Our favorite twins KTJ & Carly have just released a new single “Cherry Coke” and it is the perfect ode to our guilty pleasures. Synthy harmonizing and strong vocals from the girls set us up in a fierce going-out atmosphere. We are all going to be buying a lot of Cherry Cokes when things open up again. This song is serving us some serious nostalgia. We got to talk to the hot girl duo about creating with your sister, Cherry Coke, and what they get into when they’re not making music.
What’s it like making music with your sister? Did you get along when you were growing up too?
Carly: Honestly, it is the best thing ever. We got along well growing up. I think most twins are a bit more separated during childhood than we were. We were in every class together, even in high school, had the same friends (still do), the same extracurriculars… We practically did everything together growing up. We fight all the time… like a lot. All siblings do. But we love each other, we have a strong bond through trust and honesty. I think that is what makes this duo work so well because we are so brutally honest with each other haha. We don’t walk on eggshells around anything. It makes communication so much easier because not only are we honest, but we trust each other, and we know what works between us. Since we grew up together attached to the hip, we know what works in a business relationship between us. We know each other’s strengths and weaknesses. For every strength I have, is her weakness and for every weakness I have is her strength. We feed off of that to make a healthy business partner relationship. I don’t think I could’ve asked for a better partnership.
What about Cherry Coke inspired this song? When do you pick up a Cherry Coke? When do you resist it?
Carly: To me, Cherry Coke is the motif of this song. When we drink a Cherry Coke, we all know it is bad for us. It is not healthy, but we do it anyway because it tastes good. I find myself 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… To put it into the terms of the motif, I pick up a Cherry Coke all the time. I always try to resist it, or at least I tell myself I try to resist even when I don’t. Sometimes, I don’t even think about the consequences. It happens to us all. 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. The idea that the song is upbeat and allusive is a symbol in itself… Behind the groove, are consequences of the lyrics… In the chorus, it is only mentioned a couple times… we say, “I think I’m bound to lose.” This person KNOWS that they probably won’t win in the end. However, they do it anyway. It’s interesting to look at it from their point of view. 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… Why can’t she see it? He may just be her “Cherry Coke.”
What do you do when you’re not making music?
Carly: Usually when we aren’t making music we are working on our craft of acting! Alongside music, we also are actresses. Auditioning for TV/film. I also have been writing a screenplay with my best friend and co-writer Matthew that we can hopefully get on its feet soon. I love photography, audio and visual production, graphic design, and a huge movie buff. I love to hang out with my friends and family and meet new people.
KTJ: We generally love storytelling. Acting is such a huge passion of ours outside of music, and I think that being able to share different perspectives from the world is so important and it’s a lot of fun. I also love to work out, do yoga, paint, watch TV, read, garden, and hang with my family and friends.
Dream place to have a concert?
Carly: Dream places to have a concert would most definitely be at some big festival like Coachella, Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza… I have really wanted to perform at the Troubadour… What I would really love to do is perform out of the country soon. We have been waiting for COVID to end so we can do our first overseas performance in London… At this point, performing in someone’s backyard would be amazing… We are just excited to get back on stage soon as this virus calms down! We have been doing a lot of livestreams currently.
KTJ: Everything Carly said plus Madison Square Garden. You can never dream too big.