere is something else! Singing and playing in front of a massive crowd is unbelievable, I never thought in a million years I’d be on stage at the O2 Arena in London! 

That does sound pretty scary though! Do you not get nervous?

Just before I’m about to go on stage I get slightly shaky and think “Oh my god, I’ll never be able to go out there” but that just lasts 2 minutes, because as soon as I see the crowd it just goes and I’m completely fine. Once I see the audience I remember that they have came to see me, so I need to make it amazing! 

Well you are very brave! Im sad to say this James but this has to be the last question, please can you tell us who your secret future collaborations are? We are dying to find out!

Oh god! (he laughs) I think I’m allowed to say now, well I hope I am anyway! I’ve been doing some work with Labrinth and Emeli Sande, it’s been such an amazing experience to do a collaboration with two amazing singers, I’ve loved every minute of it. They’re two different type of artists, when Labrinth raps he gets right into it and then Emeli Sande has such a beautiful voice, I hope the fans like the collaboration, it’s so different to all my usual work! It’s been a pleasure talking to you all at Jukebox, thanks for having me.

WOW! Labrinth, Emeli Sande and James Vice all in one song? Well we at Jukebox cannot wait for the album release and I’m sure you can’t either! For more information on artist James Vice look on our website at www.JukeboxMagazine.com/JamesVice. To purchase James Vice’s single ‘Lockdown’ go on iTunes however you will have to patiently wait for his album until December!

Using Photoshop

Draft of Double Page Feature

This is the first draft of my double page feature. I really like the main image, I think have a edited it in an appealing way, making it stand out therefore this will attract my target audience. I have choose a similar colour scheme because the colours fit in with my magazine theme and style. I really like the way my main image is looking towards the interview, showing that the audience where to look. I have chose the layout in a usual interview style, setting it out in columns and using quotes to draw the reader in. I have also used a quote for the main sell line so the person buying the magazine knows what the article is all about, and that it is representing 'James Vice' is a positive way. When I create my final double page feature, I will shorten the sub sell line so there is more room for the article and so it doesn't look crammed. I will also add page numbers to the bottom left and right hand side corners so the reader knows what page they are on and so the magazine is easy to navigate. Overall, I am really pleased with my first set of ideas for the interview and layout of the page, I have set it out in a professional way and used vocabulary that is regularly used in an interview to make it sound good and interesting. I have gone against the usual stereotype of portraying male singers in a negative way.

Draft of Music Magazine Contents

After a while of deciding on the layout of my contents page I finally came up with a way to show my pages so the reader can easily find what they are looking for. I have used the same colour scheme that is on my front cover, this shows a regular theme which will appeal to my target audience. The colours are not too bright so it is easy to read and understand. The main image on my contents page is of the pop/rock star that I made up - James Vice. In my final contents page I am going to edit my main image slightly to make it look more professional. I really like the way I have laid out the pages and put them into one column and then sectioned certain parts into different categories. I added an editorial to the page and included a photograph of me to make it look more realistic and professional. In my final contents page I am also going to change the font style of the caption underneath my main image to show different styles. i think the purple backgrounds and headers brighten up the contents page and make it more interesting and eye catching. This will draw the reader in as it is very noticeable and bold. 

Masthead Idea's

I eventually came up with the name 'Jukebox' for my magazine masthead. It symbolises the varied music shown on my magazine. The first style font that I tested out was Bickham Script Pro. I don't like this font and I don't think it is appropriate for a music magazine. It is also hard to read and in my opinion it wouldn't stand out because the reader would not be able to read the masthead of the magazine and the colour is not very bold and eye catching. The second font I tested out is too plain, the style was 'HeadLineA', the letters are very bold and I don't like how close they are. However I do like the colour of the masthead and I will consider this as part of my colour scheme because it stands out and looks good. 'Goudy Old Style' is the font that I used for my third masthead and I really like it, it stands out and matches well with the dark purple colour. I like the style of the letters therefore this is going to be my final masthead which will be on my magazine, however on my magazine I will make it bold so it is even more eye catching. The final masthead idea is 'Tekton Pro', I do like this style of font as it is different and bold, it would stand out on a magazine, however it doesn't really fit in with my magazine idea's therefore I won't be choosing this style or colour on my magazine. 

Contents Deconstruction

Looking into different styles of contents pages has made me realise that in my contents page I will set out the pages into columns, sectioning off certain pages into categories so it is easier for the reader to find the pages that they want to read. I have learnt that it is always good to have an editorial section included on the contents page, explaining what the aims of the magazine are and what the magazine includes. On my magazine I will include a main image of the subject focused on my double page feature along with a brief description so my reader knows what to expect and is drawn into the article. As well as that I will make sure the writing is readable and that there is a description under the page titles so the reader knows the contents of Jukebox magazine.

Double Page Deconstruction

After researching different magazine double page features I learnt all the different aspects within the article. They must include strong images focused on the interviewer and include a lot of terminology to make it sound professional. When I create my double page feature I will use the idea of a big main image on the opposite side of the article, possibly looking towards the interview because I think it will attract the reader to look at it and read through the interview. I will also take quotes from the interview and make them bigger in order to draw the reader in when flicking through the magazine. The colour scheme will be basic but bold enough to stand out.

Magazine Cover Deconstruction

From researching these front pages I have learnt how the different aspects of a magazine are very important when attracting the target audience. You must have a bold font choice and a colour scheme that blends in together so it is easy for the reader to read the information within the magazine. In order to attract your target audience I have learnt you must use things that appeal to them. In my magazine I will use the big main image because I believe that is important as it will attract the audience to the magazine, I will also take into consideration where I place my masthead and main sell line. 

Magazine Rationale

My magazine is called Jukebox, I chose this name because it is music based and when you hear it you instantly think of music. The genre of my magazine is mixed, there will be pop, rock, and indie. This is a connotation of my magazine masthead because Jukeboxes play many different types of genres and artists. I have been able to gather many different images of artists for my magazine, at the stadium of light in 2010 I was able to take photographs of P!nk, Kings of Leon and Robbie Williams as they performed in their separate tours. Also, in September 2012 I went to see the band Lawson and managed to take many pictures. As well as pictures of artists, I created my own music star - James Vice, I used my brother as a model to create an artist for my double page spread, and I have also taken pictures of a friend that has madonna inspired make-up on, this image will be used as a make-up feature. All of these images will appear on my magazine in some way, either on my front cover, contents page or double page spread or even just mentioned as I don't want my pages to become too crammed. My magazine is targeted towards teenagers/young adults, this is the primary audience, the age range will be 16 to mid 20's. My magazine will appeal to both male and female as the artists that I will be using are liked by both genders. The secondary audience will be people who like music and the artists they see on my magazine, this will appeal to them if they see their favourite singer or band on the front cover or contents page. 

Draft of Music Magazine Cover

I created my first draft of my music magazine front cover on photoshop. I like the way I have laid it out and the colour scheme, I think it stands out and would appeal to my primary and secondary audiences. My main image is a photograph that I taken once I dressed up and modelled my brother. I made him look like a pop/rockstar. I edited the contrast of the image to make it slightly brighter, his hair will attract the reader because it is eye catching and bold as well as that I have selected the background of the original image and deleted it so it was just white therefore blending in more. I have also used an image of the band Lawson that I took when I watched them perform, this is a sub image. I came up with the masthead Jukebox because it is music related and fits in with my magazine. The one thing that I do not like about my magazine draft is the main sell line, I think it is too plain therefore when I make the final front cover I will change it into something more appealing and interesting.