Twins Carly and Martina Use Songwriting to Give Back & Inspire
Carly and Martina are 18-year-old twins and up-and-coming pop sensations. Known for taking a stance on teen bullying in their TEDxTalk and giving back to their Chicago community, Carly and Martina continually aim to use their platform for good. Their new pop album, “Are You Listening”, is no exception. We spoke with Carly and Martina about their inspiration and mission as singer-songwriters and what messages they think listeners will be able to take away from the new album “Are You Listening”.
Where are you based?
We’re based in Chicago, Illinois.
Twins always have a special bond. Do you two have anything unique to your sisterhood, other than your music?
Because we’re always around each other, we tend to say the exact same things at the same time! So we kind of have twin telepathy.
How did you two get into music?
We’ve been playing piano since four years old. We were classically and jazz trained. The singing and songwriting just kind of evolved from there!
How does writing music work for you two? Do you write together? How do you decide who sings which parts of the songs?
We write together and we decide who sings what based on who sounds better where. There’s no ego — it’s all about what’s best for the song.
You recently released your new album “Are You Listening?”. Can you tell us a little bit about this album and what you hope your fans get from it?
It’s a concept album with two sides tied together with an interlude. It’s about a girl who goes through love and loss and rises up from the ashes. The first side is dreamy and euphoric when she’s falling in love. It ends with a cliffhanger where the relationship ends. The second side is smokey and darker and it’s all about dealing with the death of the relationship and recovering from that loss. We hope our fans can relate to this music, as it covers a lot of different stages in a relationship. Hopefully there are a few songs that represent what they’re going through at any given time.
Your music has a very consistent nostalgia for love. Can you tell us what inspires your songs?
The world around us, our friends, and our lives are our inspirations. We like to take from what we feel, see, and hear, and just put that into what we create.
Can you tell Jejune about your TEDxTalk about using your music to instill confidence in others. How has music strengthened your confidence?
Being able to produce and create our own music has given us a huge sense of purpose. We’ve found something that we love and we don’t have to rely on anyone to create what we want to hear. That has helped us develop confidence, for sure.
Jejune loves that you work with United Way of Metro Chicago and Little Kids Rock, helping underprivileged kids through songwriting workshops in the local communities. Can you tell us a little bit about these experiences?
Working with both of these programs have been incredibly fun for us. We got to meet so many talented kids who loved music just like us. The experience has been more than just for fun. It has been eye-opening for us and showed us how much we want to continue helping other people throughout our career.
Have you been able to work with any of these organizations during this time?
During times like these, it is hard to find things to do and ways to express your emotions. Creating music is a great way to distract yourself from the mayhem that is 2020 in a constructive and artistic way. Music definitely helped our mental health during this year, so we imagine it would help others!
Right now, it’s hard to do any in-person work with organizations. Instead, we’ve been focusing on using our personal social platforms to create a positive and safe space for our fans and others.
COVID has been a weird time for musicians. How has your art been impacted?
It has been hard for our social lives and for many other aspects of our lives. But for our music, COVID was a bit of a blessing. It was during quarantine that we were able to write, produce, and mix our album, “Are You Listening?”. COVID has given us more time to focus on our creative process.
How are you staying positive during shelter-in-place?
We are focusing on doing things that fulfill us and make us happy! Right now, that’s making music, promoting our album, connecting with fans, and trying to learn how to cook.
What is your motto in life?
Whatever you’re doing, have fun with it!
To learn more about Carly and Martina, please follow them via the below platforms:
carlyandmartina.com
Spotify: @carlyandmartina
Instagram: @carlyandmartina
Youtube: @carlyandmartina
Twitter: @carlyandmartina
Facebook: @carlyandmartina
