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“I’m NOT GOING TOTry ANd BE SOmEONE I’m NOT”

NATALIE d.C.

MEGAPHONE

ARTICLE HERE

LIST OF ALBUMS

Natalie De Arez Cintra, aka Natalie D.C., enters the room, halfway through her UK tour. Despite playing shows all over the country, the rocker shows no signs of exhaustion and only displays an energetic optimism. Is punk-rock turning to a less angry-guitar-bashing and bratty-stomping attitude? Take one look at Cintra and it’s clear that may just be the case. Clad in rainbow, knee-length socks and lace up doc

martins, it’s an odd sight to behold.

MEGAPHONE: Hi, Natalie, thanks for coming along to the interview.D.C.: No problem.MEGAPHONE: So you’re bang in the middle of your UK tour, what’s that like? How do you feel? Any complications arisen on the road?D.C.: I think when it gets to around this point everyone seems to lag a bit. It’s like in the middle of a long week, on Wednesdays everyone feels at their lowest. The energy of the weekend wears off.MEGAPHONE: We wouldn’t have guessed.DC: Really?MEGAPHONE: You just seem to always have this boundless positive energy...DC: Well, I’m making a living off of what I love to do, so I guess I’d be pretty happy most of the time. Haha!MEGAPHONE: Fair point. How is your band coping?DC: Funny you should bring them up. Nate [Nathan Kelly, bassist] is always going on about how upbeat I am. I think I annoy them a little. [Cintra grins with the mischievous attitude that got her started in the industry today.]MEGAPHONE: But I’m sure they annoy you, too?DC: This is going to sound really stupid, but seeing as the majority of them are guys there are times where their habits can bug me a bit. That and Matt’s [Matthew Dennis, guitarist] snoring.MEGAPHONE: We got some questions sent in from the readers…DC: Oh I love it when this happens. You can get some really strange questions…

If you could be anyone else in the world for a day, who would it be?DC: …I don’t know, I’m pretty happy being myself… [she pauses] God. I think I’ll go with God. That’d be awesome.

Do you get fed up of answering the same questions over and over in interviews? DC: Sometimes, yeh. I mean it is the same questions over and over… that’s just boring because you have the same answers. Most of the time I’m so tempted to spew something out so stupidly ridiculous, but my manager would probably kill me.

Ever googled yourself?DC: Haha, yes. It’s funny to see what comes up. I mean who hasn’t, famous or not?

Did you fit in at school? Do you have any advice for people who don’t? DC: Well, in secondary school not so much. I mean I was like, I’m not going to try to be someone I’m not by follow-ing the mainstream, and I think that ticked a lot of people off that I was different. I mean, people get picked on at school for a bunch of different reasons but you have to remember that a lot of people who have issues like that and manage to get through it come out stronger and it makes you who you are. A lot of successful people and artists come from some kind of difficult situation and I guess it shows that the people who pick on kids at school are just insecure about their own power. If you were in a horror movie, how long would you last? DC: I’d be killed off first. I’m so terrified when it comes to horror movies, I’m not even joking. I try and steer away from them most of the time.

What’s your favourite song off your new album?DC: I really like the lyrics in ‘Undisclosed Party Invite’. I think it shows a more kind of ‘angsty’ side to the album. I love ‘WTF’ as well, it’s so fun to do live.

“I’m NOT GOING TO

Try ANd BE SOmEONEI’m NOT”

1. Drink plenty of waterI’m sure everyone knows this, but it’s so important. If you get

dehydrated it can really throw you off. I was given a tip that was ‘if you’re thirsty, you’re already dehydrated’. Drinking lots of water is also good for your eyes and skin so you don’t end up looking like

a hag by the end of the tour!

2. Respect people’s privacySome people have bad days and unfortunately it’s just about something you can’t do anything about. If someone travelling with you is missing home, let them do what they want. Being on the move for so long is difficult and you need to give people their space if you want a good friendly atmosphere going on the road.

3. Shower whenever, whereverThis goes for washing clothes, too. You never know the next time

you’ll be able to, so grab the opportunity.

4. ExploreIf you’re in a place you haven’t been to and you have a day off, go and explore! There are some really cool places that you can find even if there aren’t any well-known sites. I bring my camera with me everywhere and I always leave tour with a nice photo album

of memories of where we’ve been and moments on the road.

5. ChoresNo one likes them, but someone’s got to do it. Allocate roles to different people and maybe switch it up every week or so. Just

make sure you write it down so there are no arguments!

COVEr STOry

18 19

COVEr STOryEXCLuSIVE INTErVIEW!NATALIE d.C.:

d.C.’S TOp TOur TIpS:

CONTENTS18. COVER STORY

Natalie D.C. = the new,smiley face of pop punk?

2. LETTERS You write them, we read them

4. Dear tRISHOur agony aunt answers all

7. Sex, drugs and.. D’n’D?Famous rocks stars and their guilty pleasures!

10. enter shikariTell us how to survive at festivals!

12. Rock reviewsReviews of the latest gigs, albums and more!

16. megaphone monster tourTickets, Dates, Lineup and chance to win backstage pass here!