POPSUGAR.
The Feel Good Hit of the Summer:
an insider's view of pop band Aphrodite.
BUBBLEGUM POP is a genre of music that is frequently dismissed in the industry for being shallow; meaningless, even. The band Aphrodite would like to disabuse the industry of that notion. When asked about their struggles in the industry, their lead guitarist, Valentina Diaz, snorted and flashed a smile that can only be described as vitriolic. She has refused to comment. Take from this what you will.
But I should probably back up.
THE BAND we know today as Aphrodite began as four solo acts, neither of which gained popularity until an unpaid gig at a coffee shop in Queens. The front men, or rather, frontwomen of the group, Drew Tanaka and Piper McLean, have chosen not to reveal the name of this coffee shop for reasons that are beyond even their fellow bandmates. "But then again," says Lacy, the drummer who has no apparent last name, "we never really know why or how Drew and Piper do anything." They met during each other's shows, performed together a couple times and realized that "they were fucking awesome together." And so it began.
By all accounts, Tanaka and McLean didn't exactly get along at first. "They sounded great together," Diaz told me over a cup of coffee. "We all did. That wasn't the problem. They knew it too, or they wouldn't have gotten into bed with each other." She notices my horrified expression and laughs a little. "Not literally of course- they're fucking related. My point is, we were good together and we needed each other and they realized that as soon as they met probably. They're just really stubborn and they couldn't agree on anything at the time. Lacy and I had to threaten to quit before they began to try and get their shit together."
And now? "And now they're, like, psychically linked or some shit. It's incredible to watch them hammer out our songs," says Lacy. She fidgets for a few more seconds and then hastily adds, "It's also a little annoying to watch."
Netflix Greenlights 'Demigods'
May 2017
A series of eleven episodes has been commissioned for 'Demigods', an upcoming show about the modern descendants of ancient Greek and/or Roman gods.
The show is to be directed by Andy and Lana Wachowski, the duo behind the creation of Netflix's sci-fi dramedy 'Sense8' about eight psychically interlinked strangers. The show is rumored to be loosely based on Heroes of Olympus, the critically acclaimed young adult novel series by veteran author Rick Riordan, and by extension its prequel series Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Naturally, the rumor has garnered much speculation amongst the industry and fans of Riordan's novels. Riordan has refrained from commenting.
Production for the series is to begin later in the year and the release of the series is set for mid-2018.
Netflix Announces Casting For 'Demigods'
August 2017
The upcoming Netflix series 'Demigods' was announced earlier this year and its casting was confirmed earlier this month at the Netflix upfronts. The show will be drawing from Rick Riordan's Heroes of Olympus series about the struggles of Greek and Roman demigods as they fight to prevent the rise of vengeful primordial Earth goddess Gaia, hence the title.
The main cast includes a couple unfamiliar faces, including Puerto-Rican actress Reyna Ramirez-Arellano, of Univision, and Canadian actor Frank Zhang, (who makes his acting debut with 'Demigods',) along with Broadway nominees Jason Grace and Hazel Levesque. Levesque makes her television debut with this series. Rumor has it, famed actor Percy Jackson may also make his way into the main cast later in the series.
Production has been pushed back and will begin early 2018 in San Francisco. The first series is set to release early 2019.
Reyna really hates training. Not because she's afraid of doing the work, because she has in fact been doing the work since before she even heard about this fucking show, but because the work is rather unnecessary for everyone involved. Even tiny Hazel is jacked because of all those Broadway song-and-dance numbers, so there's no need at all to go the gym every other fucking day, and there's especially no need to record it. Not that Reyna's camera-shy- if she had been camera shy, she wouldn't have chosen to be a fucking actor in one of the most melodramatic film industries on the planet. It's just that she doesn't understand the need to document everything about one's personal life and release it to the nosy, intrusive legion of fans if your occupation requires you to be behind a camera for half a day anyway.
She says as much in the latest video, and then Hazel shoots her a look so fierce it takes everything in her not to fall of her treadmill. She decides with a sigh that it's probably better to get this the fuck over with and stay away from any and all other unnecessary cameras.
The point is, she really hates being on camera outside of work, until she gets caught on camera prepping for a scene with Hylla in her apartment by Jason, and two days later on Instagram Drew Tanaka comments i miss you two :(. She waits a minute, then in a severe lapse of judgement, she types out we miss you too dee, and hits enter. The response makes her want to turn off the Internet.
[video]
reallyreyna: running lines with my big sis :)
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reallyreyna: miss you too dee
persabigail5ever: UM
rrreynas: HOLY SHIT
annababe-chase: okay they're totally dating
actual_demigod: um? maybe don't make assumptions based on four word instagram comments?
annababe-chase: persassy oh look i found a lesbophobe ^^^
actual_demigod: annababechase all i'm saying is that all we rlly know is that they knew each other before? we can't just assume that they're dating?
persassy: annababechase [rolls eyes for eternity]
annababe chase: persassy lmao ikr
Persassy ( persassy)
[ /p/Bu87gKIL76] what should the ship name be?
Official Riordanverse ( officialRiordanverse)
persassy ooh how about dreweyna?
Persassy ( persassy)
officialRiordanverse or #DreynaConfirmed
Official Riordanverse ( officialRiordanverse)
persassy YES
Actual Demigod ( demigod16)
dtanaka, reallyreyna care to comment?
TMZ (TMZ) 2 Sept. 2017
'Demigods' actress has mysterious encounter with band member on Instagram. Find out here.
Drew doesn't know why she does it really. She supposes it might have something to do with the way Reyna's hair falls over her shoulders in the video, or perhaps the pull in her chest as she watches Reyna lean into her sister and maybe it's the thought that in another time it would have been her on the that couch. But regardless, she types out the comment, hits enter. Two minutes, when Reyna types back miss you too dee, she imagines something getting lighter in her chest for the first time since high school.
The TMZ article that results is ridiculous, as is the Twitter hashtag and the Instagram feud but she doesn't regret it.
[dtanaka] 4/9/17 2:03 PM
hey rey
[reallyreyna] 4/9/17 2:03 PM
hey dee
[dtanaka] 4/19/17 2:03 PM
can we meet up
[reallyreyna] 4/9/17 2:06 PM
415-789-4535. call me?
[dtanaka] 4/19/17 2:07 PM
of course
The phone rings twice before Reyna picks up, and only then because her hands are shaking too much. "Hey," she answers.
Reyna hears something rustle in the background and then Drew says, "Hey," and Reyna almost collapses back onto her couch. Hearing Drew's voice is...she doesn't know but it does something to her that makes her a little dizzy. There's a long pause. Reyna hears Drew breathe, slow and steady, then, "I missed you." Drew's voice cracks. And she knows that they're both thinking the exact same thing: everything feels weird without you, that "I missed you" doesn't even begin to cover it.
"Me too."
"I...do you want to meet up?"
"Of course. You in San Francisco?"
"Uh-huh," Drew answers. Reyna can hear the smile in Drew's voice as clearly as she can hear the car horns in the background. "Our coffee shop?"
"See you there in twenty."
TMZ (TMZ) 5 Sept. 2017
'Demigods' actress Reyna Ramirez-Arellano seen at coffee shop with singer Drew Tanaka. Read full article here.
"It's been a while," Drew says over her mug, eyes dancing with barely contained mirth.
Reyna looks into her own coffee guiltily. "I know."
She can almost hear Drew roll her eyes. "Rey. I was joking. For the thousandth time, you leaving wasn't your fault."
Reyna makes a face. "Well it's not like Hylla physically pushed me-"
Drew reaches over the table and takes her had. "Reyna." She opens her mouth to say something, and that's when the paparazzi that is no doubt hiding the bushes decides to start taking pictures. Drew leans back in her seat and closes her eyes in responses to the flashes of. "Fucking hell."
"What do you think? Front page of People?" she asks, dunking her biscotti.
Drew makes a face at her own biscotti. "I'm thinking Entertainment Weekly."
Reyna grins. "'Gals Being Pals at Local Coffee Shop.'"
Drew smirks at the bushes and takes another sip of her coffee. "Or on the other end of spectrum, 'Singer and Actor Confirmed as Lesbians After Rendezvous at Local Coffee Shop.'" Reyna snorts. Drew raises her coffee cup mockingly. "To the heteros." Reyna nearly spits our her coffee.
"So what's the deal with you and that Reyna chick?" Piper asks as they're trying to figure out the vocals for a new song.
"Nothing. We were friends." Drew frowns at her page. "Do you think we could tr-"
"Were?"
Drew sighs, looks around the room, and sets down her papers knowing that they're not going to get anything done while their attention is diverted. "She had to leave in the middle of college because her dad died."
Piper sighs. "Poor girl."
"I dunno Drew. You two looked like you were more than friends," Val says, pausing her game of Sticks with Lacy to give Drew a skeptical look.
"Yes, well that's what happens when you grow up with someone," Drew says primly.
"Wait I thought you two were just college friends," Lacy says frowning.
"Obviously not, she just-"
"Piper," Drew says, visibly tensing.
Piper studies her. "Okay. We won't push."
"Thank you."
Girl Talk with Natalia Cole: Drew Tanaka gives us the rub about life on the road.
by: Natalia Cole / October 25, 2017
Drew Tanaka and her girl-group Aphrodite have slowly gained popularity over the last few years as their unpaid gigs turned into small concerts and eventually resulted in an upcoming gig with fellow pop artist Hayley Kiyoko. The frontwoman sat down with me today to discuss the industry, roommates, and life on the road.
[]
NC: Hi! Welcome!
DT: Thank you! It's so nice to be here.
NC: And it's nice to have you. Let's get into it shall we?
DT: [Nods.]
NC: So, you have a cosmetology certification, a Bachelor's degree in Psychology, and yet you decided to go into music?
DT: [Smiles.] Well I guess I could give the cliché answer. 'I've been into music since I was a kid, I was following my dreams,' etc. But, um, that's obviously a lie. Long story short, I realized I was into girls around I got into music in my teens and at first it was a hobby, something to put on the college application while I figured out how I was gonna change the world for sapphic girls, and just the LGBT+ community in general, and then I met my half-sister, Piper, and she helped me realize that music could help me do that in a way that conventional methods of outreach couldn't, and well. Here we are.
NC: And about Piper and your fellow bandmates. Am I to understand that all four of you are related?
DT: Some of us more distantly than others, but yes. Mother had a big family. It was a little weird at first, but we're used to it now. It barely come sup anymore.
NC: And a little birdie told us that you were going on tour with Hayley Kiyoko.
DT: Yeah we are! We're really excited. All four of us look up to her a lot because of what she does through her music. Without her work, our band wouldn't exist. She was our inspiration. Lacy's listened to her entire discography almost three times now.
NC: [Laughs.] Wow. You said your goal was to make things better for the LGBT community. Do you feel that you've accomplished that?
DT: [Pauses.] I think we're getting there. We've written a few songs that talk explicitly about being a girl who likes girls. I'm hoping to talk about other experiences, maybe collaborate with other LGBT+ musicians.
NC: Now, while we're on the topic, you mentioned earlier that you like girls. [Pauses.] Would one these girls happen to be Reyna Ramirez?
DT: [Laughs.]I should've guessed you'd come to that. I liked Reyna, but it was in a purely platonic sense. Reyna and I actually grew up together in San Francisco. We were in the same classes until our senior year of high school. We went to the same college too, but she had to leave in the middle of freshman year due to family emergencies.
NC: And the coffee shop?
DT: I made a spontaneous decision to see if we could get back together now that she was back in town for 'Demigods.' It went well, and I'm glad. I've really missed her a lot these last few years.
COLLIDER
'Demigods' main cast dishes on their upcoming show and the grueling realities of showbiz
by: Christina Bouras / December 1, 2017
I sat down with Jason Grace, Reyna Ramirez, Hazel Levesque and Frank Zhang to discuss their new show and the repercussions of life in the spotlight, and discovered this and more.
[]
CB: Before we start, I have to ask- is the training you do for the show genuine?
HL: [Laughs.] We wish it was fake. No it's real, unfortunately.
JG: Yeah it's pretty rough, but it's nothing the four of us aren't used to. We've all been on shows that require some training, so we're pretty prepared.
CB: [Laughs.] Now we can begin. First question- give us an eight-word summary of the show.
RR: Ooh. That's gonna be a tough one. There's a lot that goes on. [Laughs.] Um. Ok I got it: Kids of gods take down mythical villains.
CB: I can already tell that this is going to be a fun watch.
FZ: We can't wait to see how it turns out. We've had so much fun on set.
CB: Speaking of the set, any thoughts about rumors of Percy Jackson joining you all?
FZ: The producers are thinking about it, but at this point we don't really know. He's definitely not coming onto the show this series, if you lot haven't figured that out already. We'd love to have him though.
JG: Yeah he seems like a cool guy, from what I can tell.
CB: And one thing you'd like to tell fans of the original Heroes of Olympus series?
RR: Not to worry too much about accuracy.
CB: And why not?
HL: Rick had a hand in writing most of the episodes. There are a few things that got left out, but I hope viewers will appreciate our work all the same and know that we wanted those things to be included.
CB: Thoughts on the book?
RR: It's a solid series, so far. They're a little hard to get through because they're all so long. There's a few things that I don't like so far, but to each their own. [Smirks.] Right, Jase?
JG: [Smiles.] Ha.
CB: Sorry?
JG: Oh right. I'm the only one who hasn't started the series.
CB: [Winces.] And now the obligatory questions about relationships. Most notably, the rumor about Reyna here, and singer Drew Tanaka. Sorry.
RR: [Smiles.] No it's alright, I've been expecting that one. Drew and I were best-friends growing up until I had to go back to Puerto-Rico with Hylla. She asked if we could meet up again because we were both in town. It was great to see her again.
CB: And the rest of you...?
JG: Um no.
FZ: Same.
HL: Me neither. I'm still figuring a few things out.
[]
'Demigods' premieres February 2018, on Netflix.
Reyna calls at 7 in the morning the day after Drew finalizes her album with the rest of the girls. "Drew?"
"Yeah?" Drew asks, setting down her gallon of milk.
"Oh thank God. Um. Can I come over?"
"OF course. What's up?"
"I-Shit hold on a minute." There's a couple minutes of clanging and crashing on the other end, before Reyna says. "I'm not feeling so hot right now. Can I tell you when I make it to your place?"
"Yeah. Do you know where I live?" she asks, quirking an eyebrow and realizing that Reyna can't see her.
"Oh. No. I was walking back to your old apartment from college."
Drew laughs. "I'll text you my address. You sure you're okay?"
Reyna exhales slowly. "No. But I will be. I'll do the stupid knocking thing from third grade. You remember-"
"-the fake Morse Code thing they taught us, yeah I know the one. See you soon."
Twenty minutes later, Reyna collapses into her couch with a bottle of tequila. Drew raises her eyebrow, this time Reyna responds to it. "Sorry about the tequila. It's the only thing that-"
Drew holds a hand out to stop her and collapses into the seat next to her. "You don't have to explain. I know the feeling. Relentless paparazzi or reporter who wouldn't take 'no comment' for an answer?"
Reyna sighs and takes a swig. "Both."
Drew winces. "Yikes."
Reyna hums again, and then she snuggles into Drew on the couch and nuzzles her fucking neck and Drew is, like, 90% sure she's not breathing right now. Reyna never really made a point of avoiding touch, but this is different. Drew's not particularly sure if this is the reuslt of the tequila or her very bad day or a severe lapse of judgements, but she's not going to complain if it means she gets to smell Reyna's hair and hold her hand. "Can I stay here tonight?"
Drew chuckles. "We haven't even been on a date yet, Rey. Don't you think we're moving a little too fast?"
Reyna lifts her head. "You don't want me to?"
"I do. But I'm not sure you want the paparazzi to-"
"The paparazzi won't say a thing. We could make out on a busy street on New Year's Eve, and the news outlets would still think we were being friendly. I want to stay here. It'll be like our old sleepovers."
Drew nods once. "Well if you're sure."
Reyna nods too and makes a valiant effort to stand up. "I am sure."
She wakes up the next morning in bed, nose-to-nose with Reyna, and thinks well fuck.
TMZ (TMZ) 15 Dec. 2017
Reyna Ramirez seen coming out of Drew Tanaka's house at 3 AM. Find out what was really going on here.
Reyna walks in to her apartment an hour after her new album drops. "I was just thinking," she announces, dropping her wallet on the counter, sitting on the couch and propping her feet up on the coffee table like she lives there.
"Well," Drew calls back from the bedroom, hurriedly putting a t-shirt on and rushing into the living room, "that is a function of the human brain-"
Reyna throws a pillow at her. "I was thinking about how lucky we are. To have made it."
Drew shrugs. "Piper, Lacy, Val and I haven't exactly made it yet."
Reyna scowls. "You know as well as I do that success is subjective," she says raising her chin. "Besides, you're not so desperate for a job that you have to quit. You're getting there. We both are."
Drew smiles a little, comes to sit down on the couch too and leans over so her head in on Reyna's shoulder. "We made it."
Reyna hums. "Your shirt's on backwards."
The day before the premiere of 'Demigods', Reyna walks in with Jason, Hazel, and Frank to a suspiciously dark, silent apartment. She barely has enough time to pull a broom out of her closet before the lights suddenly turn on and she hears about fifty voices yell "SURPRISE! "and nearly runs Jason over.
"Jesus fucking-"
"Don't fucking swear," Hazel says sternly.
"Right sorry," Reyna says. "What the f-" she risks a glance at Hazel "-hell are you doing here?"
Drew steps forward and drops three very large balloons in front of her feet. "I thought the 'Surprise!' bit would make it obvious enough. It's a surprise party. For the release tomorrow. Surprise," she repeats again.
Jason starts to say something but Reyna cuts him off. "And who planned the whole thing?" It's a rhetorical question- Reyna has a pretty good idea already, and Drew knows this...but no one else does.
Drew shifts around. "Is this really necessary?"
Piper comes up next to her pulling streamers from her hair. "Why are you so reluctant to take credit for once? Drew planned all of this."
Reyna gives Drew a shit-eating grin. "You total dork." Drew makes a face at her and stalks away imperiously to go turn on the rest of the lights. "I'm gonna-"
"Yeah," Piper says giving her a knowing look.
She finds Drew in her bedroom. "Dee?"
"It looks the exact same as it used too," she says a little absently, running her hands over the dresser.
"We're halfway across the city, Dee."
Drew waves a dismissive hand. "Nevertheless."
"I...is there something wrong? You've been acting weird this whole week."
Drew stills and the smiles down at the doll next to the mirror. "I guess you could call it girl trouble."
Reyna exhales shakily. "Oh?"
Drew hums in response. "See there's this actress," she begins and Reyna almost chokes on her next breath. "And I'm really into her, but she doesn't seem to be interested."
Reyna steps closer. "Have you asked her how she feels?"
"No," Drew says. Her voice trembles.
Reyna leans in. "You probably should, you know."
"Should what?" Drew asks. Reyna's so close now she can see Drew's pupils dilate.
"As-" Drew kisses her, and Reyna finds she doesn't really mind she's been interrupted.
[image]
jasongraceless: look at these two saps. i should be reimbursed for this picture.
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faizhang: it's about time.
annababe-chase: persassy WHAT THE HELL
persassy: annababe-chase DOES THIS MEAN WHAT I THINK IT DOES?
actual_demigod: persassy annababe-chase #dreynaconfirmed
Drew Tanaka ( dtanaka) 10 Feb. 2018
congrats to reallyreyna, faizhang, hazell, and jasongraceless on a spectacular series premiere!
Reyna Ramirez-Arellano ( reallyreyna) 10 Feb. 2018
dtanaka love you too nerd
notes: i wrote this one in two days so there's bound to be a few editing mistakes. i've had this idea sitting around in my drafts for weeks and i'm so glad school's finally over so i can finish this shit i had to read a couple tabloids to write this one and let me just say :/. prequel coming soon!
referenced works: "rumour has it" and "all the world's a stage (all the men and women merely players)" both by mzanthropist on ao3, and "the feel-good hit of the summer" by disco_vendetta, also on ao3
find me on tumblr at piperreynas (fic/pjo/wlw blog), acehazels (main).