Rise To Stardom - Chapter 56

Chapter 56: Talk Show
Emma Harper, host and the charismatic force behind her popular talk show, Artistry Unleashed, walked onto the stage as the people in the audience cheered.

Providing a vibrant platform, her show was a breath of fresh air because she would frequently alternate between having mainstream artists or having emerging indie artists grace the show.

Usually, the conversations between her and the guest could range from very professional to light-hearted, all depending on whom it was she was interviewing, a sort of sixth sense she had developed over the years.

It was a contrast that she seamlessly pulled off and today was no different as the crowd was expecting either a chart-topping musician, a renowned actor or actress, or just a breakthrough indie artist to be on the show.

Dressed in a chic yet approachable attire, her dark-brown hair tastefully styled in a brunette, Emma reciprocated the audience’s gesture with a small wave and a warm smile.

Her chestnut-brown irises were also expressive and lively, and after the cheers had died down, she finally spoke, her voice magnetic and welcoming;

“Thank you, thank you! What a fantastic crowd we have tonight! Welcome to ‘Artistry Unleashed’! I’m your host, Emma Harper, and as usual, I am beyond thrilled to be here with all of you. Can you feel the excitement in the air?!”

To that, the audience cheered and whistled while Emma simply continued;

“Now, we’ve got another fun show lined up for you tonight. Our guest is someone who’s been the talk of the town for the past few days now and I’m just as curious as you all to know how he pulled it off. So, without further ado, let’s give a warm welcome to the breakthrough indie artist, Kyle Kestis!”

And just like that, Kyle stepped onto the stage in confident strides, a light smile on his lips as the audience gave him a round of applause and cheers.

Gently waving over to them, Kyle, dressed in a light-weight, vintage-brown corduroy jacket with a simple white shirt underneath, along with slim-fitted dark-blue jeans and stylish vintage-brown boots, exchanged a friendly handshake with Emma.

“Welcome Kyle. It’s a pleasure to have you here.” Emma grinned and said.

“I am beyond grateful for the opportunity to be here Emma.” Kyle reciprocated the gesture.

After the formalities were done, both moved over to modern and cozy conversation area adorned with plush velvet couches and contemporary art pieces on the wall.

Lowering onto the chair, Kyle confidently sat, his legs crossed and his hand which was adorned with a simple wristwatch, gently rested on his knee cap.

Noticing the manner in which he sat, Emma was a bit surprised by how cool and collected he seemed, especially for a young chap like him.

Most indie singers who came on her show, usually tended to have a nervous feel to them but Kyle seemed to be different.

Without reading too much into it though, she then asked, her expression friendly;

“So what’s it like being on your very first talk show?”

“Nervous.” Kyle replied with a thin smile.

“You don’t look all that nervous though?” Emma tilted her head in curiosity.

“Oh I’m just trying my best to keep it all under wraps. My brain however, will not shut up about how excited it is to be here. Same thing goes for my nerves. They’re all giddy and tingling.” Kyle responded and that earned a few chuckles, both from the host and the audience.

This exchange between them, instantly set an even more positive and welcoming vibe to the show, making the audience more engaged.

“You certainly seem to have a way with words Kyle.” Emma complimented and Kyle simply smiled in response.

“Alright. So tell us Kyle, how’s it feel being the talk of the town?” Emma then questioned, her eyes curious.

“Privileged. I feel privileged.” Kyle answered honestly.

“Would you like to talk more on that?” Emma prodded.

Gently nodding his head, the young man gave a few more words;

“Well. First off, I definitely didn’t expect my song to have skyrocketed so high but when it did, I honestly was unsure of how to react at first. It felt so surreal…” he began.

“But eventually, when I finally got my bearings, I just went on an appreciation spree…”

Hearing that, some people in the audience chuckled as Kyle continued;

“Thanked Carl Finch first for tweeting about the song, thanked Jennie Clemenza for helping extensively with the arrangement of the song’s tune, thanked Christina Aubert for writing such a lovely script for the music video, thanked Maria Dominique and her crew for such a fantastically well-shot video and finally, gave my greatest appreciation to my agent, Oliver, for just being the absolute best and making it all come together effortlessly.”

“But if there was anyone I would really love to thank over and over with all of my heart, it’d be every single soul who took a few minutes of their time to listen to my music. Absolute sweethearts every single one of them.” he had a genuine smile grace his lips as he said that.

“So yeah, I will say I’m more privileged than anything else because, it just wasn’t something I could’ve achieved on my own.” Kyle concluded and the audience showered him with claps.

Emma also looked impressed, her eyes seeing the young man in a new light.

“That’s very thoughtful of you.” she said and Kyle replied gratefully.

“It was the least I could do.”

“Now, there’s been speculations that you might’ve purposely released your song close to Valentine’s with the intent of garnering this kind of traction? A sort of anti-thesis to the red day’s usual mushy, love songs… What are your thoughts on that?” Emma effortlessly changed the topic of discussion.

“Oh no. That was… that was a total coincidence. Had nothing to do with Valentine’s at all.” Kyle gently laughed as he truthfully said.

“Interestingly, the song was supposed to come out earlier this month but then, after deciding to shoot a music video, Oliver and I just decided it’d be best if we released both at the same time. That’s all it was really.” he added.

“Well there you have it folks. Kyle Kestis is no orchestrator and the speculations can now be put to rest! Bury them and bury the hatchet!”

Hearing Emma say that while facing straight and pointing at the cameras, a deadpan expression on her features, the audience burst into a small wave of laughter.

A few seconds later after the laughter had died down, Emma tiptoed around the edges of her next question.

“Now Kyle, if you don’t mind, your actual internet presence seems to be very, what’s the word…”

“Scanty?” Kyle playfully offered and the audience laughed.

“Yes, that.” Emma grinned as she propped her chin with a gently curled fist and asked;

“That’s a rare trait for someone your generation really so, how’d you manage that?”

Feeling more comfortable, Kyle answered without holding back.

“Well, truth be told, I literally opened my MediaGram and TweetTalk account just last year October…”

Hearing that, Emma’s eyes widened in mild surprise as Kyle continued;

“ViewTube and SyncedIn were all I really felt I needed for the longest time but after ‘Rising Voices’, it was deemed necessary for me to have one. Not that I minded though.” he shrugged, a thin smile on his lips.

“Ah~… I see. But what then do you do when you’re bored? Are you the outgoing type? An extrovert? Sports and bars maybe?” Emma’s inquisitive eyes questioned.

“Hardly.” Kyle chuckled and then added, uncrossing his legs and leaning forward a bit towards her.

“I wouldn’t say I’m a total introvert though, but neither am I an extrovert. If it’s necessary, I can easily get along with people but if there’s no real reason for me to, I simply become a bit of a recluse.”

“So yeah, an ambivert I’d say. Right bang in between.” he concluded and Emma nodded in understanding.

“As for what I do when I’m bored, there’s quite a few…”

“Like what?” Emma inquired curiously.

“Well there’s reading comic books and novels, playing videogames, catching up on my favorite series, animes and TV shows… among a few other things” he honestly replied and some people in the audience whistled and cheered.

Kyle had quite the nerdy hobbies but the way he said it with such casual confidence and grace, served only to add more to his charms.

Emma also liked how Kyle seemed to be very upfront about it and she also enjoyed how he didn’t seem to shy away from talking about the things he liked.

Even some mainstream artists were very reserved when it came down to talking about their hobbies, a very understandable decision really. It was their privacy after all.

“Which favorite TV show or series are you currently catching up on then?” Emma asked after the cheers resided.

“[The Curator].” he casually replied.

“Oh~. I heard the last few seasons have been disappointing.” she suddenly whispered to Kyle with a concerned expression, her voice audible enough to be heard by everyone in the room.

“I know. I’ve been trudging through each episode.” Kyle whispered back, playing along with her.

This once again, caused a hearty wave of laughter to cascade through the room and the audience seemed to be loving the playful exchanges between the two.

Laughing a bit, Emma then shook her head as she watched Kyle recline back into his seat with a playful glint in his eyes, completely comfortable now.

‘He’s a good egg this one…’ she couldn’t help but think to herself as she then sparked another discussion between them.

“Speaking of TV shows and series, we saw you in one just last month. So, asides from being a talented singer, you seem to also have good acting chops?”

“I dabble.” Kyle simply replied, his words witty.

Once again, the audience couldn’t hold back a few chuckles, a lot of them finding the young man really charming.

Emma who found his answer more amusing than anything else though, couldn’t help but ask;

“Well if that’s the case, then why don’t you humor us just a little more Kyle. Which do you like more? Singing or acting?”

“I can’t say really…” Kyle truthfully answered, the smile never leaving his face.

His tone however, became a bit less playful and a bit more passionate as he continued;

“For me, being able to sing is like taking a canvas and painting it with my own colors, colors that I want to share with the world, hoping that someone, anyone, sees the heart and passion behind it.”

“And being able to act, is such a beautiful thing I feel. You’re able to bring fictional characters to life and embody their very essence, blurring the lines between what’s real and what isn’t…”

“Both are just so amazing in their respective ways that I find it so hard to pick just one when I can be greedy, and love both equally.” he concluded and Emma, loving the insight he gave, couldn’t help but say.

“C’mon folks, give him a round of applause! That was remarkably put together!”

No sooner had she said that, the audience followed through, accompanying the claps with more cheers and whistles.

Finally, as it all settled down with Kyle lightly bowing in appreciation for their gestures, Emma then asked as he sat back down;

“So what’s next on the agenda now? Will you be releasing a new song or will we be seeing you in a new series or a movie?”

“I… honestly can’t wait to find out either.” Kyle’s sapphire eyes gleamed in excitement as he replied.

Loving that response from him, Emma then proceeded to round up, a warm smile nestling on her lips;

“Well, whatever you decide to embark upon, I’ll be looking forward to it.”

“And that’s all we have time for! Thank you so much for a wonderful night Kyle Kestis.” she extended a handshake as she added.

And as if on cue, the audience also began to clap loudly as Kyle received the handshake with a big grin, signaling the end of the talk show.