Once More from the Top: Behind the Glitz and Glamour of Stardom – Secrets, Pain, and Doubt

Dylan Read and Kelsey Copestenke met during high school in upstate New York. Dylan was not a social butterfly, spending time on schoolwork, earning her the reputation as “Thompson High’s Model Citizen.” She had a stable home life, her mother a therapist and her father a cardiologist. Kelsey’s life was different, with a single mother who was often overwhelmed, and a brother, Matt, who was a teen father to Fiona. Kelsey earned extra money singing at a local bar, often hooking up with older men. 

Dylan’s poetry caught Kelsey’s attention and soon the two were collaborating. Kelsey taught Dylan to play the guitar, while incorporating Dylan’s poetry into her music. Then one night, Kelsey disappeared. Since Kelsey often talked about fleeing her hometown, locals felt that’s what she did. After a long time of searching, the town moved on. Dylan, however, could not. 

Dylan continued to work on her music, for herself, but also for Kelsey. Through her father who still kept in touch with a classmate from Vanderbilt, Dylan convinced her mother to take her to Nashville. “She thought taking me to Tennessee for a few days would help me process my grief,” Dylan says. “She had no way of knowing it would change my entire life.”

Kelsey may have been a bigger talent, but Dylan’s talent was big, too. After auditioning for a producer on Nashville’s Music Row, she was on her way. Fifteen years later, Dylan has the career she may have dreamed about yet never thought would happen. But when Kelsey’s body is found at the bottom of a lake, Dylan must revisit her hometown and face her past.

Emily Layden (Photo Credit: Michelle Lange Photography)

It’s easy to draw a parallel to Taylor Swift, who also made that Nashville visit and now is the biggest vocal artist in the world. In Once More from the Top, Emily Layden gives us a glimpse of what that life is like. Dylan’s success means she employs a large staff and a crew of body guards. Wherever she goes, there are always paparazzi and fans waiting to take her photo. No matter how many Grammys she’s won, it’s her next album that counts. Layden’s ability to take us into this creative process, how Dylan plans out the focus of each recording, understanding that each new release is an event, is impressive, as are the many lyrics she includes.

The discovery of Kelsey’s body makes local news, but when social media uncovers that the dead girl was a friend of Dylan Read’s the small town is inundated with national and international reporters. There will be no grieving quietly for Dylan; her every move will be scrutinized. Over the years she’s learned how to manage her emotions, but finally putting her best friend to rest, and coming to terms with how and why she disappeared, will take everything she has. 

Hayden’s narrative bounces between Dylan’s past and her present. In the past, we learn about her climb to fame, about the people she met along the way, including a film star she marries on a whim in Las Vegas. In the present, Dylan’s support comes from her parents and her boyfriend, Nick, a Brit who manages to see Dylan the person, rather than Dylan the star. 

Kelsey makes appearances in both time frames, in Dylan’s memories and in imaginings. There’s no doubt that Kelsey was a big personality who looms large over Dylan’s personal and professional life. If Kelsey had lived, would her talents have eclipsed Dylan’s? Would there have been room in fandom for both of them? Or just Kelsey? Because despite Dylan’s achievements, she can’t help but feel that Kelsey was the real star, whether that would have played out or not. Truth is, fame takes more than it gives and Kelsey’s penchant to take risks and live large might have doomed her career. Dylan, on the other hand, has been able to weather most storms. Whether she can accept it or not, she’s earned her success.

Once More from the Top is a fascinating read. Layton has written a hit.

Once More from the Top
Emily Layton

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