Interview by Carol Wright | Photographer: Will Townsend
We got to chat with musical-duo KTJ & Carly about how they discovered their passion for music and their new EP Identity.
Growing up, when did you both discover your were passionate about music?
Carly: Not sure when we heard it click, but I will say that we popped out of the womb singing. My dad was in a band growing up, played guitar for us all the time… My mom’s dad too. My brother was always shredding his guitar in the garage, and my uncle was always playing the drum sets really loud. Music was just constantly playing around the house. I think around the age of five we were certain that music was our passion. We sang all the time growing up so they stuck us in music lessons. Our family really embraced our passion and still do to this day. We were lucky to have that support and love. We also had each other to share this passion with, so it made it easy to keep on going. It wasn’t until we were in high school that we really thought about getting into the music industry.
KTJ: We grew up with music already constantly ingrained in our lives so I can’t necessarily remember an exact moment, but there was one significant moment in high school percussion when I was learning a complicated piece on the piano. It inspired me and reminded me that great things don’t come easily, and that if I put my mind to it I can accomplish anything. It reminded me how lucky I am to be able to perform.
Tell us a bit about how KTJ & Carly came to be.
C: So, I told you a bit about how we loved music as kids, but we also loved acting. We got into acting for the film industry around eight years old, working with Kim Dawson Agency. I never really knew much about the music industry but always wanted to get into it.
I had written quite a bit of songs on my own but didn’t do anything with them. I was planning on doing musical theatre and had lined up a bunch of auditions for BFA programs in Chicago. I went to Carnegie Mellon for about three months of summer to study musical theatre while KT went to study music production at NYU for a couple of weeks, though I had no clue about music production or how to even work in a garage band for that matter.
When we reunited, we showed each other what we did and what we learned over the summer. I was so interested in music production and I decided to just learn it. That was when Katie and I started writing songs together. Then a few years later, we met our manager, Sera Roadnight, who helped develop us as artists and bring our vision to life. As well as navigate the music industry because neither I or Katie knew the first thing about it. We are so lucky to have found her. Then, after that, I canceled all my auditions in Chicago, and we moved to LA after graduation. That’s how we started together!
K: After many years of musical theatre, piano lessons, acting, and voice lessons, I finally started this new journey, applying the classical elements I had studied in the past and continued on to finding and discovering my own sound. I began studying music production at 15, which then led us to find Sera at age 18 who helped us plant our feet on the ground and allowed our heads to soar in this industry. Since we signed with Sera we have learned so many new things and have had so many amazing experiences. I’m so excited for live shows to open back up so we can continue meeting people from all corners of the world and serenade them with music, haha.
What have you learned through collaborating with each other?
C: Personally, I’ve learned patience. I was always good with it, but starting this duo was challenging to begin. Patience not only with each other but with the music industry too. It’s a hard business at times and getting people to listen can be difficult. At first, we had never really worked together like this before. In a partnership like this. They always say to not get into business with your family, but I’m SO glad we didn’t listen. Working together has been the greatest gift. However, I won’t lie, it’s much harder than I would’ve thought. Since we are so close, we are sometimes wayyy brutally honest with each other, and since we are so close we fight a lot, as sisters do. At the end of the day, we learned each other’s strengths and weaknesses. We found a way to lift each other up, always meet in the middle to help create and develop what is the sound of our duo!
K: We have learned to play off of each other’s strengths and help improve each other’s weaknesses. We have realized that sometimes even though we fight, that tough love is what makes us more bold and strong in the end. We have so much fun working together and this has made our relationship as sisters even stronger and we are so lucky to have each other.
You recently came out with your EP Identity. What story are you hoping to tell through the EP?
C: The story that we tried to tell through our EP, was that we all have our own journey through finding ourselves. Sometimes, it’s different from the people around us, but a lot of the time we go through similar phases or experiences. I just hope that when people listen to it, they might see a shred of their own identity in it, much like how we did writing it.
K: It’s a story of finding yourself. I feel like as a society we stress so much about who we are and who we’re supposed to be. Basically this EP states you can be whoever you want, and if it doesn’t align with a category for others to fit you in then that’s their problem.
We’ve been in this quarantine period for nearly a year which is crazy to think about. How have you both been keeping yourselves motivated to create music?
C: We’re constantly motivated to write. If anything, this has really been inspirational. There is so much happening in the world right now, good and bad. We take inspiration from everywhere. Typically, when we are inspired to write, we feel more motivated. At times when we aren’t motivated or inspired, it’s definitely tough because we are at home and it’s easy to just do nothing all day. I find that when I schedule things on the calendar to do them and set them as a time and date deadline, I get them done. Also, a lot of our writing sessions have been with other people via zoom which has been amazing!!! Obviously, it’s so much better to write in person in my opinion, but we have been able to write with so many different people from all over the United States and world. We wouldn’t have been able to do that if this weren’t happening. Keeping a positive mindset has been the biggest thing pushing us through this.
K: At first it was weird, but after a lot of adjustments, we’ve created an environment where we’re able to create what we love and share music with the world despite the setbacks. Even though I’m excited for live shows to begin again, I’ve learned so much during this period that I would have never discovered if it wasn’t for quarantine, so I’m incredibly thankful for it shaping me into a stronger person.
What advice do you have for aspiring singers?
C: My biggest advice is to do your own thing… simple as it sounds. Don’t actively try hard to sound like an artist you love or a certain way because you think other people will like it. Sing how you want, because YOU like it. Because you told yourself if you could manifest the feeling inside you, you would do it. So do it for that reason, not so that you will win the crowd majority or become famous or something. Remember the WHY in what you’re doing and do it for that reason. It’s easy to change your why, in everything, especially the music industry. In this day and age, there is so much influence that can often be bad. So just look at yourself, and remember your why.
K: Learn and master resilience, because you’re going to face a lot of rejection. Let that rejection push you harder and make you fall more in love with your craft. Remember to always stay true to your vision and collaborate with as many perspectives as you can. You can learn so much about the world around you if you open your mind and heart to the many amazing possibilities you will face in your lifetime.
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