Final Evaluation

Final Magazine

Final Draft

Audience Feedback Survey Results

 

 

These are the results I collected from my Survey.

 

 From my survey I have realised that I will need to make a professional, entertaining magazine that will appeal to my audience, as a few people commented that they do not read music magazines because they prefer to listen to music instead of reading about it. In order to do this, I would have to incorperate ways in which they would be able to listen to music from buying my magazine e.g. competitions to gigs/concerts/festivals and free downloads. I have also discovered that content is the most important element in the magazine to my target audience, so I must ensure that what I have included is extremely interesting and enjoyable to read about. Some of the people that responded claimed that music magazines were 'boring' and 'useless' therefore I would try and make my magazine as fun and appealing as possible in order for them to be able to enjoy it.

 

Audience Feedback

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/QG7QB2X

I created a Survery on Survey Monkey to recieve feedback from various different people on their opinions and feelings towards music magazines. I feel that this is an effective way of gaining feedback as the recipients are anonymous and therefore are a good source to collect results from as it enables them to be completely honest. From the results I will be able to analyse many different people's opinions on music magazines to see how successful my magazine would be with them.

Draft Q7 of Evaluation

Looking back at your preliminary task, what do you feel you have learnt in the progression from it to the full product?

Looking back to the start of September when we made out Preliminary task it is evident that I have learnt a lot in the past few months! We created the Preliminary task using Photoshop just to get used to the programme, however we created our magazines using InDesign which was a much more professional programme to use.

Compared to Photoshop, InDesign offers a wider range of tools and elements that helped me to make my magazine more professional, whereas if we would have created the magazine on Photoshop, there is a limited amount you can do compared to InDesign. InDesign also dramatically speeds up the process as its main purpose is actually creating magazines. In regards to images, I felt that the pictures I took for my magazine were much better than the pictures I took for my Preliminary task. The white screen we used in the photoshoot helps to establish the professional feel that I was trying to capture in the making of my magazine.

Looking back to the front cover of my Preliminary magazine it is evident how much more professional my actual magazine looks. The photos are of a better quality, the sell lines have a nicer layout and overall it looks like more time and effort has been put into it.  

Draft Q6 of Evaluation

What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing the product?

As I took Media for my GCSE’s, I am very familiar with the programme Photoshop, which we previously used to create a film magazine. Therefore, I found using Photoshop to edit the images quite easy, as I had done it plenty of times before. However I learnt a few more things about how to create different kinds of effects on the images, which allowed me to put a few of my images into black and white. Photoshop also allowed me to brighten any images that I felt were too dark, and enabled me to play with the colouring. It also offers a variety of tools that help to make the image look better, including the Patch Tool, which enables you to get rid of any marks/blemishes that would make the image look more professional. Also with the actions tool, you are able to see everything you have done at different stages and you can decide if you want them to show or not. I found that Photoshop was very useful in allowing me to edit my photos in order to make them look as professional as possible.

The main programme we used to create our magazines was InDesign. I had used InDesign briefly in my GCSE’s as my teacher thought it would be a good idea to use it to do my contents page. But I wasn’t very familiar with it so I have learnt a lot since beginning our magazines on there. A great element of InDesign is that it allows you to have columns to see the right width and length that your text/images should be. By staying inside these columns I have found that it has been easier to keep my magazine looking as professional as possible. Another useful element is paragraph styles, which allows you to use a certain text size, font and colour whenever you need it. I found this extremely useful when I was creating my contents page as I wanted a Heading, a contents heading and a contents subheading, which would each be slightly different. Instead of having to alter the text each time, I could just click on the paragraph styles and apply to each bit of text whatever style I wanted to use! I found that using InDesign sped up the process of making my magazine, and allowed me to spend more time on choosing the right images, writing my main article and coming up with ideas for features to include on my contents page.

The camera I used to take the images for my magazine was a Canon SLR. This professional camera allowed me to take high quality images of my model which gave a really sophisticated feel. I used a white screen backdrop as it makes the model in the image stand out, and is also easy to edit on Photoshop.

Draft Q5 of Evaluation

How did you attract/address your audience?

It was extremely important for me to be able to attract my target audience because they are the people that would buy my magazine and make it successful. I tried to create appealing features on the front cover, the contents page and in the main article to ensure that my target audience remained interested throughout my magazine.

On the front cover, I used a very eye catching photograph of Claudia, who is the main artist of this particular issue. I ensured that I captured a unique look, with her big, curly hair, red lips and green eyes drawing in the readers and making them want to find out more about her. The flowery top and the simple gold chain she is wearing illustrates the type of clothing that fans of the Indie genre would wear, and they therefore would be attracted to the magazine because they may feel like she is ‘one of them’. The clothes that she wears in the images throughout the magazine are clothes that typical fans of the Indie genre like. I researched all the main Indie clothing stores to find outfits that would work well and be successful.

My chosen house colour scheme was targeted towards both genders, as I feel that green is a colour liked by both males and females. It also connotes peace and tranquillity which are important aspects in the Indie genre. Along with the black, white and grey colours I have also used, feel that I have given my magazine a professional, chic look which will appeal to my target audience as they will see the magazine as being sophisticated and experienced.

Being part of the age range that my magazine is targeted towards (16-24) I am aware that big chunks text are not particularly attractive, and tend to result in boredom. Therefore, on my contents page and in my main article I have used a variety of images, of a range of different sizes and effects, to keep the audience interested and make sure that they have many different things to look at on the page. On my contents page, I think I have spaced the text out well and balanced the amount of text and images to create a professional look. I believe that this would attract my target audience because they would appreciate the spacious layout and find it easy to follow where all the features that they are interested in are situated within the magazine. For my main article, I have used a different layout for each page to make the magazine exciting and to maintain the attention of the reader.

I also made sure that I incorporated New Social Media into my magazine as I know that it is very popular with my target audience. It also allows the reader to create a personal relationship with the magazine as they are able to get in touch and feel more connected.

Draft Q4 of Evaluation

Q4) Who would be the audience for your media product?

Make sure you’re specific about your audience – age, gender, social class, psychographics, social habits etc)

 

The target audience of my magazine is 16-24 year olds. I have chosen this age range as I feel that they are the age that appreciates the genre of ‘Indie’ which is the focus of my magazine. This age normally fits into the DE psychographics as the majority of them are students at college/sixth form/uni or they have part time jobs. These psychographics are not known for having plenty of disposable income, however the Indie genre does not require much money to as it encourages low budget aspects. For example, the music videos are often very low budget and are shot in areas in public places such as public parks, city streets, gigs etc. This would therefore suit my target audience as they would be satisfied with the small amount of money required to buy music and attend gigs. I have also priced my magazine at £2.50 as this is affordable for my target audience who are often quite cautious of the money they have to spend. For the value of the content featured in my magazine I think that this price is great.

 My magazine is not specifically suited to either gender considering both genders are fans of my chosen genre, therefore my magazine will be targeted towards males and females. I also feel that this will broaden my readership as it allows me to have a wider audience base that could contribute to more sales of my magazine.

The typical social class of my chosen genre would be urban middle class as this typical audience first appeared in the 1990s and became particularly prominent in 2010, being derived from earlier movements in the 1940s. This particular social class are able to afford the concerts, albums and other elements of music distributed by the artists in the Indie genre.

The typical social habits of my target audience include going out, partying, having fun, listening to music – they are typical young adults. This all relates to the Indie genre as it strongly promotes having a good time, appreciating music and spending time with friends. My magazine would offer opportunities to support this lifestyle including gig tickets, festival trips and meeting artists which would appeal to my target audience increasing sales and popularity of my magazine.

Draft Q3 of Evaluation

What kind of institution might distribute your media product and why?

It is extremely necessary that the company that distributes my magazine doesn’t already have a magazine that is similar to mine, because this would create competition within the company which could result in the failure of one of the competing music magazines. To avoid this, I would not choose for my magazine to be distributed by Bauer Media or IPC media as they already distributed very successful magazines including Kerrang!, NME and Q magazine, and as my magazine is very similar to Q I would prefer for it to be distributed by a different company.

By assessing this information, I have decided that the company I would like to distribute my magazine would be Future PLC. It doesn’t currently have a magazine similar to mine as mine focuses more on the bands/artists, whereas the existing magazines distributed by Future PLC are based on playing instruments. Magazines that they distribute include Total Guitar, Rhythm and Guitarist. As instruments do play a vital role in the Indie Genre I think that this would be a great company to distribute my magazine because it would emphasise the importance of instruments and would highlight how closely the artist and the instruments relate.

The magazines distributed by Future PLC magazine also have a similar target audience to mine of males age 16-24. Therefore they would not have to take any risks by trying to appeal towards a different age range, my magazine would sit comfortably with all the other magazines that they distribute. Appealing to females as well would be slightly different for them but considering the popularity of the Indie genre I think that it would be a successful risk to take.

Future PLC has also been named AOP & PPA Digital Publisher of the Year and BMA Media Company of the Year which highlights that it as an extremely successful publishing company. I feel that if my magazine was distributed by them that it would sell very well as the company has such a good reputation. They also work closely with creating websites which gives my magazine a huge platform of having a successful online option.

I would like to distribute my magazine through advertisement via New Media and Social Media. I have created a twitter account for my magazine that would promote the release of it and build up an audience base. As my target audience are females and males ages 16-24, I feel that this is probably the best way of getting noticed with them as social networking is extremely popular among these people. As being part of this age range myself, I know that the amount of people with accounts on Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr are extraordinary, and this would gain huge publicity for my magazine. I would also use typical promotional methods e.g. billboards, the sides of buses, underground posters as transport is an important way of life for my target audience and these advertisements would not go unnoticed.

Draft Q2 of Evaluation

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

By the use of costumes, props, language, pricing and social media, my magazine represents the particular social group that I have chosen to target my magazine towards. My target audience is females and males ages 16-24 in the E social bracket. These are the people that are still involved with education at sixth form, college or University, or have got part time jobs. These particular people are often associated with attending gigs, loving music and wanting to have fun, which is what the Indie genre is all about. In order to attract my target audience I ensured I used aspects that would draw them in to the magazine.

For my photoshoot, my model was Claudia Dyer. I chose to keep this name for her as the main artist of my magazine as it is a unique name that I think people would be able to remember. She is of a Jamaican ethnicity which gives her tanned skin and big, curly hair. I used her hair to advantage as it is a unique element of her appearance and when used successfully could attract the audience’s attention. On the front cover, the main image displays Claudia looking directly into the camera with a captivating expression. This is likely to capture the attention of the audience and lure them in into wanting to find out more about her. Her dark red lipstick and her green eyes compliment the tone of her skin and make her features more prominent and ensures that she stands out to the reader. Her big, curly hair is down and projects an image of being free and wild, which is usually associated with the Indie genre that I have chosen to base my magazine on. Her flowery top connotes nature, peace and relaxation which are key aspects of the Indie genre, and the gold chain round her neck gives her a bit of edge which is popular within the genre. For other images in the magazine, I ensured that Claudia had a range of outfits to wear to keep the magazine interesting and appealing to the audience. For some of the other photos she is wearing a denim jacket, a patterned kimono, a flowery bomber jacket, black boots and burgundy Dr Martens. All of these clothing pieces are those typically worn by artists/bands in the Indie genre, and also by the fans of the music. By dressing my model in this clothing, she is displaying to my target audience that she is just like them and is very down to earth, which would made the readers idolise her and give her a fan base.

I chose Claudia as my model as she isn’t shy to get stuck in with the photos, and she is extremely photogenic. For the post part of the magazine, her facial expressions are quite serious and dramatic, which gives the idea that she has a captivating personality, and the readers would be able to find her interesting and want to know more about her. I tried to avoid ‘silly’ facial expressions and poses because the main article focuses on how much she loves music and wants to get a message across, and I felt that more serious images would complement that. This would capture the reader’s attention as they would want to find out why she is so serious about her music, which they could find in the main article.

By including multiple props I was able to further vary the images of my magazine. I used props such as a microphone, a guitar and a stall which can all be associated with music. The microphone demonstrated Claudia’s singing ability, the guitar highlighted the artist’s talent to play the instrument, and the stall allowed a range of camera angles. Often, fans of the Indie genre are able to play instruments as it is a very popular item to use in that genre, therefore if my target audience could see Claudia’s ability to play the guitar, they could perhaps be more interested in her.

As my magazine is targeted towards males and females, I decided not to make any of the images too explicit because her modesty would captivate both genders of my target audience. The male gender would be attracted to her unique features and her shyness, and the female gender would want to dress like her and be like her. Therefore, the positioning and poses in the photographs were very important. I ensured to use a variety of positions as this would make the images more attention-grabbing for example, lying down with the guitar – insinuating the love and passion she has for the instrument, sitting on the stall, standing up looking directly into the camera, standing up holding the microphone at various angles. All these positions I found worked extremely well.

I have found that what has made my main article successful was the taboo language that I included in it. Typically, teenagers and young adults are more prone to using this kind of language freely, and wouldn’t be offput if the magazine was to use it. I feel that it allows the audience to feel as if it has a personal relationship with the magazine because of how similar the language used by both recipients is.

Draft Q1 of Evaluation

1)

Prior to designing my magazine, I thought it would be helpful to research existing magazines to look for the kind of layouts, colours and photographs that I would be interested in interpreting into my magazine. I looked at magazines such as NME and Kerrang!, but my favourite was Q magazine. Q magazine has an extremely professional layout and also looks quite sophisticated, which I think draws in readers more as it makes them feel that this magazine is very experienced and reliable. From this research, I decided to create my magazine similar to the style of Q, and throughout the designing process I kept referring back to the magazine to see where I could improve or to create new ideas.

My front cover image is a close up shot of my model, Claudia. Q uses close up shots regularly as they often look straight into the camera, which makes the audience feel as if they are looking directly at the readers, drawing them in and making them want to find out more about the artist. I felt that this would be the most successful angle to use and it is very personal and could help to gain attention for the magazine and also the artist.

My house colour scheme consist of green, black, white and grey. I used these colours as they are all quite prominent. Q magazine uses red, white, black and sometimes grey, so it became evident to me that I needed one bright colour, green, which would make the typography stand out, and the rest quite neutral colours that complimented the brighter colour. The colour scheme was very important to choose because it needed to attract my target audience successfully. Often throughout the Indie genre, the music followers like to feel relaxed and at ease, therefore the colour green seemed mandatory to use as it has connotations of tranquillity, nature and peace which would also help in luring in readers. My mast head ‘EMERGE’ however doesn’t follow the codes and conventions of the box logo that Q magazine has. I debated calling my magazine ‘E’ however it doesn’t quite have the effect that ‘Emerge’ would have on my readers. Therefore I chose to stretch it across the top of the page in a font that I downloaded called ‘A love of thunder’. The bold typography would help to capture the attention of my target audience, who would be further captivated by the colour green that it is written in. I stuck to my house colour scheme throughout the magazine as this gives it an extremely professional and sophisticated look.

Q also uses a variety of different sell lines on the front cover of the magazine to attract readers that may not be interested in the main article, but would want to perhaps read about something that was advertised in the magazine. This is usually the case with all other magazines, therefore I felt it necessary to include them and follow the typical conventions of a magazine. Like Q magazine, I used various colours (that followed my house colour scheme) and multiple sizes of font to keep it interesting and make it more eye catching to the audience. One sell line in particular was extremely important to make stand out as it introduced the main artist in that particular issue of the magazine. After researching other music magazines, it became evident that the main story sell line has to be slightly bigger than the rest of the sell lines, and often would be the second piece of text that the reader would look at following the mast head. I positioned the sell line about 3/4 of the way down the front cover and stretched it out to cover just over half the width of the page. This would ensure that the main article was recognised by the audience.

For my contents page, I used a very similar layout to the contents page for Q magazine. I struggled to find a layout that I really liked, however the Q layout was spacious and looked professional, therefore I tried to adapt to this as much as I could. Like existing magazines for example Q, Kerrang!, NME, Top of the Pops, I used a variety of images and text on my contents page, which is more appealing to the reader and gives them a range of aspects to look at. I used typical sections, Features and Regulars, to display to the reader the various elements included in the magazine. I also decided to use something which Q magazine features a lot, a band listing. This gives the audience an insight into some of the bands/artists compacted into the magazine, and they are also able to skip straight to looking at this to see if any of the artists/bands that they are interested in are covered in the issue. I also included a Social Networking section as I feel that my target audience in particular are prone to using Social Networking on a day to day basis, therefore they would be able to interact with my magazine using these platforms. It also creates a basis for a personal relationship with my magazine as they would be able to comment on posts and ask questions, which I feel is an important aspect for my magazine to have as it makes the audience feel that the magazine actually values their opinion and wants to hear what they have to say. I made sure to include numbers next to each different piece as this would allow my audience to quickly skip to the articles that they are most interested in reading. I ensured that I kept to my colour scheme in order to reflect the professional and sophisticated look that the Q magazine contents page pursues.

For the main article, I used a variety of page layouts to vary the length of text and the sizes of images which would keep my reader interested. Typically, I ensured that the introducing headline of the article echoed the mast head of my front cover, which emphasises the feature’s importance and captures the attention of the reader. I also stuck to the same font that I used on my contents page to keep the professional feel that I had begun to create for my magazine. The photos I chose for my contents page I consider to be the best ones out of all the photos that I took of my model, as they are eye catching and look professional. I opted to edit some of the photos with a greyscale effect as it just added more variety to the main article and would therefore further captivate my readers. The main article text itself is directed very much towards my target audience as it involves taboo language which is common within the specific age range that I have directed my magazine towards. By doing this, I think that it could allow my readers to feel more connected to the magazine because it caters to their lifestyle.

In conclusion, by using the codes and conventions of Q magazine I have been able to create a professional looking magazine that would be successful in captivating readers and drawing the audience’s attention to my magazine.

Draft Magazine

Production Diary Post 10

For the last couple of weeks I have been working on the final draft of my magazine. To begin with, I used the rectangle tool on InDesign to work out where I wanted to place things such as text and images on the pages. Therefore this week I have been replacing these boxes with chosen images from my photo-shoot and my written text. I have completed the text for my magazine article and I'm very pleased with it. I transferred this to my magazine and it has made it look very professional. I have also added in the text for my contents page along with a few images so my magazine is starting to come together.

Production Diary Post 9

In today's lesson I created a blog post explaining the different equipment involved in the process of making my magazine. For example the software, InDesign and Photoshop, and the hardware, the camera, lights and white screen. This is to illustrate many of the factors necessary to make my magazine look professional. By displaying this, I am also displaying the skills that I have developed by being re-introduced to many different types of equipment, and I have therefore improved on my knowledge of how to use them.

Equiptment

 

 

Software

 

InDesign

To create my magazine I am using the software Adobe InDesign. This is the first whole project that I have created on this software, as I used it briefly in my GCSE's to create a contents page. I find it a lot easier to use than Photoshop, which I used in my GCSE coursework as there are many shortcuts and benefits that it offers.

For example, 'Paragraph Styles' allows me to quickly and easily edit the text. This was extremely useful when creating my contents pages, as I could easily ensure that there was a heading, a contents heading and a contents subheading for each individual feature. This saved alot of time which allowed me to focus more on other parts of the layout.
I am currently enjoying using InDesign as I like the way that if you press the 'W' key, you are able to see what the document would look like without all the border lines. Furthurmore, the border lines are also a good part of InDesign as it enables me to stay within the encouraged lines, helping me to make my magazine as professional as possible.

 

 

 

Photoshop

 

I have used photoshop to edit the chosen photos that I am using for my magazine. I tend to up the brightness and the saturation a little to create a warmer tone to the photograph, making it more appealing for the reader. I have also used airbrush when necessary to create a professional feel and to perfect the images that I'm using. I am quite experienced with using photoshop as we used it a lot during our GCSE's, so this has helped me to edit the images quickly which has saved me a lot of time which I have then dedicated to other aspects of creating my magazine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hardware

The camera I used to take my photos was a Canon SLR. It is an extremely professional camera and therefore enabled me to take great quality images. This is essential for my magazine because I want it to look as professional and appealing as possible.

I also used professional equipment such as lights and a white screen in order to make my images as successful as possible. The white screen is a fantastic tool because it enables you to easily use photoshop when necessary, and creates a simple, plain, professional looking background for the model in the images. The lights create a nice effect on the model and enhance all their details which I really wanted to capture in my magazine.

Production Diary Post 8

In today's lesson I came up with a variety of sell lines that would feature on the front cover of my magazine. I did this in order to display a variety of features that would be included in my magazine. I explained each one and highlighted where I would place it. This therefore describes what sort of content is featured in my magazine and which are the most important articles. I chose to present it on Prezi as it is a professional, neat and organised way to display information.

Cover Lines

Box Out Text

I have chosen to have a box out text called 'The File' on my double page spread. It will include specific information on Claudia that the readers may find interesting. I also think that it will help the readers to create a personal relationship with the artist because it will allow them to delve into her life and find out more about her. I feel that this will intrigue them and will also break up the large article by giving them something else to read.

Name: Claudia Rose Dyer

Age: 21

Occupation: Singer-Songwriter

Hometown: London

Gameplan: "to inspire people and to make them feel as strong as I do through my music"

First Gig: The Roadhouse - Covent Garden

First Record: Blind

First Album: The Calm Before The Storm

Idols: Bob Dylan, Jake Bugg, Ed Sheeran, The 1975

I have chosen to have a second box out text discussing Claudia's opinions on other artists. This will allow me to cooperate other artists into the feature which would widen the audience and the readership.

Mumford & Sons: "I love this band, I think that they have a really distinctive and unique sound. I could listen to them all day, they're really chill. They work so hard and you can really tell! Their song 'Sign No More' is incredible! The lead singer, Marcus, has a fantastic voice and I would love to work with him! They're all amazing, 10/10!"

Lorde: "Oh wow, she's so good. She is only 16 and is so savvy and intelligent. Her song 'Royals' decries the enforced fantasies of magazine culture and rap videos full of diamond watches and Maybachs - PERFECTION! Love her."

30 Seconds To Mars: "For me personally I wouldn't particularly download their album as of yet, but I know that they have a huge fanbase so they're clearly doing something right! I would need to listen to a few more of their songs to be able to make a judgement - I'm not hating on them I just don't know their music enough!"

Extended Draft Article

Think of the coolest, sassiest, most audacious person you know. That one person that has the best wardrobe, the greatest hair and the daring looks. Thinking of someone? Well quadruple it, times it by 64 and add a billion. Your answer? Miss Claudia Dyer. With a fashion sense that screams individuality and a voice that seems to be crafted by angels, this 21-year-old beauty is causing a riot throughout the UK. Her first single, Blind, debuted No. 3 in the charts on the first week of release, climbing to the top spot in just the second week. "Well I didn't expect that, when I was told I just laughed, I thought they were taking the piss!"

 

The half Caribbean wonder was brought up alongside her brother in the heart of London by her Mother and Nan, after her father sadly passed away when she was just 4-years-old. "Everything I do is for them. My Mum and Nan have raised me, my brother is my best friend, and I just want to make my Dad proud." Claudia attended Haverstock Hill Secondary School in Camden from the age of 11 until she was 18. Surprisingly, after achieving a good set of A Level results and being accepted into 3 Universities, Claudia rejected all of them. Instead, she took a job working in a local pub; motivated by the promise that she could perform a couple of songs every weekend. "I thought to myself, what's the point going to Uni when I know that all I want to do in life is make music and sing? That's when I'm at my happiest. Not when I'm being bored to death learning about subjects that I couldn't give a flying fuck about." Claudia's late father was an amazing guitarist, and taught Claudia how to play from the tender age of 3. She explains that it was a 'special bond' in which they shared. "We just understood music, and each other. We shared the same passion, the same warm feeling that I still get every time I play. I could never thank him enough for introducing it to me, but he knows how grateful I am."

 

As a young teen, Claudia spent her free time going to local singing classes, playing the guitar, and writing songs. "I wasn't very popular at school," she explains, "people used to call me weird. I didn't like hanging out with the girls there. All they talked about was how sexy our history teacher was and have heated discussions about which was the best soap on TV. I didn't care about all that crap, it just didn't bother me. My main focus was my music and that's why I'm in the UK top 10, and they're out taking drugs and getting pregnant." Claudia performed gig after gig but it was not until she was 19 that she managed to get a spot at The Windmill in Brixton. It was there and then that she was spotted by Adam Tudhope, the same walking brilliance that represents Mumford & Sons, Keane and Laura Marling. It was through his connections that Claudia landed a record deal with Island Records. "It all happened so quickly. He got my number, rung me the next day, and within a month I had a meeting with the managers at Island Records. Obviously it took a while to finalise everything, but where I am now compared to where I was two years ago is a massive leap. Adam has done so much for me, he's like an extra family member now, we're so close. I owe it all to him."

 

The first time we meet Claudia is at a delightful little coffee shop in Camden. The crispy autum air combined with the sun shining bright makes a perfect scene over London. It's no wonder that this breath of fresh air is so adored by many. Her intriguing eyes, wonderfully fizzy hair and gleaming smile outlined by a captivating plum-coloured lipstick immediately entice us. She wears tattered jeans, black Doctor Martens and a checkered shirt. It is clear she feels comfortable here. She says; "I wanted you to come here because this is where it all began for me. This is where I discovered my love of music and song writing, this is where I would sit and think about everything in my life that I could put into my music. This is where I would scribble lyrics into my scruffy old journal and improvise melodies in my head which could accompany them." We can see why Claudia loves it here, the huge windows display the hustle and bustle of the area allowing an entertaining glimpse into the lives of other people, and the coffee is marvellous. "We came here all the time with my pap. It was his favourite place ever! There was not a single Saturday morning that he missed his 11:00 cappuccino and brownie." The massive smile on her face reflects the happy memories that she describes to us, and her happiness is contagious as we can't stop smiling either! It's hard to believe that this young woman has been through so much, yet is still so strong. We find ourselves falling more and more in love with her!

 

“I’m really excited about my album, ‘The Calm Before The Storm’. I’ve worked so hard on it and I’m buzzing for all my fans to listen to the finished product! This life wouldn’t be possible without them so I’ve dedicated a crazy amount of time and effort into making my album the best it can be as a huge Thank-You to them. The album features 10 songs, all written by me, and a bonus track that I wrote and produced with the amazing Jake Bugg. I love his sound, we’re very similar so my manager introduced us and we instantly clicked! He proposed that we should throw some notes around together sometime, so I contacted him and now we have a track together! It was so cool.” Miss Dyer explains that it was the first collaboration that she has ever done with another artist, and it went so well that they are thinking of doing another one together soon. “I’d love to do another track with Jake, but I know how busy he is! It would be a dream of mine to create a track with someone like Bob Dylan! He has been such an influential figure in my life since I was little. My Mum and Dad were always dancing around the kitchen to his songs, his music brings back such beautiful memories for me. My Mum still listens to him all the time, I really want to meet him so I can introduce them to each other because I know that would complete her life!”

 

Obviously, Claudia is extremely close with her family and she showers them in compliments. They have had a close bond from the beginning and have always stuck together when times have gotten tough. “They mean everything to me. My brother, Zac, is hilarious – there is never a dull moment with him around. Being older, he’s always been protective of me and he’s always been the first person I turn to. When Dad died, he was the one that kept everyone together – he’s our rock. We get along so well and I’m always in contact with him! He loves my career because it means he gets to meet loads of girls! My Nan is wonderful as well, she’s like a second Mum! She looks after all of us, picks us up when we’re down, always up for a chat over a cuppa! And of course my Mum is amazing, after everything she has been through she is still so supportive of us. I love them to bits.”

 

Claudia recently won the Brit ‘Critics Choice Award’. Previously won by artists such as Tom Odell, Florence and the Machine and Ellie Goulding, the award is an honour and demonstrates the belief that other people have in their music. “I literally couldn’t believe it! It shows that hard work and determination definitely pays off. To be awarded for doing something that I love is incredible, I can’t describe how thankful I am. I feel honoured to be chosen the year after Tom Odell. He is fantastic and one of my idols, so to win what he won a year ago just feels amazing.”

 

"I love everything about this career. I love writing down my thoughts and feelings and turning them into songs. I don't feel the need to brainwash young people's minds by constantly singing about provocative partying, fallacious relationships and all that cheesy bullshit. I'd much rather express through my songs the real problems of society like sacrifice, prejudice and the struggles of life rather than talking about a 'shawty' getting drunk in a club. Seriously, who gives a shit about whether or not a guy hooks up with a girl based on the size of her arse?!" The opinionated youngster idolises artists including The Black Keys, Coldplay and The Fray. "They talk about real shit. They are true to themselves and to the world, they don't care about owning a Gucci belt or being voted hottest male of the year. They just want to have their music heard and the message behind their songs received! That's all I could ask for in song writing, none of this fake crap played constantly on the radio. I literally listen to some artist's songs and think, were they drunk when they wrote this? Are they aware of how contradictory and inconsequential they are being? It really frustrates me. There are over 300,000 words in the English language and they chose to throw the most meaningless lyrics together and accompany it with a repetitive 'heard it all before' tune. It's so aggravating! Especially when they actually have a good vocal range!" She laughs off her little rant and takes a sip of her coffee to relax! "I am so sorry haha, I'm just so passionate about music that sometimes I get slightly carried away!"

"Don't get me wrong, I know how hard it is to be a teen with a thousand problems eating at you night and day. I know what it's like to have a boy you thought you were in love with walk out on you along with your heart. I know what its like to be completely backstabbed by your best friend who you thought would be the one person to never let you down. But I've learnt that these situations just make you a stronger person, and they motivate me to carry on doing what I love, because it's me whos laughing now. That's why I don't write songs about true love or friendships. Yeah I believe in them, and if they happen they happen, but I don't want to give people that have hurt me the satisfaction of knowing it through my music. Its simply not worth it! It makes it seem like I give two shits, when really they've done me a favour and helped me become who I am today. I'm stronger than ever. So two fingers to them!"

 

The singing phenomenon will be touring the UK starting next year, in order to promote her fantastic new album. It will travel the entire country including London, Manchester, Cardiff, Nottingham, Plymouth and many more. Claudia will be performing songs off her new album and a few cover songs with visits from a few surprise guests. “We’ve got so much lined up! It’s going to be epic. It will be my first ever tour so of course I’m pretty nervous but I’m so excited I can’t even tell you!” As well as a tour, Claudia has been invited to perform at various festivals next year. “It will be a really busy year, but I’m looking forward to it. I think it will be really good for me, it will help to gain experience in the industry and meet loads of amazing artists.” She will be performing at festivals such as Latitude, Reading/Leads, iTunes and Glastonbury.

 

We ask Claudia more about her new single, and what inspired the lyrics and the sound. Her unique tone makes the lyrics raspy yet soft, and she also holds a position in a "soprano" which is the highest female voice classification – a very unique talent to possess. “I wanted to express the emotions that I have had to keep bottled up about my family, my Dad, my school life. I wanted people to know what goes on behind closed doors – and why you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. Hence the title of the song ‘Blind’. So many people are oblivious to what is really going on in the world. They criticise people on how they dress, how much money they have, whether they have the latest gadgets or not. I want the people victimised by this to not be afraid, to want to stand out. The sound was inspired by a song my Dad wrote years ago. He used to play it to me and my brother every night before we went to bed. It was so much better than a bedtime story. I wanted a calm melody, in order for people to listen to the lyrics and think about what I’m saying. I’m proud of it, so I hope my fans are proud too.”

 

Aswell as a perfect voice, a bubbly personality and a gift for music, Claudia is a keen enthusiast on raising money for charity. "Basically, I'm launching a clothing line in collaboration with Urban Outfitters. 90% of all the money received will go towards Cancer Research UK. I know how hard it is to lose someone to cancer, so the more money we raise from the collection, the more we can participate in the search for a cure. It will be available from the 12th December in all UK Urban Outfitters stores. A lot of the clothes have been designed by me or influenced by things that I wear, so I've really put my own personal touch on it. This is the first project I've done apart from my singing and it really does mean a lot to me! I hope that many people will support me on this and help to raise the money. It just feels amazing to be part of something as sentimental as this! I can't wait."

 

Claudia’s album ‘The Calm Before The Storm’ is out December 13^th and her single  ‘Blind’ is out now.