Interview: Indiana Massara

One of the youngest up and coming performers in the entertainment industry, 15-year-old Indiana Massara is making a name for herself in L.A. and is far from living a normal teenage lifestyle. Originally from a small suburb near Perth, Australia, she is California-based with her family, growing her career and experiences in Hollywood now. Dabbling between acting, singing and writing her own music, and creating her YouTube channel, Indiana is full of many passions and talents! She got her breakthrough role on the show Chicken Girls, and has been growing her fanbase and opportunities since the launch.

We got the chance to have a chat with Indiana Massara and spoke with her about her career and projects coming up, her all-red Instagram and her worldwide travels.

“At first, it was all about having fun. I was still figuring out what I wanted to do with my life. Now, it’s definitely a career path for me. I feel like I’ll always be in the entertainment industry – I know this is something I want to do.” – Indiana Massara

Photo Credit: Simply Adri

Photo Credit: Simply Adri

Photo Credit: Simply Adri

Taylor Magazine: Tell us about you and what you do!

 Indiana Massara: I’m 15 and I’m from Perth, Australia. I’m a regular kid, studying for my finals at the moment but I sing, I act, people say I dance but I don’t dance well! I make a lot of YouTube videos.

Taylor Magazine: How did you get into the entertainment industry?

Indiana Massara: I’ve always had an interest in it – I’ve been doing musical theatre since I was seven or eight years old. My brother is an actor too and he and my mum moved over here so I just decided to come over to L.A. as well! I thought, why don’t I make the most of my time here? So I started to pursue it. I was doing a few little things, then I auditioned for Brat – I filmed all of that, and then a couple of days after wrap they said they wanted to put my character into another show, Chicken Girls, and that was that!

Taylor Magazine: The show has had an amazing response. When you first started, did you think it would have this reaction?

Indiana Massara: I had no idea! I knew everyone that was on the show, but I had no idea it was going to have the reaction it did. The first episode has now passed just over 10 million views, it’s crazy! We never expected that big of an impact.

Taylor Magazine: What do you think it is about the show that people have connected with so well?

Indiana Massara: It’s the people on it – we’re all such a family, which I think comes across on screen. Yes, there is drama on the show, but we are all genuinely a family off screen as well so I think viewers can relate to that. We’re all really close with our fans as well, so we like to make them feel a part of it, as much as we’re a part of our show too.

Taylor Magazine: What similarities do you have to the character you play?

Indiana Massara: We’re a little different, honestly! She’s into photography, I genuinely like photography too. But she can be a little bit mean sometimes, so I remind people that it’s just a role, it’s not me. That’s why I’m super active on my social media to show people that I’m quite different to my character.

Taylor Magazine: With a role like that, how do you get yourself into character?

Indiana Massara: Usually I’ll go and rehearse my lines, and just get myself in a different mindset. It isn’t too difficult to do it, because my character has become a little nicer and she’s going through boy drama now, which I’m pretty sure every teenager can relate to! I try to take little life experiences and relate them to the character – that always helps.

Taylor Magazine: What’s your favourite thing about working on the show?

Indiana Massara: The people! I have become so close with them over the past 12 months. Every day I get to rock up on set, do what I love and see the people I love – it’s so amazing.

Photo Credit: Simply Adri

Photo Credit: Simply Adri

Photo Credit: Simply Adri

Taylor Magazine: Would you say singing and acting are equal for you?

Indiana Massara: Very much so. I love singing because it brings through a part of me personally and it’s showing who I am. I love the creative process… being in the studio and coming up with a beat or listening to my co-writers. I also really love filming the music videos. But with acting, I get to play so many different roles and I get to show myself in a different light.

Taylor Magazine: What is the most challenging thing, or something you’ve found difficult? 

Indiana Massara: Probably the nerves – mainly about the response to my music. Putting yourself out there is quite nerve-wracking, I had so many things going through my mind. I put it out and people had a good response, so that was a relief!

Photo Credit: Simply Adri

Photo Credit: Simply Adri

Photo Credit: Simply Adri

Taylor Magazine: Have you ever thought about anything other than the entertainment industry?

Indiana Massara: At school, I have always been obsessed with science and history. For the longest time, I’ve also wanted to become a lawyer. I love debating with people!

Taylor Magazine: Who’s your favourite artist that you’re listening to at the moment?

Indiana Massara: I’ve been listening to Anne-Marie, Camila Cabello and Shawn Mendes – his new stuff is amazing! This kid called Marteen is also really good. My dream collaboration right now would be Kehlani. I love concerts, I don’t get to go to them too much, but the last one I went to was Beyoncé – I am obsessed with her so that was incredible. She inspires me in how hard she works. She is non-stop and always doing something.

Taylor Magazine: Who was your inspiration when you first started singing?

Indiana Massara: A lot of musical theatre! Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra were big inspirations because my parents listened to them a lot which made me obsessed with them too!

Taylor Magazine: Talk to me about “Smoke In My Eyes” – what is so special about this particular song?

Indiana Massara: I recorded the song at a time when I was going through a rough break-up. It was my first break-up, so the song became a type of therapy to me. It was so perfect and I knew I just had to record it. I got in the studio and I was on the verge of tears, because it was a couple of days after everything happened. I am so happy I recorded it, because it was so close to what I was going through at the time so I really resonated with it.

Taylor Magazine: How was creating the video?

Indiana Massara: It was so much fun! One of my best friends, Matt, is in it. We shot it up in Malibu – one of the best parts was jumping into the pool. It was freezing cold, but Matt is an Olympic swimmer so he dragged me in! There was a hot tub beside the pool so that kept us warm!

Photo Credit: Simply Adri

Photo Credit: Simply Adri

Taylor Magazine: What are you working on at the moment?

Indiana Massara: I’m coming out with a new song called “That Day” – I’m working on a lot of new music, maybe an EP! I’ll still be focusing on acting too. We’ve wrapped filming, and then the movie comes out which is something to look forward to!

Taylor Magazine: You’re known for your red theme on Instagram – how did that come around?

Indiana Massara: This started around September last year, and I was wearing red a lot over summer. It just kind of stuck, I wanted to do an Instagram theme around it, so I did! My entire wardrobe is red now. Red has become my power colour since then! I don’t even know if I could stop it now, it’s been going on for so long.

“If I’m having a hectic day, I love to clean my room. It sounds weird, but something about having a clean area around you is really de-stressing. I have a record player as well which really relaxes me. It’s really therapeutic – especially when I light a few candles!” – Indiana Massara

Taylor Magazine: You’ve said before that you’re a big traveller. Where have you been recently that you’ve loved, and where would you like to go next?

Indiana Massara: Last year I went to Perth, London, Bali, New York. I love travelling! One of my favourite places was definitely London – the shopping there is insane! I was not prepared for the cold weather, but it was absolutely beautiful. I’d love to go to Japan and The Bahamas.

Taylor Magazine: Do you have a favourite TV show or a favourite film of all time?

Indiana Massara: I’ve actually gone back to watching Wizards of Waverly Place – it’s such a good show! It makes me so sad to know they don’t have it anymore. That 70’s Show is good too. I have a lot of favourite movies – I love horror films. I’m always that girl who is screaming in the cinema.

Taylor Magazine: How would you spend your dream day off?

Indiana Massara: I would probably go back to Australia and spend a day on the beach – the beaches over there are so beautiful.

Taylor Magazine: Most memorable moment of your career so far?

Indiana Massara: The first time someone recognised me was pretty surreal. This little girl noticed me and asked for a photo and my immediate reaction was “Why?!” and she responded “Aren’t you on that show?” It was crazy – I was like “Oh yeah, that’s me!”

Taylor Magazine: Lastly, what should we be looking out for from you?

Indiana Massara: Definitely a lot more music! In five years, hopefully I’ll have put out more albums. I’m always working on my craft and hoping to be as successful as I can be. Maybe a new Instagram feed, who knows?

Photo Credit: Simply Adri