A cold soda can be quite refreshing, but so can brand new music! For the past two years, sisters KTJ & Carly have been adding new flavors into their music. Their new single “Cherry Coke” is out today, and I caught up with the girls to help celebrate such a sweet occasion!
KTJ & Carly grew up in Texas, and started singing and playing instruments at a very young age. They’ve propelled themselves into the music world as a duo, and are ready to show you what they’ve got.
In your own words, describe the meaning behind your new single “Cherry Coke”!
Cherry Coke is about our weakness being addictive. Whether that be a person, a substance, or any bad habit. In this song, it takes the point of view of someone in a relationship who has the knowledge that this person will probably screw them over. However, we purposely made this song upbeat and driving because we often as a society want a relationship or person so badly that we don’t care. We are all in it for instant gratification. Cherry Coke is the symbol of the song. We all know the drink is unhealthy, so why is Coke one of the most successful soda companies in the entire world? Because it tastes good. We all want a taste of something good in life, and even if the long term effects are not good, we sacrifice going through those consequences anyway. – Carly
Wanting something that’s unsustainable and bad in the long run. -KTJ
How did the writing process play out for this song?
We wrote this song over zoom with the wonderful Katie Buxton! She also wrote Someone You Like from our EP with us. We pretty much started the song with the bass loop you hear in the beginning and wrote over that. The production came in much later. I was really inspired by the rock-ish sync songs like Blue Foundation and the Black Keys vibe. We wanted to start this year off with something a bit more upbeat which is why we chose to release this one first. This song was super fun to make. 🙂 – Carly
This past year has been full of ups and downs for everyone. How have you managed to keep your creativity flowing (and spirits high) throughout the pandemic?
It’s the ups and downs that inspires us to let creativity flow. Making music is a therapy for us. It’s what inspires us to keep our heads high in life, so this time has been super creative for us. -KTJ
You two grew up singing together, but what made you decide to head into the industry as a duet?
I actually was going to pursue just musical theatre and acting, and Katie wanted to just make music. I loved song writing, I just didn’t really understand the industry or how a song came together. When we were introduced to producing music, we immediately became addicted to creating songs. Then, shortly after, we met Sera Roadnight, our now AMAZING manager, who has helped us so much learn the ropes of the industry. Everything just aligned simultaneously, and we decided to go the non-traditional route after we graduated high school. It has been amazing so far and I’m so grateful we were given the opportunity to pursue our dream. – Carly
Is there ever any sibling rivalry during your writing and recording process?
Oh, definitely. We fight all the freaking time. But at the end of the day, we trust each other and love each other. We always have honesty and have the same goals, so it works. I am so glad to be doing this with my sister, because we understand each other. We understand when one of us is overworked, or if one of us has a problem. Her weaknesses are my strengths and my weaknesses are her strengths. We understand when we love one thing, but don’t like another. As twins, we grew up sharing more than normal siblings do. We were in the same classes growing up, with the same friends and same extracurriculars. So yes, fight all the time and have a bit of sibling rivalry, but at the end of the day, we have an unbreakable bond and I wouldn’t want to have another partner in this journey. – Carly
Yes. We love each other no matter what even when we fight with each other. We always get through it. We are complete opposites so stuff like that is bound to happen. We compliment each other’s strengths and improve our weaknesses at the end of the day. -KTJ
How did moving from Texas to California influence your artistry?
Yes! Moving to California was the best idea we had in regard to artist growth. We were constantly surrounded by other creators and people with similar goals and interests. Just like in any position in life, it is so important to surround yourself with people of like mind. Not only that, but since – in my opinion – LA and Nashville are the hearts of music, we were constantly surrounded by opportunities for connections, gigs, and marketing. We were quite nervous at first to move out there because from where I stood in Texas, LA seemed to have a bad reputation in terms of society. However, being there I felt so happy and understood in the music industry. It has helped us grow tremendously as artists and people. – Carly
100% in such a great way. California is very free spirited and colorful. Texas is very fast paced and serious. They both have taught us so much about surviving in the industry. -KTJ
Last fall, you released your amazing debut EP Identity. Since then, how would you say you’ve grown as artists?
We’re constantly growing and changing, and I think after the EP we’re much more confident with the music we release. There is always that invisible standard to release commercial music but we realized in the creative process that we could write and produce what WE wanted, not what we thought others wanted to hear. It becomes so much more authentic in that way. We have grown so much since then because we have understood that if we write the truth, then someone is bound to connect to it. -KTJ
What has been one of the sweetest moments of your career so far?
Honestly, this happened a few weeks ago and it made me so happy. We don’t have a huge fan base yet, but we had someone we didn’t know DM us about how our music was helping them get through really hard times, how it was helping them. I cried when I read it. It was proof that our goal and mission we had in the beginning was working. It is why we decided to make music; to connect, to make people not feel alone in their life and personal situations. This person probably doesn’t even realize how much of an effect it had on me but that was definitely one of many sweet moments I’ve had. – Carly
What’s something you’re *really* looking forward to in 2021?
Hopefully live shows!!! I hope by the end of the year we at least get to perform one live show. We miss it so so much. – Carly
Finally, do you prefer to drink soda from a bottle, can, or cup? (There’s always a slight difference in taste!)
I don’t think I’ve ever been asked this so I didn’t realize I did this until now, but I always pour my cans in a cup with ice and drink it with a straw hahaha. I don’t really know why. I think I just like it super cold haha and it is less likely to hit my teeth lol but it does taste so much better that way. – Carly
A cup. Bottles are really hipster and cool but cups are it. – KTJ
Check out “Cherry Coke” below, and say hi to KTJ & Carly on Instagram @ktjcarly and Twitter @ktjcarlymusic!
