Month: December 2016

Academy Award Nominee and platinum recording artist Hailee Steinfeld has been named the new face of the Reef Escape Collection.

Steinfeld will appear in imagery for the collection’s campaign as well as in-store and online, in addition to media and event appearances.

Inspired by “vintage California,” Reef Escape offers “simple, neutral colors juxtaposed with bold, unpredictable prints to fit any occasion designed with sophisticated fun in mind,” according to a company representative

“Hailee is the perfect embodiment of the Reef Escape ethos of being confident, spirited, spontaneous, fun and stylish,” said Mike Matey, VP marketing at Reef. “She’s an aspirational and positive role model for young women around the globe, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to have Hailee as the face of our revolutionary new sandal line.”

“I grew up in California and Reefs were a part of our daily uniform. The comfort and classic style that Reef brings to sandals is inimitable and I’m excited to represent a brand that has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember,” said Steinfeld.

Growing up in the greater Los Angles area in places such as Agoura Hills and Thousand Oaks, the California native Steinfeld recalled “ a big pile of Reef flip-flops at the bottom of the staircase in our house for each member of the family.” She recently shot a campaign for the brand with photographer Yu Tsai, who Steinfeld called “one of her favorites” that will launch alongside the sandals on the Reef web site in January. The shoot didn’t take place on a beach as one might expect but was shot indoors in order to help set a fashion mood.

Said Steinfeld: “I was really excited to work with Yu and the photos looked like nothing else I had done before. Mixing California beach style with my personal style shows just how versatile these sandals are.” Representing the brand is a source of pride for the actress and singer and perhaps the ultimate payback for her “loyal customer” status. She also hopes those who follow her music and movies will feel the way she does about Reefs.

Mike Matey, Reef’s vice president of marketing, is hoping for the same. He said Steinfeld possessed just the right amount of star quality the brand was looking for. According to Matey, “We wanted to align with someone familiar with the brand who has worn it and embodies the bold, up-for-anything, spontaneous spirit of the sandal” as well as having not too many endorsement deals.

Reef Escape launches online and at select retailers in January 2017.

Today, Steinfeld is an Oscar-nominated, nineteen-going-on-twenty-year-old pop star (her birthday is this weekend), who most recently played the lead in “The Edge of Seventeen,” which was written and directed by Kelly Fremon Craig and is being lauded by critics as “The Best Teen Movie In Years.” Unlike most teenagers, however, Steinfeld doesn’t have time to watch television and was homeschooled after she started acting. Plus, she’s got a Swarovski watch on her Christmas list. But, despite all her accolades, Steinfeld still loves normal things, like watching “The Parent Trap,” listening to Drake and Eminem, and hanging out with her friends, like Taylor Swift. Totally casual.

Describe yourself as a 17-year-old girl. How were you similar and/or different from your character?
The one similarity between my 17-year old self and who I am as a soon-to-be 20-year-old is that I’m no less inquisitive and excited about exploring adulthood. Certainly, I’ve discovered a lot about myself over the last three years, but my curiosity about life beyond my teen years is really exciting.

Three words that describe your generation:
Ambitious, Invested, Empowered.

What was your favorite subject in school? And a book that has stuck with you?
I was for the most part fond of History as a subject. As for book, Milk & Honey by Rupi Kaur is required reading.

Film character in history that you most relate to:
Tatum O’Neal in Paper Moon.

Last movie that made you cry:
Me Before You.

Movie that never gets old:
The Parent Trap (with Lindsey Lohan)

The TV shows currently keeping you up at night:
I honestly don’t watch TV enough to be glued to the couch. At least for now.

Three words that describe your style:
Flirty, sophisticated, bold.

Something you would never wear:
Crocs.

The first item you ever bought with your own money:
Betsey Johnson handbag. Continue reading “Hailee Steinfeld Is Not Your Average Teenager, But She Does Love Drake”

Actress and singer Hailee Steinfeld partnered with the nonprofit “Love Your Melon” on Monday to visit children battling cancer at Children’s Hospital in St. Paul.

Love Your Melon, which is a nonprofit started by two University of St. Thomas students, designs and sells hats, with some of the proceeds going toward cancer research.

Steinfeld gave away “Love Your Melon” hats and visited with children in the pediatric center.

Her hospital stop was ahead of her performance at the Jingle Ball Concert at the Xcel Energy Center.

Here, the singer-actress gets candid about playing iHeartRadio’s Jingle Ball for the second year in a row, fangirling over Swedish vocalist Tove Lo, and entering her twenties.

You’re currently touring with Jingle Ball and promoting The Edge of Seventeen. How are you managing everything?
I feel like life is becoming the definition of the phrase, “When it rains, it pours.” It’s always like this. I’ll have a couple of weeks off, then bam—everything happens at once. I have no complaints, though.

Is the first day on tour similar to the first day on a movie set?
Definitely. No matter what, I always feel like I’ve never done it before and I know absolutely nothing. But Jingle Ball feels like a high school reunion every year—we’re all back running through the halls and everyone’s on a new schedule. The energy is always great.

Who are you excited to see from this year’s lineup?
I generally freak out over anything Bruno Mars is involved in.

Has anyone from the music industry come out as a fan of Haiz?
I’ll never forget meeting Tove Lo for the first time backstage at the American Music Awards last year. I freaked out … I’m completely obsessed with her and her music, and I couldn’t form a sentence, but I was trying to say, “I’m a really big fan of yours,” and it turns out that she’s been so supportive of me, too.

Do you have any pre-performance rituals?
I live on Spotify’s Today’s Top Hits playlist. Whatever is on there, I’ll sing through or get my dancers to jam out to.

You’re turning 20 on Dec. 11. How does it feel to be entering a new decade?
The Edge of Seventeen is the perfect tie-in—I feel like it’s my graduation from being a teenager. I am no longer one, nor do I know that I’ll be able to play one. It’s a little bittersweet, but I’m excited to see what my twenties brings.

Will you be celebrating onstage like last year?
I just found out that the Critics’ Choice Awards are on my actual birthday … I still need to plan. I’ve been so busy! I might just wait another year ’til the big one.

Singer and Academy Award-nominated actress Hailee Steinfeld is set to host and perform at the annual Billboard Women in Music Awards, honoring the standout female stars and executives of 2016. Steinfeld will join Woman of the Year Madonna and Icon honoree Shania Twain at the event, to be held Dec. 9 in New York and airing nationally Dec. 12 on Lifetime.

“I’m really honored that Billboard asked me to host and perform at this year’s Women in Music,” says Steinfeld, 19. “The event empowers women in the music industry and spotlights their achievements in a wonderful way. It’s going to be a great show!”

Steinfeld’s latest single, “Starving” (with Grey and featuring Zedd), is No. 9 with a bullet on the Mainstream Top 40 airplay chart (dated Dec. 10) and reaches a new peak of No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100. She also stars with Woody Harrelson and Kyra Sedgwick in The Edge of Seventeen, which opened in theaters Nov. 18. Steinfeld was nominated for an Oscar in 2011 for her role in True Grit.

Honorees and performers at the Women in Music event include Halsey (Rising Star), Alessia Cara (Rule Breaker), Andra Day (Powerhouse), Meghan Trainor (Chart-Topper), Maren Morris (Breakthrough) and Kesha (Trailblazer).

This article originally appeared in the Dec. 10 issue of Billboard. Billboard’s Women In Music event takes place on Dec. 9 in New York City and airs on Lifetime Dec. 12.