ARE JUNA & JOEY – THE MODERN DAY CARPENTERS
GEORGE WAYNE – This is a sad, seminal, historic and cataclysmic moment in time. You are kids, creative kids forging a definite path to acclaim and stardom. But what is it like as a teenager living through a pandemic…? What is the moment in time teaching you?
JUNA – It is definitely being taken out of normal everyday routines and being put into a whole new way of living. It’s teaching me to be more spontaneous so I won’t know what the future will be —so definitely to live life to the fullest. I learned also that homeschooling may be in my future and I can write more.
JOEY- Being by myself is something I don’t normally do—I am actually having a childhood —so very relaxed. It’s teaching me that in a few more years I will be on my own and in a weird way it’s a preparing me for the future. It’s teaching both Juna and me know how lucky we really are and we have a song called “Lucky” and when I sing it now I think about we are lucky that we are not sick and we have food. That life comes down to the basics.
GW – What’s been your favourite guilty pleasure during self-isolation?
JUNA – Tik Tok 14 hours a day
JOEY-Fortnite day and nite —haha and my new home gym in the garage.
GW – How does the creative collaboration work between both of you? Is it the melody before the arrangement before the lyrics? Talk about the working creative process between both of you.
JUNA -Usually, I come up with the story behind the song and some lyrics, then Joey will add instruments and chords.
JOEY- Since we usually co-write in Nashville I mainly come up with the melodies before lyrics and when it’s just Juna and I —I work on the melodies and harmonies.
GW- Who is responsible for most of the song-writing? Do you write your own music?
JUNA- Yes, we write our own music or co-write with hit songwriters in Nashville and LA, we both write but I usually come up with the storyline.
JOEY- We write our own music. And we always wrote together, Juna does the lyrics.
GW- Do you guys ever fight?
JUNA- We do, we mainly get along and work it out and resolve our issues-it’s almost always around the music and our creative differences—it’s not really fighting its bickering
JOEY- Most of the time we get along and laugh a lot—Juna always gets her way and that’s when I get riled up—she’s bossy. We are Italian—lol.
GW- And how are you guys still daring to dream during isolation?
JUNA-Actually, the online shows have made us dream even bigger—We have done so many interviews and online shows even under these circumstance—We are working more not less.
JOEY- I dreaming a world that is more caring after this. I feel optimistic like once this over we will get our chance to perform on stage again. We were just booking big things and now this year is gone but we are lucky cause we have time we are young.
GW- What’ s your favourite quarantine cover tune to sing whilst in the shower?
JUNA- “Thank You” by Dido—we were asked to do it for Grattitunes for the Vanderbilt hospital in Nashville for the Drs and nurses—and now I love that song—can not get it out of my head —and “Hole In The Bottle” by Kelsie Ballerini.
JOEY- I pick a different one every day the one I like the most is “Sunday Morning” my Mom hates it when I sing in the shower.
GW- How would you define your brand of music? What is Juna N Joey all about? What makes you special?
JUNA- We are defiantly Country Pop/Pop, our sibling harmonies are what makes us special and we play multiple instruments and understand music theory. Also, our age although I think there are a growing number of a very young artist breaking through.
JOEY-County Pop and it’s definitely the harmonies that make us special. Also, we are brother/sister so we practice all the time.
GW- Team Billie Eilish or Team Dua Lipa and why?
JUNA-Billy Eillish she so original and unique and her soft voice is pretty. Also, she and her brother remind us of us —and Joey is my older brother so we have that in common.
JOEY- I really like both, of course, I’ll say Billie Eilish her style of music is cool and unique. There is only one Billie and her songwriting is great.
GW- Talk about the EP and that whole narrative. Title for the album yet? What’s the tone you want to set. Will it be a major breakthrough? When will it debut?
JUNA- We are very excited it will be our first and we wrote and love all the songs on it. We can’t wait for our fans to hear our new music. I think our first one maybe self-titled or something I-N-T-R-O-D-U-C-I-N-G. It’s been delayed we are still hoping for the fall at this point.
JOEY-I t will be a breakthrough because we are definitely trying to get to the next level with all the people we will meet. By the time it’s released we will have our bases covered and a synchronized marketing effort so really looking forward to that and building on that with even more new music. I really hope we can release it this year. We are trying to get in the studio the first week of July in Nashville. We should call it “Home Computer”. Really do not know for now we had to release one of our songs “Drive Me Crazy” we had a sponsor for that song a car company —so we had to release it cause it was the only thing we had cut—our sponsor is in limbo so not sure when we will breakthrough —if not this EP maybe the next one. Maybe we should make our own cd “COVID Covers”. Yea, we’ll do that.
GW- Juna you were born an old soul! There is no way a young, tiny gal like you should have such a mature and resonant and intriguing vocal range.
JUNA- Well, I started at 4 so that means my voice is really 30 lol—when my manager Diane Delena told me our data was the same as her other country music artist and she was surprised our core audience is 18-25 and not younger—a lot of people tell me that when they meet after only hearing us online or radio -that I am only 15.
GW- What’s your favourite drugstore make up Juna?
JUNA- I just started wearing makeup. I have a makeup artist and I was sponsored by Julep for a while so I was only using their makeup so I would have to say if I went to a drugstore I would by ELF.
Joey-I wears chapstick and moisturizer lol.
GW- Joey how do you separate your role as a creative partner from role as big brother. How do you keep the two separate? Or is that not possible?
JOEY- Like I said before when we are creating Juna tries to dominate and that’s when the big brother and bickering comes out—I am more experienced with the chords and certain music theory she has not taken yet at our art school and that’s when the big brother comes out. Otherwise, we just get along and of course, I protect her from guys on the train on our way to and from school—I keep an eye on her.
GW- How are you making social distancing cool?
JUNA – We went to our fathers store it’s a farmers market and took pictures with him in front of his delivery trucks with social distancing to deliver food to the food bank -I thought that was cool—especially of my father for donating food to the community.
JOEY- Yes, definitely the coolest thing we did—also, walking the neighbourhood to look at the signs and hearts posted in our neighbour’s windows. I’ll let you later—we may have a radio thing we will see how they keep us apart at the Station for the food drive—that will be the coolest.
GW- One of my favourite tracks from Juna N Joey is their anti-bullying track “Anchor”.
Talk about that….
JUNA- Actually something happens to a friend of Joey’s and a person I knew and that is what made me write this song. I never thought it would be anything —I wrote “Anchor” when I was 13 and I played it on the piano for our manager when she was just starting with us and she started crying. She was like why haven’t you played that for me before and I didn’t want to cut it —I had no idea the meaning or power that it really had. Then we cut it and made the video and people in the industry and fans went crazy for it and it resonates with everyone. We have so much more to give with that song. I hope that it is played every year in October anti-bullying month until we stop bullying completely. It has become one of our missions.
JOEY-That has become a journey, not a song. That song is about that one special person that grounds you and lifts you up —for me personally that person that is Juna and vis versa. Making the video was a very awesome experience and we had our friends in it so that made it special. I really don’t understand how people can be so cruel —I will never get that.
GW- What track would you consider the breakout single that first put you, kids, on the map.
JUNA-“Stay Young” was our first track and really put us on the map. We were added to the radio promo cd called CDX it goes to all the DJs and our names were with all the other stars and their tracks that was incredible.
JOEY- Definitely, “Stay Young” it’s very catchy-I love the melodies— I have never heard a melody like that and the lyrics are very uplifting and “Anchor” and what Juna said about “Stay Young” and we did our first radio seminar where we were interviewed like stars and “Anchor” because it was our first original video track where we were played on many big outlets around the country and it is still being played and our manager said CMT wants to put it there too -so that’s amazing.
GW- Describe the music style of Juna N Joey.
JUNA- Nashville singer/songwriter, Country Pop Duo some people call us the modern-day Carpenters, at first I was upset and didn’t get it—we still have to get a chance to really listen to their music —we did “Solitaire” for a company for the COVID situation and then I got it! I think it’s a compliment to be compared to them her voice is stunning and amazing- my goal is to be as good as Karen Carpenter someday.
JOEY- Yes, totally agree with the emphasis on the
Pop—we are as Pop as we can get with the heart of country singer/songwriters and we do love older tunes in all genres we are multi-genre really. I always gravitate to R&B I love that vibe.
GW- Joey what other musical instruments have you mastered besides the guitar?
JOEY- Electric Guitar, Sax, piano.
JUNA- I also play the piano, keys the banjo and Cajon
GW- What artistes, musicians inspire you?
JUNA- Kelsie Ballerini, Dan and Shay and Florida Georgia Line
JOEY- Adam Levine, Stevie Wonder, Luke Combs
GW- Would you guys consider yourselves competitive? And if so, who is the more competitive of the two?
JUNA- Yes, very competitive for sure —I am and I have to win.
JOEY- I’d say me but, I always let her win.
GW- Where do you see yourself for the rest of this year?
JUNA- Sadly – I still see self-quarantine. We just did this new song “Solitare” if only for our mental health. We lost this year and we are still kind of bummed about that. And we are not sure what’s available for next year —lots of gigs on the road, fairs and festivals maybe homeschool? —I think you mean 2022 that’s when we will be on the BIG STAGE again.
