"You ready Raven?" my sister asks. I see the stage lights becoming bigger while the crowd becomes louder. We are right next to the stage and I take one last breath. My sisters arm is around me. Even her touch feels proud. The stage manager makes eye contact with me while she points at a digital clock. It's counting down. 3.. 2..
James Cordons enthusiastic voice fills the studio: "Welcome back! Let's meet our second guest for tonight. She has over three billion youtube views aaand she's possibly the worlds best car karaoke singer - Please welcome: RAVEN RIGELLE."
"I was born ready." I say winking at my sister right before I walk on stage and into the spotlights.
My long blonde curly hair catches the camera and I give James a hug. " HIIIIII" I say excited. I sit down on the brown couch as James takes a seat behind his desk. "I'm diggin' the outfit, Raven." I am wearing my favorite red velvet trousers, silver heels and a silk blouse with a quirky print. "Ha thank you! Lookin' pretty sharp yourself James!"
"Oh well thank you." James says as he jokingly runs his hand through his hair. "So." He puts his hands on the desk. "Your life has been quite the roller coaster this past year! How did you start making those videos in the first place?"
"I actually just posted them for my friends and family. They gave me a GoPro for my birthday and I just started filming me and my sister or friends singing along in the car. We all just do not have any shame - And I guess people liked that. It went from ten views to thousands before I knew it. Then I suddenly got a call from Selena Gomez's manager saying that she wanted to be in one of my videos after she heard me say that I would really like to do car karaoke with her. That is when I got more and more calls about celebrities wanting to be in my videos and I kind off still am shocked by how fast that all went. Especially considering I didn't even own my own car at that point." I have to laugh just thinking about the ridiculousness of it all.
"Well, I know why! You are super funny and deadly honest and I think people are craving this kind of sincere conversation and fun. Even if it is in your parents' station wagon." He jokes.
"It is NOT a station wagon!! That is just demeaning to that Toyota man." I say, trying to defend my dad's car.
Before I know the interview is over and my sister and I are being driven back to my house.
Besides being an incredible sister, she fulfills the job of my manager. Since it all went so fast it was a bit more then I could handle on my own, so she stepped in to help me temporarily. It makes it all way less scary when she's here going through it with me.
"Oh by the way - You do realize the interview with Harry Styles is next week and that he is single again?" She pokes me with her elbow while she raises her eyebrows up and down. "Huuh huuuh" ... I try to look jaded at her but I can't help laughing. She is always teasing me about being single. I am completely fine with being single though, something no one seems to understand. I am having a great time and honestly none of the guys I've dated were much of an improvement fun-life-wise.
"Ok. So. He has a new album coming out in two months." She says while she hands me a folder - "Here is all there currently is to know about him. The notes he made on the song selection are also in there."
When I first started interviewing celebrities I decided to use the fact that they came to me in stead of the other way around. I realized they wanted my viewers and I made some rules for myself. I would be the one in charge. I don't want to be some puppet to make them look good. I want to make good, honest, fun content.
So I always compile a list of great karaoke songs, combine them with some songs of the artists or that are related to them somehow. They won't know which song will be when, or what questions I will ask. That is up to me and it keeps it spontaneous. They do get my song selection before the show so they at least know all the words. Which is kind of essential in the whole car karaoke concept. They can however also object if they don't like the song.
I open the folder and quickly glance at the part about the song selection. I really wanted to make this an interesting one so I added 'I knew you were trouble' by his ex-girlfriend Taylor Swift to the list. A song that is rumored to be about him. Hmm. To my surprise he didn't object to that song. I'm officially intrigued.
YOU ARE READING
Only time will tell. (Harry Styles love story)
FanficWhen 21 year-old Raven's car karaoke videos go viral, she starts getting calls from celebrities who want to be in interviewed by her. One of these guests is singer Harry Styles, who is working on his debut album, and does more then just car karaoke...
