Tag Archives: TBYT

Concept Interview

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1. How did you guys get interested in making music?

 

Karim: I started singing when I was around 11 or younger, and was in to acting before we formed, Nathan had singing lessons through secondary school, Matt was into dance and used to do that quite a bit, Scott was into bands like Westlife and Ben played guitar a lot but privately at home. All of us had a passion for music just in different ways to begin with.

2. What has been your most influential fan encounter (online or in person)?

Matt: The most influential fan encounter we’ve experienced as a band was when we went on a school tour to promote anti drugs. Seeing the effect we had when delivering the message to the children really made us stop and think that what we do and say really has an impact on people.

3. Sometimes the internet can be a really tough place. How do you deal with negative comments on social media?

Nathan: I feel the best way to deal with these situations are to either ignore them completely or don’t play up to them, by replying with anger or replying at all only continues the situation, where as a short reply or no reply can cut off the comments completely. Try not to take anything to heart and believe in yourself.

4. What advice or encouragement do you guys have for young people who are being cyberbullied?

Scott: Everything will be ok, just ignore them and don’t let it get to you. They probably have their own insecurities and feel the need to take it out on someone. So just keep being yourself, and don’t worry about what others say.

5. What’s one thing that people tend to misjudge or underestimate about you (as individuals or as a band)?

Ben: A lot of people just think we are “another boyband” but we are more, being friends since the age of 4 and playing live instruments on stage sets us apart from other bands. I also think we can appeal to everyone.

6. When you’re down, what song helps to pick up your mood?

Karim: Spending time with my little brother, Myles, he’s a funny kid. When I’m with the boys and we have a laugh it’s always hilarious wherever we go together and obviously some chilled out music. A little bit of the 1975.

7. Who are some of your musical influences?

Matt: As a band we have such a variety of musical influences for instance mine would be people like Bastille and Ellie Goulding, because they have such a distinctive sounds as well as bands like The Eagles and The Clash, Ben is into more rock orientated music, Karim likes a bit of R&B, Nathan’s a fan of new alternative music and Scott loves his Pop. I think that fact we all love different genres really comes across in our voices which makes a really distinct blend.

8. We’re really passionate about encouraging other young people to use the internet for good. What’s one positive way that you would like to see the internet change?

Nathan: I think by having pages where people can anonymously talk to others about there issues looking for help would be one way to help people resolve their issues and become more confident.

9. What’s one thing you want people to know about Concept?

Scott: We are childhood friends, have grown up together and formed the band as friends before becoming band mates. And that we love our fans more than anything and appreciate everything they do for us.

10. What do you have coming up in 2014?

Ben: We have been hitting the studio to record some new original tracks as well as writing all of them, so hopefully will get them out there onto iTunes by the later stages of the year. Also definitely more Concept Cover Thursdays will be coming your way so check them out.

TBYT June Dare!

Here is our Dare for the month of June. Join in and share the gift of knowledge with someone you know. It’ll be an awesome bonding experience and a chance for you to share what you know.

You find out about the Grant from Volunteen Nation Here: http://bit.ly/TeenTechGrant

Find out more about Think Before You Type at:
http://tbytinc.org/
https://tbytmedia.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/powerofwords_
Instagram: instagram.com/thinkbeforeyoutype
Tumblr: http://think-before-you-type.tumblr.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThinkBeforeYouType

TBYT March Dare 2

Stand up for what’s right! You never know what type of an impact you can have. We’ll be discussing this a lot of the next couple of weeks, so stay tuned. As always, let us know how you complete the dare.

Find out more about Think Before You Type at:
http://tbytinc.org/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/powerofwords_
Instagram:  https://instagram.com/thinkbeforeyoutype
Tumblr: http://think-before-you-type.tumblr.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThinkBeforeYoutype

TBYT Announcements

After a year and a half of having this blog, we finally have our own website! That doesn’t mean that we’ll stop posing on here. Our website is linked to the blog, and we’ll keep up with this blog. Please stop by http://tbytinc.org/ and let us know what you think!

Our other announcement, is that we are finalists for Black Celebrity Giving’s “Young, Black and Gifted” award. The winner is chosen through votes, and we need your support to win. Please visit: http://www.blackcelebritygiving.com/category/bcgawards/ to cast your vote. Voting is open until January 18th, and you can vote once per day.

Jessica Jarrell Interview

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You may have heard of singer Jessica Jarrell because of the song “Overboard”, her duet with Justin Bieber. Or you may even be a big fan of her own music. Either way, Think Before You Type was able to see a side of her that many may not have seen before. We got the chance to conduct an interview her about cyberbullying, self-esteem, and dreaming big and she had a lot of great things to say. Check it out!

Think Before You Type: As an artist on the internet we’re sure that you have had your share of rude comments, what do you do to keep the negativity from getting to you?


Jessica Jarrell: I just learned to ignore it.  People are gonna say things about you no matter what you do. 

TBYT: Almost half of young people have been cyberbullied. Is this something that you or anyone around you has dealt with?

JJ: I have and most of my friends have been cyber bullied. It’s a very common problem and that’s why I really encourage people to ignore it.  It seems to be everywhere so the key is not to pay attention to it. 

TBYT:  As someone who started their career young, what would you say to other young people who want to go out there and leave their mark on the world?

JJ: Stay focused and work hard. You have to understand that there’s gonna be rejection along the way, but if you really believe in what you’re doing you have to keep going.

TBYT: There are people out there that don’t think that it hurts to say a few mean things on the internet. What would you say to them to make them see the error of their ways?

JJ: I would tell them to think back to a time when something hurtful was said to them or someone they care about and remember how it felt to have to deal with it. Mean words are meant to hurt and typically they do.   

TBYT: It takes a lot of guts to get up on stage and perform in front of crowds of people. A lot of people let fear get in the way of them sharing their greatness with the world. Do you have any tips for finding the confidence to do something like this?

JJ: There are a lot of things that help. One thing I think really helps to boost confidence is to be prepared. Knowing that you’ve rehearsed and practiced for that moment allows the fear of messing up, sounding bad, etc. to go away. It’s normal to be nervous but knowing that you are “ready” helps take that away. 

TBYT: Self-esteem issues are prevalent in the youth of today. What do you think is the best way to overcome this?

JJ: The best way to overcome it is to hang around people that make you feel good about yourself. Do things that make you happy and be with people the make you happy…that way you won’t have time to focus on negative emotions. 

TBYT: What is something that people tend to misjudge or underestimate about you when they first meet you?

JJ: Usually when people meet me they say “oh my gosh you’re so sweet!” I guess they thought I was gonna be rude or unapproachable which is hilarious because I really always enjoy talking to people and being social. 

 TBYT: When you’re down, what song helps to pick up your mood?  

JJ: J. Cole Crooked Smile.  There’s a line in that song I just love and it says “No need to fix what God already put his paintbrush on.” J. Cole is amazing and I think this song helps a lot of people. 

TBYT: What’s your favorite social media site and why?

JJ: My favorite is instagram because I love pictures and now they’ve added videos which I think is amazing because instead of just typing what you’re doing you can show pictures and instant videos. I feel like peoples pictures say a lot about them. 

TBYT: If you had the chance to speak to someone who has been cyberbullied, what would you say to encourage them?

JJ: You have to remember that most of the people saying things don’t even know you…so you really have to focus on the positive, good, and funny things people are saying .