KiKi Layne & Thomas Doherty Describe Their Musical Collaboration In Dandelion

hey what's your name by the way dandelion no well it's the name I'm giving you hello how are we doing hi good how are you I am doing excellently I quite enjoyed dandelion uh Kiki I read Nicole's uh director statement and I was struck when she said like dandelions are often mistaken as weeds because they grow and Thrive under the harshest of climates which I think described Teresa to a te but it makes me wonder why did she name herself dandel what does she think of herself as in terms of that yeah I think that for me I connected that to how just being young and just picking so many dandelion and like giving them to my mom you know just that innocense of like you don't know it's weed you just think that it's it's pretty it's pretty and and it's yellow and it's bright and it's lovely um or even like when it's white and you get to blow on the seeds and just watch you know just that whole journey that they go on and so that's kind of what I connected to of like finding the the beauty like who sees it as a weed and who sees it as something as lovely enough to give to your mom so that's like what that name meant meant to me I love that uh Thomas uh I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop with Casey because he seems so perfect uh when we first meet him and of course we do down the line see his more human side if you will uh but what would you say about him outside of his relationship with dandelion outside of what we see for most of the movie what would I say about him yeah how would you describe him and his life up to that point quite quite a sad case I feel really bad um feel feel really bad for him I mean he was obviously did a terrible thing but yeah I mean just just there's nothing more sad than seeing someone's Soul just kind of die you know and I think is he kind of just gave up seeing someone give up because they're scared that's a really that's a really heartbreaking thing and I think that sticks with them and it follows them everywhere and it haunts them and keeps them up at night and yeah you have dine this ray of light into his life that kind of re-energizes that old energy that he felt but summer had to end very bitter sweet summer had to end and he had to go back to his [Music] child Nicole seems to have a very clear vision for the story but she's also kind of a new uh name in the industry or an untested name if you will uh for each of you what was the most exciting or surprising aspect of her directorial style um I guess just like the space that she gave us us to to just live in the world and live in the scene um you know she was very clear about what she wanted but didn't overd Direct in terms of how we got there um and that was really really lovely to just be able to be present with Thomas and just see kind of where things went and what we both were naturally bringing and then just having her there to do some tweaks but very supportive of what we were already naturally doing that freedom I love some of these like gorgeous breathtaking shots of just like capital and nature in the movie um how how in the nature were you were you there were you actually doing the camping um what was your favorite memories on set in that regard I we were there avoiding rattlesnakes like the number of times I would walk past a sign that says warning rattlesnakes and I'm just like God I just want to live like I want to make this movie and I want to not you know getting bitten by a snake um so that was kind of funny uh just to be in it in that way um but that's one of my favorite things about it and also exploring South Dakota like what you'd never go if if it wasn't you know right [Music] Thomas do you love being I love being on set with the band I love being on set with brother because they're kind of like like a that lived experience um and just yeah just just being around that Creative Energy and that spontaneity and it's very eess it was really beautiful it was really really intoxicating I love being around that and they're all just wonderful men so yeah yeah it was great it was a great great group of people I love that uh speaking of the band uh Thomas I've seen you uh sing or be a musician in many different works now and you always approach it obviously like very differently like I'm thinking of like the girls 5 Eva you know singing The Sweater song versus how you're how you're singing your songs with dandelion here how do you approach generally speaking singing as a character as opposed to yourself I mean probably not very act thing to say but I generally I think I think you can't separate yourself completely from a character it's important to find all to personalize everything in the character that you're did I mean girls 5 that was just fun that was ridiculous an amazing experience but very different to this and so yeah I mean yeah it's Casey singing but I need to feel what he's singing I need to like connect I need to know I need to it needs to be real it needs to feel real and so I personalize it all so yeah Casey's singing But Thomas is singing as well you know so I guess it's that I accept it Kiki I saw Bruce and Aaron desar all over these credits uh as a national Stam and a Swifty I'm must know what that collaboration process was like for you on the music side have you ever met them giki I've never I don't even know I never got to meet them in person so I'm hoping that at some point like during this press like hoping I know Awards and all that stuff take off um that we'll actually meet in person um because we really only got to zoom uh but thankfully the desar and Nicole they were super receptive to me contributing to the music and really just pouring more of myself and my lived experience into this music because I mean it's it's supposed to feel and sound like it came you know from dandelion soul and her experience and now that dandelion was being portrayed by a 30-year-old black woman you know what comes out of this instrument is going to be a bit different than what comes out of the instruments that are the desar and so I think just having them be very receptive to that and like us going on that Journey um to find music that felt more authentic to to this instrument and also have to you know say thank you to our guitar teacher Noah Harmon who was there with me you know dayto day helping me to to craft these songs and and pour more of myself into it so it was just a massive collaboration wonderful uh I also have to ask because I've been waiting I feel ever so patiently forar too I know do you have any tidbits to TI us over while we don't I'm like we we shot it so I don't know I I truly don't know what's happening I've just been telling people I'm like it's above my pay grade but y'all I'm like I'm waiting for it you know anxiously just like you know everyone else so I'm hoping that very very soon we'll have more information and that we'll have a release date and like all of those things very soon cuz I'm I'm super proud of the work that I did in that one I cannot wait to see it and then of course uh Thomas you are rudely not in descendants uh for or rise red whatever we want to call it um but we do see your father a young version of your father uh would you ever return to descendants should the franchise continue no that sailed for sure is amazing time in my life but I didn't even know they were doing a fourth one it it is it does exist and it is coming out very soon wow yeah no it was an amazing time in my life for sure but I don't think I think I do it again well you never know you know who knows you know hey they might offer you something you can't say no to refuse offering you can't refuse thank you both so much the movie is so much fun you guys are amazing I hope to hear you singing in literally everything that you do from now on have a great day it's called playing music so it should feel like play [Music]