Band heads to Nickelodeon, Disney after filming music video
By Jen Samuel, Managing Editor
HIGHTSTOWN — Spoil’d Rotten turned the spotlight on the local community Monday night.
The band performed to a live audience at Tavern on the Lake as a production crew recorded their first ever music video a few hours before twilight Monday.
"Wreck Over You” will be played on Nickelodeon and Disney TV airwaves later this year.
The song is about finding love in the end.
”It’s just a fun, summer, poppy dance song,” said Natalie Ortega, 17, during a telephone interview with the Herald Wednesday evening. “There’s that one person. They are unattainable — then they fall in love.”
It has “a super happy ending,” band member Connor Ernst, 17, chimed, who also participated in the telephone interview.
Spoil’d Rotten creates bright, teen pop music.
”A lot of our friends came and supported us,” Natalie said.
Filming began at 10:30 a.m. and lasted until 10:30 p.m., both musicians recalled.
”It was all day,” Connor said.
Filming of the music video for “Wreck Over You” took place at the Ortega home, Brunzwick Zone Carolier in North Brunswick and outdoors in Hightstown.
”It was a lot of fun,” Natalie said. “That was one thing that was new to all of us.”
Spoil’d Rotten is set to perform heavily in the Tri-State region and along the surrounding East Coast this August.
”It’s definitely pop music,” Natalie said.
While Natalie and Connor are both juniors at Hightstown High School, band member Dillon Sutton lives in New Brunswick. Dillon, the band’s drummer, is a senior at Immaculata High School. He’s also Natalie’s cousin.
”He’s into heavy metal,” she said. “That’s his scene.”
The fourth member, Jefferson Williams, lives in Texas. He’s also part of the reason Spoil’d Rotten isn’t an all-girl band.
Prior to Spoil’d Rotten coming into existence in August 2009, there were tryouts.
”It started out as an audition,” Natalie said, explaining that the producers wanted to make a girl group. “And then Jefferson showed up — and they decided to go a totally different route with it.
Lead singers Jefferson and Natalie both play guitar.
Connor joined the band in April, replacing another band member who left the group.
”I had to be seen by the manager and producers three times before I was accepted,” he said. “I heard about the band because of Natalie.”
”We go to school together,” Natalie said.
Connor sings backup vocals, as does Dillon. Connor also plays guitar and piano.
”My daughter has been doing this for a number of years. She is an actress, singer, musician and has been knocking on doors, auditioning pretty regularly,” said Natalie’s mother Debbie Ortega. “She works very, very hard and I would love to see her and the other kids, who also work very hard, get a break in this very competitive business.”
”They’d like that to develop into a full album,” she added, referring to the new single.
”This has been a dream of Connor’s for a long time and it’s thrilling to watch it come true! TV and radio will be the icing on the cake!” said proud mom Lisa Ernst.
The band has a distribution deal for its “super happy ending” single with Universal Online Records.
Pamela Patino of Middleground Entertainment is the band’s manager.
”She makes sure everything runs smoothly. She makes the executive decisions when it comes to the kids—what we do, where we play.”
Ms. Patino said during a telephone interview Thursday that Spoil’d Rotten’s music video will hit Disney and Nickelodeon TV sometime late summer or early fall, depending on when the editing process of the video is completed.
Their producers are Shanell ‘Red’ Irving, Jonathan Jennings and Christopher Brown of Bronx Bridge Entertainment Inc. & Phatt House Entertainment.
”They write with us, we write with them,” Natalie said, referring to Mr. Jennings and Mr. Irving. “They are really hands.”
Stay tuned to the Herald for future stories on Spoil’d Rotten as well as publication of its upcoming Website.