Editor’s Letter: In with the New!

Change it up. The dawn of a new year is prime time to take a leap into the unknown -- as a country, and as individuals. In honor of that, we’ve got an issue crammed with new stars who are making inroads into the culture by following their gut and letting their passion fire the way.

Take the Irish singer Roísín Murphy. The dance-floor queen jump-started a new chapter in her career, 13 years after she started performing. Murphy took a circuitous path, club-hopping from dance scenes in various corners of the world while crafting her second solo album, Overpowered, a disc destined to make her the high-profile star she’s always deserved to be. What changed? She took control of the reins, working with a host of producers, songwriters and musicians in an entirely new direction that allowed her to trust her own instincts rather than playing tug-of-war with one producer or a bandmate, as she’d had to do with her previous endeavor, Moloko.

This issue’s cover star, James Franco, isn’t stuck on the Hollywood treadmill of nonstop filming and promoting his blockbuster movies. He’s on to new horizons, pursuing two masters degrees in between filming with the likes of Gus Van Sant and Judd Apatow. Who knows where his studies will lead him, but certainly he’ll come loaded with vigor and fresh ideas about the world to bring to life on the screen.

Our new intern, Ryan Adams, stopped by to help out around the office on a break from a nationwide tour in support of his heart-meltingly beautiful album, Cardinology. (Take that, Anna Wintour!) During his internship, Adams turned the tables and played music critic, and tried his hand at headline writing, once he was done sorting the mail and getting coffee for the staff. Adams came with a good amount of editorial experience—his first book, Infinity Blues, is due out this month. I would highly recommend him for a position, should he ever tire of the rock star life. (Let’s hope he doesn’t, though.)

Check out our special “New Regime” section, packed with a whole host of Hollywood hopefuls, music makers, fashion designers, authors and artists about to bust out. Some names you’ll already know and love, others you’ll be pleased to meet. 

Photographer Danielle Levitt, who shot our cheeky “Home for the Holidays” fashion story on page 86, traversed the country, documenting youth subcultures from Tacoma to Carlsbad, her unflinching eye capturing the hopes, dreams, fears and aspirations writ large on the open faces of Generation Next in her book We Are Experienced. See page 24 for a taste of what she found.

Hopefully, by the time you are reading this, America will have voted an entirely new regime into office—and that is a major cause for celebration. Have a shockingly blissful New Year, and for limitless new adventures of your own, be sure to check out BBook.com and the BlackBook application on your iPhone for up-to-the-minute news on the chicest happenings in culture and style around the globe.