Breaking Bonnie

Breaking Bonnie is a web series that focuses on pop recording artist Bonnie McKee writing and recording her sophomore album. The series opens with the sentence "Hi, I'm Bonnie McKee. I'm a singer-songwriter. Mostly known as a songwriter, but, hoping that's gonna change." All six episodes were uploaded on March 19, 2013.



Episodes
Episode 1: Episode 1 of Breaking Bonnie focuses on Bonnie McKee writing music and talking about her past. The episode starts with McKee talking about her success she obtained writing for/with Katy Perry, Britney Spears, Taio Cruz, and Rita Ora. She then beings to talk about the beginning of her career, signing a record deal with Warner Brothers and moving to Los Angeles when she was 16 years old. "In my head, there was just no doubt about it, I was gonna be the biggest popstar in the world and that was that. I was gonna be a teenage sensation." she said. "When I got dropped after being at Warner Brothers for almost six years and putting out one album my whole reality came crashing down" McKee laments. McKee explains she then "numbed out" and indulged in lots of self-destructive behavior, to which a montage of photos which display McKee drinking and eventually doing cocaine is played. McKee had a moment of realization one morning and realized "nobody's gonna do this for me." and that she had to "get to work and put my head down and write, write, write, write" and a clip is played of her in the studio writing and singing a song. She learned how to write efficiently, how to use ProTools, and how to collaborate, which all helped lead to her success. McKee then reveals she's happy her debut album, Trouble, wasn't successful, because if her success had just happened overnight she would probably be dead because she hadn't "gotten her shit together". A clip then plays of McKee dancing and singing with friends which she dubs over with "I'm a popstar in training. I'm not there yet, but, I'm ready to work and I'll do whatever it takes.". McKee then speaks of people giving up on her and says "you know what I say, don't get mad, get famous" to which her song Don't Get Mad, Get Even plays. The end features McKee taking photos with fellow popstar Carly Rae Jepsen.

Episode 2: Episode 2 of Breaking Bonnie focuses on Bonnie McKee meeting with astrologers and mystical readers. The episode starts with McKee saying she's conquered songwriting and made her mark in the world but she'll never be satisfied until "it's my own voice" on the radio. While the instrumental of a reworked version of her song Worst In Me plays, clips of McKee writing and dancing plays. McKee then admits to have gotten advice from astrologers and psychics who she didn't even know if they were real or "just for myself, to feel like I can do it". It then shows McKee meeting with multiple people including a mystical reader and an astrologer. The video ends with a clip of McKee on a treadmill with weights while she narrates "This is real. I can do this. I can be a popstar."

Episode 3: Episode 3 of Breaking Bonnie focuses on Bonnie McKee cleaning out her car. The episode starts with McKee saying "Time has come to clean out my car." McKee then proceeds to pull out a badminton racket, a birdie, a shirt, a headband and boots. McKee admits "The word 'hoard' has been thrown around." which she shrugs off. She continues pulling several pairs of sunglasses, a tape measure, a hat, and two shirts. She then moves to the trunk, where she uncovers a stuffed wooly mammoth, two pairs of moccasins, two wigs, a snuggie, a The Little Mermaid telephone box (the phone is in her house), a custom bat, a pair of wings, a motorcycle helmet, and lastly a jeweled bull skull. The episode ends with McKee stating "job well done".

Episode 4: Episode 4 of Breaking Bonnie focuses on Bonnie McKee getting ready for the 2012 VMAs. The episode starts with McKee saying "I've been nominated for many awards over the years for my work with various artists. Everything from the Grammys, the American Music Awards, to the VMAs. Getting nominated is extremely honoring and exciting, but the best part is getting dressed up." McKee admits "the red carpet is always the most exciting and scary part of it. You have to just get every little detail perfect 'cause those cameras do not lie." Her and her team then proceed to find a dress and shoes while her hairstylist, Bobby Eliot, fashions a hairclip out of a bone and feathers. The episode ends with McKee leaving for the VMAs.

Episode 5: Episode 5 of Breaking Bonnie focuses on Bonnie McKee writing and recording for her sophomore album. The episode starts with McKee stating "I've secretly been planning this album for years." She then reveals that she feels "it's really important for me to do something different than the stereotypical pop mold. I feel like everyone expects me to be something like Katy Perry, Ke$ha, or Britney Spears, and of course there's gonna be those pop roots but, I wanna try and break the mold." Despite the trouble "breaking the mold" poses, McKee remains determined. She states "if she wants to do something different, collaboration is key." so she meets up with her "team" composed of her engineer and best friend, Sean Walsh, who she admits "makes all the magic happen", songwriter, producer, and boyfriend, Oliver Goldstein and producer and music video director, Joakim Åhlund. McKee then thinks back on her trip to Sweden where she got to work with with Michel Zitron and John Martin. McKee then states "she can't wait to work with Greg Kurstin". She also says "Johnny Newman is my secret weapon. He's awesome because he hasn't been tainted by the pop-writing machine." It then shows both of them goofing in the studio. The episode ends with McKee saying "I wanna make an album that's classic so I'm pulling from a lot of my classic influences. I'd like to do kinda a modern day Blondie project. I love early Madonna, Micheal Jackson, Paula Abdul anything that's fun and timeless."

Episode 6: Episode 6 of Breaking Bonnie focuses on Bonnie following her boyfriend Oliver to Miami, Florida. It then shows them boarding the plane & leaving. They decide to go the beach where they spend the day swimming & relaxing. They then grab a bite to eat & shop. The board a taxi to go to a club then McKee states "I'm gonna be dancing a lot." It then shows them playing carnival games before they reach the club, where McKee keeps her promise & dances.

Premise
The series mainly focuses on McKee being "in popstar training" showing lots of writing and recording for her sophomore album. Each episode shows a unique encounter.