"The Dream of The Future: Todd Kingston Plummer." Bali, Indonesia, 6 August 2017.
"I still have my ticket stub from Lady Gaga’s Fame Ball tour when she played Metropolis in Montreal on March 28, 2009. It was right around the time she released 'Poker Face' and really started to explode, so it was one of the last times you could see her in an intimate venue like that. And as an emerging artist, she had no budget back then, and I remember between songs she would lie down in the fog and pretend to disappear and we were like, 'Umm, we can still see you!' It was delightfully low-fi."
It All Started When...
I first met Todd in the beautiful city of Montréal, back when he was an ambitious young undergrad at McGill. Todd was one of the elected student leaders of SSMU, the undergraduate student society. Since then, I've closely followed Todd's exploits and his prolific writing career. Todd has penned some of the most fabulous stories for Vogue I've ever read and is a true master of the Facebook status update, offering a behind-the-scenes look into how these stories came to be and the adventures you don't actually get to read about in the final article (scroll down to see Exhibit A below).
Todd is a law school grad and travel writer currently on a trip around the world. He took some time out from his busy jet-setting schedule to share a bit about the role that music plays in his life. Enjoy!
For all you Elle Woods fans, this is why Todd is the man. Enjoy this lovely anecdote and read on in the Style Magazine article.
What's your passion/hustle/profession?
I’m a freelance writer covering travel, lifestyle, and entertainment, and previously covered philanthropy and society in New York for five years.
I’ve worked for Vogue, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, W, VMAN, Interview, Town & Country, and more. Currently on a round-the-world trip for the next couple of months, maybe longer—greetings from Bali!
What kind of music helps you focus at work?
I’m a classically trained pianist, and still have a soft spot for classical music. Any piano arrangement by Bach, Chopin or Debussy usually does the trick.
When you’re winding down?
So random, but the soundtrack from Amélie is really timeless and soothing.
Working out?
Oh my gosh, I listen to the worst music when I workout. Like my workouts, I have to switch up my playlist every couple of weeks so I don’t get bored. I usually end up listening to really pop-heavy, EDM, Top 40 kind of stuff. Anything by Carly Rae Jepsen, Calvin Harris or The Chainsmokers is good. And “Work From Home” is a great jam. Kygo has this remix from early in his career that’s really good, too. It’s one of his lesser-known tracks but it’s just as good as his popular ones -- it’s a remix of the song “Garbage” by Conal Flood.
Cooking?
Kygo’s album, “Cloud Nine.” He’s got this sort of a post-tropical-house, pop/EDM, electro-singer-songwriter sound that is at once energetic and soothing.
Kickin’ it with friends?
Kygo works for this too! He’s got this song called “Younger,” it’s a remix of a Seinabo Sey song, and it’s sort of an EDM answer to that classic Alphaville song “Forever Young.”
What’s your most memorable musical moment? This could be a live show or festival that really stuck with you, meeting a music icon, etc.
It hasn’t happened yet, but in a couple of weeks I’m heading to Ålesund, a little town in western Norway for Jugendfest. It’s kind of like the Coachella of Norway! And my #1 favorite in the world, Kygo, is headlining. I happen to be in Oslo for work the next week, and I was researching things to do in Norway around that time, and saw that Kygo was playing this festival. I’m currently on a round-the-world trip and pretty much said, hey, why don’t I go to Norway a couple days early and see Kygo? Plus, he is originally from that part of Norway so it should be pretty exciting.
Favourite love song? Slow jam? Between the sheets track?
“Earned It,” by The Weeknd, off the Fifty Shades of Grey soundtrack. Say what you want about the movies—personally, I think they’re pretty entertaining—but the soundtracks are pure fire.
You need to hype up the crowd at a house party real quick. What do you put on next?
Something fun with a nostalgia factor that everyone can relate to, like early 2000’s Usher or something.
If you were stranded on a desert island with only one album, which would it be?
“We Found Love,” by Rihanna and Calvin Harris. Timeless, joyous, has the right energy. It’s a perfect song.
Best format? Cassette tape, CD, iPod, Vinyl, etc.
iTunes! I always pay for my music. Maybe that makes me old-fashioned. Plus as a travel writer portability is really important to me.
What’s the most prized album/mixtape/musical memento you own? Your home is on fire and this is the only thing you can grab before it all burns down. (Sorry, that one’s grim.)
I still have my ticket stub from Lady Gaga’s “Fame Ball” tour when she played Metropolis in Montreal on March 28, 2009. It was right around the time she released “Poker Face” and really started to explode, so it was one of the last times you could see her in an intimate venue like that. And as an emerging artist, she had no budget back then, and I remember between songs she would lie down in the fog and pretend to disappear and we were like, “Umm, we can still see you!” It was delightfully low-fi. That night, she also performed my all-time favorite song, “Future Love.” It’s about love, art, and the dream of the future; she never ended up recording it as a single, which I think makes it even more special. It will always live in that particular moment for me.
Dinner with any artist, dead or alive. They're paying. Whom do you choose?
Whitney Houston. Oh my goodness, can you imagine! We would have the best time.
Second choice: Chris Martin, but only if he agrees to write a love song about me. Imagine being the person he wrote “Sky Full of Stars” for… swoon!
What's your go-to karaoke jam?
“I Wanna Dance With Somebody,” by Whitney Houston. Fool-proof crowd pleaser. Oh, and did I mention, anything by Kygo?
Merçi, Todd!
*mobile-only.
" The Dream of the Future" Track Listing
Kygo. “Raging (feat. Kodaline)."
Kygo. “Cruise” (feat. Andrew Jackson)." Fifty Shades of Grey OST.
MØ. "Final Song."
Coldplay. “Fix You” X & Y, , .
Grimes. “Flesh without Blood.” Art Angels, , .
Avicii. “The Nights.”
Marvin Gaye. "Sexual Healing (Kygo Remix).
Whitney Houston. "I Wanna Dance With Somebody."
Michael Jackson. "P.Y.T." Thriller, , .
Usher. "U Don't Have To Call." 87010, Arista Records, 2001.
Flume. "Never Be Like You (feat. Kai)."
Odesza. "Say My Name (feat. Zyra)."
For more Todd, follow him on Instagram @toddkingston.