With Gen Z often sitting at the centre of the cultural zeitgeist, it’s no surprise we’re currently in love with all the shows about them.
Euphoria, Yellowjackets, Stranger Things, Conversations With Friends – the list goes on. But in exciting news for us Down Under, Netflix have decided to reboot the grungy ‘90s classic Heartbreak High, updating it for a 2022 audience.
WATCH BELOW: Ayesha Madon stars in Bonds Class of ’22 Campaign
While details are still scarce, we know a little about the cast, the plot, and the actors. The new series will focus on a teenage girl called Amerie who quickly becomes a social pariah after a falling out with her best friend, Harper.
The show looks like it’ll bring some much-needed diversity to the Aussie small screen, and we’re super keen to learn more about what’s to come. And in the meantime, we got all the details we could out of the show’s lead actress, Ayesha Madon.
Ayesha, who credits The Lizzie McGuire Movie as one of the reasons she got into acting, seems the perfect choice to lead the charge on a gritty new show about the lives of teenagers.
But she can’t reveal too much just yet.
“I’m not allowed to say too much on Heartbreak High because it’s pretty early days … but what I will say is I just had the most incredible time on it,” she confirms.
“Netflix has made something pretty special, the energy around it feels quite different, and I can’t wait for everyone to finally see what we’ve been working on for the last few months.”
Ayesha is also a musician and is dedicating a lot of time to producing music at the moment.
“I’m literally about to go to the studio to finish off my third single and start producing my fourth,” she tells us.
“I have a very, very vast library of sonic treats to set free this year, quite a few of which will be coming out way sooner than you think.”
But does she have a preference between her acting and her singing?
“I guess I’m pretty aggressively obsessed with both of them,” she says with a laugh.
“I think what I love is that they kind of work symbiotically in terms of driving me forward creatively and helping me to not burn out… Fluctuating my investment in both at any given point has been really good for me.”
While exploring these passions, Ayesha is also working with Bonds in their Class of ’22 project, which promotes the use of period undies for those who menstruate.
“It’s [about] kind of living boldly within the lens of having a period,” she laughs.
“It’s edgy and bold and like, kind of, like it’s hot, mainly it’s just really hot,” she continues.
“I feel like people put this weird stigma on periods that it’s gross … but mainly it’s just really beautiful, like getting a period is hot!”
Joining Ayesha for the campaign are Australian rapper Tkay Maidza, model and activist Mahalia Handley, non-binary environmentalist Daila Melkins, and model Dechen Grenfell, a group of widely talented young women ready to de-stigmatise periods.
“I feel like the four are kind of vastly different and our unique capabilities and personalities combined is kind of reflective of how unstoppable the next generation of young people with periods are,” Ayesha says.
And when asked if she’d have an ideal musical collaborator, she can’t help but throw Tkay into the list.
“She’s the best. She gave me a tarot reading, and it was bang on,” Ayesha laughs.
You can check out the Bonds Bloody Comfy Period Undies here.
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