Tennis season is not over when it comes to video games, as the successor to AO Tennis takes to centre court against TopSpin 2K25.

Australian developer Big Ant Studios may not have quite the profile of Capcom or Bungie, but they’ve carved out a sizable niche for themselves in sports simulations, with a back catalogue that includes rugby, cricket, and Aussie rules football games, along with a growing list of tennis titles. While none of them has hit classic status, there was a gentle uplift in review scores between AO International Tennis and AO Tennis 2, making the arrival of the catchily named Tiebreak: Official Game Of The ATP And WTA a moment for cautious optimism.

Like April’s TopSpin 2K25, it’s not named after any particular tournament or player. However, Tiebreak does benefit from the two governing bodies listed in its name, meaning you get more than 120 named players from the circuit, from Alcaraz and del Potro, to Andy Murray, whose recent retirement from the sport is roundly ignored.

Its cover star is Novak Djokovic and say what you like about his wearying views on Covid vaccines, belief that female players should earn less, and inflammatory stance on Kosovan independence, he’s still an exceptionally good player. His past glories are the focus of an entire game mode in Tiebreak, which lets you replay some of his landmark encounters, many of which are against Federer, Nadal, and Murray.

Alongside online multiplayer that takes in both singles and doubles, the game’s real meat and potatoes remains career mode, where you choose either a named star or your own blank slate made-up player, whose name you can choose, along with their nationality, voice, and even the frequency with which they grunt when hitting the ball. You can also set their over-arching play style, which admittedly has only a subtle effect, and can be changed at any time during their career if you change your mind.

As you progress through the ATP circuit, if your player’s male, or the WTA if they’re female you earn XP and reputation, the latter based not only on your performance, but also on your reactions between points and the answers you select in post-match press conferences. That influences the sponsorship offers you get, but weirdly XP doesn’t seem to do anything at all – it doesn’t even buff your player’s stats.

The actual tennis is also something of a mixed bag, even if Tiebreak is far more instantly accessible than TopSpin 2K25. They both absolutely require you to play through their tutorials, but Tiebreak’s interface is simpler and more intuitive, making its default and most reliable shot, the topspin return, easy and satisfying to pull off, even if other shots, and the tactics around using them, don’t feel as fully formed as its competitor’s.

The unfortunate side effect of this is gameplay that lacks some of the subtlety that inspires long term appeal. Court surfaces make little difference, with grass feeling all but indistinguishable from clay, and the ball’s speed and bounce varying so minimally that the biggest differentiation between tournaments is visual rather than strategic. That’s certainly not the case in the real sport, where Nadal’s prowess on grass, and Djokovic’s dominance on hard courts, change the course of whole tournaments.

There’s a similar double edge to the official ATP and WTA licences. On one hand, you get accurately modelled real players, who do genuinely look like their real-life counterparts, even if they don’t really move with any of their signature style. It gives the game a sense of recognition and grounding in the sport itself. The downside is that you get the impression so much of the game’s development budget was spent on the IP that its mechanics haven’t had the polish they need.

That means venues have flat, texture-free walls and seating, and on-court animations often look stilted and robotic, with players either lurching towards the ball or weirdly aborting an animation halfway through. It can be pretty distracting, and along with lacklustre opponent AI, in which even topflight players make repeated and uncharacteristic unforced errors, there’s a general absence of finesse, and a pervasive sense of rough edges.

Tiebreak’s huge and recognisable list of official players is an impressive feat, and for tennis fans gives matches an unmistakeable gravitas that no-name players lack. It also plays a solid game, even if its mechanics lack the slightly harder-to-learn nuance of TopSpin 2K25, its nearest and most recent rival.

While far from a complete washout, Tiebreak’s comparative lack of refinement, both graphically and in its gameplay, make it less interesting to play, even if its immediacy and mechanical simplicity make it more straightforward to pick up and play. The chances are this will appeal to a somewhat different set of players, but it’s not a game for everyone.

Formats: PlayStation 5 (reviewed), Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and PC
Price: £49.99
Publisher: Nacon
Developer: Big Ant Studios
Release Date: 22nd August 2024
Age Rating: 3

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It’s impossible to be across all the new music out each Friday. Luckily, PAPER is here to help you out: each week, we round up 10 of our favorite new songs from artists — emerging and established — to soundtrack your life. From the surreal to the sublime, these songs cover every corner of the music world. The only criteria: they all have to absolutely rip.

Subscribe to our Sound Off Spotify playlist here and check out this week’s tracks, below.

A$AP Rocky – “Tailor Swif”

This one-off track, previously leaked and now released as a loosie to tide over fans waiting on Don’t Be Dumb, is casual but fun, a chance for Rocky to let off steam after the more experimental “HIGHJACK.”

My Wonderful Boyfriend – “My New Shirt”

NYC band My Wonderful Boyfriend tap into a ramshackle kind of power-pop on “My New Shirt,” which builds from loose sprechgesang to an anthemic oh-oh-oh chorus.

Jamie xx, Kelsey Lu, John Glacier, Panda Bear – “Dafodil”

This divine posse cut – can you call it that? – from Jamie xx’s forthcoming In Waves perfectly captures the cultural mishmash of London in the late summer, when UE Booms compete for space at the local park and nights stretch on for hours.

That Kid, Harmony – “Calvin Klein”

This frantic mashup of EDM and Jersey Club, featuring Harmony, moves at a breakneck pace but still has a twinge of heartbreak and bitterness.

Coco & Clair Clair – “My Girl”

Coco and Clair Clair put a positive spin on Crystal Castles pastiche on this sleazy, sparkly highlight from their new album Girl.

Mustafa – “Old Life”

Lush, percussive production courtesy of Dahi and Simon Hessman provides perfect backing for Mustafa’s smoky vocals on “Old Life.”

Caribou – “Come Find Me”

Dan Snaith goes French touch mode on “Come Find Me,” a hazy, excitingly expressive cut from his forthcoming album.

SOPHIE, Bibi Bourelly – “Exhilarate”

This song from SOPHIE’s posthumous final album shows off the late producer’s pop side, her bulbous synths pairing perfectly with Bibi Bourelly’s soaring vocal.

Tucker Zimmerman, Big Thief – “Burial At Sea”

Tucker Zimmerman, one of the most legendary songwriters of all time, takes an assist from Big Thief on ambling, warmly-toned new single.

MICHELLE – “Cathy”

Prime dinner party music from the NYC R&B six-piece MICHELLE, which gently flows into a sneakily catchy chorus.

Photography: Raphael Gaultier

Tommy Cash had a dream. In 2020, he came up with the concept of the Sex Olympics, which would be a film that replaced gymnastics and pole vaulting with jizz nastiness and pole sucking. “I combined what might be humankind’s two greatest passions through the ages — sex and sport,” he says.

He didn’t think it was possible. It was too crazy, too big of an idea, and people would be turned off. But when the 2024 Paris Olympics were coming around, the 32-year-old Estonian artist knew he had to make it happen. The result is “UNTZ UNTZ,” a fully NSFW film which depicts an imaginary, but very viable, Olympic games where the athletes were competing on who could squirt the furthest, suck the hardest and make it to the finish line the quickest.

“Not many things make us excited every day,” Cash says in the behind-the-scenes video, which premieres today on PAPER. That’s why, though a huge undertaking, he had to lock in and see the fully realized project through to the end. There were many obstacles in making it all happen, like casting the right people who would be willing and able to do such never-been-done-before things on camera. “I didn’t know about a lot in this territory,” he says. “For instance, when you give pointers as a director to an adult actor, how he continues to jerk off calmly when you talk to him to keep himself hard.”

But Tommy Cash has a way of pushing boundaries in a very crisp, perfectionist fashion. He is the modern day Weird Al Yankovic in a way, just make it Post-Soviet, a little more twisted, and super online.

Watch the exclusive behind-the-scenes of “UNTZ UNTZ” below, and check out the fully uncensored version available at Warehouse-X channel at Pornhub.

Photography: GV Andi, Alligator Jesus

Christina Aguilera has clearly spent her life on set. The performance begins at the entrance of her dressing room; when she’s finally ready to emerge from hours in glam, her own BTS videographer captures the walk — a powerful strut and determined face — like she’s on a runway towards our cover shoot camera. She becomes Xtina, the provocative ultra-“Dirrty” pop legend, at one point flipping into a downward dog while keeping perfect eye contact with the photographer. In that pose — an odd choice that somehow really works — it’s apparent to everyone watching why she’s lasted this long at the top of entertainment. At 43 years old, Aguilera has carved out a legacy of surprising but committed choices, and is more clear-headed than ever with her next moves.

For now, though, she’s celebrating 25 years since the release of her first album, Christina Aguilera. With a fresh-faced, entirely inoffensive cover, the 1999 breakout was a massive commercial success and reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard 200 with three No. 1 singles: “Genie in a Bottle,” “What a Girl Wants” and “Come On Over Baby (All I Want Is You).” This effort made Aguilera globally famous and won her a Grammy for Best New Artist, but it wasn’t necessarily the type of creative endeavor she was soul-searching for. The albums that followed would showcase the fearless artist we know today. Most notably: Stripped, with its queer anthems about self-empowerment and fighting back; Back to Basics with its studied reinterpretations of jazz and blues; and the ever-controversial Bionic, which was misunderstood upon release but has become a cult favorite.

On her debut’s official anniversary, PAPER caught up with Christina Aguilera to reflect on nearly three decades of music-making.

Christina, how are you?

Just getting back from Japan, so getting regulated again to LA time.

Is the jet lag intense?

We had a lot of late nights. I don’t really do good with trying to plan out the sleep. I just kind of go with the flow, but I’m okay.

You looked amazing. Everyone was dying over your hair, specifically.

Iggy [Rosales] killed that hair. He was like a surgeon, it was precision in the back of my head. I can’t see the back of my head, clearly, I saw photos after the fact. I knew it was sick, but I didn’t know it was so beautiful and precise. I think it was his happy place, too, so we just went in and had the most fun with the creativity. How can you not when in Japan? It’s the most inspiring place I know.

Iggy always kills it. I also love the video clip going around of your mic falling out of its stand in Japan. What better way to show that you’re delivering a live vocal during “Ain’t No Other Man”?

[Laughs] I know, it’s hilarious. The top of the stand was loose, it wasn’t together, so… somebody’s got to know about that. It popped out and I was like oop, and just hit that note right in time. But I’ve had worse happen on stage, so–

In moments like those, do you just laugh and keep it moving? Or are you an extreme perfectionist in that way?

I am an extreme perfectionist as far as prepping and making sure the details are together. I do as much as I can to prepare because I’ve been through it all after so long, but at the same time, when it does hit the fan it’s like, Whatever. There’s more important things to life than a mic falling off a stand. You’ve got to laugh and roll with it as a performer.

Have you always had that perspective, or is that something you’ve had to grow into and learn? The art of letting go.

I have a really good sense of humor about myself. At the end of the day, I don’t take myself and fame so seriously. I’m in it for the love and the creativity, and how I can connect and hopefully spread messages. But as far as the fame itself, it’s never been the goal. That’s the most frustrating part for me: having to over give myself when I’m such a private person, especially with this age of social media. Everybody wants something of you. But having such a history in the business, I learned very early on that it’s impossible to strive for complete perfection and to please every single person in every way. I am a perfectionist, but there’s an element of being raw that I love with live performing. Being too strategic loses the element of living in the moment as an artist. I’m a weird juxtaposition of things, but now more than ever I get comfortable with the idea of letting go. And you have to be an example to your kids, too. You can’t fall apart, shit’s gonna happen, things are gonna get messy. So I try to keep a positive headspace for them.

When you’re younger and first starting out in your career, everything feels like the end of the world. But you realize quickly that another day comes, and then another day. So you really have to let things go in order to have a healthy perspective.

Only time will teach you that. When you’re young, you don’t know anything else, so you have this sense of narcissism where you think it is all about you. Then you grow up, and at the end of the day people move on, people don’t care. I’m into finding my own joy now, I don’t put my joy in the hands of other people. I think that’s why I’ve never followed the standards with exactly how my albums should sound or fitting a mold. I’ve always tried to be about where I’m at creatively and look at the big picture.

I’m into finding my own joy now, I don’t put my joy in the hands of other people.

You’ve definitely been a rule-breaker, but your debut album captures such a collective moment in pop culture and music, both in what it looked and sounded like. When you look back on that, do you feel like you had creative control?

That was my first go at creating an album and knowing what that whole experience felt like. Also, discovering myself as an artist at a time when pop artists were very label-driven. Now, artists are coming out and having more of a say and creative control, even in their own voice, with what they can put out over social media. It’s a more self-controlled world out there, which is great. But growing up, there was a mold that was clear to me they wanted me to meet. And I get it, you want to sell your records. I grew up on the Mickey Mouse Club, I was a Disney kid, so I knew about following a schedule and doing what you can to get ahead and follow this dream. It showed me early on what it feels like to have massive success and still not feel creatively fulfilled.

So I started accumulating and writing what would be Stripped, while I was having that massive success and charting. I noticed it wasn’t about that for me. Of course, my dreams were coming true and it was fantastic to feel that wave and see that I was being received by fans, people that would later call themselves “Fighters,” but it showed me that it’s not about charting or numbers. Because when you have that and you’re on stage doing songs that don’t speak truly to your heart, then what’s the point? I need in my soul to be more fulfilled than that. So that’s where Stripped was able to be birthed. You’re going to get criticism from both sides no matter what you do, so I learned that I might as well be doing what I want to do and get criticism for it.

It’s like, what’s worse: being criticized for something you made that you love or being widely praised for something you don’t connect with?

For me, it’s about the truth. I have to feel strong in my message and my core and what I’m doing out there. I think it’s been apparent throughout my career that I’ve taken risks and chances. It’s very easy to play it safe for public perspective, so that they feel safe. People are comfortable with what they know, and when you change the script on them and change your sound — which I purposely did with every record — wanting to explore, wanting to experiment and not wanting to stay the same. I didn’t want to be a one-dimensional ballad singer, I didn’t want to be known for one specific thing. That’s where I started with Stripped, showcasing every side of myself unapologetically: from “Dirrty” to the vulnerability of “Beautiful” to the strength of “Fighter.” It caused a lot of commotion and conversation, but I welcomed it. I was like, Why does this not sit well? Why does this bother you so much? It opened up a lot of conversations about politics and sexuality and double standards. I’m really proud, looking back, that I was that young and able to express that and do it passionately.

It makes me think about the question, What is the role of a pop star in our culture? Pop stars are like mirrors to the world, in the things that we love or fear. With “Dirrty,” obviously everyone is sexual to a degree, but for whatever reason they also can be afraid of sex. So when a public figure, a pop star like yourself, makes something addressing that, it really shakes people up in exciting ways.

You can make these choices. You can make them to play it safe and go along with the flow, or you can do things that really move people and shake it up. And I don’t intentionally, I think it’s corny to do things intentionally for pop culture, noise and for attention to stay quote-unquote “relevant.” That becomes its own weird animal that gets away from artistry, period. So you can be a pop artist and genuinely do what you do, and still come through with messages and change it up. I never was interested in making the same record over and over again, that’s my worst idea of music. It’s part of our jobs as musicians to see where music is moving and see what’s happening socially. It really is about connecting and trying to bring people together.

I will never be a part of the creative world in a way that jeopardizes my own integrity.

How do you know that something you’re working on is going to resonate in the way that you’re describing?

When you connect with your gut. When you get into a space where it becomes about a gimmick, when it becomes about trying to fit a mold, when it becomes about trying too hard to get a charted record, you lose the authenticity there. And that’s why the formulaic pop route was always a place I tried to stay away from. Yes, I do pop music. Yes, I love writing things that people can sing along to. I’ve done things for soundtracks or that fit a specific genre and a purpose for clubs that are free and not as deep as I would personally go. But when it comes to making my albums, that’s how you really connect.

Even my kids, they get very upset when I don’t include [my 2010 song] “Bionic” in my set list. My son doesn’t listen to pop music at all. He’s off the grid, but he goes back to the Prodigy and that’s when I was coming up. Certain things really do stand the test of time and are ahead. “Bionic” was not a huge song, but I can’t tell you how much love I get for that specific album. You listen to that song now and it holds up. At the end of the day, you look at the actual body of work. Whenever I’m not around anymore, for generations to come, they can enjoy different aspects of what I did and the music lives on. This is about the bigger picture.

I lived through all your album cycles and Back to Basics was massive for me, so it was interesting to see Bionic received in a much different way. What was it about the timing of that album release?

Back to Basics was a bit more relatable. It addressed sounds that we’ve heard and grew up on: soul music and blues and jazz, things that are very familiar. The imagery too, I was inspired by old Hollywood and glam. In comparison, Bionic was an adventurous album. I was very inspired at the time by electronica music, by M.I.A. and Ladytron, Switch and John Hill, who are incredible producers. They knew how to piece together these intricate electronic sounds, and these are newer to the ear. At the end of the day, sometimes things happen in pop culture that people aren’t ready for. But it’s not for me to really know and dissect, because I put something out there that I truly loved and still love to this day. “Bionic” and “Vanity,” these records that are so fun to perform live and get the audience hype and stand the test of time.

Some of the songs that felt so bizarre at the time could come out now and really hit.

Like “Woohoo,” for instance, is so fun with Nicki [Minaj] on it. And even “Elastic Love” is one of my favorites that I did with M.I.A. That is such a weird song, but we used a really cool effect on my voice and I was excited to use my voice in different ways.

Peaches has an incredible guest verse on “My Girls.” How’d she get involved?

All I listened to was The Teaches of Peaches for the entire Stripped album as I was recording it.

Were you working in-studio with all these Bionic collaborators?

It was a lot of in-person, like Ladytron came to my studio. Sia, she was a very special one, because I was such a fan of hers. I enjoyed being with her and her support while I was recording vocals. She made me laugh a lot and her songwriting is epic. It was such an incredible album with so many different moving parts.

It’s definitely tricky making art for public consumption. With magazines, it can feel similar. In the case of Bionic, when people had polarizing opinions, how did you work through knowing that you love it regardless of anyone’s criticism?

I make that decision before I release it. It’s almost like you’re protective of your child: If I send this out into the world, it’s not mine anymore. You want to protect it and love it, and you don’t want people to be mean to it, like a child. But at the same time, I’m not going to shy away from a challenge. If you’re a real artist, you’re gonna put yourself out there. You get it to a place where it’s like, No matter what somebody can say about it, I love it. It can’t be broken because it’s a part of me, it’s real. That’s why I don’t hold weight in numbers or in other people’s opinions, because it’s so easy to critique and cast judgment. But it comes with the territory, I get it. You have to be able to stay authentic, or else you’ll lose your own sense of self and creativity.

I always wonder why we place so much value on art being the most wide-reaching and resonating with as many people as possible, versus making something that really speaks to a focused group of people. Why does everything need to be for everyone?

Well, you’re speaking to the wrong person. I’m not a machine, I’m not a number. I’m a human who wants to connect on a very human level. To a lot of people, it is about numbers because numbers generate dollars and that’s when it becomes business and stale and, to me, the ugly beast of the creative business. Success is great, it brings people together. It generates conversation. But I will never be a part of the creative world in a way that jeopardizes my own integrity.

There is a new me that has been growing and building, and it is so ready to emerge.

Looking back to the first album and pivoting into Stripped, do you feel like you would have had as much creative agency if you didn’t have the success of your debut?

I’m definitely grateful for that. It set me up with a platform and a fan base. When you’re popular and you have that kind of success, people are waiting for you to fall, as well. Having that experience, I don’t know that Stripped would have been as impactful for me and my fans because I was so boxed in with that record [Christina Aguilera] that I needed to break away from feeling confined in what pop meant in that bubble. At the time, I wanted to get away from it so much and express who I was.

Sometimes in order to break the rules, like you did with Stripped, you have to understand and play inside the rules first. Otherwise you’re just senselessly screaming into the forest without making an actual impact like you did with “Fighter” or “Beautiful.” It’s because you got into the music machine and were successful that you were able to make a change.

I was taught many lessons with [my first album], not only about myself and where I wanted to find joy in music, but when you have that level of success so early on there’s so much disappointment that comes because people change around you. I was surrounded by a lot of male figures, where I constantly heard things you don’t need to hear. I was caught in all of that and learned a lot early on to create “Fighter.” Even “Dirrty,” like stop with your ideals of me being in this little bubble of being sexy, but not too sexy. Be sweet, but not too sweet. Get all these ideals off me. I’m 21, I’m going out to clubs and having fun with my dancers. You work so hard when you’re in that world of having multiple charting hits and you’re on this wave. You’re in such a blur of a schedule that you can’t even think straight. It was a lot and it all went into the artist that I was going to become.

In the early 2000s, there was definitely this weird cultural obsession with youth and innocence that we don’t really have anymore.

It’s inappropriate and you’d get canceled for it, yeah. People are being held accountable now in a way that they were never before.

[Christina’s daughter briefly interrupts the conversation]

Yes, my love? I’m just doing an interview right now, baby, do you need something? No, you’re just checking in. Okay my love, are you hungry? Give me a minute. I love you, I’ll come get you when I’m done.

I’ll give you a little more time. I’m so sorry.

No, you’re so fine.

We’re full of love.

Does she come with you on the road?

It’s a family affair. We are a close-knit bunch. I actually went a week earlier [to Japan] just to have a family vacation there because it’s such a special place for me.

I’m going to be that voice that I didn’t have growing up for my mother, be that voice for other people that feel voiceless in their own circumstances.

That’s amazing. Going back to the topic of innocence, a quick scan of the interviews you were doing around the success of “Genie in a Bottle,” people would talk to you about how provocative the song was, but then try to maintain your innocence in an uncomfortable way. It really was more so a reflection of everyone else at that time. How do you look back on it?

It definitely was a time to hypersexualize the little girl playing innocent thing. That’s why “Dirrty” was so important to me. I hated feeling like I had to play both sides of the coin in a way that I wasn’t comfortable with and in a way that I felt was inauthentic. I’m not trying to be cutesy for nobody, I need to rough this up, whether you like it or not. As I said, I was surrounded by a lot of older males, it was a different time. But it’s definitely an environment to this day I don’t like being around: the macho male gaze. I just can’t do it, it’s a really uncomfortable place for me to be. A lot of people can stomach that, but I’m just not that girl.

“Dirrty” was you taking full ownership of your sexuality, then.

Thank you, yeah.

My first big tour ever was for Back to Basics. I remember I convinced my dad to bring me because I was like, “There are real instruments, a real horn section. She’s throwing it back to the classics.” And then, of course, it was the Pussycat Dolls and Danity Kane opening, a very sexual show. There was just me and my dad watching it together in Minnesota. Those types of moments are so important. Do you think about the lasting impact you’ve had on certain people throughout your career, especially young queer kids like myself?

I’ve gotten the feedback of how certain videos like “Beautiful,” to show two men kissing, were very meaningful for a lot of people and made them feel okay to come out. “Beautiful” addressed things that people don’t want to talk about, things that people don’t want to reveal and I revealed them in that video. We could have made a very different video where I was playing it safe, very cliché, but I went to a place of forcing it upon the public. Looking back, I’m so proud. It was early on in my life where I didn’t even think twice about it. There’s a lot to be said about why something makes you uncomfortable. What is that? Let’s get into it, let’s talk about it. It takes a lot to be able to look inwards and challenge your own beliefs. Most people can’t do it.

As a pop artist and a public figure, you give people the permission to explore these parts of themselves. It’s a very important part of our society, almost religious.

This is why the messages are so important. Coming from an abusive household and seeing my mom feel voiceless and disempowered ignited something in me very early on. I grew up singing in front of people. I could see the reaction as a little girl, when I opened my mouth to sing. I was born with something I believe to be a gift, and I don’t take that lightly. I’m going to be that voice that I didn’t have growing up for my mother, be that voice for other people that feel voiceless in their own circumstances. It was very hard for me to stomach a lot of what I saw growing up, so I made a very early decision that I would come with something to say.

Creatively, what inspires you today? You’ve been performing a lot, but are you working on new music?

I have done a lot of traveling and I’m definitely ready for some new material to bring to the show. I took a minute to really put together my Spanish album. I had always wanted to do that and follow another Spanish album from my debut. I came home with a Latin Grammy, it was such a beautiful experience. I had the best time in Miami recording that. Music is dying to come out of me. At this point, there is a new me that has been growing and building, and it is so ready to emerge. It’s going to take a little longer than I wanted it to, but it is what it is. Being a mom is super important to me, my private life, finding things outside of the stage that truly bring me inner joy. You have to have a balance of both. I would not be happy if I didn’t have the stage and my creativity and my music to express myself, but also having my personal time to do yoga and be in my own backyard and have time to be a kid or be with my kids is so vitally important to me.

If you’re always working, there’s no space to be creative. I’d imagine it’s difficult to find balance.

I definitely need a moment to be left alone, to make my art and come up with what I have to say. But I have so many lyrics at this point. I have so many thoughts and feelings, and I’m a different person than I was even last year. I’m growing at a very fast rate, and I notice a lot about myself and the kind of life that I want to live and the kind of peace that I want to have in my life. What I will tolerate now and what I won’t. Not allowing myself to go places that I know are going to disrupt my happiness and peace and joy. Releasing all of it into an album is going to be a part of that joy and peace that I get. It’s just going to take a little bit longer than I wanted it to, but it’s coming. I believe that it will be the most authentic work I’ve ever done.

Photography: Erica Snyder
Styling: Chris Horan
Hair: Yuichi Ishida
Makeup: Hector Espinal
Nails: Zola Ganzorigt
Set design: Natalie Falt

Digitech: Graham Austin
Photo assistants: Brandon Yee, Andrei Kvapil
Set design assistant: Natasha Romano
Production assistant: Ricardo Diaz
Styling assistants: Greer Heavrin, Ian Elmowitz
Retouching: Yelena Popova

Editor-in-chief: Justin Moran
Managing editor: Matt Wille
Editorial producer: Angelina Cantú
Cover type: Jewel Baek
Publisher: Brian Calle

It’s early May, and Warsaw — the tiny Polish community center turned Greenpoint venue — is packed to the brim. Fontaines D.C. is playing a surprise gig in the small, sweaty room, and before they’ve even struck an opening chord, fans are buzzing about the impending performance and chance to see the Dublin-born, London-based band play tracks from their then-unreleased album Romance live.

The band saunters on stage to the album’s title track “Romance” in all its haunting, distorted, sluggish majesty. The crowd howls as they appear, standing with a relaxed confidence saved for those effortlessly cool, stylish-without-trying individuals who are both too talented to avoid the limelight but not necessarily comfortable in its glare.

It’s the same energy I witnessed just two days earlier, first while chatting with guitarist Carlos O’Connell over coffee in a Williamsburg hotel lobby, then while speaking to vocalist and lyricist Grian Chattan as he smoked a cigarette on the patio. Both are dressed as if they’ve lifted their clothing from a the pages of a ‘90s rock-and-roll magazine, silver oval sunnies and timeless Adidas gear in tow.

Fans eagerly devoured “Starburster,” the band’s first single from Romance, when it dropped in April — a sinister, symphonic, spiraling track, with twinkling keys, bellowing drums and a viscous guitar part that kicks in after the words “it may feel bad” plays in the round. The words ”momentary blissness” repeated at the refrain have been stuck in my head ever since. Both dripping with ‘90s Brit Pop sensibilities and warnings of the post-punk future yet to come, the track was inspired by a panic attack Chattan had at a London tube station, his sharp inhales and sonic breaks in the track mirroring his inner distress. The lyrics are pristine and the production, led by James Ford (Blur and Arctic Monkeys) is peerless. Played live it hits you like a blaring, riotous, ton of cathartic bricks. It’s the post-punk the kids have been promised, realized.

Below, PAPER speaks to Chattan and O’Connell about Romance — the album and the idea — and how they birthed their fourth album into the world.

I read that the album centering around the idea that “romance is a place” — how did that become the theme that threaded the album together?

Carlos O’Connell: Grian [Chattan] had the idea of calling the album Romance, which I loved. I loved the simplicity of it and the vastness of the meaning. And then he had the song called “Romance.” He was playing it on guitar, sort of like an old school Elvis ballad. It wasn’t going to fit on the record like that, so we got into the room one day and to change it up and [our drummer Tom Coll] started with this percussion thing and I had my set up with my Mellotron and my keyboards and it would make this louder sound. It created such a dark atmosphere and that became a more central piece to the album than it was intended to be because the lyrics were so brilliant.

How was it working with James Ford in the studio?

Carlos: James is great. He works so hard. He’s always honest. He’s one of those people that just never switches off in a very calm way. You know, it’s like, we all like, need to switch off, you know? We all need to switch off. Anytime we’ve recorded albums we end up having really long nights of watching movies. And we went to France where there was no TV in sight so we were like “How are we going to do our movie nights here?” We actually bought a projector and set up a cinema and moved everything around in the main living room and connected the speaker to the main sound system there. There was a roll of white paper they had for photo shoots that I think [Arctic Moneys frontman] Alex Turner had bought when they recorded there. So, we set up this massive screen and ended up spending so much time in our cinema room.

What’d you watch?

Carlos: We watched a couple of the Pusher movies, these Danish movies. We watched quite a bit of Studio Ghilbi stuff. We have this thing of watching harrowing movies. Like on the last one Skinty we went this list of the most harrowing movies of all time. But anyways, James didn’t come by the cinema once. He just doesn’t stop. He’s superhuman. Very organized, very tidy which is important I think in the way he works musically. Everything is recorded is very tidy, from the very start of the process. What should be a rough take is already very tight. There’s no spill there’s no crazy cymbal sound. It really allows your ear to hear the space that hasn’t been worked on yet. That was the most interesting part of working with James, this patience and organization that allows you to in a very slow way. He just makes the space appear.

When you listen to the album there’s distortion and there’s noise but that musicality is still there. Did working with him allow the sound to be clean but still sound like yourselves?

Carlos: Yeah, exactly. It was very inspiring. My ideas kept flowing all the time. There always comes a time in an album where your ideas stop, there’s no more room for them. The way he works, everything so organized that there’s always room for another idea.

I read this great quote you had about digging into “what’s fantasy, what’s the tangible world, and what’s in your mind?” on the album. Where did the question come from for you?

Carlos: It’s a question of meaning ultimately. I guess as a band we’ve probably have asked that question all the time. The meaning of belonging, the meaning of not belonging. The meaning of being present or not. As things have gone our way and gone good, and life is suddenly, even through all the bottoms and depression made it hard to enjoy a lot of it for different people at different times. I have a big thing for luck. I think we are lucky. I very much respect luck it’s a thing that I don’t like to fuck with.

Don’t fuck with luck.

Carlos: No. I really believe it’s there, you know. And I believe it’s not entirely out of your hands. That’s why I really don’t like gambling. I get too obsessed with the idea that I can control it and ultimately that not the way we should work with luck. It’s a very delicate way of working it. So when everything goes well, you can say the tangible world is one that should be joyous. So, is the tangible world real or not? Because the joyous one doesn’t feel real to me and the depression in my head, that’s the only real one. And, in a way, the depression is fantasy. But maybe, it’s the total opposite. Real good things happening to the band and real life consequences and not being able to really appreciate it made me question the tangibility of things. Then I became a dad and [pauses as Grian shows up from upstairs, they embrace.] I became a dad, and the tangibility of that in insane. That’s the purest thing in the world, a baby. That’s totally real.

So you know that at least that is real.

Carlos: Yeah. Then at the same time that’s real for me. It’s not real for her, for my baby. She has to dream and I need her to feel like her dreaming is real. I don’t need to do that anymore because I have her. Love is fantasy, but it can be totally real. Being a dad made me very existential in a positive way. I’ve been existential since I was three years old. I watched The Neverending Story it made me have an existential crisis at five. Crazy movie. Shouldn’t really be shown to kids.

Atreyu getting into our heads. What was it about that movie that made you question things?

Carlos: There’s no escape from that never-ending thing. Just absolutely terrifying. So I think that movie is what made me existential. But then having a kid turned that into a really positive thing and it’s made me look back at everything. I definitely have been in a daydream my whole life. I struggled with the fact that I couldn’t believe in my daydream or live in my daydream. I want my daughter to be able to dream … to be able to live in that.

I wanted to ask you about “Horseness Is The Whatness,” the album’s oldest track. You wrote that in Spain, right?

Carlos: I was in Spain after recording Skinty Fia, and I was starting to see my partner now, the mother of my kid. It was very up and down and not working. And it going to a point of like this is over. And something I’ve done since forever, whenever I go through heartbreak I go somewhere on my own thinking that I’m gonna be fixed or happier. It usually is the total opposite. I did it here in New York years ago. I did in Paris, which is where I met my girlfriend now. I walked the width of Spain when I 18 because of it. And I ended up on a farm in Spain, and this one was the worst one because I’d developed a drinking habit. Usually those trips are quite pure for me. This time I was like I love drinking it’s great, I feel shit and then I don’t. So, I was on my own on a farm blasting hip hop and drinking loads of wine and i was gonna write an album. Obviously didn’t write anything. I sat in the sun all day and didn’t really use my internet. I read a few books and the last one I read was Still Life With Woodpecker and I loved the philosophy of life of the main character, outlaw. He puts a huge importance on word choice. A meaningful word is an important word. It must’ve been my second to last night there and I picked up my guitar again and those words came to me: “Understanding basics/ You’ll never let your guard down/ And always leave a card out.” I was heartbroken and cynical. I finished the song then I left.

What was the biggest difference in creating romance, in comparison to your last three albums? Did it come easier this time?

Carlos: It was hard but it ended up becoming actually easy in the process — we had always gone into the studio with albums 100% written. Barely any sort of creation happens in the studio. And with this album, we weren’t there at all. It was quite nerve-wracking. There were a lot of songs with no lyrics. There was a lot of songs with no structures. So the process was very different. There was a lot more writing still there so you have to get used to making decisions and sticking by them.

I’m excited to hear some of the songs live later this week. How do you hope people feel when they experience it in person?

Carlos: I’d love, even if it sounds a bit pretentious — and I’m telling you because someone said it to me the other day — and I said “That’s so amazing. I want everyone to feel like this.” I’d love for people to feel they’re 14 and they just discovered cool music for the first time. It’s good to feel like every record could function as a debut album.

I spoke to Carlos about this as well, but from your perspective, what was on the moment you knew the album was coming together?

Grian Chattan: Maybe 10 months ago, Carlos and I were texting songs that you have going on. I was walking through London by the Thames and he text me about a string arrangement for a song. I picked up the phone and was just like, “It’s happening, isnt’ it?” He probably didn’t tell you that’s the story …

I might of asked it a little differently. He said something about being experimental, and how “Favorite” came together.

Grian: We were doing a session in Maide Vale Studios in London, some stuff for Skinty Fia. We were in the hallway and Carlos is looking at his guitar and he showed me this chord progression and I start singing this melody. One of us took out our phone and we put the initial melody down. And that was the spark for how that song came about. There’s this new approach that started happening around that time. This openness and letting go and letting songs be nice melodies before we complicated them with lyrics and arrangements. It felt like there was a beating hear to this song.

We also talked about this idea of romance, and how you came up with that idea. Why was it an important thread or theme for you?

Grian: I’ve always been interested in subverting feelings. As soon as the industrial or futuristic side of the songs started to rear their head to call something that was going to sound like that [Romance] … it’s such a classic Hollywood title. It seemed fitting to me and exciting. The idea of a smoky metropolitan city, robotic, neon shit and then calling it Romance. That’s how it came about.

I did read about the lead up to the album and looking away from Ireland for a theme, do you think Romance came about because of touring? What was the experience that pushed you towards this idea?

Grian: We had a fair bit of time off, roughly six months which is more than we’re used to. We were able to absorb the environment of [London]… all of the inner workings and the mechanisms that make a city function. I like the idea of this large scale thing and we’re all ants dwarfed by it. I think those feelings happens. I watched a lot of movies. Got really into a lot of cinema. I really liked Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets have you seen that?

I haven’t.

Grian: Akira, that’s a big one for me. Some Love Death + Robots as well. Our inspiration on the record in general was a lot more futurism. This idea made it’s way into our subconscious. Musically, Sega Bodega, Eartheater. Did you go to Coachella?

I did but I missed Eatheater, I was backstage most of the time doing interviews.

Grian: I’ve never seen her live. But all of these influences have this almost doom like quality of where humanity may go. And the question of whether or not human frailty will persist and still be around.

That makes sense with the quote I read that you had about the album. This idea around “falling in love at the end of the world” and protecting this tiny flame and keeping it alive. Could you have written about this idea or theme at any other point in your life?

Grian: I don’t know. The social and political affairs in the world — we’re engulfed by them with social media it’s such intense discourse. It’s a 360-degree angle 24/7, and it can be difficult to go home and put the kettle on and ask your partner if they want a cup of tea, and I feel it. Those moments become more and more maybe nuanced against the backdrop of the — I don’t want to say dystopia because I sound like I’m in college smoking a joint. But yeah, it made those moments all the more powerful.

I wanted to ask about the lead single “Starburster” and this idea of permanently documenting a really vulnerable and personal experience? What is that allows you or drives you to be able to do that?

Grian: What drives it for me is the same old thing, and I find it really fun at the moment when I’m doing it. I don’t think about its application or its release or anything until much later when I have to. When I see the reaction flicker across the faces of the rest of the guys the band. When I wrote the lyrics to that song, I was trying to feel better, trying to turn that turmoil into something witty and funny or provocative to loosen this sense of immobility that comes with it or inertia… just trying to move.

Four albums in, working together as a band, having everyone bringing their own inspiration and with a new level of confidence — how did that translate into recording?

Grian: By the time we got into the studio, we had luckily achieved a deep understanding of what the whole record was supposed to do. And James Ford is a really good communicator. He’s a really good receptor as well. He understood the task at hand really quickly which is impressive cause we can go on. I remember banging the desk at one point and like “I want to get a cinema out of this thing James,” he found that stuff really funny.

What was the moment in the studio where you knew it was all coming together?

Grian: it was actually when I made the demo for “In The Modern World,” in my flat. I got to the chorus, and when it kicked in, I don’t know exactly what it was. When it happened i remember pausing and leaning back and being like, fuck. Then in the studio when I first heard the drones on “Starburster.” We were all like, “this has gone well.”

I asked Carlos this too, but how do you want the album to feel when people get to experience it?

Grian: I want it to feel really immersive and cinematic. I try and avoid the word cinematic as much as possible. I really want it to feel like you’re stepping into something as opposed to us hopping on stage and there’s an assault of music and moving around. I want it to feel like you stepped into a snow globe. Our snow globe.

Photography: Theo Cottle

“I LOVE YOU SO F***ING MUCH,” reads the text on the massive screens flanking the stage at Madison Square Garden. More than just an expletive-laced phrase of affirmation, it also happens to be the title of Glass Animals’ fourth studio album.

“These words take on a different meaning every time you say them,” frontman Dave Bayley says in the album’s bio. “The universe may make us feel overwhelmingly small, but we have this human connection that is far vaster and more mysterious.” That lean toward mystery can be heard throughout the band’s latest offering, in the echoing emotion in “Creatures in Heaven,” and the stirring “Tear in Space (Airlock),” which opens with the symphonic of a Western filmed in space, as Bayley sing-talks in his signature style over the melody. Or in the “Show Pony” that scurries in at the pace of a romantic lullaby, the kind you’d dance to slowly in some futuristic yet somehow ‘80s prom scene.

You may know Glass Animals from their bubbling track “Life Itself,” with its tongue-in-cheek lyrics on the dissolution of youth. If you’re like me, you also know them from their massive pandemic-era hit, “Heat Waves” that your nephew played repeatedly from his room during lockdown. Their fans know them for their affable nature, penchant for pineapple iconography and songs that refuse to drop into any formal genre – while other bands have found their footing by creating in conventional, formulaic ways, Glass Animals have continued to err on the side of eccentric, peculiar… dare I say, alien?

And so it makes perfect sense that the English foursome would fully transform the Garden as a stop on their space odyssey, performing around a ship on stage and with an audience playing along, in some cases in full green spaceman garb. After seeing the spectacle on a stage made of lasers, three-dimensional holograms and lo-fi meets futuristic visuals, we had to find out how exactly this feat had come to life.

The band worked with UK design studio Cassius Creative and Fray Studio on their biggest production to date. Under Bayley’s creative direction, they created scenes embodying vintage sci-fi references, Star Trek and Barbarella and culminating in a “retro-futuristic” vibe complete with spaceship consoles and a hologram dome.

Below, PAPER chats with Cassius Creative and Fray Studio to learn how they brought Glass Animals’ space odyssey to life.

Tell us how the collaboration with Glass Animals started.

Fray Studio: Our collaboration with Glass Animals has been an evolving journey. After creating expansive real-time visuals for their Dreamland.IRL show at Brooklyn Mirage, this new project presented an opportunity to craft a complete world alongside Cassius Creative. The process began with calls with Dave [Bayley], exploring his aesthetic vision and how current real-time — animation which is generated live, not pre-rendered — technology could bring unique ideas to the production. This concept evolved into a complex production involving 11 artists, each contributing to content for 23 unique video surfaces. The band’s dynamic performance requires a trusted operator on the road, triggering hundreds of video clips to create a seamless visual narrative.

Our team’s generational diversity was a key strength. The mix of perspectives, from those with firsthand memories of ’80s visual culture to younger artists with fresh interpretations, culminated in a visual language both nostalgic and forward-thinking, tailored specifically for Glass Animals.

Cassius Creative: The tour for the band’s I Love You So F****ing Much album is our second collaboration with Glass Animals, having started to work with them on their previous album campaign Dreamland from 2019.

Where as Dreamland was an all-encompassing, monochromatic world that remained ever present throughout the bands live show the brief for the new campaign was to embrace more darkness and space, both figuratively and literally, with references ranging from [German designer] Dieter Rams, to [German-British designer] Ken Adam, Barbarella and vintage Star Trek to create a retro-futuristic set piece, that could be further enhanced through video content and lighting.

This tour was a significant step up for the band, playing larger venues than on previous tours which allowed us the opportunity to be far more ambitious with the stage design than in the past. From our first conversations with Dave, it took over six months of moodboarding, meetings, drawings and rehearsals to get to a stage where we were ready for our first show this August.

How did you bring Dave’s vision to life?

Fray Studio: Dave’s involvement was integral from the start. Our role was to cultivate his vision into a fully realized show of video content. We focused on the concept of negative space, with Dave particularly drawn to exploring darkness. The directive was clear: create something deeper, darker and more unsettling than any previous Glass Animals production.

This led us to develop a unique lo-fi aesthetic reminiscent of early ’70s and ’80s computer graphics. We embraced the grain, peculiarities and distorted reality inherent in those early digital forms. However, this wasn’t mere recreation; it was about constructing a new, complete world on stage a bespoke visual journey complementing and enhancing the music from start to finish.

Cassius Creative: Dave’s creativity with his music, album campaign aesthetic and how he wants to visually represent that on stage is integral to the whole project. He is involved from the beginning and comes with a host of visual influences and source materials for us to use as a creative stimulus, but also a clear idea of the moods and atmospheres that he wants to convey.

Our job is to translate this into a visually engaging live show that connects scenic elements, lighting and video elements and houses the band in a way that provides an interactive stage space for them, whilst keeping it constantly engaging for the audience taking them on a journey throughout the live show.

It was crucial for Dave to create a world that was darker and moodier than shows they have had before, and touring under the title of “Human Musical Group Sensations Glass Animals Tour of Earth,” they wanted to set the performance on a unique take on a of space station with a “retro-futuristic” aesthetic; whilst at the same time we still wanted to maintain a playful element that had to still feel like a quintessential Glass Animals show.

Using the bold stage layout as the show’s foundation, we were keen to incorporate key moments throughout the set, to elevate this tour from previous shows. Highlights include a unique hologram as the centerpiece of the spaceship that showcases Glass Animals motifs, video content and appearances from virtual special guests; visceral lasers; an embedded lift within the spaceships floor that elevates Dave 10 feet from the floor to perform a “Lost in the Ocean” against a background of stars to the detailing and easter eggs that feature across the set, both digital and physical. The process remained collaborative throughout allowing us to develop ideas together, and create the ambitious step up for the bands latest live campaign.

What do you hope the reaction from fans will be when they experience this live?

Fray Studio: We aspire for fans to recognise the hard work and artistic intent behind the visual content, perceiving how the visuals construct a narrative inherently linked with the music to create a cohesive show experience. Our work on this show presents an interesting contrast. We’re referencing a period most of the audience won’t have experienced directly, creating a sort of imagined nostalgia. This approach resonates with younger audiences seeking alternatives to the polished aesthetic dominating visual social media culture. Ultimately, the success of our work lies in its ability to leave a lasting impression, sparking conversations long after the show ends.

Cassius Creative: Glass Animals fans seem loyal and dedicated to the band, and really do throw themselves into the themes of every album campaign. We hope people enjoy the huge step up for the band in terms of the visual production, embracing the Tour of Earth concept and enjoy the elevated production elements that feature within the new production; the unexpected moments, spot the details embedded across the set and video content and hope that it feels like a real visual journey from song to song throughout the show.

Photography: Toby Tenenbaum

True pop success hinges on more than talent — it’s about possessing that rare, magnetic presence. Bang Si-hyuk, the visionary behind BTS and chairman of HYBE, understands this better than most. “Usually, people believe that skill is the most important part, but for me, it’s star power,” he says in the Netflix series Pop Star Academy: KATSEYE, highlighting the elusive aura that can elevate a performer to an icon.

The docuseries depicts HYBE and Geffen Records’ years-long mission to build the perfect global girl group, harnessing the K-pop industry’s meticulous eye for detail and its exhaustive artist training and development program to mold a new generation of pop stars. From 120,000 submissions, 20 girls were evaluated on their development in key areas like dance, vocal ability, visual performance, star quality, and attitude. The project’s focus is clear: find the members who exude that undeniable spark, capable of captivating millions.

The final lineup was determined through a Korean-style survival show, The Debut: Dream Academy, which allowed fans to vote for the members they wanted to see in the group. The result is KATSEYE, comprised of six young women from around the world — Daniela Avanzini (20, Atlanta), Lara Raj (18, Los Angeles), Manon Bannerman (22, Zurich), Megan Skiendiel (18, Honolulu), Sophia Laforteza (21, Manila) and Yoonchae Jeong (16, Seoul) — who each demonstrate that unique combination of craft and charisma.

To celebrate the release of their debut EP, SIS (Soft Is Strong), on August 16, KATSEYE held their first-ever fan event at the El Rey Theater in Los Angeles last week, performing their singles “Debut,” “Touch” and “My Way” for a few hundred fans. It was the first time they could meet their fans face-to-face. “There were so many more fans than we expected,” Laforteza tells PAPER. “We could fully see their faces… Like, you could see everybody all the way to the back.” The fan fervor even prompted a bonus performance of “Debut” since some fans couldn’t enter the theater in time “because the line went all the way around the block.”

Their energy is palpable even through the screen during our video call the next day. The members of KATSEYE are still buzzing from the night before.

“We were laughing backstage, like, there’s no way people are actually here for us,” Raj says. “And the craziest thing is that they were singing our songs. They knew our songs, and as we were doing it, they were chanting and doing it with us. It was such a special moment, and that’s the first time we’ve ever experienced or felt that.”

On stage, KATSEYE look like naturals, effortlessly commanding attention with their dynamic choreography — “Debut” conveys power, while “Touch” keeps it playful and demure — and solid vocals. As one social media fan put it, “They’re all IT girls like I’m obsessed.” But behind the polished performance are countless hours of practice, relentless hard work and the determination to perfect every detail. The members have honed their skills through rigorous training (as documented on Pop Star Academy), pushing themselves to embody the perfect pop star. Their journey has been guided by a dream team of industry experts, including HYBE performance director and now HxG Executive Creator Son Sung-deuk, as well as HxG Creative Director Humberto Leon, who previously served as the co-creative director of Kenzo and co-founder of Opening Ceremony, and a stacked roster of dance instructors and choreographers like Grant Gilmore, Sohey Sugihara and Nikky Paramo, who crafted choreography that enhances their cool, confident image.

Pop Star Academy gives viewers a glimpse into the process. For dance, the girls were split into different classes based on skill level; only the more advanced trainees could add heels to their lessons with Paramo, who takes on the role of the unforgiving dance instructor in the series. “She is literally our queen,” Raj says now. “She kept it so real with us and helped us grow.” Laforteza adds, “She’s our mother.” Leon, who guides the group on visuals, is also mother, Raj says. Leon focuses on developing the girls’ individual styles, drawing from their diverse cultural backgrounds — Cuban-American; Indian; Ghanaian, Swiss and Italian; Cantonese and Singaporean; Filipina; and Korean — while ensuring visual harmony as a group. This attention to detail includes personal touches deeply important to the members themselves, like Raj’s bindi and Bannerman’s waist beads.

Each mentor brought a different perspective, helping to shape the group’s identity and performance style. Throughout the process, they had to learn more than just technique; they needed to embody the essence of being a pop star. And that starts with confidence. It’s something that Skiendiel, who entered the program at 15, struggled with initially. “Looking back, I was such a baby,” she admits. “I was so naive and hard on myself.” Through the training, Skiendiel evolved from a perfectionist struggling with self-doubt to an artist who recognizes the importance of feeling self-assured. “If I don’t believe in myself, no one else will,” she explains. As a performer, Skiendiel evokes a sense of duality central to pop stardom — off-stage, she’s a self-described nerd and a little socially awkward; on stage, she’s a tiger. The key to unleashing her confidence was simple: “I stopped caring what other people think of me.”

Bannerman joined the HxG trainee program after being scouted on social media for her star aura. Her artistry bloomed through poetry, songwriting and art, but her technical skills in vocal and dance were underdeveloped, meaning Bannerman had to work twice as hard to get up to speed. “We all really learned how to be hard workers,” she says. Her growth reflects a deeper understanding of the music industry and her role within it: “We learned how to communicate with each other [and] how to be professionals.”

Similarly, Raj felt driven by her perfectionist tendencies. A powerhouse vocalist, she entered the program like a bolt of lightning. Her biggest hurdle was learning how to be part of a team. “I was so focused on being perfect,” she recalls. “I had this fire and drive to be the best at everything that I could possibly be. But I’ve learned to embrace my imperfections, which makes us unique and special.” This mindset also strengthened her bond with her group members. “We’ve grown so much, and we’ve come to a place where we love each other and want to be there for each other through this time,” she says. This deeper connection and self-acceptance have shaped her role in KATSEYE as a member the others can rely on.

“All of us are perfectionists,” Laforteza laughs. As the group’s leader, she has a way of talking that is both candid and reassuring. She leads with a deep sense of empathy, creating an atmosphere where the other members feel comfortable sharing their struggles. “I didn’t even realize I was a perfectionist until it was pointed out,” she continues, “and learning to manage that has been a big part of my growth. It’s all about finding that balance between pushing myself and being kind to myself.” This self-awareness and self-care became essential as she navigated the intense demands of the program, helping her to thrive despite the rigorous schedule.

“One of the biggest things I would remind myself and the others, too, is how this is literally the dream,” she says. “This is what we wanted so much, and constantly reminding ourselves that we deserve this.”

For Avanzini, who grew up competing in ballroom dance, the program allowed her to define herself as an artist. “Going through the training and learning more about myself helped me find other ways to express my emotions,” she says. “I tend to concentrate a lot on other things [when I’m dancing], and it shows on my face, and I’ve learned to hide that and to put on a performance.” As an only child, Avanzini has also had to learn to co-exist with five other girls. The group lives together in a house in Los Angeles. “I didn’t have a lot of girlfriends when I was younger,” she adds. “So I’ve learned a lot about myself, like how to communicate with other girls.”

Jeong, the youngest member, moved from South Korea to the US for KATSEYE. The move has led to significant cultural and personal growth for the talented teenager. “I learned so much about different cultures, languages, and foods,” she says through an interpreter. (She’s still learning English.) “When I first arrived, I didn’t know much about American culture, the culture of a big country, because my world had been kind of small until now, having lived in Korea.” This exposure to new environments and perspectives has expanded her worldview, helping her learn more about herself and the industry.

“Something that we’re all learning is that this industry is very scary,” Raj says. “It’s so exciting, and it’s so fun, but it’s also very new to all of us, and the best part of being in a group is that with every experience, we get to go through it with each other.”

“Everybody here has something that I feel like I lack,” Laforteza adds. “We balance each other so well, and we all bring our strengths to the table… We are all individually so powerful, and when you put six powerful girls together, it’s going to be successful.”

They watched the docuseries together as a group, reliving the ups and downs of their journey to debut. Watching their trainee selves was surreal and emotionally intense, bringing old wounds to the surface and strengthening their sisterhood. “It felt like we time-traveled through the screen, and all the feelings came back,” Laforteza says. “I’m so glad we had all those obstacles to make us so much stronger and more connected.”

“Before we watched it, we made a promise and a pact to each other that everything then, it’s in the past,” Raj says. “What’s right now is our reality, and we are just going to support each other and stand with each other through everything.” Most importantly, Bannerman adds, “We’ve all matured.”

However, there is one thing they can’t move past, at least not yet: Ariana Grande’s “Break Free,” which soundtracked a pivotal routine in the Dream Academy competition — one the girls spent months perfecting in heels. “I get into a barrel jump turn right away once I hear that song play,” Laforteza laughs. “I’ll never forget that choreo,” adds Raj. “I could do it on my deathbed.”

Photography: Cody Critcheloe

Last Thursday, New York’s favorite pop princess Miss Madeline took to Brooklyn’s 99 Scott for her triumphant Girls Night Out. In celebration of the release of her debut mixtape, So Dramatic, the party was a deserved moment for the burgeoning star who has been putting in the work in the NYC underground scene for a minute now.

Hosted by PAPER and produced in collaboration with Brooklyn nightlife collective SKSKSKS, the event featured a lineup of some of our favorites: Mowalola, Toccororo, Memphy and AliyahsInterlude. The strong lineup of performers and a rowdy crowd to match the energy all led up to the night’s main event, as Miss Madeline took the stage with her dancers to play out the new mixtape in its fully realized form.

“This is your captain speaking,” she sings, off of standout track “Worldwide,” as dancers flutter around her with signature pom poms. “First class ticket, are you ready to ride? Miss Universe, so worldwide.”

We’re ready for takeoff. Check out photos of the party below.

Photography: Matt Weinberger

The phrase “I did that” is usually uttered as a boast — that emphasized for prideful measure. But on Alex Wilcox’s new track, “I Did That” featuring Chippy Nonstop, the phrase is pushed to its conceptual limit, expanded to include a list that ranges from the banal to the heathenish: being a “bitch,” smoking, drinking wine, touching bums, having your card declined.

Wilcox, a Berlin-based DJ and producer, has his roots in the US rock scene. After moving to Detroit and releasing his debut techno project, he found himself with co-signs from some of techno’s heavyweights. Fusing rock’s theatricality with techno’s stoicism has led to a techno project that is at once giddy and hard-edged, winking and thrashing.

“I Did That” is a perfect example. Toronto artist and DJ (and forever Boiler Room fav) Chippy Nonstop coolly delivers vocals on the caustic track, echoing Wilcox’s utterances of “I Did That” in a quietly confident manner. The, track released on Boys Noize’s sub-label, BNR Trax, is a taste of what’s to come in Wilcox’s forthcoming EP, three songs that exploit Wilcox’s penchant for eliciting strong reactions from listeners, be that the urge to dance or laugh in surprise at the big blare of a synth he lovingly deems “corny.”

The video for “I Did That” mirrors Wilcox’s prankster ethos. Partially inspired by Tyler, the Creator’s iconic video for “Yonkers,” it begins simply with Wilcox’s looking steely at the camera in front of a white wall. As the song goes on, animation, strobes and the inclusion of fire and chains mimic the song’s descent to hellish chaos.

PAPER gathered Wilcox and Chippy Nonstop to chat about their new single, tour life and Wilcox’s forthcoming EP.

Alex Wilcox: I remember meeting y’all because I was in a funky mood that evening. I had some stuff going on [personally], but I remember it was a really good time. And I was just like, Oh my gosh, these guys are really silly and funny and warm and kind. I remember we chatted a bit, and then was like, Oh, maybe we could try throwing something together. Because I really liked your older music — and your new stuff too — but especially that “Money Dance” music video. I thought it was so funny in a good way. It just really had this sense of humor in it. And I feel like a lot of my music has a sense of humor as well.

Chippy Nonstop: It needs to sound good, but at the end of the day, we’re having fun with it. I think that’s why we got along.

Alex Wilcox: When we met in Berlin, I think I had a couple beats already made, but nothing was really clicking. So I remember I whipped up the basis of the track, and it was a really dumb-sounding beat. But I think we both were like, This is hilarious. And then we were like, Yeah, fuck it, let’s, let’s go for it.

Chippy: I think we were playing around to see what works. It was just kind of a jamming sesh.

Alex: Yeah, and then [a few weeks later,] I remember I was like, Okay, I have this wonky beat, and then I have the hook, and I wasn’t really sure where to go with it at first. I don’t usually do vocal driven stuff, but I just started rapping [on it] and it came out really fast. I was laughing the whole time. But I thought it was cool. And now Boys Noize Records is putting out, which is cool.

Chippy: Yeah, I think it’s a good fit. You’re [touring] in Asia, right?

Alex: Yeah, I’m in Asia right now. I’m in Tokyo, which is fun. I’ve never been here before. And then I’m doing this East Asia tour. It’s going to be Tokyo and Osaka this weekend, then a couple shows in China next weekend, and then back to Berlin. I haven’t toured so much. I feel like I’ve only been touring for a year and a half. You’ve been touring forever, right?

Chippy: On my first tour I was rapping and I didn’t even have music out. I was 19, and this group saw me dancing somewhere, probably at the club, and also I was on the internet. So I just wrote a bunch of music for the tour over beats to perform them on the tour. I didn’t have any music out. This was like 2011.

Alex: Do you have any self care routines or “must do’s” on tour?

Chippy: I can sleep anywhere, so I’ll pass out as soon as I get on the plane. On the first few tours after the pandemic, I basically would go for the opening act, and I would stay all the way to the end, and then I would go to the after party. I would literally not sleep for days. But now I’m like, Okay, it’s a job. I can just play and leave. I felt like I did that because I’m from the rave community where we go out to be together and that energy. And now it’s a job. Just to take care of yourself.

Alex: What’s the weirdest thing you pack for a tour? Is there anything funky you bring?

Chippy: I pack pretty meticulously, because I wear crazy outfits [at my shows]. I pack each show outfit in little baggies with my outfit, my jewelry, my shoes, all in one plastic baggie for each show and then, and then I have one other bag which is like casual pants and casual shirts.

Alex: I might need to ask your advice on a better suitcase. Because I just had this one from Target, and it’s completely falling apart. But I wear my monkey sweater and my black pants for every gig. But [let’s talk about] this single [“I Did That”] and the music video. We were hitting you up when we were making the video, but I think you were busy.

Chippy: It was at the busiest time when you hit me up. It was a few months of this rampage tour.

Alex: It came out pretty crazy. So I think it’ll be a vibe. I took inspiration from the “Yonkers” [by Tyler, the Creator] music video, because it’s just a simple one-shot. I liked the intensity of that and how there was a cool climax at the end. I think the structure of the video had that in mind. Obviously there are differences though; I’m getting lit on fire and we have different angles. Doberman [the music video director] came up with the flames idea, which was pretty sick and I just really just trust their judgment. The video looks really sleek.

Chippy: Where did you shoot it?

Alex: It was shot in London by Doberman. It’s cool. There’s some AI fire and we got to use super nice lights and stuff. So let’s see how it goes. I should send you the EP, because I don’t think you’ve heard the whole thing, other than the single.

Chippy: Oh yeah!

Alex: There are three songs on the EP. My favorite of the three is this one called “MONDAY NIGHT TRACKSUIT.” It’s inspired by this Russian, hard-bass subculture. My friends and I were listening to some of that stuff, where all those songs will be referencing Adidas tracksuits. I was in Romania, actually, when someone showed it to me, and I thought it was this really silly scene and just really funny.And then there’s this weird one called “Little Jack.” Basically it’s a pitched up vocal that’s chopped up a bunch. And then the last track is this one called “Griffin Shine”, which is pretty dope. It’s at 145 BPM and has this bouncy bass line. But I know you have to go and get some rest?

Chippy: Yeah, I’m flying soon. But have fun in the rest of your tour!

Alex: Thank you! Yeah, Japan’s cool.

Photos courtesy of Alex Wilcox and Chippy Nonstop

Mica Tenenbaum and Matthew Lewin of Magdalena Bay are Miami-raised, but these days you can find them drifting in their dreamworld.

The duo behind 2021’s low-key masterpiece, Mercurial World, have long utilized sci-fi tropes to create an enthralling atmosphere around their intricate and ever-smooth pop songs. But on their new album, Imaginal Disk, Magdalena Bay is upping the narrative ante and weaving in ideas of extraterrestrial life and consciousness itself.

The album follows the story of True (embodied by Tenenbaum) who exists in a universe where aliens inserted the titular “imaginal disk” into apes, creating consciousness. When True can’t process a “disk upgrade,” she embarks on a journey that takes her to the core of what it means to be human. It’s heady and philosophical, but this is a Magdalena Bay album after all, so all of these lofty ideas are expressed via their joyous pop precision. “The narrative [adds] an additional layer of meaning to the album,” Lewin tells PAPER. “[But] we like to leave the lyrics more open-ended, [so] you can put your own meaning on top of that.” Indeed, like Mercurial World, Imaginal Disk works as both an expertly crafted set of heart-aching pop songs and a subtle space saga.

While all the philosophical undertones are captivating, it’s the band’s sonics that fuel their rocket ship. It’s rare, for example, to hear a song on streaming and immediately be able to envision it playing in a stadium, but album single and standout track “Death & Romance” is clearly well positioned to be sung by a crowd of 10,000. With lyrics that read like a mantra, (“My hands, your hands/ I’ll hold forever”) and instrumentation that has the vibrancy of a forever-classic, “Death & Romance” is a clear demonstration of why Magdalena Bay has captivated the industry and fans alike, and why the duo has been going non-stop since Mercurial World transformed them from a buzzy internet synth-pop act to certifiable stars.

With Lewin and Tenenbaum both producing and Tenenbaum on vocals, the two have the rare chemistry that is forged from adolescent dreaming. The duo have been close collaborators since they were high schoolers in Miami, when they were part of a prog rock band together. When they went to different colleges, they maintained the musical connection, though they let their prog tendencies give way to the more approachable sounds of pop. Working since 2016 toward an auteur’s elevation of the genre, they have now produced two full-length LPs with the scope and glimmer of a big-budget sci-fi flick from Hollywood’s golden age. But that glimmer also has its origin in their own shared pie-in-the-sky imagination that allows them to shoot for the stars.

PAPER chatted with the duo over Zoom from their sunny Los Angeles apartment (their dog Wolfey beside them) about their career taking flight, their brand new album and their sci-fi inspirations.

Congrats on the record. I’ve been listening to it so much. I am very, very charmed by it. Like a lot of people, I became a big fan with Mercurial World. It’s rare to have an album come out and make such a splash when there’s so much music coming out every day. What have your lives been like since that record?

Matthew Lewin: It was crazy timing, because before that record we were never really touring. We both were working our day jobs in LA, and then the pandemic happened. Basically we were forced to take a break from our jobs. I was lucky to get on unemployment and not have to worry about working and we could focus all our energies onto music. So we basically made the entire record in that time period. Then we put it out as the heavy part of the pandemic was waning. And then it made its splash, and by the time it was out, we were touring and then we didn’t have to go back to our day jobs. So it was definitely this marked shift in our lives.

Mica Tenenbaum: And then we were just like in this whirlwind of touring for a couple of years after. Then we finished, and we’re like, Okay, time to do the next one? And that’s surreal. Now, we’re putting out new music, and every now and then I’m like, Oh, a lot more people are listening, compared to when we first put out Mercurial World singles. So it’s cool.

I love that government policy allowed for Magdalena Bay.

Matthew: [laughs] The stimulus-funded Mercurial World.

Mica: We had never done an album until Mercurial World. With the pandemic, with our stimulus check, with that sort of creative focus on that project, we really fell in love with making an album. It was so creatively fulfilling for us. So now, with Imaginal Disk, it’s a return to that. That format is my preferred musical vehicle.

What were the conversations like as you began to put this together? I know this record has a narrative surrounding someone learning to be human. Was that already there before or did that emerge throughout the process?

Mica: Some of the conceptual ideas came to us while we were touring. I was thinking a lot about psychoanalysis and reading Solaris. I was really interested in this idea of the self on a personal level, and then it gave way to a more sci-fi story to overlay atop those more personal ideas. We obviously love sci-fi. It’s something that influences us and lives in all of our art.

Matthew: When we write the music, the narrative that the videos impose upon the music is an additional layer of meaning to the album rather than the one and only way to interpret it. We’re not trying to make a —

David Bowie, Ziggy Stardust?

Matthew: Yeah, exactly. Not like a Ziggy Stardust, where the album is this very specific story. I think we would like to leave the lyrics more open-ended, and then you could put your own meaning on top of that.

Were you both always into sci-fi themes? How did that emerge as such a central part of Magdalena Bay?

Mica: We’re both huge sci-fi fans. Both of us loved to read as little kids and now too. But it’s just like one of those genres that really speaks to us, in a storytelling way, but also visually. It’s just so fun to watch a sci-fi film, but mainly older ones, not that new shit [laughs].

“Death & Romance” really stands out to me as the heart of the record. I think it might be my favorite Magdalena Bay song.

Mica: I think that’s the very first song we wrote. We were touring Mercurial World, and we had very little time at home, and during one of those two-week periods where we had a creative spark to make that one and it felt very special.

Matthew: It was interesting cause we started with “Fear of Sex,” which is now attached to it. And we were like, “This is great. But this sort of works as an epilogue to another song.” So then we’re like, “Okay, well now we need to write the song that comes before this one.” So that’s what happened. In our minds, they’re two parts of the same song.

Do you still make everything in your home studio? Because the music sounds like it has the budget of a Dua Lipa record.

Matthew: Yeah, we have more live drums with our drummer, Nick. And then we got some strings and horns recorded, which I think helps expand the grandness of the record. But as far as the production duties, it’s us two.

Were there conversations you’re having about the sonic palette of this record, and how it may differ from the last one? I mean it feels very tied into the ‘70s influence like Mercurial World.

Mica: I think the biggest thing is what left [our listening rotation]. We stopped listening to contemporary pop.

Matthew: We definitely listen less to new music than we did when we were making Mercurial World. I think we went back to a lot of the music we listened to in high school.

And you have known each other since high school when you were in a band together, right? You must have just such a deep familiarity with each other’s references.

Mica: Yeah, it is crazy. We know all the same music, and we can pull out a deep reference and know that the other will understand.

Matthew: We’ve been influencing each other’s music taste since we were 15 years old, so I feel like it’s one in the same at this point, which is helpful when you’re making music, because I feel like when you have similar tastes, that’s the most important thing in a collaborator. You need to think that the same things sound cool, and think that the same things that don’t sound cool, sound lame. If we were on different pages about that, it could be pretty difficult.

Mica: Yeah, if one of us thinks something sounds bad. It’s like, Oh, fuck. We need to rethink that.

Do you think Miami has an enduring influence on you both musically? Maybe the yacht rock vibe?

Matthew: It’s hard to say [laughs]. I think if it’s anything, it’s the Latin rock and pop that Mica grew up listening to that’s probably the most enduring influence from Miami. When we lived in Miami and we played music, we were definitely outsiders in the Miami music scene. We were in this Prog rock band, which is probably like the least “Miami” thing.

Mica: Every other band was like Ska punk for some reason [laughs], like every other band. So I don’t know if I ever felt connected to Miami. I grew up with a lot of Argentinian rock. And now I’m actually getting into it in a serious way. And I’m like, Oh, fuck Charly Garcia is so good!

Mica, I know in college you did comedy, right? That makes sense given the theatricality of your performances and world building.

Mica: Yeah, I was in an all girl comedy sketch, and I was mainly in the band, but sometimes I would go to the writing meetings and fuck around. [But] I never acted. I was so terrified to act on stage as a comedian in that context. But I think through years of performing as Magdalena Bay I’ve grown… when we first started in our rock band in high school, I would shake on the stage, and I couldn’t make a sound.

Matthew: She would just be frozen behind the keyboard [laughs]. There’s videos of us performing, it’s really funny.

Mica: It was so freakish. But now I feel very free. I think that just comes from touring and doing the same thing every night, and you just get more comfortable. And we’ve gotten really into the line between a movie and a play [in our performances].

Matthew, you studied music business in college?

Matthew: Yeah, I studied music business at Northeastern.

I ask because the business of Magdalena Bay seems very well-run. The release feels really well-planned. I talk to a lot of artists who don’t seem to have much interest or enjoyment in that, because it can be very tedious. But I get the sense that you both enjoy the spectacle of making it run.

Matthew: There’s definitely an art to the album rollout. It’s all about teasing and world-building. It’s funny that you say it seems well run, because behind the scenes we’re up against the deadline every single time. We’re pulling all nighters, finishing videos and working on merch.

Mica: We care so much about it that we get very stressed.

Matthew: We’re also very hands on with a lot of things, because we’re editing the videos and doing the VFX. Being super involved is good, because I think fans can see that and appreciate that there’s like thought and care put into it.

Mica: We do go a little insane. I think we’re always trying to find that balance between inner peace and outward productivity and creation. It’s very hard.

Given how much you both are doing yourselves, how do you maintain a peaceful relationship between you both? Because it’s just a lot that you are taking on.

Matthew: I think it would be a lot more difficult if we weren’t creatively aligned. Those are the arguments that could get personal if you have creative differences. And tensions get high when you’re sleep deprived and you’re on the final round of exports for something. But we’re both trying to achieve the same goal which is having the best video, best music as possible. I don’t think we let it really impact our personal lives.

Mica: Yeah, we’ve been doing it for a minute now, so we know how it is.

Photography: Lissyelle Laricchia