A/N - Decided to keep the noted celeb in this as their name, wrote the whole thing calling her 'Helen' and it felt silly.
Cat stepped into the her first ever talk-show studio, her eyes sweeping over the enormous space. Empty rows of seats stretched out in front of the stage, and even without an audience, the vastness of it hit her like a wave. The stage lights glowed softly, dimmed for rehearsal, but still illuminating the iconic blue "Ellen" backdrop. The excitement buzzing around her felt infectious, and Cat took a deep, steadying breath as she absorbed the reality of where she was: about to perform her song on one of the biggest daytime shows in the world.
A production assistant approached her with a friendly smile. "Caterina? Ellen's ready to meet you backstage."
Following the assistant down a maze of hallways, Cat's heart raced with nervous anticipation. She couldn't believe this was happening; just months ago, performing on TV had seemed like a distant fantasy. They reached the green room, and there, leaning casually against a table, was Ellen herself, her signature warm smile instantly putting Cat at ease.
"Caterina!" Ellen greeted, her voice just as friendly and upbeat as it was on TV. She offered a handshake that turned into a light, reassuring squeeze. "It's so great to have you here! I hear you're taking the music world by storm already."
"Oh my gosh, thank you!" Cat gushed, trying to keep herself from bursting with excitement. "It's, um, my first time performing on television, so this is all a little…unreal."
Ellen laughed, waving a hand dismissively. "Don't even worry about it. Just have fun up there. My audience? They're here to have a good time. You give them good music, they're going to love you."
Cat nodded, her nerves settling a bit. Ellen's attitude helped her feel like this was just another performance, not something she had to be scared of. After thanking her, Cat headed back out to the stage for her rehearsal, already feeling a little more confident.
As she made her way back onto the set, she noticed the group of dancers already warming up, stretching and talking among themselves. Cat took a deep breath, then walked over to introduce herself.
"Hey, I'm Caterina," she said, feeling both shy and excited. She'd seen backup dancers in so many other performances, and it was amazing to think these talented people would be part of hers.
One of the dancers flashed a bright smile. "Hey, Caterina! Don't worry, we've got you," she said, patting Cat's shoulder. "Just have fun, and if you need any reassurance, just give one of us a glance. We're here to back you up."
Her words relaxed Cat even further. As the music started, they began rehearsing the choreography, each move bringing Cat closer to feeling fully in her element. She loved dancing, even if this was made up of relatively simple movements. It was also nice to get to know the dancers a little, as she was told they would be the ones often dancing behind her if she continued to blow up more. She and Myles rehearsed together too, syncing up their timing and making sure the transitions felt natural. Myles was supportive, respectful, and calm, letting Cat take centre stage during her parts and giving her encouraging nods when she hit her cues. By the end of the session, she felt connected to everyone on stage.
Hours later, after going through the routine more times than she could count, and watching the talk-show part of the show from backstage, it was time for her performance. Myles and his team had left during this time, and her team had encouraged her to go with them- but last time that happened there was conveniently photographers at the local coffee shop they'd been taken too- so Cat was happy to stay in the greenroom and let her nerves settle as she watched the show progress.
But before she knew it, Myles was back and they were being shuffled onstage, lights dimmed, and curtains closed around them. Cat could hear the audience chattering in anticipation, and she felt her heart pounding. From backstage, she could see Ellen hyping up the crowd.
"At the age of only 18, this new singer has just debuted at number 20 on the Billboard Top 100. And now, making her television debut, performing The Way, please welcome Caterina featuring Myles Mason!"
The spotlight blazed on, and Cat stepped onto the stage, feeling the audience's energy hit her like a rush of wind. The beat dropped, and she took a deep breath, letting her voice rise with the music. The nerves pulsed within her, but with every line, they started to fade, replaced by the familiar rhythm and emotion of the song. She could sense the dancers moving around her, their energy helping to lift her performance.
Her voice grew stronger as she found her footing, and the audience's reaction started to fuel her. She walked off the stage and out into the crowd, as rehearsed, her heart racing with excitement. People in the audience danced with her for a bit before she headed back onto the stage.
Then Myles took his place beside her for his verse, placing a light hand on her shoulder to pull her in close. There was a brief, electric tension in the moment, but he handled it respectfully, simply adding intensity to the performance. For a brief second, she felt her nerves spike again, but she quickly pushed it away, focusing on finishing the song. His energy was steady, grounding her as they rapped and sang their parts in sync, each of them bringing out the best in the other.
As the song reached its final notes, Cat turned back to the audience, her voice ringing through the studio as she belted out the last line. When the music faded, the room filled with thunderous applause. Her cheeks flushed as the sound washed over her, her chest swelling with pride. Myles pulled her into a hug and she squealed with happiness as the adrenaline coursed through her and the curtain closed again.
Backstage, her mind was a blur, the whole performance almost dream-like now that it was over. Myles gave her a big grin, squeezing her tight. "First TV performance, and you killed it. You're gonna remember this for a long time, Cat."
One of the dancers came over, giving her a quick hug one Myles lat go. "Amazing job, girl! You owned it out there."
Cat could barely get out a thank you, her voice a little shaky as the adrenaline started to fade. Things were really growing for her. Like, ridiculously quickly.
So quickly in fact that she didn't really have time to think about it all before she was pulled into a taxi and brought back to Radius Records to discuss plans for her next single and music video. She'd been pushing for it to be Tattoo Heart, but her producers wanted Baby I out before the end of summer, so it's what they'd get. It was bound to be a much more planned music video than The Way which was all very exciting, but meant it would take a few weeks to pull together first.
They'd gotten a call today too that Noah Sykes from The Wanted was going to record the male voice for Almost is Never Enough. She was beyond excited when they told her this. But as the initial thrill wore off, a pang of guilt settled in. It meant Andre's voice was being removed, from a song he'd written. It felt bittersweet to let go of that shared vision they'd built together.
When she told him later after the meeting, he'd shrugged, giving her a warm smile. "I always knew they'd swap me out at some point. I mean, come on, Noah Sykes! That's a crazy good move for you, Cat. You've got to take it."
"But I liked it better with you," she replied softly, feeling a little selfish for wanting to keep Andre's voice on her record when she knew a feature like Noah's could do wonders for her career.
He grinned, giving her a playful nudge. "Look, it's not about me—it's about you. This is huge. And hey, my voice is still there in the early versions. I know produced the song, and that's all I need."
Relieved but still a little wistful, she hugged him tightly. She was grateful for Andre's support, but she couldn't shake the feeling of loss. It was getting harder and harder to keep holding onto people and connections in her life, when everyone in the music industry was pulling towards new people and things. And she of course couldn't say no to any of them, so she had to keep saying yes to every interview, every interaction, every feature, every meeting. Making sure to hold onto everything from before to keep her grounded.