"Sonny, what are you getting?" Natalie, her very own personal assistant, questioned from the front seat as Max pulled into the Starbucks parking lot. On what she thought would be a chill day with Chad had turned into a whirlwind. Natalie had stormed into their room before Sonny could even get decent and started spewing stuff about a label meeting. Sonny didn't know what they could possibly need to meet about since everything had been finalized last week but she had learned very early on not to say no to her label.
"Venti matcha with oat milk and two pumps of vanilla," Sonny said. Chad had gotten her hooked to matcha a month ago and she hadn't stopped drinking it since.
"No," her manager Dave hissed as Sonny furrowed her eyebrows. "We have fittings scheduled all this week and you're going to drink that much sugar? Absolutely not. Natalie, get her a black coffee."
Natalie turned in her seat, looking between Sonny and Dave. Technically Sonny was her boss but Dave was her employer. He could get her fired and she literally just got this job. But then she looked at Sonny who was so young and ripe and looked entirely heartbroken at Dave's comment. Hollywood was bad enough on its own. Who needed enemies when you had a manager making comments like that?
"A black coffee is fine. I didn't really want matcha anyway," Sonny reassured her before burying her face in her phone.
Sonny had no idea what time this super important, last minute label meeting was supposed to start but when they entered one of the conference rooms in the shiny Capitol Records building and she saw everyone that she had been authorized to play her first single for...she knew some super important decision was about to be made. Sonny still had that Wisconsin charm so when she went around the room greeting everyone, some of their grimaces turned into actual smiles and the room had been brightened up considerably by the time she took her seat. And that was why people loved her.
"I know you're wondering why we called you here so I'm not going to beat around the bush. We don't like the first single. We're going to scrap it and have you record this demo that we just received. For the music video, we'll keep it simple. You're still doing Fallon this week but we need you to record the song ASAP. The video shoot will take place tomorrow. You'll rehearse the day after that. Any questions?" Sonny didn't even know the name of the man talking and suddenly he had completely flipped her release plan on its head.
"Why?" Is all that Sonny could ask, and she heard Dave grumble in displeasure next to her. But Sonny deserved an explanation. She was new to the business but Chad had explained the numbers to her. The label had earned millions since they signed her. The least they could do was explain their decision making.
"Excuse me?"
"Why are you changing it? Everyone just loved and approved jealousy, jealousy last week. You sent Joe Jonas there to help me finish it. Why is it suddenly not good enough?"
"The 'I'm not like other girls' trope gets tired quickly. It's part of the reason why you had a hate train after the last album. We need something new." This time a woman spoke, and she seemed like she was trying to be gentle in her delivery but there was disdain in her voice.
Sonny pressed her back against the seat as she felt herself frown. A trope? Her music wasn't about tropes or anything else. She always considered her music to be a true reflection of herself. She wrote songs when she felt something and that's why her first album had done so well. For them to belittle it to nothing more than a trope stung in a way that she couldn't describe.
"We know this is a big change but it happens all of the time. That's why we made it easy for you and there's already a demo for you to follow. I know you're new to this but this is how things work. If we're wrong, we'll try something else for the next single. But right now, this is the plan," the first man stated, jamming his finger against the conference table as Sonny slowly nodded her head. She was already trying to spin this in her head, convince herself that it really wasn't a big deal and that people sang songs that they didn't write all of the time. But it wasn't working. And Sonny wasn't sure that she could force herself to be okay with this.
It didn't take Sonny long to record the new song because there really wasn't much to it. Everything had already been decided. It felt unnerving to simply walk into the studio, put her headphones on, and put down vocals on a song that she didn't create. It felt unauthentic. It felt unreal. Since it didn't take long for her to do the song, the label already booked a studio for her to rehearse in. There was choreography. There were background dancers. There were things that Sonny had never even considered and now she had two days before her first live performance and she was just supposed to figure all of this out.
"I don't want to do choreography during the chorus. Isn't that the time for me to interact with the fans?" Sonny questioned as she twirled the microphone in between her fingers. Sonny was an actress and a singer, not a dancer. So it was taking her a little longer to get the choreography down but luckily everyone was being patient with her.
"You still have to learn it for the video, but you don't have to do it on stage, if that's what you're asking. Let's go again," the choreographer Jackson demanded. Sonny nodded and got back into place but then the door opened, and Chad walked through, and all sense of professionalism was lost as she practically ran into his arms. It had been a long day and all she wanted to do was be curled up with her fiance.
"Let's take a break, I guess," Jackson mumbled, so everyone dispersed to give Sonny and Chad some space.
"I thought you were going to be home for dinner?" Chad questioned as Sonny shook her head.
"I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to call. I've been on go all day. My label changed my first single and I had to record the song and learn how to freaking dance and do all of this stuff before New York..." Sonny trailed off, combing her fingers through her hair. She was stressed. It was written all over her face and even though she had thrown herself into his arms she was still visibly tense. Plus the hair. Sonny couldn't keep her hands out of her hair when she was stressed out.
"It's okay, Sunshine. I brought you food. It's almost ten. Have you eaten?" Chad checked, to which Sonny shook her head. On her car ride over here she had seen screenshots of what they wanted her to wear for her performance. The thought of food had instantly left her mind.
"You have to eat. You've been gone all day, Sonny. You can't come home?" Chad questioned, but Sonny shook her head again.
"You don't understand. I have so much to prove with this album and this is a new label and I really want this...this music thing. This is what I want to do. So I have to do it well. I may have to sacrifice a little bit or go to sleep a little later but this is what I want and this is what I have to do to have it," Sonny explained as Chad scoffed a little bit.
"Sonny, it does not have to be like this. You're the artist. This is your career. You make the rules," Chad reminded her. He used to think the same way as her but then he got a little older and realized how things really worked. He made everyone around him money. They were nothing without him. So they couldn't just treat him however they wanted or dictate how things would go. Sonny would just have to learn that too.
"Hey Chad." Sonny visibly tensed up even more when Dave entered the room. She pushed herself away from him like they were two teenagers who just got caught by her dad and she cast her vision downward.
"Sonny needs to get back to work. I'm sure you understand," Dave said, and he didn't leave any room for argument. Chad almost opened his mouth and shut this whole thing down, but then Sonny gave him a look, and he decided not to.
"Yeah. Please call me on your way home, Sonshine. And please eat or drink something. I got your favorite smoothie," Chad said, pushing the bag into her hands. He placed a kiss on her forehead and gently squeezed her hand, shooting her one last look before he walked out of the room. He understood that this is what Sonny wanted but this isn't how she had to go about it, and some how Chad was going to have to convince her of that.
Sonny: I think when I first joined So Random I was very conscious of what people had to say about me, and then it got to a point where I really didn't care. But then it got kind of bad again when I dropped the album, especially in that period afterwards when the hype started to die down a little bit and it felt like people weren't really sugarcoating how they felt about my anymore. I always struggle with not taking what people online have to say about me to heart but it's kind of hard not to because it's like, they're strangers on the internet. They have no reason to sugarcoat anything because they probably think I won't see it. So as much as I try not to let what people think of me affect me, it's always going to be in the back of my mind and I don't think it's ever going to go away.
"She set the record for the youngest female artist to get a number one album on Billboard and she's here to celebrate the release of her brand new song On The Ground, everyone please welcome Sonny Monroe!"
Last time when she was getting ready to release an album, Condor's record label had only sent her on random radio shows for interviews and performances. Sonny had done a few huge interviews before but this was her first time in late night TV so she was a little nervous, not that she could let that show. Jimmy Fallon greeted her with a smile and a polite hug then gestured for her to sit down. She was trying to hide her shaking hands so she frantically waved at the audience before digging them underneath her thighs. Hopefully that would help.
"We have to get right into it. So you started on So Random and you were already mega famous but then you released an album and it's like you're at a whole new level of fame. How are you handling that?"
"I'm not sure. It's still a little crazy to me and I'm still terrified of paparazzi and I just can't believe that this is my life now, but I'm also super grateful for it. I love making music and even if only three people listen to my songs, I'm happy just to share them with the world, so all of this is a dream come true."
"Your last album was a massive success, like just massive. Are you scared that this second album isn't going to live up to the hype?"
"Yes but at the same time I really want to show people that I can do more than just one thing. My last album was very centered around one situation and I wanted this album to be more of a reflection of who I am today and what's important to me and how I feel, so I think with this album people will get to know me a little more," Sonny explained, which the crowd clapped to. She didn't know why because she could barely remember what she said, but they clapped and she smiled and she felt like this was going the way it was supposed to.
"Is there anything you wish that you could take back about the last album?"
"I mean...the most embarrassing thing that I've ever done is make an entire album about someone just to take them back. And that's coming from someone who did a comedy show for three years." The audience laughed at that. "But if you listen to the album all the way through, in order, you'll see me come to the conclusion that I really love this man and we may have been through a lot and he may have flaws but I don't want to live my life without him. So, I don't think there's anything that I would change or take back about the last album because it really helped me through that whole process and it's why my relationship is so good today."
"Your relationship being with Chad Dylan Cooper...your fiancée."
"Yes..."
"Look at that smile, folks! So he proposed to you..."
"Yup!"
"And you're not even 21 yet?"
"Nope. But I think when you know, you know, and it's not just something we're jumping into. We've been engaged for a while and after we got engaged, my mom actually made me stay in Wisconsin away from him for like a month because she didn't think that I was serious about it. But once she figured that I was she let me go back and we all discussed it and I think we're just gonna be engaged for a while. There's no rush to get married when we've already made the promise that we are and we're both just enjoying life right now," Sonny answered, pushing her hair out of her face.
"So is this song about him then? I mean, how many songs can you write about one person?" Jimmy joked, which caused the entire audience to laugh.
"I mean, you guys know Chad. There's a lot to write about," Sonny said with a wink as the audience cheered. She knew that Dave was loving this.
"You're here today because you have a new song coming out at midnight that may or may not be about Chad and you're going to perform it for us, right? We're the first ones to hear it?" Jimmy checked, causing Sonny to eagerly nod.
"Yes, and actually this song isn't about Chad. It's really about my life since all of this craziness has happened and I think it's a really good way to open up this new era." Sonny hadn't even thought about what this song meant to her or even meant for her career, so she had to come up with something on the spot. Even though she had been listening to it nonstop since she recorded it, it meant nothing to her.
pocketfulofsonshine: everything I need is on the ground...out now ✨
liked by tawnihart, mileycyrus, and 732,157 others
cdc: the best in the biz
randomuser: this is a little boring, don't you think?
randomuser1: this doesn't sound like you at all! i hope the new album sounds nothing like this.
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As soon as Sonny opened the front door she saw a pink camera perched on a tripod and immediately turned away.
"Tawni!" Sonny groaned, attempting to close the door on her costar turned best friend but Tawni barged in and shut the door behind her, turning around so that she could get Sonny in the frame.
"Guess who finally has a clear schedule! My bestie Sonny!" Tawni beamed, puckering her lips at the camera as Sonny glowered at her in the view finder.
"Tawni, please, this is my one day this week without cameras," Sonny pouted, causing Tawni's own plump pink lips to drop into a frown.
"You're not filming today? I got all dressed up for nothing?" Tawni complained, lowering her own camera.
"You look like that all of the time. I'll be sure to send you our filming schedule next time," Sonny said with a roll of her eyes as she headed toward the kitchen.
When Sonny first got to Hollywood and learned that she would have to share a dressing room with her costar, she never thought that they would end up being as close as they are today, but honestly, Tawni was her best friend. Tawni was her best friend in the way that Lucy used to be. Time had worn that relationship down and Sonny found that as she got more and more famous, her and Lucy had less in common until they eventually just didn't speak anymore. It was like as her friendship with Lucy ended, her friendship with Tawni blossomed until they literally saw each other everyday and told each other everything.
"Aw Sonny, you know I don't need the cameras on to see you. See," Tawni pointedly turned off her own bedazzled Canon camera and joined Sonny in the kitchen.
Tawni had transitioned into life after So Random seamlessly. She started a YouTube channel, sharing her luxurious life with her followers and promoting some of the hottest brands around. Tawni was trendy but in a way that was ahead of their time. She always knew what the next big thing was going to be and could move through the social platforms with ease. Sonny couldn't relate, so thank God she had music to fall back on.
"Where's Cooper?" Tawni questioned as Sonny grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl that got refilled once a week.
"Filming, as always," Sonny grumbled the last part but Tawni still heard her.
"That's what happens when you join ABC," Tawni sing songed. "I saw your performance on Fallon. It was good but you looked dead inside."
"I feel dead inside," Sonny deadpanned as Tawni furrowed her eyebrows.
"Why? Your first album hit the top of the charts, you get new brand deals every day, and people that you've looked up to for your whole life love your music. What's wrong?"
Sonny was sure that Tawni didn't mean to make it sound like she thought that Sonny was being a spoiled brat but that's exactly what it sounded like. You have the entire world at your fingertips and your dream career; what could possibly be wrong? That's all that Sonny heard because that's all Dave said on the plane ride back from New York when Sonny was crying after reading the Youtube comments about her performance. They echoed Tawni's exact criticism. The song was fine but Sonny had performed like she didn't want to be there. She couldn't wait to see what people had to say about her Ellen performance that she had taped this weekend.
"Aren't the others waiting for us?" Sonny reminded Tawni. She threw her half eaten apple in the trash can and grabbed Tawni's camera for her. "You know your subscribers love it when you film So Random reunions."
tmz: It should be all sunshine for Sonny Monroe but while out at lunch with her former So Random castmates, she was caught crying at the table and had to be escorted out of the restaurant by her fiancé Chad Dylan Cooper. Are we sensing thunderstorms for Hollywood's newest pop star?
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randomuser3: if I had released a song that terrible after having such an amazing first album, I would be crying too
randomuser4: she literally fell off so bad
randomuser5: gonna give her another chance but I hope this isn't the sound that she's sticking to...