Wonderland - Goes Pop! Autumn 2024

Wonderland - Goes Pop! Autumn 2024

SEVENTEEN IS ON TOP OF THE WORLD! 

With an upcoming world tour and their 12th Mini Album SPILL THE FEELS on the horizon, meet SEVENTEEN: One of history’s best-selling K-Pop acts taking their sound to the global stage—and beyond.

SEVENTEEN was destined for mega-fame. This K-Pop juggernaut came together in the pressure cooker of Seventeen TV—a raw, unfiltered live-stream talent-survival show that was essentially X factor-meets-Big Brother on steroids. After four years of intense training under entertainment company PLEDIS, the final 13-member lineup was born, debuting in May 2015. The fiercely creative ecosystem? S.COUPS, JEONGHAN, JOSHUA, JUN, HOSHI, WONWOO, WOOZI, THE 8, MINGYU, DK, SEUNGKWAN, VERNON, and DINO—divided into three teams: Vocal, Hip-Hop, and Performance.

Fast forward nearly a decade, and SEVENTEEN’s sonic range spans everything from candy-coated Pop to dark, brooding EDM and sultry, sing-along bangers. The numbers speak for themselves: surreal streaming stats, unprecedented album sales, and history-making live performances.

This year’s comeback is poised to be their biggest yet. Following the smash success of their Best Album 17 IS RIGHT HERE in April, they’re gearing up for the release of their 12th Mini Album SPILL THE FEELS in October. And with the upcoming SEVENTEEN WORLD TOUR ready to pull millions of CARATs (that’s their fanbase) into the frenzy, it’s safe to say they’re set for Pop domination like we’ve never seen. While the rest of the group is in strict album mode, MINGYU, THE 8, VERNON, and WONWOO carved out a moment from their hectic schedule to talk about influence, impact, and what it really means to be part of this brotherhood. Buckle up.

NORMANI

For the latest cover of our Pop issue, in collaboration with UGG, we speak with the musical tour de force on her tumultuous journey from going solo to releasing her debut album, Dopamine, and why you’d be crazy to count her out again.

Normani wears UGG.

Scroll to the comments under any Normani Instagram post, and it’s a lovefest. Fans, stans, and celebrity pals flood the feed, telling her she looks great, praising whatever endeavour she is promoting, and generally showing adoration. Yet, almost as predictably, there’s a chorus of accounts chanting the same insistent demand. Before she dropped her debut album Dopamine earlier this year, it was essentially variants of: ‘Where’s the album?’ Normani at a brand event? ‘This is cool but drop the album sis.’ Normani in a magazine shoot? ‘Why aren’t you in the studio girl?!’ As time passed, the pack circled. “I think it became popular to be really hard on me,” she tells me over Zoom from her home in LA, her “giant” Cane Corso barking merrily in the background. “I don’t know…It almost felt trendy, or popular to do.”

When the album dropped in June, one might have assumed the frenzy had finally been satiated. It had, after all, been a long time since the Pop superstar, originally from New Orleans but raised in Houston, had announced her maiden project in 2018. Back then, she had just exploded onto the scene, her hit song “Motivation” and its accompanying visuals becoming genuine pop-culture moments, with many comparisons drawn at the time to Beyoncé’s “Crazy in Love” in terms of cultural significance and the expected launch of a similarly bright star. Having already become well- known for her work within girl-band Fifth Harmony, this was Normani’s break, her announcement to the world that she was here for the long run. And then…nothing.

Well, I say nothing because that’s how the story has been made out to appear, right? In fact, during the period between going solo and Dopamine, Normani achieved milestones that most musicians never do in their whole careers. A string of singles—“Love Lies”, “Dancing With a Stranger”, and “Wild Side”—as well as “Motivation” itself, went multi-platinum. She was tapped by Rihanna, another artist who knows all about online frenzy for an album, to become Savage x Fenty’s first brand ambassador, pulling out a string of show-stopping, internet-breaking performances at the brand’s runway shows. She featured in the “WAP” music video alongside Cardi B, Megan Thee Stallion and Kylie Jenner—another seismic cultural moment. Yet, from the online noise at the time, one might think that she had quit music, become a hermit and gone to live in the wilderness. One Twitter user even took it upon herself to Tweet: ‘One year…ur sick’ under the album announcement, and do so every year for the following *five years*. While Normani was busy winning championships, people were starting to refer to the period as an off-season of sorts.

VICTOR RAY 

As he transitions from internet sensation to Pop mainstay, Victor Ray covers Wonderland’s Autumn 24 issue, chronicling a journey from Uganda to Newcastle, from London to the stars.

Victor Ray Wears Karl Lagerfeld.

How an artist positions themselves as a brand says a lot about wherethey’re headed. For Victor Ray, it’s simple: he’s a ‘storyteller’. Every piece he creates speaks to that—story first, everything else follows. “As you grow, you find new perspectives on everything,” he muses. “I don’t think people come up with new novel ideas in songs very often, but people do come up with new perspectives and ways to explain emotions. Everyone writes love songs but not everyone writes it in a way that makes you think and feel something, do you know what I mean?”

It’s late morning and we are sitting in an overtly French café in Hoxton, indulging in an all-too-delicious oat Mocha. The 25-year- old is on a tight schedule, with a writing session immediately following his Wonderland interview, having already completed his Wonderland shoot decked out in Karl Lagerfeld. A broad, warm presence, the singer-songwriter is a larger-than-life demeanour; his warm and self-effacing intonations are a small screen adaptation of the powerhouse vocal theatrics that his capacious and ever-burgeoning fan base have come to adore. It’s been a busy year for Victor—what with his extended run supporting both Teddy Swims and “really nice guy” Tom Grennan on their respective tours, as well as the release of his third EP “I TRIED.” in June to critical reception.

Before the year’s out we’ll have Victor’s fourth EP at our disposal, which will “be a bit more introspective and tell people about my story so my fans understand where I come from and where I’m trying to go.” He’ll also be heading out on a November-set European and UK headline tour, which is “definitely the biggest” to date, and includes a now sold-out stop-off at London pillar KOKO. The forthcoming stint of shows marks the first time that Victor will be touring with a band. “It is just so much fun,” he exclaims. “I didn’t understand the different level when you’re performing with a band. It used to be just me on the guitar for a show and, even though I’d have so much fun, it was like… ‘let me get these chords right, let me sing right.’ But now I’ve got this sick band behind me so I can just run around and have a good time.” 

KEELY HODGKINSON IS REIGNING THE LANES! 

Earning the top spot on the podium, Wonderland’s Autumn 24 cover star Keely Hodgkinson is in the running for becoming one of the greatest British athletes of all time. Navigating the pressure at just 22-years-old, meet the Queen of the North, championing sport for the next generation — and proving that she’s in it for the long run.

Keely wears Graff Tilda’s Bow Collection Diamond Necklace (14.51 cts) set in White Gold; Graff Tilda’s Bow Collection Diamond Bracelet (6.74cts) set in White Gold; Graff Tilda’s Bow Collection Diamond Earrings (5.92 cts) set in White Gold; Graff 8.97 carat Oval Diamond Promise Ring, set in Platinum.

In the final days that led up to British track athlete, Keely Hodgkinson, preparing for the Paris 2024 Olympics, a difficult decision had to be made. If the decision had been made otherwise, perhaps the 22-year-old mightn’t have crossed the threshold in first place, earning her a gold medal. But the decision was hers, and it was one she didn’t make lightly: What nails would carry her through the biggest competition of her career to date?

Let us be frank. Choosing your next set of nails is no frivolous decision. After all, each nail harbours the responsibility to signify our identity. And while there is, of course, nothing quite so painful for an athlete than coming second place, there’s also something completely discouraging about having a pair of nails that you disassociate with. There was no alternative, therefore, for Keely––her Olympic set had to be as absolute as her race. No mistakes, no wrong decisions: perfect form.

As such, for one minute and 56 seconds in the 800 metre Olympic final this summer, Keely paraded the track of Stade de France with a lavender set, adorned with motifs of the Greek Goddess of Victory, namely Nike. Aptly created with the sporting conglomerate, the wreaths and wings imprinted onto her fingertips were merely foreshadowing what was to come. And every detail mattered. “They were purple, like the track, and the design was all geared up to me hopefully winning it. It was designed to be an incredible moment. And it really was.”

PLEASE, SHE’S A STARR! ( ARYA STARR)

Covering Wonderland’s Autumn 24 issue, Ayra Starr sits down with our Editor-in-chief Toni-Blaze Ibekwe to talk RiRi rumours, the making of her new album, The Year I Turned 21, and the future of Afrobeats.

Ayra Starr’s confidence precedes her. Not in a damn-you-diva, make sure her coffee is on the table at the exact temperature of 93 degrees, perfume sprayed as she walks through the door, never look her directly in the eyes type of way (in fact, she’s quite the opposite). The 22-year-old self-proclaimed African superstar simply knows her worth, and she’s not about to give it up — for anyone. Instead, Ayra does one thing:
Dare to Dream. Such is the name of her recent hit Amazon documentary, tracking her international journey from Oyinkansola Sarah Aderibigbe, the Beninese-Nigerian girl from Cotonou; to Ayra Starr, the “Black Hannah Montana” inspiring African women all over the world on the global stage. And boy, haven’t all her fantasies come true.

Case in point: With “Rush” she became the only female artist from Nigeria to chart a solo song on the UK official Singles Chart. And, with lead single “Commas” from her latest, bare-it-all album, she exceeded 100 million streams across all platforms in just two months, spending five weeks on top of the UK Afrobeats Chart. She’s collaborated with some of music’s biggest names –– from Giveon to Wizkid, Tyla to Kelly Rowland, Anitta to Coco Jones. Meanwhile, her history-making Glastonbury debut this year was a defining moment for the globalisation of Afrobeats and an indelible marker that Ayra Starr’s time –– definitely –– is now. She was just waiting for you to catch up, Ayra knew this much was true as an infant. “I just had this childlike faith that I don’t know how to explain,” she knowingly smiles. Is that why she calls herself a celestial being…?

Anyway, we digress. She’s hot in the charts, hotting up the stage, and hotter-than-hot on the set of Wonderland’s cover shoot in New York. After which, she reunites with our Editor-in-Chief Toni-Blaze Ibekwe to talk those RiRi rumours, the making of The Year I Turned 21 and the future of Afrobeats.

Wonderland is a British bi-monthly magazine based in Notting Hill, London, dedicated to lifestyle, fashion and popular culture