Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with Indiana Massara

Actress, model, dancer, and singer-songwriter Indiana Massara is one of Hollywood’s most exciting quadruple threats. She’s currently starring in Brat’s Chicken Girls and has two brand new singles out. One is an empowering anthem called “Over It” and the other is “Run You Down”, a song she wrote for the new series, Red Ruby. Pop Culturalist met up with Indiana to chat about all her endeavors.

PC: How did you discover your passion for the arts? Is there one that you naturally gravitate towards?
Indiana: I’ve been performing my entire life. I did musical theatre as a kid, and I was always dancing. As I grew older, my passion for being in the industry grew stronger. I loved art at school, and I was constantly trying to do something creative—it was the universe directing me to where I was meant to be. I would say I naturally gravitate to songwriting, because I’ve found that it’s a good way to express myself in a unique way.

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career?
Indiana: I take inspiration from so many sources, so it’s impossible to narrow it down to one. I find musical inspiration from different artists and sounds around me, and in fashion from everywhere and everyone! When I started acting, my mom suggested I go and watch I Love Lucy to learn about comedic timing. It’s still one of my favorite shows!

PC: Tell us about Chicken Girls, your character, and what drew you to that project.
Indiana: Rooney is one of the stronger, more edgy characters. She doesn’t take crap from anyone and she definitely keeps it real. As tough as she is, she still goes through the usual love drama that happens at any age.

I was cast in another Brat show called Attaway Appeal, and it was during the filming of that show that the directors approached me and asked if I wanted to be in Chicken Girls. I was totally down after learning about the character, but I had no clue who else was in the show. The energy on both sets is amazing.

Brat was such a small company back then, but they’ve worked so hard and everyone is so happy and encouraging. You could tell that they were going to change the game.

PC: How similar or different are you to Rooney? How has she evolved throughout the series?
Indiana: I definitely think that some of our personality traits are the same, but some of our interests are very different. Even though she’s tough, Rooney is loyal and loving. We see this when she is hurt after finding out her stepsister and boyfriend had secretly been seeing each other behind her back, but she steps aside and gives them her blessing. Over the seasons, she has become the best friend and sounding board to nearly everyone.

PC: Tell us about your new single, “Over It”. What inspired the track?
Indiana: In season four of Chicken Girls, we see nearly all of the girls having some kind of drama with their love interests. The girls come together when things like this happen, so a girl’s anthem was definitely needed. I absolutely love Annie and Aliyah’s voices, so doing a song with them and having it be full of girl power was the best thing ever! We were all at the studio recording at different times, but we came together for the music video and had another amazing day.

PC: You recently wrote and recorded the theme song for Red Ruby. Tell us about “Run You Down”. Is the process different when you’re writing and recording for a television series?
Indiana: There are subtle differences, but the process is basically the same. In some ways, it was easier as we had a theme to kind of work towards. Brat gave us very little information about the show other than the fact that it was about vampires, which was awesome because we weren’t restricted and could be as creative as we liked.

PC: You’ve had tremendous success already in your career. Is there one moment that sticks out to you?
Indiana: Thank you! I still have a long way to go, but I love what I’m doing. Every time a new project comes up, I say it’s the most exciting one yet, and it usually is. [laughs] I would say probably the live filming of Chicken Girls was one of my favorite moments. It was so cool to see the reaction in real time, because we usually don’t get to see that! Also, hearing one of my songs on the radio for the first time was something I’ll never forget.

PC: What’s been the biggest lesson you’ve learned being a part of this industry?
Indiana: Be strong and have thick skin! You can’t worry about what people think. As an actress, you go out for a lot of auditions, and you get rejected a lot. You have to build resilience, which sometimes is more important than talent. Also putting music out there that is personal leaves you feeling very vulnerable, so the only way to cope is to not care what people think and be comfortable in your own skin.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: Guilty pleasure TV show?
Indiana: Phineas and Ferb

PC: Guilty pleasure movie?
Indiana: Starstruck

PC: Favorite book?
Indiana: The Outsiders

PC: Favorite play or musical?
Indiana: Hamilton, even though I haven’t seen it! I’ve watched a lot of clips and am obsessed with the music.

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Indiana: Frank Sinatra

PC: First album you bought?
Indiana: Miley Cyrus’ Can’t Be Tamed

PC: First concert you attended?
Indiana: Britney Spears

PC: Venue on your bucket list to perform at?
Indiana: Wembley

PC: An album that changed your life and why?
Indiana: Elvis Presley’s Blue Hawaii. It was the album that introduced me to Elvis Presley and has my all-time favorite song, “Can’t Help Falling in Love” on it. It was kind of when I really understood the power of music to touch people and change how they feel.

To keep up with Indiana, follow her on Twitter and Instagram, and catch Chicken Girls on Brat.

Photo Credit: David Esterson