You may recognize these dancing divas from YouTube Red’s new show, Hyperlinked. The show is based on a true story of the creation of the teen website, Miss O, and Friends, and focuses heavily on the importance of science, tech, and friendship among teen girls.
So, Hyperlinked features your girl group, L2M. Can you tell me what the audition process was like to become part of L2M?
Lexi I auditioned for L2M when I was around 10, and there were multiple sets of auditions.
All of us auditioned in different ways, whether it was through Skype of going to an actual audition. I auditioned at a vocal lesson place in Dallas. I got asked to do a Skype callback audition and then I came to LA for the final audition. There were 10 girls and 5 of us were chosen.
For me, it was one of the best days of my life because it was a super long audition and that is where I met all the girls. It was amazing.
Tati It was about 3 years ago when L2M formed. I didn’t actually audition, though. I was found at a dance audition where I was assisting a class. That’s where one of the creators of L2M found me! He asked me to audition for the band!
He didn’t know that I sang. He liked me because of my dancing and they asked me to sing and I also did a rap for him. It was my first singing audition, but I have rapped before.
What’s been your favorite part about being in a band?
Lexi My favorite part about being with L2M is that we are all there to support one another. If you’re a solo artist, you can’t just turn to others for help with lines, acting, or choreography. We support each other and get through things together, and it makes everything a million times more fun.
Tati There’s 5 of us, and we all have different abilities, so when you put us together, it’s like the dream team!
Are all of you girls in L2M from LA originally?
Tati We are all actually from all over the country! I am originally from Canda, but I have lived in LA for the past 6 years.
Lexi and Jenna are from Texas, McKenzie is from Ohio and Mariangeli is from Florida.
Tell me about Hyperlinked!
Lexi Our new YouTube Red series Hyperlinked features the girls from L2M as the main characters. The show is based on a true story and it’s about the creation of a teen website called Miss O and Friends. My character is Ella, and she is very into fashion and girly stuff! I’m like that in real life, so I was able to relate to my character so much.
Tati I play Izzy! What is so cool about the show is that we get to do what we love all at once. We did music videos at the end of each episode. I got to choreograph the dance part of them! The show has so much fun energy. There are a lot of YouTube stars and people you see on TV who get to guest star. It’s also really cool to work with other kids.
What’s been the most challenging part of being in a band and on a show?
Lexi I would say how busy we are! When we were filming Hyperlinked, we had super long days which were so much fun, but we would get up so early then go straight to set for hair and make-up. Then we’d go to rehearsals to film and afterward, Tati and I would have dance class. It’s a LOT of work, but I really do enjoy every second!
Tati We are five girls around the same age, so we all have our different perspectives on things. There are times when we might disagree, but in the end, we pull it all together.
If you could write and direct an episode of Hyperlinked, what are some plot points you’d include?
Lexi I’m very into clothes and fashion, so I would definitely make fashion and designing clothes a major thing in every episode.
Tati Even though we dance a lot and have music videos at the end of each show, I would write in more dance stuff. I’d love for Izzy to open up a dance studio and bring in other dancers. I would definitely cast my bet friends Kaycee Rice and Tahani Anderson. I could include all my dance friends!
Could you ever see yourself playing another character?
Lexi I would choose Izzy becayse she’s the dancer, and I could pull that off too. We are pretty similar when it comes to our personalities.
Tati I would play Ella; we are so much alike! We would just flip characters!
Hyperlinked brings attention to girls with an interest in technology which is so important. Are either of you interested in that field? Why do you think it’s important that a show as big as Hyperlinked features girls interested in STEM fields?
Lexi I think that technology is really interesting, and if Hyperlinked inspires other girls to get into that, then that’s amazing. That is exactly what I would want.
Tati I am used to the technology with our phones and computers and the stuff that we already do outside of the show. When I was homeschooled, I took tech courses and a coding class. I think that’s really cool for girls to do if they’re interested in it.
Have you met the girls who created Miss O and Friends, the site that Hyperlinked is based off? What was that like?
Lexi I love them! Juliette and Hermine (daughter and mother) are the sweetest girls ever. What’s crazy is that since the show is based on their life, and the creation of her website, a lot of our characters are based on Juliette’s real-life friends! It is just really cool.
Tati They are on set every day. Juliette told us her side of the story and what we were going to portray as our characters. We adore them, and they have a great energy. They keep a smile on our face every day!
The girls on Hyperlinked are the best of friends, AKA “Soulsies.” What do you think are the qualities of a true friend?
Lexi I think what’s important in a best friend is that they’re loyal and they trust you and you trust them with how you feel. You are always there for your best friend.
Tati Your best friend gets everything you get and understands everything you understand. You are obviously not going to be the same person. You are going to have some differences, but those differences are what make you unique. Your different qualities balance each other out.
This article originally appeared in the Spring 2018 issue of Showstopper Magazine. To get this issue and others, click here or look for the latest issue in a Barnes & Noble near you.
