reputation | tom blyth

things are getting out of hand

February 2023
recording studio, Los Angeles

'No, yeah, this is so good!! wow...', Campbell tapped her takeaway coffee cup to the beat of the song playing through the airpod. She woke up earlier than usual, too excited to spend the day in the studio, finally feeling like herself again. She arrived before her team did, sitting on the curb as she wrote potential lyric ideas in the notes app on her phone. She was writing faster than she could keep up with, songs forming themselves as she poured out her every thought, so focused on it that she hadn't noticed the man attempting to catch her attention. 'Hey, Campbell, right?', he tried again, this time successfully making her look up. Luke Hemmings, vocalist and guitarist for the band 5sos, who she'd briefly met a week ago in this very same studio, was standing next to her, smiling at the girl lost for words. She had mentioned when they first met how much of a fan she was, cursing herself for bringing up the posters of the band that still decorated the walls of her childhood bedroom. They didn't find it embarrassing though, if anything it made them like her more. Luke was early for his own studio session, with the rest of the band stuck in the LA traffic. He suggested they walk to a near coffee shop while they waited for the others, admitting to feeling slightly hungover from a party he went to last night, needing caffeine to help him get through the day of making music. The boys were finishing their fifth studio album and as he and Campbell walked back down the street from the coffee shop, with takeaway cups in their hands, he played her some of the songs they've been working on. 'This one is called 'Easy for you to say', its one of the first songs we wrote for this project', he explained as he clicked play on the next song, they shared an airpod each, focusing on the sound coming through them. 'Ooh yeah, i love this already', Campbell complimented before asking him more about the bands process of making music, 'well...this time we're doing it all by ourselves...Mikey is producing the whole thing and while that comes with it's own challenges...i think we all agree that we've never been happier, we have complete control for the first time in our career and we know how lucky we are for it', he spoke, his passion for the music he makes with his best friends evident in his words and his voice. Campbell thought about his words, how free they must feel, having the last word with the art they share with the public. Her team was great, she shouldn't be complaining, they trusted her vision and had faith in her talent but there were times she felt she was being controlled, dressed up like a doll and forced to play a part she couldn't relate to. She was rudely interrupted from her thoughts by a flashing light, a paparazzi with a massive camera approaching them with long strides. She cursed loudly as she fastened her own pace, Luke following close by, just as annoyed by the man's sudden appearance as she was. 'Campbell, Campbell!!! Is this your new boo? Luke have you and Sierra divorced? Are you cheating on your wife??', his yelling made both of their blood boil, they reached the doors to the studio and angrily shut them in the paparazzi's face. They could still hear his mumbled yelling through the walls as they both sighed, upset about the turn of events. 'i'm sorry about this', they both spoke at the same time, apologising though they knew the situation was out of their control. Even the most innocent conversation or a harmless coffee with a new friend, would cause havoc online, there wasn't any stopping it. 'Do you think he'd delete the photos if i paid him?', Campbell half jokingly asked the tall australian, he shook his head with a small smile, 'he probably already sold them to all the magazines'. They sipped on their drinks in the hallway, thinking about the press they'd have to deal with. All this drama over nothing. Campbell broke out in giggles, holding a hand in-front of her smile trying to hold back, causing him to look at her with confusion, 'its just ridiculous...all of this', she explained her reaction, 'but i am sorry you're getting dragged in my mess, i hope your wife is smarter than the fans are, they'd believe i'm dating a random cashier if i was pictured at the check out in the grocery store', she chuckled shaking her head. Luke laughed at her words before reassuring her not to worry, 'things like that happen all the time, people will believe what they want to...dont take it to heart, Cam...it'll die down eventually', he gave her a quick hug, thanking her for her feedback on the bands music before saying goodbye. They each walked into their seperate rooms inside the recording studio complex, eager to finally put their focus towards creating.