Pop VIP PEOPLE

Everyone craves success.

OK, perfect.

We all love a winner.

CHEERING

But no-one makes it to the top on their own.

Behind every star is a team of people, immensely talented,

powerful in their own worlds...

I need two crab on the pass, now! Yes, Chef!

..but invisible to us. Until now.

-Musical director!

-I am an absolute genius at what I do.

These are the stories of the stars

and the teams who strive to make them shine.

Job done!

CHEERING

This is the world of the VIP People.

TV talent shows are just one route to pop stardom.

But record company scouts are always on the lookout for

new music acts to sign.

# Yeaaaaah. #

One of those rising stars is 18-year-old Aminata Kabba.

-Hey, hey, hey.

-She goes by the pop name of AME.

I'm AME. I'm a singer-songwriter from South East London.

# I came to bring the heat # So hot

# Girls keep on watching me

# So what?

# I'm gonna dance until the break of dawn

# And for the rhythm as the beat goes on... #

Just days after leaving school,

AME signed to Gary Barlow's record label.

But even with the backing of Mr Boy Band,

she's still waiting for a hit single and a sell-out gig of her own.

# ..or hold me down... #

Realistically, I would imagine myself in a few years time,

I think I could be a household name.

But to become a household name, AME needs publicity and radio play.

She's hoping to achieve this with her first headline show

at This Must Be Pop,

a popular gig night with people big in the music biz.

No, I'm just really looking forward to it.

To make the most of her big moment,

AME's set has to be perfect.

-I think it's twice.

-THAT does not come in twice!

Her image has to stand out.

How do I look?

And most of all, she needs an audience to perform to.

Crunch time!

For her pop career to go to plan, AME will need

the help of a crack team of VIP people.

From the musical director responsible for songs that rock

live on stage, to the TV plugger, who gets AME seen on screen.

She has a digital strategist to manage her online profile,

and making sure AME is dressed for success is her stylist.

AME's family moved to London

when she was eight to escape a war in Sierra Leone, West Africa.

My mum's salon got burned down.

She owned a salon in Sierra Leone,

and that was the point where we were like, OK,

it's no longer safe to be here. We've got to go.

In London, a new discovery changed her life for ever.

I remember getting a Christina Aguilera tour DVD for my birthday,

seeing what she does behind-the-scenes.

That was literally the moment for me, I was like yes, I've got to do this.

# Dance while the record stands! #

Her talent for writing '90s inspired synth pop impressed record

label boss Celia McCamley.

When she came in, I just saw a pop star.

Celia signed AME and carefully chose her VIP people to help plot

AME's path to the top.

And it's our job to make sure we're presenting her to

media in the right way, so they will want to play her records.

Celia's label gave AME an advance, which is like a loan,

to live on and develop as an artist. To make this money back,

Celia has to ensure that AME sells lots of records.

The most important thing for a young artist is Radio One.

And we really need a Radio One playlist.

One, two, one, two.

# You will see... #

It does sound different.

For a chance at the Radio One playlist, AME

has to impress the press at her gig in just three weeks time.

And that begins with band rehearsals.

-Cool, feeling happy?

-Uh-huh.

-You want to take five?

-No.

-No!

Different bits of the song have different emotions or

different ways that they need to be portrayed.

So, for me, the most important thing is to nail that.

There's only one VIP Person who can help AME achieve her goal

of a great sounding gig - her musical director Matthias Harris.

# I'll take you higher I'll take you higher

# I'll take you higher

# Yeah... #

AME has to sound as good live as she does in the studio.

Musical director Matthias

breaks down the different parts of her songs

to transform AME's studio recordings into a live band performance.

Matthias gave up his first dream of becoming an actor

when he picked up a guitar, aged 17.

It was only when I started playing instruments that I realised

how much I really loved music.

And I really kind of threw myself into it.

As well as playing conventional instruments,

he's also into more cutting edge ways of making music.

Technology always gets replaced, so if you're not learning

how the new technology works, you're out of date.

He now performs with Taio Cruz

and Eliza Doolittle as well as being responsible for AME's live sets.

The thing I love most about my job is probably the creative aspect of

it, the show can be as entertaining as I can kind of imagine it to be

and then, obviously, imagine it and then make it a reality.

Musical director!

Matt basically programs everything, makes sure everything

is working in that sense.

Although AME sings live, extra vocals called harmonies

are stored on a computer.

On the recordings, there's a lot of different vocal lines,

so as one person, she can't sing everything.

In this rehearsal, Matthias is asking AME to sing a line that is

normally played from his laptop.

In the gap, just before the final chorus,

-there's a line that goes, I miss you.

-Yeah.

I considered leaving that on the track, but

because it's such a prominent part, I thought I'd get you to sing that.

Matthias thinks the line comes in twice...

I think it's twice, I think it's after that breakdown bit.

So I think it's into the second chorus.

..but AME thinks it only comes in once.

-Matt! That's not coming in twice!

-I'm going to find it and check.

-In case I'm wrong.

-Do you know how I know?

Because she wrote it, of course!

Fair point! Fair point!

They now have to stop the rehearsal to find out

how many times the line "I miss you" comes in.

OK, I was wrong, it doesn't do it twice. It's the "take me away".

For the gig to be a big success, it's vital AME

and Matthias are hitting all the right notes.

# Twilight

# I'm loving this Twilight

# I'm loving this twi-li-li-li-li-li-li-li-li

# Twilight. #

As a 21st century pop star,

it's not enough to sound great, you've got to look great as well.

I mean, for me, and I think for most artists,

your music and image goes hand-in-hand.

And that's where AME's next VIP Person comes in,

stylist Tamer Wilde.

The excitement is there

and we're just going to see the big reveal once it's on AME and she

brings it to life, cos it's only a piece of fabric until you wear it.

It's Tamer's job to keep AME looking fabulous.

From the red carpet to magazine shoots to TV shows,

Tamer uses fashion contacts to bring designer clothes

direct from the catwalk to AME's door.

All to create a unique and memorable image.

Tamer is an ex-model and magazine editor.

He got into styling when he was asked to provide

clothes for a friend's shoot and discovered his passion for fashion.

The thing I love about my job is having the opportunity to

make people happy.

How do I look?

Tamer styles fashion shoots for the likes of Vogue and ID Magazine

and now works on AME's image.

-Tamer's my stylist, my friend, my everything!

-Awww!

-Awww, look! Aww!

We often look at images, then she points out to me,

like, I really like this, I really don't like that.

To raise her profile before her first headline gig,

AME is hitting one of London's coolest red carpet events.

It's Tamer's job to find the dress that will get her noticed.

The challenges with styling AME is that she is so petite and cute.

Before I started getting styled by Tamer,

I kind of, I was just going with,

I don't know, I think, youth culture and what's happening right now.

To keep AME fashion forward,

Tamer gets designer contacts to loan tomorrow's on-trend clothes today.

Because he returns the outfits after AME has worn them,

he needs all his powers of persuasion.

Calling, prepping, shooting, asking, e-mailing, drop calling.

And after all that,

there's the small issue of whether AME will even like what he's chosen.

Right then, Tamer,

what are you going to be dressing our lovely AME in today?

OK, so, this is your red carpet dress.

-Mmmmm.

-Cute!

-Pretty.

Pooof!

That's tonight's dress sorted,

but AME has got one eye on her outfit for the gig.

Do you know what, I've been thinking about it.

-I'm not going to lie, I've been thinking about it.

-I'm glad!

SHE LAUGHS

I haven't actually settled on one concept yet,

but once I do know that, I will be non-stop Chatty Cathy.

HE LAUGHS

Tamer's off the hook for now as AME gets ready for the red carpet.

I love this detail.

Now AME's been styled to perfection...

I will see you tomorrow.

..can she get herself noticed?

# Last night a DJ saved my life. #

I'm going to an award ceremony. Take some pictures of my awesome dress.

She'll be competing for newspaper coverage with established stars

like Tulisa, Kimberley and Nicole.

-Hi!

-When I see those flashes, I get a bit nervous.

It's a bit nerve-wracking now.

The next challenge is working out

when to step out in front of the paparazzi.

I'm not really sure how to work it.

Uh, no... Not yet!

Oh, yeah, I'm just, I'm probably going to wait.

OK, go!

PHOTOGRAPHERS SHOUT DIRECTIONS

CAMERAS CLICK

But the night doesn't end there.

AME's survived the red carpet,

but now she has to try and promote her upcoming headline gig on TV.

Camera overload!

The VIP Person here to make sure she grabs the attention of the film

crews is AME's TV plugger Pippa Evers.

It's Pippa's job to get AME on the telly.

Pippa uses her promotional skills to persuade TV producers to

feature AME on their shows.

She then briefs AME on what to say, how to behave

and how best to project her image.

After work experience in banks and offices,

Pippa found the job she loved

when she tried out as an assistant for a well-known music agent.

I wanted to go to LA, actually, and make films and do film PR,

but once I started on the path of music,

I just absolutely fell in love with it.

As well as AME, she works with

Take That, Nicole Scherzinger and Cover Drive.

The thing that I love about this job is the people and the places.

Now AME's made it through the papping frenzy,

it's up to Pippa to try

and get her some high profile TV interviews...

What we want to do is basically speak to as many

people as we can, let them know that we've got a single coming.

-AME, this is Jackie from Cosmopolitan TV.

-Hello!

Lovely to meet you!

But with so many celebs in the house,

AME's having to wait her turn.

Do you mind doing a quick little piece with me?

A lot of people here are established artists and well-known

and stuff, and for someone like me, it just kind of makes me

want to work harder, so people know who I am.

But there is someone here who has heard of AME.

I played AME's song for the first time on my show,

and it went down very well.

While AME takes her turn on the interview run, Pippa grabs time with

a big breakfast TV show to tell them about the girl in the pretty dress.

Is she really? Very good, girl.

AME is a big star of the future and signed with Gary Barlow,

-so that's not too shabby, is it?

-See?

-I do my work, I tell people these things.

-Doing good. On to the next.

But there are no guarantees the TV channels will show AME's interviews.

With her first headline gig approaching, can Pippa secure

her that all important TV slot?

Aspiring singer-songwriter AME is just one week

away from a career defining gig.

To look and sound her best, she's polishing her stage performance

and has her stylist on the hunt for that killer outfit.

But if she wants her first headline show to rocket

her career skywards, she needs it to grab

the attention of both the press and fans.

So can her team of VIP People make AME the perfect pop package

and guarantee she'll be playing to a large and loud crowd?

To promote her first headline gig,

AME will be contacting fans through her websites.

The VIP person looking after AME's online profile

is the rather modest Chantelle.

I am an absolute Don/genius at what I do.

That's why I turn down work every week.

Chantelle runs AME's world wide web.

She uses cyber sense and technical know-how to manage AME's blogs,

videos and social networking sites

and spread love for her across the internet.

Chantelle's childhood ambition was to be a writer.

She built a successful career as a print journalist for pop

magazines before moving full time into blogging.

On a daily basis, my job is to find out what AME is doing,

to make sure that's represented online.

And AME isn't Chantelle's only pop client,

she also runs websites for Jessie J, Tyler James and Jessie Ware.

-It's a 24/7 job.

-It's constant juggling.

My life is literally planned down to every hour. It has to be.

And the best thing about Chantelle's job?

The best thing about my job is that I work from home,

so hypothetically, I could work in a onesie all day.

Today, Chantelle has put some clothes on

and called an ideas meeting

with AME to get an online buzz going about her.

But there's one small problem...

-AME, where are you, please?

-..AME hasn't turned up...

-OK, thanks, bye.

-..yet!

I just want to get cracking. There are so many things to do.

So many acts to work on, and so many tracks to blow up.

With time running out, Chantelle and her creative team

work on ways to boost AME's fan base on the web.

It's essentially making sure AME is online and there all the time,

so no-one can escape her.

And no-one can escape her! There you go!

Right, so we just started filming.

Chantelle needs ideas that will help turn online fans

into ticket sales...

Did anyone else bring any ideas to the table before I let rip?

...AME suggests some virtual styling of her internet followers.

-I pick the clothing and I dress other people.

-Yeah, totally!

-So you become the stylist, that's a great idea.

-Yeah.

-Hey, I've had a genius plan. Soz!

-It happens!

-Right.

Obviously, whenever we're doing this stuff, we have to think 360.

And when I say 360, I mean how does every single element of what we're

doing work online, work off-line, think about how everything works.

Chantelle knows which of AME'S posts are most successful by keeping

an eye on the statistics pages of AME's websites.

What's really important with this

is it provides key information as to what we need to post next,

what we need to do to keep the interaction going.

So, I can see that our reach is decreasing as we're going

through the week.

So we can see here that the top five posts are all competitions.

Chantelle then uses those statistics to shape her ideas meetings.

Why don't we make a competition online for models?

-Like nominate your mates to be models.

-Ah!

-And what we can do,

I had another genius plan, right, so...

Chantelle is a fountain of genius plans,

but will any of them get fans to AME's gig?

# Rock, rock, rock, rock, rock

# Rock da house

# Rock, rock, rock, rock, rock # Rock da house... #

With just days to her very first headline gig,

AME's TV plugger Pippa Evers has booked her a sought-after

slot on a brand new CBBC series - The Jonny and Inel Show.

So how did she pull this off?

So, I played it to the producers of the show and I took

one of the girls to one of the gigs and let them see what she can do.

And they fell in love with her, like we all have. So...

But Pippa's work isn't done.

While stylist Tamer gets Matthias and the band dressed,

Pippa's talking to producers on the floor

to get the best possible exposure for AME.

When you're only doing a performance and not an interview,

it's quite hard to get someone's personality across,

so if there's any little ad-libs that we can make that

kind of bring a bit more personality to it, it's always helpful.

This camera from here is getting Matt behind you,

-and he's really animated, so you can always do a nod to Matt.

-OK.

So, guys, please welcome AME!

CHEERING

Clap it! Like this, like this, like this!

THEY CLAP ALONG

# I can hear the beat... #

So what is the secret of Pippa's success?

A, you need to know your music.

So, you need to be passionate about music, you need to know

something about it, you need to be able to explain where this journey

is going to go and where they're going to end up.

And Pippa never takes her eye off the ball.

Jump!

I just noticed that when she was stepping back, sometimes,

you just need to tell an artist to stand forward a little bit

so they don't move out of what is their lighting, essentially,

but the director's happy, said it's fine.

All good with me.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Oh, yeah, an absolute banger, that was. That was brilliant.

-It was, it was.

-Got a thumbs up from the producer, always nice.

As well as making TV appearances

and building a strong online profile, AME also needs

newspaper and magazine coverage to generate a buzz around her music.

-Hello, gorgeous.

-Hello, how are you, lovely to see you.

Ahead of her gig, she has a photo shoot with We Love Pop magazine.

This is Louise from We Love Pop.

Stylist Tamer has been called in to create an eye-catching look.

I used to be well into We Love Pop

and all of the bits that you got with it.

So, it's exciting to be able to shoot with them.

Do you mind grabbing AME's shoes out of her bag so we can start?

The location for the shoot, a launderette,

is only booked for a short time and Tamer has to dress the set

quickly...but there's a finishing touch he's forgotten.

-I'm going to run off and get a headscarf.

-OK.

-Part of my outfit is missing.

-As part of the look.

Part of it is missing right now.

And Tamer is reminded that the clock is ticking.

Also, just so you know, we basically got an hour to shoot today.

She's already dressed, I'm going to put a little undergarment to

-puff it out more.

-All right. Cool. Right.

-I'll be right back.

-See you shortly.

-But as a professional stylist,

Tamer's used to working under pressure.

And moments later he's back with his final fashion fix.

Wheeeee!

Just on top of your head, that's it, that's good.

The shoot can now get underway.

So, the head wrap was a last-minute decision. I had to quickly run

and look for it. A scarf that matched the dress. And it worked.

But there's another interruption...

BELL RINGS

THEY WHISPER AND GIGGLE

PHOTOGRAPHER: That's it, that's lovely. AME, quick, towards the lens.

That's it, that's good, here we go, brilliant. Thank you.

-It's that one, the clothes are more distinct.

-I think you like

-the drama as well.

-Are you happy?

-Yeah, they look awesome.

It's another style success for Tamer,

but he still needs an outfit for AME's live show.

In the run up to AME's first headline gig,

her musical director Matthias Harris is fine tuning the live set.

So, the pressure on me for this show is basically to make sure

that it's ready. The pressure on AME is much more

about her performance on the night.

He's making sure technology won't let them down.

What I've got here is different audio files for each track

going from left to right.

And then different songs going down the screen.

So, it's a very important piece of equipment and it takes a lot

of test runs and sort of thought about making sure nothing

can go wrong, because that's the last thing

you want, for the computer to fail.

It's scary to think that this little laptop

could make or break AME's gig.

Getting people to attend a gig for a new artist is a challenge.

And even online guru Chantelle is prepared to go old school to

draw in the crowds.

Today she's handing out AME fanzines on the street.

Things like the magazine just help,

just to get the awareness of what AME's got coming up live,

cos we have all the dates in there, all the online

-networks are in there.

-It's proving to be hard work...

Would you like a magazine, madam?

But Chantelle didn't get to where she is by taking no for an answer...

There's only one thing missing in your life, it's this magazine.

Everybody goes above and beyond what they have to do,

and what their job requirements are,

to make sure that my career can go the best way that it possibly can.

Job done!

-Sorry!

-SHE LAUGHS

It's the night of AME'S first headline gig...

It's kind of a stepping stone onto a larger platform, psychologically,

at least, that's really important thing. And it needs to go well.

The band are ready, but is AME's outfit?

Do you know if Tamer's here yet?

Matthias and the crew set up for sound check.

-AME, could I just hear your vocal for a second?

-One, two. One, two.

One, two. Check, check, check.

Yeah, my first headline gig.

Got some new songs into the set that people have never heard before,

so I'm really excited to see how people react to it.

And finally, Tamer arrives with AME's outfit.

-We're just getting AME ready to go on stage.

-Crunch time!

Let's do this!

And let's make loads and loads and loads of noise for AME!

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

It's time to take to the stage.

A great gig tonight could lead to five star reviews

and that vital Radio One playlist.

Here's Heartless.

Clap like this.

# I can hear the beat of your bass

# Hear the beat of your bass, got me rocking it

# Pop on over give me a taste

# Come on, give me a taste

# Set me on fire

# Turn the lights down low... #

As the gig gets underway,

the hard work of AME'S VIP People is paying off.

Matthias is belting out the beats, Tamer's outfit is pitch perfect,

and crucially, the audience is loving every minute.

# No, don't you be so heartless

# Let's go!

# How could you be so heartless?

# How could you be so heart-le-e-e-e-e-s-s-s?

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

For AME's VIP People, it's a case of job done.

She'll go away from this, go and look

on her various apps on her phone and see so many messages,

it will just make her feel even better

-than she does all ready, I'm sure.

-Dead. Done.

It's an incredible performance from AME - but is it career changing?

# Play the game, boy, play the game, game, boy... #

Since her big gig, AME has been played on Radio One

and One Extra over 100 times. Glamour and Elle Magazine

have named her as a Face of 2013 and she's made another

TV appearance on the Friday Download Show.

Without Team AME, there would be no AME. There would be Amy

in a classroom, studying music.

Thanks to the hard work of

her VIP People, AME is well on track to becoming the next big pop thing.

# Play the game, boy. #

# So baby if you want me

# You've got to show me love

# Words are so easy to say, oh, ah, yeah

# You've got to show me love. #

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd