Chapter 103: Snowballing

Just last year, Starlight Magazine had been just another Hollywood entertainment media company that had been struggling to find their foot in an already competitive market.

In fact, towards the half of the previous year, the company’s executives had considered going public to cut their growing losses as they failed to secure any relevance in Tinseltown.

Then, [Silver Comets] came... and with it, Niall Parker.

As they were the only outlet that had managed to snag an interview with him at the AFI Fest, it had gone a long way in funneling a lot of traffic to their company.

However, things truly boomed for them after they received information on the details that resulted in the falling out between Niall’s former agent and his former agency.

Why they had been the only outlet the insider had approached genuinely baffled them to this day.

Nonetheless, they couldn’t have been more grateful for it as it practically catapulted them into the limelight.

Naturally, they had grabbed onto the opportunity with both hands and had carved a pretty solid reputation for themselves.

A reputation, built on transparency and more down-to-earth interview sessions with all of the artists they’d managed to interview so far.

These interviews, despite not being pre-planned ahead with said artists, were often very career-focused without any hanky-panky of sorts in the form of trying to instigate or paint their guests in a certain way.

There was also a strict rule of non-invasive questions, one each artist had been rather surprised to see when the release forms and guest agreement forms were forwarded to them.

Safe to say, Starlight Magazines were proving themselves to be one of the few media outlets in Hollywood that weren’t solely after their own interests.

But even then, they still wanted to expand their resources and reach. That was just a natural order of things for any company that wanted to grow.

More so when the only stars and celebrities they’d managed to get interviews with thus far weren’t exactly mainstream artists, renowned authors or A-listers.

Popular individuals in their own rights, yes... but not on the level of the big shots.

However, when Niall’s fame had resurged, this time with a song that had essentially placed him in a league of his own independent of usual Hollywood standards with his groundbreaking smash-hit [Aperture], they just had to try their luck.

Afterall, wasn’t he exactly the kind of celebrity they needed?

One, whom despite not being ’mainstream’, ’renowned’ or an ’A-lister’, happened to be the most relevant artist in the industry as at the moment.

A total package to say the least... the kind who just happened to have made hits after hits, and massive successes after massive successes in all of his ventures in recent memory.

The sort that had also managed to garner so much goodwill from the general public, there almost seemed to be an unequivocal stand in the belief that he was one of the few good eggs in Hollywood.

Getting an interview with him was sure to open the floodgates for them to host several other guests whom were much higher on the spectrum of popularity and relevance.

Well aware that the young star wasn’t a fan of partaking in interviews though, especially since they’d heard from several other media outlets that he’d been rejecting them, they hadn’t really put their minds to it, and neither were they expectant of a positive result.

Yet, when his reply came back a couple days later and it was in fact, positive... they really couldn’t believe it.

Afterall, it remained baffling to them why amongst so many other magazines, shows and podcasts that had proven to have more reach, influence and popularity, theirs had struck his fancy.

The only thing they could attribute it to, was perhaps their track record with other artists and presumably, the first but lasting impressions they seemed to have made on him with their articles.

Nevertheless, they had been so ecstatic to have landed the interview opportunity, it really hadn’t taken long before they had announced it on all their social media handles.

As one would expect, it only took a brief while before the news went as viral as news regarding celebrity interviews could.

Maybe not as widespread as if the celebrity had done something scandalous, but still sweeping enough that almost every Hollywood entertainment enthusiast and even several casuals, heard about it.

As a result, their TweetTalk post had garnered well over 5M views, 47K retweets, 33K likes and a comment section that had accumulated over 1K+ comments.

Simply titled; HE SAID YES!... alongside a few general details about the date of the interview when it would be released on their ViewTube channel, the top comments essentially summarized most fans thoughts on it.

-

TroyInTheMiddle: You know how looooonnnnggg I’ve been waiting for this! Whoo, I’m about to watch this interview over and over again!

BluntBellina: The way I immediately opened my calendar like this was a personal appointment.

DailyCelebrityTea: You know an entertainment outlet has to be doing something right if an artist known for cradling his privacy decides to do an interview with them. Hollyweird should learn a thing or two from y’all.

AfterGlowGirl: 47K retweets?????? Boy, am I glad to see that I’m apparently not the only person who has been starving for a moment like this!

Bruh99: I don’t know what sort of voodoo magic y’all used over there to get him to accept, but boy am I glad it’s happening. Would really like to know more about how he came to write [Aperture], amongst several other things.

Niall_Nation: As someone who was chanced to run into him at the airport, I don’t care what they ask him. I just need 45 minutes of Niall Parker talking. Yes, I said it. I’m a simp. Sue me!

Boulevard Critic: Preeeetttyyy sure there are a couple mainstream media companies that are punching the air right now. But then again, that’s what they get for essentially ignoring him before, but are now running back when he’s the hottest thing on the block. Kudos to you guys.

Popcorn Prophet: You’d think this was a national holiday or something, lol. But then again, I guess it just goes to show the rarity of him barely partaking in interviews given how popular he’s becoming.

Jayce_TheMan: This is actually a really smart move from Niall. Starlight’s interviews are noticeably less invasive than most entertainment outlets.

MayaTheWitch: Thank heavens! I’ve waited two whole years for a proper Niall interview and we’re finally getting one! I am completely sat and ready to be served!

Pop-Cultured: I just know some media outlets be donning that pikachu face right now, wondering why Niall refused them yet decided to go with one of the few one that didn’t try to sabotage his career early on.

-

Niall’s growing fanbase and their excitement for the interview aside, there was one particular individual who had found himself caught amidst a slowly growing wave of criticism.

At first, it had started small, without much fanfare. But as the days following Coachella passed, more and more people began to take notice.

Given how family-friendly and generally well-received the performances at the Mojave Tent had been, with Niall and Midnight Avenue’s set standing out as the inimitable highlight of the night, Tyler’s performance, by comparison, had stuck out like a sore thumb.

Sure, there was little debate over the fact that his performance had been high-octane and full of energy. The problem, however, was that many had found it far too sultry and, more importantly, superficial.

Especially on a stage like Coachella, where artists were expected to showcase more of their artistry rather than lean so heavily into the polished pop spectacle.

Usually, by now, Tyler’s fans would have banded together to defend their favorite artist.

But with the criticism steadily piling up day after day, it didn’t take long before it became a hot topic in its own right, with the general sentiment surrounding him gradually shifting from habitual indifference to a growing sense of disdain.

The kind of disdain that Tyler and his record label certainly didn’t want to deal with at the moment.

Unfortunately for them, however, the situation was already beginning to snowball into something far bigger than either of them could have anticipated

*

The interview room was almost like a stylish private lounge than a conventional studio.

Soft natural light filtered through its windows, illuminating a pair of comfortable armchairs positioned across from each other with a small wooden table between them.

A few potted plants, framed photographs and shelves of books were placed against the wall and gave it a homely quality, while discreet cameras and microphones were positioned around the room without making their presence too imposing.

A simple Starlight Magazine logo also hung against the far wall, completing the relaxed, professional atmosphere they had deliberately cultivated for their interviews.

No sooner had Niall walked in, the crew whom had been leisurely making a few checks while waiting for his arrival immediately straightened up.

A familiar face in the form of his interviewer, Tom Jiggs, whom had interviewed him last year at the AFI Festival, also assumed a professional yet inviting demeanor as he offered a handshake;

"It’s a pleasure to finally meet you again."

"The pleasure’s all mine, Tom." Niall reciprocated in kind, earning a look of genuine surprise from the journalist who hadn’t expected that the young star would remember his name.

Nonetheless, he managed to rein his expression in, although inwardly he was feeling genuinely giddy that his favorite artist had actually remembered him as he gestured with a light smile;

"Please, have a seat,"

To that, Niall bobbed his head once and proceeded to take his seat placed just opposite Tom’s, his entire demeanor reserved yet relaxed.

Then, after a few seconds of doing one last camera check, the interview finally began.

Advance Chapters are available on Patreon!

/Caer07