KTJ & Carly have the perfect voices that just effortlessly blend together. Their new song "Cherry Coke" is pop-perfection with haunting undertones and melodies that just stick with you. They're definitely stepping into their zone. We caught up with them about the new song, pandemic life, and staying motivated.
Hi guys!!! How have you been lately? How are you dealing with the ongoing pandemic?
Carly: Hey!! We have been great! Staying super busy, writing a bunch. We are at the point of this pandemic where we are about to go crazy haha. It was quite the adjustment in the beginning, but we managed to get through it and keep busy. We still are able to get a lot done, but we are so ready to get back to LA and get the show on the road soon, hopefully!
KTJ: I'm so excited for things to go back to normal and be able to travel again. We've been great, writing nonstop and developing a bit of cabin fever lol. Reading and learning and trying to make the most of the pandemic.
Tell me about "Cherry Coke." What's the story behind it?
Carly: Cherry Coke is the thrill of something you know is temporary or toxic. When we drink a Cherry Coke or any soda really, divulge or indulge in something unhealthy, we all know it is bad for us, but we do it anyway because it tastes good or makes us feel good. We find ourselves in situations like that in all walks of life. There are constant temptations to do the wrong thing for instant gratification that typically has bad long term effects. We see this in relationships, career choices, addiction, etc. We don't think about the consequences of things like this. We indulge in things that are bad for us because, at the time, the taste outweighs the outcome. We wanted to write a song that showed the perspective of someone battling that and why it is so hard. Why it is so tempting. For example, let's say that our friend goes back to the same guy who treated her badly. Everyone around her knows it's a horrible idea. We always ask them why they go back. This song is from their point of view. Explaining why their weakness is so tempting. - Carly
KTJ: Cherry coke is about being addicted to something unsustainable.
How have you been staying motivated to create lately?
Carly: It's hard when you don't have somewhere to go to stay motivated. Getting up and dressed and driving somewhere. Mentally it is exhausting to not have that physical accountability, so staying motivated is difficult. For a guideline, we try to schedule everything on the calendar for things like writing on our own, producing on our own, rehearsing, etc. Having that accountability between just us two helps a lot. On the other hand, it is easier to stay motivated right now, being that we love to make music. If we didn't then, we would never get anything done, nor would anything we make sound good. So that makes it much easier to stay motivated!
KTJ: Life is so temporary and beautiful. Any chance that we get to express ourselves through song is a day that's instantly better and improved.
So amazing that you've been doing virtual performances, have those been helping you feel like live shows again?
Carly: Something that helps a lot is the fact that we are still able to interact with the listeners. Most of our lives have a comment section so that we can talk to them similar to a live show audience! However, it really still isn't the same. We miss live shows SOOO much.
KTJ: Yes, I love them! They keep us connected to our wonderful audiences. It's not the same as a legit live show because I can't actually see anyone's face, and sometimes there is lagging in the response time of the comments, but we're lucky we live in a time where we're still able to interact with a crowd virtually during a pandemic. Truly amazing.
Tell me about your online show "Late Night Live"!
KTJ: Over the course of the pandemic, we've performed many songs on our Insta/Facebook live stream. We wanted to switch things up, so we created a segment called "Late Night Live," and for several late nights around 11 pm, we would do a set sometimes in our PJs haha. It was super fun. We look forward to playing late night (in person too) live shows soon!
What has been inspiring you lately?
Carly: Well, lately I've been watching a lot of films just because I can't go out as much anymore. I'm always inspired by film and tv, especially because we both are also actors. However, lately, I've found an outlet in my songwriting where I take the emotions portrayed in it and situations in it and write through that. For example, the other day, we did a session and wrote from the point of view of Jenna Rink as a teenager just wanting to be like the girls in the magazine. There's so much before us that tells the stories of people and I've found a lot of inspiration in that, more so lately.
KTJ: Reading/sharing stories, growth, laughing, great ideas, and sustainable innovations to improve life. The good parts in life. 🙂
What else is coming up this year for you!?
Carly: We have a lot of great things happening this year. Tons of collaborations, production collabs too, an all-female pop camp, scoring our first film, live shows later in the year hopefully, and many new singles we are releasing!
KTJ: We plan on taking as many opportunities as we can to live life to the fullest, no matter the circumstances. Continue to grind on schoolwork and music, and look forward to playing live gigs once it's okay again.
Follow KTJ & Carly on Instagram, Spotify, and Tik Tok to stay tuned.
Emily Treadgold
