google-site-verification=cXrcMGa94PjI5BEhkIFIyc9eZiIwZzNJc4mTXSXtGRM Luke James finds balance in his creative passions - 360WISE MEDIA
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Luke James finds balance in his creative passions

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Photo credit: Juan Veloz

Łukasz James is a person of many talents. Coming from New Orleans, he had contact with many artists at a young age, but above all he shined as a musician. He began his profession singing for Tyrese after which went on to put in writing for artists comparable to Justin Bieber, Chris Brown and Snoh ​​Alegra, amongst others. Since then, he has been nominated for 3 Grammy Awards and successfully entered the film industry, showing his range and flexibility as a real creator.

The “I Want You” singer got his big break as an actor with the role of Johnny Gill in 2016. This was followed by stellar performances in , , and the critically acclaimed , created by Lena Waithe. Now the 39-year-old talent will appear alongside Deborah Ayorinde and Pam Grier in the second season of the horror anthology series, which was a really special opportunity for James.

“I’m very grateful to be a component of this. It’s really something for us, our own creation. It’s an anthology,” he says about . “There was already presupposed to be a second season, so after I watched the primary season, I used to be just completely happy to be a component of the brand new season – it is a high-quality job. Very different from the primary season, but definitely just as exciting and really exciting.

From starring in critically acclaimed movies and hit television series, to releasing chart-topping albums and touring the country with a few of music’s biggest superstars, James has develop into some of the watched talents in the entertainment industry today.

ESSENCE: You are a really famous singer. What made you begin your adventure with acting and when did you catch the acting bug?

Luke James: As a toddler, I all the time admired individuals who were on TV, and in some ways I desired to be them, especially in the event that they brought joy to people’s lives. So I watched , , and . My mom loved Denzel, in order a child I knew I watched every kind of Spike Lee movies, however it was all the time something I desired to do. It so happened that music took first place in my life and it was because of music that I gained the opportunities that I actually have been and still am blessed with. So it was sort of a natural progression. It’s just one other art form. I feel if I had the chance to go to the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA), I’d select theater and music.

While working with Lena Waithe on and all of the amazing actors who were on set. What have you ever learned as an actor since participating in this series?

The power of being a vessel as an actor is actually about putting yourself at the middle of it. It’s you, your experiences and feelings, and you have got to interpret what’s written, what’s given to you in the script. Also, especially if it’s a brand new character that does not exist, you have got to make use of your imagination to essentially create that person and convey them to life. This likelihood to act, man, it really was, like an actor, one other likelihood to act, improve yourself and be a part of this drama.

It was one other opportunity to essentially hone my craft, and being surrounded by a team of actors, each young and experienced, made me a sponge brother. I’m really a sponge for every part. I’m interested in art and totality. So it is a blessing to be around actors like Curtiss Cook, who plays Douda, and just break bread with him and just get grounded simply because I’m not from Chicago and all of us sort of hang around together because a few of us aren’t from Chicago. So when we’ve break day and we will break bread with an actor who has been in this business longer than me and has been acting most of his life, just to essentially have the ability to talk over with someone who does it and does it at a high level. It was an experience to be here, brother, simply to see phenomenal people who find themselves really putting in all their effort to inform a phenomenal story.

It was very nice to only be in that space. And I can not estimate how much I learned, man. I’m still learning tell a story and direct. I talk over with the crew and the writers. I’m learning rather a lot about writing and the way the camera should move. I learned a lot, man. This experience was really, really amazing and pivotal in my life and profession.

Staying on the subject of acting, you might be in the brand new season , which is an incredible spectacle. I desired to talk over with you about this role since it’s a rather different show than the roles you’ve got played in the past.

It’s very different from roles in the past, but my preparation hasn’t modified. Preparation is what it’s, learn your lines, learn your job. It’s a series, so if there was an earlier season, watch it to grasp the extent of movement of every part, how things are shot and the drama behind it, because every series is different and you’ll be able to tell. Not all shows are the identical, the way in which the words are said aren’t the identical, but after I watched the primary season, I actually reached a level that I sort of need to undergo. It was only a matter of going back to the fundamentals of what I often do to explore a personality, especially if it’s something that is on the page and also you’re just trying to grasp what the creator has in mind for that character and in addition what you what you are feeling for this reason character and what you read. It’s just that straightforward preparation and telling the reality.

It was really great fun, brother. I’m not going to deceive you. It was the craziest thing I’ve ever done and it was just a lot fun. It’s a horror anthology. The cool thing about horror is that it’s incredibly creative because you actually just try as much as you’ll be able to and see what lands that moves you in so some ways. And I feel just like the space created on set was different from another space I’ve been in. Not that another spaces aren’t warm and alluring, but because that is such a high octane series, if I could say so myself, the stakes are very high. The space that Little Marvin created was really cool for me, I used to be capable of have a good time and just dive in and do something I had never done before.

I need to return to where we began this conversation. Your introduction to the broader audience was the musician Luke. I do know acting costs loads of money and the music business can also be very volatile straight away.

Music is garbage. You can say it.

I’m glad you said that.

The movie business could also be strange, however the checks are all the time on time. Work is figure and also you receives a commission for that work. There is in some way a shyness in music that all the time creeps in. But in the movie every part is black and white. There are many things involved, there’s insurance, there are a lot of other things and this matter is just not variable. A date is a date. This doesn’t change, and if it does, there’s loads of money at stake. But anything can occur in music, man. Anything could occur. That’s why music is in the state it’s in. You’re higher off on your individual, and you’ll be able to accomplish that way more.

Has all this stigma behind the music industry dimmed your passion for it even a bit?

Not in any respect. At some point I didn’t feel this love and it wasn’t a lot the necessity for some external love from those in power. And not only that, but additionally inner love. I have not felt a single moment where I didn’t feel the fervour that I had after I was a toddler, listening to music to create it. It was for me to leap into the film and do something that I had never done before at this level, like…

It moved me, it opened me up and allowed me to seek out my love for music through this project, and it was a music project. No, I could never lose my love for music. That’s just a part of my responsibilities, I feel my perspective has modified because I feel I enjoy making movies, I like it, I like it, however it also gives me the space where financially I could make music the way in which I need the music from the space love and truth and from my soul, as an alternative of signing to a label where everyone has their very own wants and desires for you.

And I do not think music ought to be like that. I feel music is a spiritual journey for every body and I feel you have got to offer it time, and I feel loads of things are rushed in this business. Artists aren’t ready to come back out yet, but here they get kicked out because they’ve a single and placed on a nasty performance during a live show. It just doesn’t move you in the identical way a record does, but that is only since it’s only a record.

There is not any artist development, no time. Artists have not even discovered who they are surely and I feel that is a giant problem with music today, but man, I’m grateful, man. I’m grateful for every part. I feel that because of what I read, real music allowed me to grasp break the humanity in an individual. It just made me a more spiritual person. And I feel that if it weren’t for music, I would not be here, just the opportunities, but additionally the understanding of life that I learned through music. That’s why I could never not make music. Music and acting help me personally, especially at this stage in my life.

You sing, play and interact in various other activities. What fuels your creativity?

At some point, I say in some unspecified time in the future. I feel a part of it touches people’s souls, there’s a possibility that I could transport someone right into a space of reflection. Whether it’s love, I feel for me, for every part, love is the core. Everything I create through music is love. This is my north star. I feel that each time I create something, I’m all the time trying to grasp love higher, to like, to let go of affection, or simply to let love, to like. It moves me a lot to fill a room with spirit and just make people so crazy and lovey-dovey that it excites me. I feel the opposite thing is just a possibility to shine. I’m an only child, I feel that for me it has all the time been every opportunity to easily feel worthwhile. I do not know, it is a deeper idea, but I feel there are loads of artists, and one in every of the explanations we do what we do is only a likelihood to have a way of purpose.

This article was originally published on : www.essence.com
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How Chloe x Halle stays energized to achieve It Girl status while juggling work, life and motherhood

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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 30: Halle and Chloe Bailey debut their Core Hydration® partnership on the Refreshing Routines event at Aire Ancient Baths on April 30, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Core Hydration)

Chloe x Halle are at all times on the move.

Whether they’re within the studio, on stage, filming for the large or small screen, or most recently caring for a brand new, precious member of the family – together or apart – the sister duo needs to stay energized and stamina while working. they dominate many points of the entertainment industry and run their personal lives.

The sisters have teamed up with one in all their favorite wellness brands, Core hydrationand espouses a message of refreshing and replenishing your body and mind to step out, be your best self, and perform at your highest level.

ESSENCE caught up with the sister singers at New York’s Aire Ancient Baths for a wellness session that included yoga, a sound bath, and, after all, hydration, and talked about recent music, recent motherhood, and staying on the move.

How Chloe x Halle maintain their It Girl status while balancing work, life and motherhood
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 30: Halle and Chloe Bailey debut their Core Hydration® partnership on the Refreshing Routines event at Aire Ancient Baths on April 30, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Core Hydration)

Each of you comes into your personal individually, and yet you proceed to flourish together. Halle, first things first: late last 12 months you reached a serious milestone in your life by becoming a mother. What was that change like and how do you balance work and motherhood?

Halle: Wow. It was a very beautiful learning experience for me. I feel that in this time I noticed my strength and power as a lady, whereas before I wasn’t so sure. I’m still not confident in myself, but every single day I grow and discover how strong I’m.

Being away from him may be very difficult – you permit your child and think, “Oh, I miss the moments!” You feel so guilty. I even have to get used to it, but knowing that I’m working for him to give him a future and a stupendous life, and that it’ll all repay. So it was a stupendous transitional and educational experience for me.

Chloe, what’s life like as an aunt?

Chloe: It’s amazing. I feel sad when she’s out of town since it means she’s out of town and I’m not with him. But today I will be with him, so I’m blissful.

Speaking of milestones, you only performed at Coachella. You performed together on the festival in 2018, but what was it like performing for the primary time as a solo artist?

Chloe: It was really stressful, truthfully. The morning of the primary weekend I felt like I used to be going to vomit. I just had to do some respiration techniques and I assumed, Chloe, if you happen to’re like this within the morning, you are going to be a wreck throughout the show. I began at nine, so I assumed, “Okay, I can’t feel like this all day.” That’s so much. But being on stage with the women and seeing how nice it turned out makes me want to do it again.

How Chloe x Halle maintain their It Girl status while balancing work, life and motherhood
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 30: Halle and Chloe Bailey debut their Core Hydration® partnership on the Refreshing Routines event at Aire Ancient Baths on April 30, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Core Hydration)

Now, what are you looking forward to for the remaining of the 12 months? I do know you only had one drink, Halle… how have you ever been having fun with the fan response and can we expect more music?

Halle: Music-wise, yes, there’s so much more coming. Yes, I used to be excited in regards to the release of In Your Hands. I wasn’t planning on posting this, but everyone asked me in regards to the part I posted. It’s really the fans that give me the arrogance to say, “Okay, sure, I’ll give it to you.” I’m way more excited in regards to the things we do together. And then there’s something for my beautiful sister that is coming out very soon, so we’re very excited!

Chloe: Yes, my album might be released soon! It’s named . I already know the discharge date, but I am unable to reveal it yet.

I assume it takes a number of work to find the balance between doing all of your own individual thing and then coming together and creating as a complete. How to maintain balance and reconcile all responsibilities?

Chloe: I mean, it’s probably not difficult. We’ve at all times done this since we were little girls. We really began to deal with solos and other games until [Halle] went to London for. So it was really a primary time. I feel it was so weird for me to be a twin without one other twin. I feel since then we have just had it locked down and stacked and I feel we’re doing quite well with it now.

You each have rigorous schedules of traveling, recording, performing and performing – and in your particular case, Halle – taking good care of mommy duties within the meantime. How are you able to stay energized, prioritize your good health and stay hydrated throughout the day’s challenges?

Halle: Well, it was a blessing, this collaboration with CORE Water, since it has at all times been our favourite water. My sister and I attach great importance to the taste of water. I remember a few years ago we at all times said, “This tastes great. We find it irresistible.” That’s why it’s beautiful to have the opportunity to work with water that we use on a regular basis.

We just have to continually – I mean, everyone forgets to drink water. This is a very powerful thing we want to keep our energy stable. That’s so much! Our schedules are difficult. We are on a plane every other day. If you do not replenish your body, you will not have the opportunity to proceed working and performing for everybody like you must. So yes, it has been a journey, but a very successful one. We are grateful to CORE for being with us!

This article was originally published on : www.essence.com
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Taylor Rooks is putting mental health front and center with LG’s “Transparent Conversations.”

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A sports reporter Taylor Rooks has gained widespread respect within the sports industry for offering invaluable insights as an NBA and NFL broadcaster. Now, with a while in the sport, she’s adding just a few latest titles to her repertoire, including her latest podcast with her friend and co-host Joy Taylor, in addition to becoming the host of season two LG . The latter is a traveling podcast series in partnership with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA®) “that focuses on college student-athletes discussing mental health and well-being.”

Rooks, graduate University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign draws on his own experiences to attach with his guests and speaks to the experiences of faculty athletes. In each episode, he travels to different college campuses to debate mental health on the earth of faculty athletes.

Taylor Rooks is putting mental health front and center with LG's 'Transparent Conversations'
Taylor Rooks on the bottom with LG in the course of the NCAA Final Four

“When I heard about , it really resonated with me because that’s what I try to do both in my career and in real life. I think the basis of everything is communication, and if we can all be honest about ourselves and our experiences and feel that these words reach safe spaces with people who really care, who want to learn more and want to help in this way, that they can – that’s what transparency is all about,” Rooks says on the ESSENCE podcast. “The feeling that you can be vulnerable and that you can be open, open enough to talk about the things that really matter in your life or the things that are maybe bothering you. So when I heard that LG wanted to be able to have these kinds of discussions on college campuses with young student-athletes who are really trying to find a solution outside of the pressures of sports, school, family, friends and it just grows. It just felt right and really important. And something I was truly called to do.”

Rooks has already had university interviews with NBA star Kenny Anderson, Fisk University men’s basketball head coach, 2X NBA All-Star Jerry Stackhouse and Vanderbilt head coach, in addition to current college players.

In support of those intergenerational conversations, LG is reaching out to advocates, administrators, coaches and student-athletes to debate the work-life balance that characterizes the student-athlete world. Just last month, Rooks traveled to the NCAA Final Four to film two latest episodes that focused on the role coaches play in student-athlete mental health and the importance of collaboration in implementing effective mental health initiatives.

While she says she learned so much from the experience, what really stuck out to Rooks was an exchange with Arizona State head coach Bobby Hurley during which the 2 discussed the role coaches play in keeping players’ mental health each on the sector and and beyond. “It was incredibly insightful to hear a coach have such a keen awareness of how he can both positively and negatively impact a student-athlete’s mental health and how he wants to make sure he is always doing the right thing,” Rooks explains. “Above all, beyond wins and losses, the important question was: Are my student-athletes feeling well and am I doing everything I can to support them?”

The NBA host continued to debate how many colleges have beefed up their athletic staffs, in order that sports teams usually are not just limited to coaches and trainers, but additionally expanded to incorporate mental health professionals. “It was a real eye opener and it was great to see these positive steps that schools have taken to ensure their athletes feel supported. There are a lot of people who employ sports psychologists, a lot of mental fitness coaches, some they really call mental coaches, people who work there and their job is to make sure you feel supported,” Rooks continued.

In addition to keeping players in good mental and physical condition for on-court performances, these professionals also help with the transition away from post-graduate sports, as for a lot of student-athletes, sports turn out to be a big a part of their identity. Drawing from my very own experiences as a school athlete, I noticed a paradigm shift in my life and how I needed to rediscover my identity away from sports – because life doesn’t at all times have the identical outlook that may be translated into wins and losses. “It’s cool that mental health is being talked about so loudly and so proudly, and right in front of our faces, in order that athletes know that they’re greater than only a champion or a winner or someone who plays football or basketball or soccer , which is just a part of them. This is the vital part. But that is not the entire part.

When Rooks turns the tables on me, he asks, “But how did you manage to do that? Did you rely on therapy or did you rely on self-reflection?” In response to Rooks’ inquiry, I share that while therapy played a pivotal role in my journey, it was ultimately self-reflection and a commitment to non-public growth that paved the way in which for navigating the complexities of mental health in athletics after graduating from university. She praised me for this, confirming that life after sports is a difficult journey. “Especially when you’ve been seen as a person for most of your life. This is what I hear a lot of athletes talking about both in , but also in the conversations I’m having now [with] current athletes, the identity issues they have and how they deal with it.”

As a Black woman in sports, Rooks, while excited by the sudden surge in interest in a women’s sport, namely basketball, also believes it calls for a much-needed audit of what it took to get here. “I think what we really lose is that this moment can exist, fortunately and fortunately, because of the many moments that preceded it. For it to be long-lasting, I think it’s a validation of all of us, athletes and media fans, how we all contributed to this very positive moment that we’re seeing now and which I hope will last forever, but also how way we contributed to why it took so long. Because that’s how we’ll continue to see the game really grow.”

She passionately advocates for changing the narrative around women’s sport, calling for a deeper dive into their individual stories and achievements. “I would like to proceed to see the expansion of girls’s sports based on who they’re, not only the indisputable fact that they’re women. I feel that was an issue,” he says. This feeling resonates inside her WNBA player Angel Reese’s recent criticism of sportscaster Emmanuel Acho’s views on the LSU team.

As Rooks points out, “Me personally, in the media, we still talked about these athletes from the point of view and perspective of the fact that they are women, without really telling their story.”
For women’s sports to actually reach its peak, Rooks says, the narrative needs to vary. By encouraging much-needed conversations and storytelling, you can too profit the long run of the sport for generations to come back by utilizing a podcast. “they concentrate on their humanity, and we center their experiences. In my opinion, this is the way you develop the sport because this is the way you develop the athlete.


This article was originally published on : www.essence.com
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Black Effect 2024 Podcast Festival: Amplifying Black Voices in Entertainment

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ATLANTA, GEORGIA – APRIL 27: Jess Hilarious speaks on stage throughout the Black Effect 2024 Podcast Festival at Pullman Yards on April 27, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Derek White/Getty Images for iHeartMedia and The Black Effect Podcast Network)

This past weekend, the Black Effect 2024 Podcast Festival returned to Atlanta’s Pullman Yards with the goal of highlighting, uplifting, and amplifying Black voices in the podcast industry. For the second yr in a row, the event brought together podcast fans and the network’s top talent for a day of live podcast recordings of the network’s hottest shows.

Hosted by B Daht and Pretty Vee, the day kicked off with a special live taping , during which Lex P and Drea took the stage to debate dating in 2024 and the financial requirements of a relationship. Additionally, the event featured two thought-provoking and informative panel discussions: “Podcasting 102: Money & Marketing” and “Content Authenticity x Brand Partnerships.”

As the day progressed, viewers were treated to live renditions of the song , in addition to special guests John Hope Bryant and Dr. Joy Harden-Bradford. TI also made a surprise appearance throughout the live taping hosted by Ferrari Simmons, Byron Turner and Octavia March. The hosts talked to TI about several topics, including his first big purchase after rising to fame and the key to an extended, successful marriage.

Off the principal stage, festival sponsors AT&T, Nissan and State Farm hosted activities for families and fans, including The Trap Nerds Grand Prix Showdown Gaming Tournament, and for the second yr in a row, emerging creators had the chance to pitch their Black Effect podcast ideas. networks on the Pitch Your Podcast booth.

Nissan’s head of multicultural marketing Lanae Williamson and HBCU fellows Amber McKnight, Folusho Adeyemi and Nyla McPherson participated in the “Nissan Thrill of the Possibility Summit Panel,” moderated by Charlamagne Tha God. The group discussed their experiences on the Thrill of Possibility Summit 2023 sponsored by Nissan and the worth of attending an HBCU, including the sense of community, mentoring opportunities and unique, wealthy cultural experiences that may contribute to academic and profession success.

Adding an exclamation point to the evening, Philadelphia duo Gillie Da King and Wallo267 excited the gang by playing a hilarious game of “Do You Know Each Other?” with couples and friends, which caused hysterical chaos. Mandii B and WeezyWTF closed the show with a special live recording. The hosts began their live show with a surprising acrobat who performed impressive moves on a raised hoop on stage. Later, Weezy and Mandii kept the party going, gathering some fans for a twerk-off and teaching the audience the “kinky ABCs.”

In case you missed it, take a look at some photos from the Black Effect 2024 Podcast Festival in Atlanta, Georgia.

This article was originally published on : www.essence.com
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