MOVIESTARZ INVITE THE WORLD INTO THEIR CHAOTIC AND IMMERSIVE universe OF FANTASY > REALITY

by amber bintliff

Meet MOVIESTARZ: the concert friends turned fashion brand co-owners that are the latest innovators to hit the hyperpop scene. The dynamic duo behind the project, Tyler Nichols and Alex Pombar, have set out to craft an immersive visual and sonic experience with their debut full-length album FANTASY > REALITY that arrives in only a few short weeks.  With vibrant singles and exclusive, specially designed merch drops, the two have begun to shape the structure and passion behind a vision that they believe so strongly in. 

In an email Q&A with Televised Magazine, Nichols welcomes the world into the creative chaos behind MOVIESTARZ ahead of their debut record. 

amber bintliff: Your debut album, FANTASY > REALITY, arrives on November 7th. Can you explain the meaning behind this record and the message you’re trying to get out there?

TYLER NICHOLS: The way we read it is “Fantasy is greater than Reality” and I feel like the overall message of it is that, the dream you have in your mind vs. what actually may transpire can be wildly different but the fantasy of it all is what drives you.  It’s overall meant to be positive but with a little rainbow sprinkle of cynicism in there :)

amber bintliff: What was the most challenging or rewarding part of the creative process for the album?

TYLER NICHOLS: The whole process of the album was so pure, no rules, no restrictions. It felt like I was 15 recording in the studio for the first time again. We just truly wanted to make something we love that felt fresh, unique, different, but also us. We pulled from so many influences it feels like an Erewhon smoothie of all our playlists. I’m so proud of every detail of it from top to bottom. I wouldn’t say any of it was challenging other than holding back on sharing it with everyone as soon as we got the final mixes ha.

amber bintliff: The most recent and final single from the album “1.M FREQUENCIES” features Cali Rodi. Can you share the details of what this track is about and how this collaboration came to be?

TYLER NICHOLS: I love how “1.M FREQUENCIES” came together so much. The music felt like we unlocked a new level. I came to Alex after watching a live 1975 performance of “Milk” and was like there is something so special in this, lets try and capture that. The music came together in like 2 hours and is pretty close to what you hear on the final version.

I was so protective of the music I was almost intimidated by it when it came time for lyrics/vocals because I wanted the vocal to be equally as solid. It’s easy to say it has a relationship undertone in it but I felt like the “can you hear me?” is more a callback to the album title and it's like is my art connecting with anyone? Is it resonating? Is anyone out there? The internet is such an abyss of people so much great art gets lost to an algorithm.

amber bintliff: What tracks from FANTASY > REALITY are your favorites that you’re most excited for people to hear and why?

TYLER NICHOLS: Honestly they are all my favorites for different reasons but my personal top 5 of the album (in no particular order) are probably “Club Punk,” “Invited,” “On Mute,” “EIAEID,” “1.M FREQUENCIES.”  3 of those were singles and just feel like capture the sound we were trying so hard to blend the electronic meets pop meets alternative meets dance. Sonically all these are so different but I think really capture our energy and what we are trying to do so well.

The 2 features with Cali and Darrian I love so much because they are both so so talented and I think having that female vocal gave the record something I really wanted out of it and they both absolutely killed it. We really see MOVIESTARZ as a whole art project, and collaborating with artists we love is a huge piece of this as well.

amber bintliff: You’ve been releasing exclusive merch items alongside the release of each single from the album, which is super cool. Where do you find the inspiration for these pieces that connect the designs to the music?

TYLER NICHOLS: We have a brand called Newport Bleach that we’ve been making random merch pieces we like just for the love of the game. It was a no-brainer to incorporate that into this project and was certainly a part of the whole roll out of the project/record. We worked with UK based artist Bill (@handsoutofpockets) who created individual art for each song on the record and then taking that art to the graphics was a no brainer.

amber bintliff: Which piece of merch has been your favorite you’ve designed and released?

TYLER NICHOLS: The “INVITED” candle is rad, I love the out of the box merch.  We need more houseware items haha.  As I’m typing this, I’m editing the photos for a new long sleeve we’re about to drop that came out so good, it’s so loud and has such a 90’s NBA All Star Game vibe. All the clothing we aren’t making any money on because we’re using super custom blanks and printing processes with glitter ink, puff paint prints, big crazy oversized 13 color prints. It’s just about making the best possible stuff we can.

amber bintliff: You met in line at a +44 show in 2006 and have been friends ever since, eventually becoming creative partners for your clothing brand, Newport Bleach. What was the turning point for you guys that led to establishing MOVIESTARZ and branching into music.

TYLER NICHOLS: Music was and is always our number one. I think we both knew we’d do a project together at some point, it was just a matter of the timing and drive to really go for it again and do it the right way. It’s such an undertaking to launch something new, have a vision for it and really push it out there. We’re both so proud of what we’ve made with MOVIESTARZ.

amber bintliff: What do you want people to know about MOVIESTARZ if they’re discovering your music for the first time?

TYLER NICHOLS: MOVIESTARZ is for everyone. I remember being a kid and finding a new artist and getting immersed in their world and finding new layers about things they do was always so fun.  Life is too stressful, we hope if there’s something about us you like whether the art, the music, the merch, that it provides a little glimmer of a spark to bring ya back to finding something you loved as a kid and let you escape.