My name is Colleen Morrigan. I am a professional studio/session drummer. I have been living in Los Angeles for almost five years. I came out here from Houston to attend UCLA for their music program. I graduated not long ago with my degree in Music Theory and Composition, which may sound impressive, but honestly, I'm like any other musician in LA; I just want to do what makes me happy and succeed at it. My whole life has been music. My parents are both professional musicians and I literally grew up always playing music. My dad taught me to play drums when I was three. I had no trouble picking it right up and began getting small jobs and gigs here and there when I was thirteen. I've been called a "prodigy" but I don't think of myself as that. I think it's just something that I was born with and worked at every day. My drums are and have always been my life.

Female drummers don't always get taken seriously. Like, we can't play along with the "big boys" and other female drummers, well, most of them foster a supportive sisterhood, but there are some cut-throat bitches that will do whatever it takes to make sure YOU don't get the coveted job they are after. Being offered something like this was huge!

So, back to the job. Nickelodeon had a show coming out, marketed to kids and teens, about four teenage guys that are high school friends, and they form a band, go to LA and are trying to make it in the music business. The interesting thing is that outside of the show, these guys are not just actors, but they really were a new band that was just getting started, and this project was actually two years in the making because it took casting that long to find the right talent for it. Also, the guys themselves weren't in high school; they were all over eighteen. I'm thinking the show sounds like The Monkees or something, and it seems really cool.

Art imitates life or life imitates art, I forget how the saying goes. The project was called Big Time Rush, and I was offered the chance to do drums for the entire debut album, music for the TV show, and whatever other drumming needs there may be. Then we see how this whole thing turns out. Was I interested?

Hell yeah! This is experience, recognition, and serious money.

These all would be the least of the things I would be concerned with as I was soon to find out.

I showed up at the studio on a Monday, a little nervous, you know, new job and all. I never pictured myself, as an adult, working on a kid show, or teen show, or whatever this was supposed to be. But, I play whatever and whenever needed and I've never turned down a paying gig. This would be my first long term drumming job and I was surprised I had actually gotten it.

After showing my credentials to the receptionist, Kim, she directed me back to the studio and I met Jay, the producer. Really laid back guy, 40's, brown hair, friendly. Then the other studio musicians came in: Mark, keyboardist, Devin, bassist, and Rej, guitarist; a Lenny Kravitz looking kind of guy with these awesome dreads. Everyone was friendly, and this was one of the few times that no one seemed to have a problem with or even acknowledge the fact that I am female. Off to a good start.

We got right down to business, first recording scene music, snippets and sound bites for upcoming episodes, then we looked at our sheet music to start learning the songs, five of which were already written. The actors/singers wouldn't be in; they were on set all day. We needed to learn these songs so when they did come in for vocals, we all knew what we were playing, could do some run-throughs and recording for the album would start.

After playing these songs over and over and getting familiar with them, we had them down. We also had more music for the show and sound bites to record. We had been in the studio for about two hours one day when Jay said the guys were coming in for us to do a few run-throughs with the vocals to see how it all sounded together. So we were finally going to meet them.

We had taken a short break in the studio, waiting for them to get there. The studio doors were propped open, and two assistants were bringing in four chairs, putting them up in front of our set-up, putting sheet music down on each chair and setting up extra mics. I was checking e-mail on my phone, sipping my bottle of water, and then I heard laughter, loud laughter, coming from down the hall, getting louder like it was coming toward the studio. Jay came in and says, "Ok everyone, I would like you to meet the guys that this is all about." I looked up just as they were walking in.

"Alright, this is James, Kendall, Carlos and Logan. These are the guys that are Big Time Rush, and the guys that will be the vocals for all of this great music you're cranking out. Guys, meet your awesome back-up band. This is Rej on guitar, Devin on bass, Mark on keyboard and Colleen on drums." They all smile and say hi, and it's all a series of handshakes and pleasantries and introductions. I smiled and said hello, shook hands and maintained my professionalism, but I was seriously scanning them up and down, checking them out one by one. Ok, that guy is hot. Oh yeah, he's hot too. And him, really hot! Where did the casting agents find such hot guys?

Then I looked over at him. I wanted just to sit and stare; he was so beautiful. I had to make myself take my eyes off of him before he, or anyone else, saw me gawking.

They picked up their sheet music and sat down.

Jay calls in from the control booth, "Ok, starting now."

They began the song and we all came in perfectly on cue. The music meshed well with their vocals and it all sounded great. I concentrated on my playing and didn't even look up so I wouldn't get distracted.

When the session was over, they stayed and everyone kinda chit chatted and talked music and business and whatever. They were really friendly. I got to talk to them for about ten minutes before they had to leave. I watched them as they left and all I could think was that I'd be working with them for quite a while, and really hoped this "distraction" didn't become a problem.

When I got home later, I could not stop thinking about them, especially him...

I've worked in the professional circuit for a few years now, and have met so many people. Since being in LA, I have come across celebrities more than a just few times; I see them at the grocery store, gas station, restaurants, etc., and they are just people like the rest of us. Not a big deal. I have also been in plenty of situations where there were people that could influence my career and I still kept my cool. I've met famous musicians and producers and even if I was a bit intimidated, I sucked it up until I got past it. When I'm on my drums and in my zone, I can block out the world and do my thing. So, how in the HELL was it that these four guys, younger than me, and that I had just met had me so completely wigging out that I was almost reverting to adolescence? I couldn't even explain it…