NERVO YORK

We end our year the way we began it - with NERVO, but this time, in addition to our interview, we hung out with them right before their Lavo NYC show to shoot the International EDM DJ duo. Liv and Mim have been traveling, DJing around the world, releasing new  music and continuing to connect with their fans.

We brought them to Grammy winner and music icon, Desmond Child's home (we have an exclusive interview with Desmond following this interview), which was the perfect location for this shoot. We talked with them about what they're up to, who they've been working with, where they'd like to perform, their upcoming show for NYE at the W in Miami and what festivals you'll see them in during 2018.

ATHLEISURE MAG: We kicked off the year with an interview with you ladies and it's only fitting that we close it with you as well as you're gracing our Dec cover - what has been a snapshot of this year from what you were up to personally, musically, - whatever you wish to share.

NERVO: We have had a year of absolute madness. Lots of great things going on that we just need to pinch ourselves sometimes. We also are just doing our best to keep our heads above water and enjoy the little moments you know… We think all touring artists or just busy people, in general, are the same. There’s a lot of pressure mixed with a lot of adrenaline filled moments. It can be a lot sometimes!

AM: You ladies are multiple threats as you're DJ's, producers, songwriters, composers, models, brand ambassadors, etc., so it was only fitting to have you shoot in Desmond Child's home
- can you share some of your projects that you did this year or next year?

N: Tell us about it - Desmond Child is a total legend. What an honour to be shooting in his home! Love how we decked his house out.

So… We released a bunch of music this year, including a few collabs - one with New York based band Sofi Tukker and some others with more dance artists like DVBBS and Danny Avila, Oh, and then there’s the collab we wrote with Cheif Keef which was pretty special! We have been touring mainly Europe for the summer, but we also have our residency at Omnia in Las Vegas, which gets us over to The USA about 16 times a year.

We have a bunch of new songs in the works which we are focusing in on now. Quarters 4 and 1 are always for making new music and that means touring a bit less.

AM: What's the process like when you're creating your music and how is it different when you're creating something for another artist?

N: We’re more relaxed when we make music for others or even for a collaboration. Something about it being less pressure. When it’s your own record suddenly you feel like people are going
to hate on you if they don’t like it. It’s a part time job blocking out that noise!

AM: How do you go about finding inspiration for upcoming projects?

N: We are constantly inspired. To be honest we don’t have enough time to not be inspired. We have so many unfinished ideas that we just need an extra 2 days a week to finish. We must be
ADHD or something.

AM: What is a NERVO Christmas like - do you make it home to Australia for the holiday, do you guys cook and what gifts are you looking for this year?

N: It’s pretty low key and is the same every year. We have a huge lunch in our family home in Melbourne, then we all go to our Aunty Mary and Uncle Max’s home for more food, and then we
eventually pass out around 10pm with belly’s so full that we couldn’t dream of eating dinner! Leftovers are eaten for the next 4 days or so. We are Italian/Australian so there’s always SO
much food!

AM: This NYE, where are you playing and what about 2018 makes you excited to ring it in?

N: We are playing Miamiiiiiii! At the W Hotel. We can’t wait!! Miami is just the best for New Year's Eve. We think we might hang around a few days and have some beach time and Cuban food.

AM: What's on your playlist at the moment that gets you up and moving?

N: Massively inspired by what Jax Jones is doing at the moment. Sampling Booka Shade and flipping it into a 2017 anthem! Go JJ!

AM: Where are some festivals/cities that you'll be hitting this year that we can expect to see you performing at?

N: We are playing Tomorrowland in Belgium again. Always a yearly highlight! We are also playing Creamfields in South America. And of course, everyone can catch us at Ushuaia in Ibiza and Omnia/Hakkassan in The USA for our residencies.

AM: What is a gig that you would like to do ie. Super Bowl Half Time show, that you have yet to be asked to do but want to check off your bucket list?

N: Probably Coachella. It’s such a great festival and one of the only ones we have never been asked to play at. We don't think they like us. ha! Maybe we're too bubbly or mainstream or
something... We dunno. But we have been to the festival and it's such a great vibe. Always perfect weather.

AM: You're rocking a lot of fun styles throughout our Dec cover shoot, but what is your personal style when you head out to play a set for NYE versus when you're hanging out?

N: We like to dress things up when we play a gig. We love body suits, lycra, face jewels, creepers, teased up hair, more is more. When we are hanging out we’re a lot more chilled and casual - for example we are loving the Fenty clothes that we wore in the shoot for our travel/studio days!

AM: You guys travel a lot, what are your 3 musts that you take with you no matter what city you're rocking in to feel like you're at home?

N: Iijin snake skin silver and gold shoes (for Liv), Hairspray (for Mim), and our laptops (for both of us).

AM: The Winter Olympics are coming up and we're fans of curling, what teams/sports are you cheering for?

N: Ooohh we’ll have to check it out!! We do love to ski so that’s something we would like to watch. Does Australia even have a team? If Australia is competing then we would have to go for
them but if they don’t then we would go for Italy because that is where our parents were born :).

NERVO YORK CREDITS

COVER + PG 14 | FENTY X PUMA Blocked Track Jacket + Blocked Taped Track Pant | OUTDOOR VOICES Sport Bra | FENTY X PUMA AnkleStrap Sneaker | FENTY X PUMA Monday Cap | FRAME Le Original Patch Jacket |

FENTY X PUMA Hooded Zip Front Leotard | FENTY X PUMA Printed Bra | RUBEN GALARRETA Legging Harness |

PG 16 | BLACK MILK Fatale Dress | LAGOS JEWELRY Black Beaded Caviar Bracelet | ARTISTS' OWN Wrapped Bracelet, Charm Bracelet, Watch + Hat |

PG 19 | MCM Shearling Bag | ARTISTS' OWN Bra, Shorts + Scarf |

PG 20 | SPLENDID Racerback Turtleneck Sport Bra | ELIZABETH ACKERMAN Palazzo Palm Pants | DIANA ROSH FUR Olive + Blue Fur Coat | LOVE KNITZ Hat |

PG 21 | DIANA ROSH FUR Multicolor Coat | HAT ATTACK Arm Warmers | MIRA RAE Velvet Leggings | MCM Shearling Hat |

PG 22 | ROMPLY Blush Wrap Romper | HAT ATTACK Hat | LAGOS JEWELRY Ring | ARTISTS' OWN Bra |

PG 25 | ROMPLY Navy/Gold Tapestry Romper | NINA JEWELRY Swarovski Bangle | MCM Polke Backpack in Starry Eyed Bunny | ARTISTS' OWN Marcher Jacket |

Athleisure Mag readers know that a number of our shoots take place in luxury apartments that have yet to be released to the public or are being sold. We tend to maintain the privacy of the homeowners; however, this shoot was perfectly aligned as it took place at Grammy-winning and Emmy-nominated songwriter/producer Desmond Child's home!

He is one of the most accomplished hit-makers, having written and produced more than eighty Billboard Top 40 hits spanning five decades including "Livin' On A Prayer”, “You Give Love A Bad Name”, “I Was Made For Lovin' You”, “Dude Looks Like A Lady”, “Livin’ La Vida Loca,” and “Waking Up In Vegas.” From Aerosmith to Zedd, his genre-defying collaborations also include Bon Jovi, KISS, Motley Crew, Joan Jett, Cher, Michael Bolton, Cyndi Lauper, Ricky Martin, Christina Aguilera, Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Garth Brooks, Meat Loaf, Selena Gomez, Katy Perry, Sia, Mickey Mouse and Kermit the Frog, selling over 500 million records worldwide as well as downloads, YouTube views and streaming plays already in the billions. His upcoming autobiography LIVIN' ON A PRAYER: BIG SONGS BIG LIFE with David Ritz is scheduled for release the Fall 2018. Desmond Child was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2008 and serves on its Board of Directors as well as the Board of ASCAP. In 2012 he co-founded the Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame and serves as its Chairman/CEO. He is also Chairman of The Fountains of Musica Foundation, who’s mission is to complete Alan LeQuire's aquatic bronze masterpiece MUSICA located at the entrance to Nashville’s Music Row.

ATHLEISURE MAG: It was an honor to shoot in your beautiful home and NERVO was very excited to see that they were in your apartment. Please share with our readers about how you got into the music business and whom you have worked with.

DESMOND CHILD: My beautiful mother, the late Cuban poet and Bolero composer Elena Casals, was always writing her romantic and soulful songs at her old upright piano on the dairy farm in Hawthorn, Florida, where I was born in 1953. At that time, I didn’t know that most people don’t write songs as a natural expression of the ups and downs of ordinary life. I would sit on my mother's lap at the piano and bang out long unrepeatable classical sounding improvisations. As soon as I could sit upright, she would make me play for her bohemian friends sitting around on the floor smoking and drinking during the Mad Men era when that was actually still good for you.

Not being able to afford a gift, I wrote my first official pop song titled “Birthday Blues” at the age of 15 in 1968 as a birthday tribute to a beautiful girl I was trying to impress named Laura
Stern. After that, I never looked back and kept writing songs all the way into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, where I was inducted into in 2008. That only took 40 years. ;)

ATHLEISURE MAG: Your home is awesome and there were so many elements that were amazing, but we all enjoyed your piano - when did you decide that you would have these notable talents sign your piano, and are there signatures that you have yet to get, but still
want to have in there?

DC: It was a random day, and I was walking down 57th Street, and when I got to the Steinway showroom, I looked through the window and saw this gorgeous Steinway D lit up like it was on a stage. I went in, sat down at it, and it seemed to just play itself. I ended up buying it on the spot, but I had to put it in storage for 2 years while my apartment was being renovated. When the time finally came to move-in the piano, I had to hire a crane to lift it up on its side in a massive wooden crate and slip it through the living room window.

It was an incredible feat that tied up Fifth Avenue traffic and pissed-off a lot of people.

As soon as I started doing writing sessions with top stars or important visitors, I would ask them to write their names in the piano along with the date. It started to get crowded in there and some names are completely unrecognizable, so I guess I will have to create a map of the stars to keep track of them all.

These are the names I would love to have in the piano: Joni Mitchell, Sir Elton John, Aretha Franklin, Jennifer Hudson, Sade, Imogen Heap, Paul Stanley & Gene Simmons, Beyonce & Jay Z, Steven Tyler, and Joe Perry.

AM: Are there projects that you are working on that you can share with us?

DC: I am just putting the finishing touches on my auto-biography - LIVIN' ON A PRAYER: BIG SONGS BIG LIFE with David Ritz. I hope to release in the fall of 2018.

AM: What is currently on your playlist?

DC: I only play two records ever… AMOROSO by Jaoa Gilberto, produced by my dear late friend Tommy LiPuma, and Sade’s epic LOVE DELUX. Over the past 5 years I’ve added Concha Buika’s
rare but exquisite albums. Any other music I hear is by accident.

AM: With New Years Eve just around the corner, what's the perfect playlist that we should be creating to celebrate the end of 2017 and the start of 2018?

DC: Any of Amy Grants 5 Christmas albums. Amy is my husband Curtis’ favorite artist of all time…. It just ain’t Christmas without Amy Grant.

We enjoyed finding out more about Desmond Child and his home which is currently on the market. We sat down with Louise Phillips Forbes of Halstead properties to find out more about 1215 Fifth Avenue #8CD as well as the neighborhood it resides in.

ATHLEISURE MAG: There are so many great aspects to this apartment, from its layout to the INCREDIBLE views of Central Park - what can you tell us about this property?

LOUISE PHILIPS FORBES: What’s not to envy in this exceptional home?! It’s a full-floor combination apartment with panoramic views of Central Park that are breathtaking year-round, and an abundance of custom designer details like art-deco moldings and Venetian plaster walls. The grand and expansive formal living room is an entertainer’s dream with four large picture windows (manufactured by Hope's) facing west, high-beamed ceilings and a statuesque
wood-burning fireplace. Plus, the spectacular views carry through to the formal dining room. A peaceful retreat, the master suite also showcases the Central Park views and features superbly crafted built-ins and an oversized walk-in closet that resembles a luxury boutique. You can escape to the spa in the elegant Vitrolite tile and Terrazzo master bathroom with a deep soaking tub, double sink vanity, walk-in steam shower, and heated floors. But it's the park views that will transport you to another world. A culinary delight, the eat-in chef's kitchen is the heart of the home with an open design that includes a substantial casual dining/living and media area. Kitchen highlights are the sophisticated Terrazzo countertops, abundance of pantry storage cabinets, and high-end appliances. A coveted laundry room holds the side-by-side and full-size Miele washer and Asko dryer with a sink and storage. To top it off, there is a new state-of-the-art Lutron lighting system and Crestron integrated surround audio system with built-in
speakers all through the apartment. Two oversized bedrooms and a second full bathroom complete the home with through-wall AC's in every room and great closets throughout. It’s pretty close to perfect!

AM: What amenities are offered in this building for residents?

LFP: A pre-war treasure, the Brisbane House at 1215 Fifth Avenue was developed and built in 1928 by distinguished journalist and columnist for Hearst newspapers, Arthur Brisbane, and designed by the renowned architectural firm Schultze & Weaver. The beautiful 16-story limestone-and-caramel-brick building boasts an elegant lobby and full-service amenities, including 24-hour doorman, live-in superintendent, private courtyard, fitness area, central
laundry room, personal storage, bike storage, and pet-friendly attitude.

AM: Tell us about the neighborhood that is directly around this building and what neighborhood is this considered?

LFP: A premier residence nestled near Carnegie Hill, this elegant gem is conveniently located across from Central Park and along Museum Mile with easy access to world-class exhibits at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Guggenheim Museum, and the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum, among others. Fifth Avenue and Madison Avenue
beckon with high-end boutique shopping and fine art galleries, plus there is an abundance of distinguished restaurants, charming cafes, gourmet grocers, supermarkets, Equinox Fitness
Club, the 92nd Street Y, and many popular retail destinations.

AM: For those that are interested in purchasing this unit, how can they find out more information?

LFP: It would be very easy to call this stunning apartment home given the grandeur of the rooms, designer details throughout, and abundance of Central Park views! To schedule an appointment, simply contact me directly and I will be happy to give you a private tour and discuss the purchasing details. You can reach me via email at lphillips@halstead.com or at 212-381-3329.

AM: Where can readers find out about additional properties that you represent?

LFP: Visit my website and click on the tab for “My Listings”. You can view pictures, 3D floor plans, and videos along with detailed descriptions of each property I’m working with from
downtown to uptown. The available homes range from a three-bedroom loft apartment in Tribeca to a 6-story grand townhouse on the Upper East Side.

Read more from the Dec Issue and see NERVO YORK in mag.

TURN ON THE LIGHTS

"You can't know where you are going, until you know where you have been." This quote always seems to take on more meeting when we find out the varied paths that people get to where they want to be. We sat down with Lights (Warner Bros Records) to find out how she got into the industry, her upcoming tour next year, her new Skin&Earth album, which also includes a series of comic books, her favorite travel destinations and how she defines balance as a songwriter, performer, wife and mother.

ATHLEISURE MAG: How did you get into the music industry – tell us a little bit about your journey.

LIGHTS: That’s a loaded question! I started out having no idea about how to get into the industry and I don’t think that anybody does. And there really isn’t one specific way to do it. I
think at the beginning, I had a pretty skewed view of how it was to be done and how it would pan out. I did music because I loved it and I started writing songs when I was 11 – I had my little
8-tracks and I started producing when I was 13. By the time I was 15, I had multiple albums of music and at that time, it was before MySpace, Peer Volume or YouTube and there was no place to put it. You actually did have to have a way in. So I enter contests like songwriting
contests, local singing contests and stuff – just to see what would happen.

Randomly, my way in came. My mom worked at Walmart. She was an employee, so you could be in the flyer. We took a picture which they selected and we had the opportunity to be in
the flyer. The photo I sent in had me with a guitar and they picked me. They came to my town and shot some pictures of me and a few other locals for the Walmart flyer. I got $30 and modeled their turtleneck – it was great. So the makeup artist said, “oh the picture that you sent in with you in the guitar – do you actually play?” I was like, “Yeah, I have a whole EP.” I was like 14 or 15 at the time. So he asked me to sing for them and I did a Mariah Carey song in the trailer and he asked me to bring the EP by his hotel, which I did and then he brought it to his friend who was in the industry that happened to be coming into the area later that summer for a
festival and he ended up becoming my manager. We worked on the music for a couple of years and then shopped it to the labels and then a couple of years later, I got a development deal with Sony and then I made some connections in the industry and 2 years after I was dropped from the development deal, I got signed to publishing which is songwriting for TV shows as well as working on my own music with sessions with other writers.

At this time MySpace came along and that’s when I was able to put my stuff up and everything changed. It wasn’t the label that launched my career but an online platform that allowed other
people to have access to me. Then Old Navy used a couple of my songs in their campaigns and that is when other people found out about me and then I got signed on from there at 19 with Warner – everything went from there!

AM: We never figured that Walmart would play into this story!

L: You never know where your break is going to come from! The most important thing is to do what you love and to take the opportunities that present themselves. You never know where it
will lead to! With that said, many people ask me what way they can get into the industry and I tell them that they have what they need right in front of them as the access is online to get your music out there!

AM: We’re beyond bummed that we missed your show here in NYC earlier this month, but what can we expect when we go to a Lights show and what kind of music is it that you are doing?

L: It’s really about putting my shows into a story arc and that’s even more imperative now with the comic that comes with the record as we will be implementing that into the next tour. It's an emotional journey and it starts out energetic as I want to make sure that everyone is comfortable and singing along. My favorite part is to see that in a show and then I like to break it down to more of an intimate tone and then end it on a high note. Set lists are always really well thought out. People should come ready to dance and ready to sing and of course there are cool lights – literally, which is really cool.

AM: What is your personal style in terms of dressing at your shows versus out and about with you and your family?

L: It’s interesting how I dress for a show isn’t too far from how I dress day to day, it’s just more amped up. It’s more extreme and over the years, I have come to know that how I dress really affects how I walk and how I am on stage. I need to feel empowered and I need to feel like a woman. It’s somewhere between Lara Croft from Tomb Raider with short shorts and big boots – I always wear big boots and big socks even in the summertime. I love a crop top that channels my whole Anime Manga face with the bright hair. I like a little spice of fantasy mixed in with a bit of a warrior.

AM: Obviously you are extremely talented, how did the comic book into this portion of your music as well?

L: I have always loved comics and have been reading them for years. I think that comics, like music is one of those forms of entertainment that all the fans want to become the creators.
Once you read comments you want to make it, you want to try it – to create the content. I have always wanted to do it and it has been a dream of mine for a long time. Part of that dream has
been wanting to see out in that world a music comic project, by a woman. It just didn’t exist and there were a few things here and there and even with dudes, it wasn’t that common. So I
wondered, when is a girl going to do this? One day I was like, “why can’t it be you – get to your computer girl!”

I shrugged off the fears of not knowing how to do it as I think that is one of the major factors that holds us back from doing what we want to do because we feel that we don’t know how
to do it. I just taught myself how to do it! I did the research, I got the books - went online and watched webinars and tutorials and I just had to start from somewhere. I have seen my dreams come true in putting this together over the last year. It’s just been amazing. I did a lot of work – I write it, draw it, render it, color it, package it and ship it! I send it to the publisher and it’s from my heart and mind and it’s so cool to see it all come together!

AM: That is so cool so do you go to Comic Con with this?

L: Yeah! I have always gone to Con as a fan and last year I was at Toronto Fan X which I have gone to for 10 years as a fan. This year, I was there as a guest with a professional pass and people were CosPlaying as my character! It was so awesome!

AM: This is so inspiring and once again, we’re bummed that we didn’t see you tour!

L: Well, when we came through the fall last year, it was a shorter set as we were supporting Paris but next Feb/March when we come through, it will be a full production experience and a
full set! It will be directly related to the comic.

AM: Obviously you travel a lot, what are some of your favorite places that you love going to?

L: Oh one of my favorite cities to go to is Amsterdam! Everywhere you look is an Instagram shot – it’s so scenic and there are flowers all over the place. It’s gorgeous and I have even more of an appreciation for it especially doing the comics – as an artist now. You have to do studies and backgrounds in art and lighting. I’ve noticed things in the environment that I would have never noticed before like the way a shadow falls – so you notice your surroundings more and Amsterdam is one of those cities that everywhere you look it’s picturesque and inspiring. Another area is Mexico – I love the beaches and it's one of my favorite places in the world.
I grew up traveling and last year, my husband and I went to Thailand and explored the jungles and then we went to Tokyo – that trip itself was a bit of a catalyst that made me really want to
do the comic and a month later I was drawing!

AM: We love Tokyo, being there really changed the way we looked at things for sure!

L: I know – when I got there I was like, “I want to do music and have it played here – how can I make this happen?” So, we have Giants in four different languages and Japanese is one of them!

AM: This holiday season, are you doing a lot of performances, will you be doing festivals for 2018?

L: Yeah it’s going to be a festival summer this year I think and our tour is 2.5 months in the spring with the festivals in the summer and then touring in the fall. The final issue of the comic comes out next month and then we will be packaging it into a graphic novel and then will tour on that in comic shops which will be some pretty cool stuff on that as well.

AM: Clearly your busy, how do you take time for yourself – are you a yogi – what do you do?

L: I do a bit of that. It’s all just balance. I’ve learned a lot over the years and still have a lot to learn about getting work done and taking time. I mean it’s not about saying I’m going to work here this week and then take time out here on this day. There was a time in my life, that I thought that was the way to do it. Instead it’s more like, today I am going to work 4-5 hours and then have dinner with my kid or spend some time tonight to do whatever. Everyday is in
front of you so you need to take the time daily you need to do the work but you need to take the time. I mean life moves and we spend so much of our time waiting for life to happen and
it’s right now and we need to enjoy it while getting stuff done.

AM: What would you like to share with Athleisure Mag’s readers that you may not have been able to share?

L: I’d say check out the album …… it’s my Opus and the greatest thing that I have done so far and I’m proud of it. Listen to the music on its own, read the comic on it’s own and then do so
together – it’s a totally augmented experience and check out the Instagram page @SkinAndEarthWorld – it’s a map of the world from within the comic and its interactive - click through the various accounts and explore the world and go to different locations and find hidden song clips. It’s just a fun way to experience the world without having to pay for anything right now.