Tuesday Tunes!
Good morning!
Get into our Tuesday Tunes vid pick!
Justine Skye- Everyday Living
Author Archive
*Talent Spotlight*
Good morning!
Time for YOU to get inspired and hype with hot dancer Morgan JL. Take a peek at her dope moves to hits by Mindless Behavior, Diplo & Rihanna!
Tuesday Tunes!
Good morning!
Are you trying to get over your summer love??
Well, it’s time to listen to Fifth Harmony-Miss Moving On!
Meet Karen McCormick!
“It all started with a Taylor Swift song!” Karen states when asked about how her love for country music came about. After hearing Swift for the first time while in the car with her father, she instantly became hooked, and started to work on creating a country music career of her own!
At the age of 13 she received her first guitar for Christmas and wrote her first song in 30 minutes that same day. Since then, this talented young lady has continued to write songs, played several fairs and festivals, as well as visited and performed in a variety of venues in Nashville, TN. Karen is currently working on writing more songs.
Let’s get to know Karen a little better…
How did you first dive into music?
It started when I was about 7, my dad encouraged me to join the children’s choir at church. When I was 11, I was in the car with my dad and “Tim McGraw” by Taylor Swift came on. I absolutely fell in love with it. I learned more about Taylor’s career, and I wanted to be just like her. I started begging my dad to buy me a guitar and to take me to Nashville. When I was 13, he gave me my first acoustic guitar for Christmas. I haven’t put it down since!
Music is a powerful tool to express yourself, how has it impacted your life?
Music has changed my life in the most wonderful way possibly. I had a really hard time expressing myself when I was younger, and as soon as I started writing music, playing guitar, I found it was kind of therapy in a way. It makes me the happiest I’ve ever been and I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.
What has been your favorite song you’ve covered? How long did it take you to learn?
“If I Die Young” by The Band Perry is my go to song for every performance I do. I love The Band Perry and I think it’s an amazing song. It took me a day to learn it, about a week to perfect it. I participated in a local talent show here called “Got Talent Spokane?” which was actually my first real gig for about 400 people, and I sang that song. The winner was determined by audience votes, and I ended up taking first place. I call my lucky song now. 🙂
What are 3 pieces of advice you would give to girls who wanted to pursue their dreams in music but are too nervous to start?
1. Go For it!
2. Believe in Yourself!
3. Have fun!
Music is such a natural thing for me, I have a hard time believing that people could nervous doing what I do. But of course I’m human and I have my insecurities and sometimes when I’m up on stage I worry “Are they enjoying this? What do they think of me?” Of course I want to make people happy with my music, that’s why I do it, but at the end of the day, I should only be concerned with about what I think of myself. Life is way too short to not take chances and take advantage of the opportunities, so if something comes along, go for it. The most important thing is to always believe in yourself and have fun. You’re capable of so much more than you may think!
If you could perform with anyone on stage who would it be and why?
I love this question! I would be honored to perform with so many people. But right now I’d have to say Taylor Swift. She’s an amazing writer and entertainer, I love that she really brings her songs to life when she’s on stage. I look up to her as a performer and hope to be at that level of success one day.
We are all about empowerment at C.O.R.E mag, What does empowerment mean to you?
To me empowerment is taking pride in yourself, and what you have. Being an African-American, it’s a little unusual that I sing country music. But being from Africa, and growing up with two parents from very different cultures, I am able to have different influences in my music, which in turn makes me different. It’s important to own what you have with confidence and take pride in what makes you, you.
Where do you see your music taking you in the next 5 years?
Right now I’m planning on moving to either Nashville, TN or Houston, TX within the next year. I’d love to work some songwriters and meet some important people in the country music industry. I’m hoping to record an EP or possibly a full length album. From there I really want to tour. I’d love to travel and see different parts of the world and share my music with people. It’s all up in the air, I’m taking it a day at a time!
Fave Food? Artist? Song? Celeb Crush?
Food: I love pizza, I would eat it every day if I could!
Artist: Taylor Swift! I love Carrie Underwood, Blake Shelton, and Miranda Lambert as well.
Song: Right now it’s The Way by Ariana Grande. It’s such a fun song to dance too when I’m getting ready in the morning.
Celeb Crush: This is so hard! It tends to change..but I’d have to say Justin Bieber. He’s a cutie!
Check out more Karen here!
Make It Happen!
One thing that is an absolute certainty is that things will always change. But even though we all know this, a lot of people have a lot of trouble dealing with change. I believe the best way to handle this is to try to be the author of the changes that happen in your life. Don’t just LET things happen TO you; MAKE things happen FOR you. Since we all know that things must (and always do) change, just be prepared for it. In order to be prepared, there are a few things that you need to know:
Change is certain, so if you never find yourself changing, you’re not doing something right.
My grandma used to say, “Your best sense is your bought sense”, meaning that you learn the most from the mistakes that you make. We are shaped by our experiences. As we go through different things in life, we learn a lot about ourselves and others, and we adapt accordingly. If you are smart, you don’t wait to learn only from your mistakes. You should learn from the experiences and mistakes of others. You can do this by watching those around you, but a good source of information that is often overlooked is a book. People write about their lives in detail, so consider reading a book by someone that is living or has lived the life that you want for yourself and see what they did to accomplish the things that you would like to do. Anyway, if you find that your outlook on life is always the same, either you aren’t learning from the experiences of yourself and others or you aren’t having meaningful experiences. Either way, you need to get it together.
The way that you change is directly related to the things that you put into your life.
The idiom “you are what you eat” is the most basic way of saying this. If you are surrounding yourself with positive people and consuming positive things – food, information, and entertainment – you will likely begin to make changes for the better. All of that positivity will begin to affect you. It is inevitable. But if you find yourself doing things that you once thought stupid or reprehensible, then you are going the wrong way, and your decisions, as well as their influencers, need to be examined.
Everyone will not like the changes that you make.
Just like change is unavoidable, so is the fact that people will not always be happy with the changes that you make. I don’t know why, but most people are change averse. Therefore, you will likely face some opposition to any change that you make, even when it is for the better. Keep this in mind as you begin to move through life with your new outlook. When those that you trust speak out against something that you’re doing, take the opinion into account, but if you are sure that you are on the right path for your life, continue on your journey.
Change isn’t always easy, and it can often be very unpopular. But if you want to grow and become a better version of yourself, change is necessary. Therefore, seek out positivity, be mindful of the choices that you make, and push towards the things that are right for you even in the face of adversity. Change isn’t always a choice, but being proactive can allow you to exercise more control over that changes that happen in your life.
The Quest!
School has started. And if you are anything like I was in grade school, every outfit has to be perfectly coordinated, you cannot wait for Friday night football games, you are anxious to see who shares your lunch period, and you’re more focused on your crush than your Algebra assignment. You’ve got the beauty thing down (so you think), but the last thing on your mind is your health.
As a teenage girl I was a socialite, fashion- fused, busy body. While I was very outgoing and highly involved in student organizations, I struggled with self-esteem issues daily. I was heavier than most of my friends. I wasn’t fat, but I didn’t quite look like anyone else in my circle. The issue wasn’t that I didn’t have time to focus on my health and natural beauty, but it wasn’t important to me. I ate cheeseburgers every other day, cookies when I wanted, and exercised when cheerleading practice required. Who has time for the “grown up” things, right? You’re just a teenager. You have the rest of your life to worry about maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Plus, who else around you is focused on their health and maintaining their natural beauty?
Sustaining your own identity is important as a teenager; but in reality, it is easier to subcomb to peer pressure. A lot of times you fall victim to peer pressure without even knowing you’ve done so. Looking back on my grade school experience, I kept my hair straight (by way of a pressing comb) and made sure my Express jeans didn’t get any larger than a size 8. At the time, I thought this was for me and my personal satisfaction- it wasn’t. I straightened my naturally kinky hair and attempted to disguise my naturally thick, curvy hips because I didn’t want to be any different than those around me. I wanted to stand out enough to be considered my own person, but not enough to be dissimilar.
Different is good! Different is especially good when it comes to your health and beauty. You are not your best friend or your cousin or your sister. You are who you are. And you should embrace every aspect of you while maintaining a healthy lifestyle. It can be hard as a young lady, but the idea is to simply begin the journey of self love. Once you begin to identify who you are, you realize that it takes different things for different people to maintain their individual health and beauty. Not everyone‘s body is contoured to fit into a size 2 pant. Not everyone’s locks are silky straight, long, and flowing. YOU are the definition of your own beauty. To me, my beauty is ensuring my body, mind, and spirit are healthy and maintaining a healthy, fit lifestyle. Yes, I workout six (6) times a week and I recently fit into a size zero (0). I wax my eyebrows and mustache and straighten my hair from time-to-time. I meditate and pray and constantly work on increasing my faith. But everything I do, I do for me…. I do because I love me. If you don’t love yourself, the rest of the world will forget to love you too!
So, with all of the excitement around the latest trends and best dance parties this school year, don’t forget to care for yourself. Remember to stay encouraged, be true, and sprinkle lots and lots of self love. In the words of ancient Greek philosopher Epictetus, “It takes more than just a good looking body [to maintain a healthy lifestyle]. You’ve got to have the heart and soul to go with it.” Enjoy The Quest ladies! Until next time, peace, blessings, health and beauty!
-Heidi Thomas
Smart Is The New Gangsta
Long before it was used as an adjective to describe rap music or before Denzel’s depiction of Frank Lucas in the movie, America has had a running obsession with gangsters. Names like John Dillinger, Al Capone, Whitey Bulger and Demetrius Flenory will infamously be a part of American history. I believe American fascination with gangsters stems from three things; the adoration of rags to riches stories, our subconscious appeal to rebellion and American proclivity to violence, dating back as far as the philosophy of manifest destiny.
Today, the American gangster is no longer a machine gun toting bank robber or a drug kingpin. The most notorious criminals today hide under the auspices of politicians and financial professionals who deviously work to alter the fabric or our country for their own financial gain. Just as our criminals are smarter, it is time for our students to become smarter as well. Besides, if you are going to protect your rights in the land of opportunity, education is going to be paramount. The game is far more sophisticated than it used to be and is evidence as to why the number of scholarship offers is more important than the number of instagram followers.
The process of achieving happiness and success in this country requires intelligence, fearlessness, and heart; Characteristics that all notorious gangstas possess. Problem is, today, being a criminal doesn’t have the same payoff it once did. Think about it. What are the benefits to being a gangsta? Money or, better yet, fast money? Living on the edge? We live in the richest country in the world with more self-made millionaires than anywhere you can Google. If it’s fast money you desire, start a website that allows people to link up with friends, post status updates and like pictures. Then go public (the process of selling ownership stakes in a company to the public) and become a billionaire before age 25. Or better yet, start a blogging platform which you can later sell to Yahoo for $1.1 billion at age 27. To me, that’s fast money! For the thrill seeker, if you want to take risks, start a business. It’s a process filled with unexp
I get the infatuation with gangstas. Their stories are interesting, the music is bumpin and the movies are classics. Although we live in the greatest country in the world, even it was established by treasonous murders. Rapper Plies put a verse in a song that says, “I don’t know if 25 years is worth 2 years of ballin.” It’s definitely not and anyone who argues the math struggles with algebra, doesn’t know the true value of ‘X’ and didn’t carry the 1. To paraphrase def poet Tommy Bottoms, “America was designed for the get rich, there are a million and one ways to get paid and most of them are legit.” In, 2013 smart is the new gangsta and gangsta, figuratively speaking, looks a lot more like Steve Erkel than Big Meech or Larry Hoover. I understand that we are not all gonna be like Dr. Heathcliff Huxtable, so don’t stop hustlin, just change your hustle.
The message in this article is inspired by positive propaganda, tshirt design company, Dangerous Negro. Check out their many educational and inspiring designs at dangerousnegro.com.
-Courtney Hale
Tips from Carlon Jeffery!
Summer has come to a close and the new school year is approaching! Carlon Jeffery from the Disney show “A.N.T. Farm” shares a few tips to help you get ready for your return back to school.
1. Make sure “Chap Stick is always in your pocket!”
2. Keep a good supply of pens and pencils on you so you don’t have to borrow one!
3. Make sure you find old friends you didn’t see all summer!
4. Have self-confidence
5. Have fun and be yourself
6. Make sure you have your iPod filled with great music!
Follow Carlon:@carlonjeffery on Twitter
Talent Spotlight!
Good morning!
Check out singer Francesca Duncan as our ‘Talent Spotlight’ of the week!
Enjoy!
Tuesday Tunes!
Good morning!
Time to get hype with the OMG Giirlz with their new vid for “Baddie” —>
Enjoy!
