New Zealand artist, Lorde, released her single “Royals” in America on June 18. Lorde, who is only 16, has already broken records, becoming the youngest artist to make number one on Billboard’s Hot 100 since 1987. This song is art pop with a very light drumbeat. It has even been described as a minimal song. With lyrics like “and I’m not proud of my address in a torn up town, no postcode envy” and “We count our dollars on the train to the party”, this song talks about the struggles of living from paycheck to paycheck, and refusing to live any other way. This song reminds people that they may not have it all, but they can make the most of what they do have. In an interview with HuffPost, Lorde says, “I think it’s probably because I’m an Internet kid. I’m watching Adventure Time but I’m also reading Allen Ginsberg. I’m a mesh of references- fun and smart? I don’t know where I’d put myself. I’d like to think I’m doing something different.” Lorde relates to the youth of today. She is not afraid to be proud of whom she is, and is encouraging people to embrace their individuality. “I had a sneaking suspicion that it might do alright,” Lorde says about “Royals”, and her suspicions did indeed turn out to be correct. Lorde has proven her success and shows promise to keep fans interested for a very long time.
Let me be your ruler
October 15, 2013
About the Contributors
Esther Rodriguez, Parents & Teachers Section Editor
Entering her second year as a writer for The Downey Legend, senior Esther Rodriguez has high hopes. As a sophomore, she heard about joining Newspaper during the morning announcements and her English teacher, Mr. Kraus, encouraged her to fill out an application and display her knack for writing. This inspired her to apply and see if she could make it, which she did. Rodriguez joined in hopes of improving her writing skills, becoming less shy, and learning to write in more detail. To her, the best part about being on the newspaper staff is finding out about interesting, random things going on around the school. “There are things you would not know just coming to school, but being in Newspaper you learn things that aren’t common knowledge,” Rodriguez said. “We are the eyes and ears of the school.”
In her down time, Rodriguez enjoys reading young adult literature, writing fictional stories, and spending quality time with her cell phone on websites like YouTube, Tumblr, and Twitter. Besides being in Newspaper at school, she is also a new tutor at Downey High’s Writing Center. Writing as much as possible is important to her because she dreams of one day being an author. Along with chasing her aspirations of writing for a living, after she finishes high school, Rodriguez also looks forward to attending a university such as UCLA, San Diego State, or UC San Diego and obtaining a degree in English. Next summer, she will also be going on a missionary trip with church to Japan. Although her head is full of thoughts about the surreal future, for now Rodriguez is focusing on her schoolwork and activities and soaking up her last year as a high schooler.
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Senior Marlenn Orozco, also known as MJ, is a three-year veteran at The Downey Legend as a photographer. Her passion for photography has heightened thought the years, and she works hard to have her work recognized. As a freshman, Orozco hoped to join the Yearbook Staff, but at the end of the year, she was put on hold and instead signed up for photojournalism. However, the following year she was given another chance to show her work in a new environment that later became The Downey Legend. At the end of the year she was given an award as Photographer of the year. In her junior year, Orozco was given her first Nikon and decided to take a photography class to understand how to work a camera. Entering her senior year, she enrolled in Advanced Photography at school. “I am so excited to be in the class, I feel like I am walking on the right path to my goal,” Orozco says. Even though she spends a large amount of time taking pictures and researching how to improve her skill, she enjoys drawing, reading, running and riding her bike around Downey in her spare time. Although Orozco was injured during a soccer game in 09’ she now tries to keep active by trying out for school sports.