I am absolutely positive you have heard of these two beautiful girls. They were and still are Youtube famous, they have toured with Boyce Avenue and many other amazing names, host Country Nation, and are now taking on the country music world. These two twin sisters are the epitome of down to earth, talented, kind-hearted people. They have a love for what they do, they have a gift in their ability to write a song and sing it, and have a love for their fans. It is like they were made to be in the country music world. I got to see them live for the first time in December, and their energy was so much fun. I had of course watched many covers over the years, and was so excited to see them in action. As I watched, it was amazing to me how much talent came in these two sisters and how much fun they had together. Their EP, “Simple Life” is an amazing start into the country world with songs and stories that every girl can relate to, and a sound that brings the twang. I was able to catch up with them this week to ask them about their music, Taylor Swift, their style, and more. I had so much fun talking to them, it was like talking to my best friends, so I hope you love this as much as I loved doing it.
PS. This is longer than some because I kept it really like our conversation to get the way in which the interview went down, so there is a lot of back and forth between us all to show the fun! 🙂
I like to start with a random question, so right now, your favorite tv show?
Liz: I have to say Friends, because it is on Netflix right now, and I could watch it back to back to back. So Friends is number one for me.
Megan: It is really hard for me to get into TV shows, just because I am a like to get things done person, so TV shows feel unfinished to me, but I have really been getting into House of Cards on Netflix.
Ok so kind of from the beginning of your career, you started putting covers on Youtube, you then became a phenomenon on Youtube, and then you did your own pop thing, but now you moved to Nashville, y’all are doing country, so what was that journey kind of like, and why country now?
Well the thing about country music for us, is the pop music thing that we were doing always sounded like country. The way we write our songs, the way we grew up in writing songs was in Nashville. We lived in Nash for 2 years before we moved to LA for like a second, then back to Nashville. So it is almost like we have always been here, and we have always been writing these more country leading songs, but we just officially decided to start making the change and the commitment to country music because we feel it is just so much more. We feel like we make better music here in Nashville, and we are creating a longer career for ourselves here, so we are really loving it.
Yeah, Nashville is the best place, I love it. Do y’all have a favorite thing to do there?
We both just love going to shows, and writer’s rounds. Especially when your friends are playing, that is just so fun. Nashville ensures, no matter where you go, everybody is great. You can’t go see a bad writer’s round, so we love doing that.
And I have loved all of your music, but I just feel like country, you both tell stories so well in your songs, and that is what country music is about is telling a story that is personal, and not just something random. It is real life stories. Do you have a favorite song you have written?
Megan: Honestly it changes based on the time in my life that I am at because sometimes I can relate more to the song I wrote a couple of years ago more than the one I wrote yesterday, but honestly one of my favorites of all time is “Like I Would,” which came out a couple of years ago. Yeah, it was the first country song we got our label to put out and we were so excited. So that was a moment of liberation for me.
Liz: For me, I would say the song I am most proud of is a song called, “White T-Shirt.” It is not officially out, but you know it is on our sound cloud. I don’t know I just feel like that song was also a pretty big turning point for us, and kind of like the game changer for us to be like, “ok, this is the kind of music that we should be writing all the time.” And after we wrote that song, it was like ok, this is it and so it is still just one of my favorites, and it still means a lot to both of us, so mine is definitely “White T-Shirt.”
I love y’all’s sound cloud because it has little things people haven’t maybe heard. Like a “Little Drunk” is soo good!
Yes, thank you!! Yeah, that sound cloud was kind of like an experiment almost. Like we don’t talk about it a ton, but you know it just kind of like a place we can put up unreleased stuff and see what people are responding to. Especially in this kind of new space we are in, so it is like a good tester.
Yeah, every song y’all have uploaded is amazing. The testing is great!
Awww thank you!
For y’all too, did you always know…like y’all are like the twins and y’all are both super talented. But did that all of a sudden kind of come, were your parents like “oh wow, our kids are super talented!?” How did that come to be?
Honestly, it sounds cheesy when people are like “oh I know I was born to do this.” But that is how Megan and I have always been. You know, this has been something since we were little girls we just knew in everything that we were that we were meant to be artists, meant to be musicians, we were meant to be entertainers, there was no other question really. It just like, ok yeah when we grow up, we are going to live somewhere where we can do music as a job. We were lucky enough to have the situations we have had, with Youtube, and our parents were super supportive. But if anything, we forced our mom to take us to the talent shows, we dragged her around more than she did. They were very supportive, and that is how we are able to do what we do. I think we have always known this is it.
So did songwriting come before singing or did singing before songwriting?
Umm, we were definitely singing before we were songwriting. But I remember writing our first songs when we were like 10 probably. They were awful awful songs. But we did it, and we got them done, but man not good.
Songwriting is such a beautiful art to me, and Nashville is so known for their songwriters. Have y’all written that you were in awe of?
I mean, I feel like every writer has their own style, and in every writing session I am amazed by something that a co-writer will do. It is usually something that you would never think of and you are like “oh my gosh, that is so cool that you would think of that and that it works!” But I think one of our favorite writing sessions, or like writers we were able to be in the room with was Max Martin of course. Like he is the king of melodies. That was one of the first times we were like oh my gosh these melodies are like truly, like I understand why he is so legendary and why you know he is so successful because you just experience those melodies that he comes up with, and they are just like so insane. So we have to say Max Martin.
Little tid bit for the readers, he definitely worked with Taylor Swift on 1989 didn’t he?
Yeah he did!
That is super cool!
We will throw some Taylor in there, because we all love Taylor.
Yeah we do!
Ok, lets throwback a few years back, where you were on Oprah, and got to meet Taylor. I mean, how was that?! Who goes on Oprah, that is so cool!
Megan: Honestly, that experience still to this day is just so out of nowhere and like life changing. We were just so young, we were 16 at the time. We had no…I literally can’t even put it into words, because it all happened so fast. I mean we were just these two girls from this small town of like 1200 people, and then something huge like that happened, it was just life changing. And I think that ignited the fire that we already had in us.
I re-watched it last night, people always wonder, is it authentic. Like did you know Oprah would be on the screen or was it like a complete surprise?
That whole experience, we got an email from Oprah’s producers and they said that we were going to auditioning for the producers for a possible Youtube musician’s show, and we were like oh my gosh that’s awesome, that is why we are like sitting in front of that Skype with our guitar, because we thought we were Skyping in with their producers. So, we were waiting around for the producer to come on, and they were really late, and we were like “is there anyway we can move this” like we were cheerleaders at the time, and we had to leave for like a football game. The producer was like no, we can’t move it, they are almost done, just wait a second, and then all of a sudden literally Oprah came on the screen and that whole thing was us genuinely reacting because we were supposed to be talking to a producer.
Y’all’s reactions were perfect, like they were so genuine, because like what do you do when Oprah comes on your screen?
Yeah we said, “dude it’s Oprah.”
I mean yeah it is a pretty cool moment. Yeah, and then you got to meet Taylor later on. Have you seen her since that whole thing?
Yeah we actually saw her when we performed at iHeart radio in 2012. It was really cool because it was kind of went like full circle, you know like we were performing at the same show she was, she knew our song at the time which was “Bad for Me.” She sang a little bit of it to us, which is still to this day is still one of the coolest moments of my life.
I would have had a panic attack. That is so awesome!
So y’all are known for your style. Which is very good btw.
Aww thank you!
Oh yes! But y’all are both so different. At one point both of you were brunette, and then one became a blonde. Was that because you got older, and wanted you to show we are different personalities?
Megan: I think the blonde happened for Liz when somebody at our management, was like you know everyone asking who is Megan and who is Liz, and we can’t say the brunette one is Megan, and the blonde one is Liz, because Liz is brunette, so they were like Liz have you ever thought about going blonde? And she was like, oh you know I have thought about it sometimes, and then they were like you should try it. And now she is so happy somebody said something because she is like platinum blonde right now.
Liz: I love it!
Yeah, when we saw you at Song Suffragettes, I loved it, it is such a good color on you. Because some people go blonde, and don’t know if it looks good, but you look awesome.
Megan: Well, I think she was born to be a blonde honestly.
Liz: Yeahhhhh
Megan: It was just that little push.
But you have different styles, you kind of remind me, I don’t know if you will take this as a compliment, but Mary Kate and Ashley.
Both: Oh yeah!!
They are beautiful, and have such different styles. So what would you describe both of your styles to be.
Megan: I would say yours is definitely more hipster than me. I definitely tend to lean more preppy, on the preppy side. Liz likes to get really really crazy with her outfits.
Liz: I just like different, like I will try anything. Like some days I will try and look vintage today, and some days I wanna be, like wear all black. I don’t know…
You like to experiment?
Liz: I am adventurous, and I love to experiment. And Megan’s definitely more like classic, like girly girl sort of thing, that sort of thing, Gossip Girl…
Megan: Yeahh
Ooh Gossip Girl all the way. We keep naming TV shows I love. Gossip Girl, Chuck Bass…yes
Liz: Man, don’t even get me started on Nate. I need a Nate Archibald in my life.
Right, and I love Dan, like him and Serena
Both: Oh yeah, every guy in that show, is so attractive.
Ok, so y’all are hosting Country Nation, and you rock at it. Did you ever think you would both want to do journalism or something like that? Because you very natural at it.
Liz: Well thank you, yeah actually for the brief moment we were considering going to school, and staying in Michigan, which was a very brief moment, but I mean it happened haha, we were both considering studying broadcast journalism, to be like hosts of a news channel or something like that. So we have definitely always been passionate about hosting and being like a personality and I don’t know, I feel like that kind of goes with the entertainment blood in us.
Now, okay Liz, my friends and I still quote you from when we saw you at Song Suffragettes, it was brilliant with your hand dancing.
Oh yeah!
Which do you play or do you let Megan take the cake for that?
Liz: Honestly it isn’t like I haven’t tried. I have tried playing guitar, I have tried playing mandolin, like I did mandolin lessons, like I stuck at it for a good long time, but honestly as I am getting older, and realizing what is in my creative brain, and I don’t think playing an instrument is one of them. It is not something that I am really passionate about. I don’t know, I feel like there is a lot of other things that I am very creatively drawn to, but playing an instrument is just not one. I think as I have grown up, and admitted that, it is kind of like a relief a little bit, and I mean Megan is so talented
Megan: Oh Liz, stop haha
But really though, sometimes it just isn’t for people, some people excel at it, and some don’t. But you have the hand dancing down to the tee, so it is great.
Liz: Well, thank you! Yeah that is a talent. You know, I don’t mess around with that.
Really though. For me, I would be like “hand goes where, oh look microphone, yes.”
Liz: Having no shame about it, that is the trick.
Speaking of Song Suffragettes, had y’all played it before?
No actually, that was the first one we played ever.
It was my first time getting to see, because I watch on Youtube all the time, and y’all did such a great job. Why do you think it so important to have something like that in Nashville, especially because of this big topic with women in country music? Do you think Song Suffragettes is pivotal to have in Nashville right now?
I absolutely do. I feel like just even saying this is girls only, this is us saying, um hello, we are here and you know there are women and girls right in town who are writing these songs that deserve to be heard. It is just really really cool and so important because why aren’t there any women in country music? It is kind of like a lull in that market and just to have something every week that is presenting these girls who are writing these songs, saying hey we are here and we have these amazing songs, it is just great.
It is very eye opening, and I feel like so many go and that is such an awesome thing. Your night was packed, and this is what people need to see. There are so many talented girls. You have you, you have Betsy, and her songwriting is so good. And even the people in the market, like Danielle Bradbery, Cassadee Pope, Jana Kramer, all of them. Why aren’t they played more? The guys are great don’t get me wrong, and I was so excited Maddie and Tae finally broke through. I just like girls in country music.
Though kudos to Sam Hunt for not singing about me in the back of a truck.
Oh totally!
Which speaking of Sam, you got to go to his house party release party? Right?
Megan: Liz did. Yes!
How was that? Did you fangirl at all? haha
Liz: The thing is I really don’t fangirl a lot. I just think people are people, and talented people are just people too. But for me with Sam Hunt, like he is just my favorite writer. I loved him as a writer way before he was even an artists, like way before I saw his face, I loved his music. I don’t know, it was really cool, I got to meet him in person, and I was so nervous because I just love him so much as like a creative mind, and so I definitely was fangirling a lot. And it was really cool, because he is so cool and the Nashville scene is so chill and everything is really friendly. It was really great, and he is just a great artist.
Favorite Sam song?
Liz: Ummm, I really like, well actually my favorite Sam Hunt song is one that was on his sound cloud, but wasn’t on his record and no one has cut it, but it is a song called “Bottle It Up.”
Yes! Absolutely, one of my favorites too.
Have you met someone where you have had a moment where you were like…”oh heyyyy, hi….” And kind of freaked out.
Liz: For me, it was Sam Hunt honestly. I was just so “fangirly” about him and I think he is a great artist.
Megan: Luke Bryan is who got me.
Oh man, I bet, amen to that haha. He is great.
Ok, so I was watching your Macy’s roadtrip. You went to NOLA, congrats Megan for eating an oyster.
Megan: Thank you haha…it was a challenge.
Yes hahah….and you had crawfish right?
Both: Yes!
I know it is weird, but did yall like any of it?
Oh I love the crawfish, and we had oysters that we were fried and cooked. It was delicious. I just don’t like raw, the texture was just slimy and weird.
Yeah I am with you. Fried is definitely the way to go!
Now living in Nashville, CMA Fest. Will yall be doing anything this year?
I really hope so! Everybody always talks about it, it is a good time to be in Nashville and meet everybody. So hopefully, yes! The next one we will be doing something.
Ahhh I hope so!
I love the new Simple Life EP. And I just love the song Simple Life, because especially in the world yall are living in, to just sit back and do nothing is probably wonderful, like bake cookies. But one song that really stuck out to me, because I am 21, is “New at This.” It is brilliant!
Both: AHH thank you!!
I watched something like that bartenders made fun, and I am with y’all on having no idea what to order. Did you ever figure out a drink that you liked?
Yes we both did! We both have a go to now.
Liz: I kind of like a boring drink order but I really like vodka tonic. It is not fruity or whatever, but I think it taste like water, like that is the best part for me. It is like I can’t even taste the alcohol, because I hate the taste of alcohol.
Megan: If I have the option, I will for sure go for red wine. I love wine. If it is not an option, I like Captain and Coke. I cannot taste the alcohol. I like it a lot.
I am with y’all. I don’t like it.
Megan: Like honestly, we don’t drink that often. Like we thought after turning 21 we would drink more. Maybe after a long day I will drink a glass of wine, like twice a week is about it.
Yep, I will drink coke, water, maybe some coffee actually.
Do you pick who sings, like whoever wrote most of the song will sing it?
Oh no, honestly it is really funny because people always think we like fight over who sings the most, and honestly we could care less. We just want the song to sound good, there is no competition, there is no underlying oh I need to sing more, it honestly what makes the song best. It is for the song.
Yeah, I wasn’t sure if like for Liz with “Karma” if she sings more because it is more of like her story or how that worked.
No, it just what sounds better on the song.
Yeah that makes sense.
So a friend of mine knew your name when we saw you in December, but I played the “Last Kiss” cover with Boyce and she freaked out when she figured out that was y’all. I promise you that is probably our favorite, the way the change of words happened and the harmonies. How did that come to be?
We had toured with them, that was our very first like real tour. At the end of the tour, it ended in Orlando, and half way through the tour they were like we really want to do a cover with you guys. Let’s plan to do it at the end of the tour, and stay a few extra days in Orlando, and that is kind of how that was born. They are so great, such great guys, and really really smart, and really really talented. That was great, and still one of my favorite videos we have done.
I have some fan questions from Twitter in a second, but you have worked a long side some awesome people. Has there been any advice that you really took to heart and used?
I think the one for both of us was from Amy from Karmen. She told us, learn to do your own hair and make up for everything, because it will save you the most time and the most money. That has proven to be so true. It is almost to the point where sometimes people will want to work with you just because you can do your own hair and make up. Because they will be like, oh we can’t fit that in the budget, or stuff like that, it is just a really big thing that has helped us a lot and has made it a lot easier and cheaper for everybody involved. That is the best advice that we have gotten and it has worked out great.
Ok, so Emma on Twitter asked some questions. The first is what is your favorite thing about writing letters to your Macers, and have you learned or discovered anything?
Ahh the letters. This has been a really cool, experiment for us and for the people getting them too just because you learn a lot about the person. We are really trying to like look up their names on Twitter and remember people, and we are really trying to make it personal. It kind of reached a whole new personal connection with a lot of people. It just feels really special, and I feel closer to everybody from doing it. I think definitely learned that and learned also that next time we do this, we are going to hire somebody to pack them all up for us. Because fighting with these envelopes, and stamps, and return things, it is just like omg, probably the most time consuming part. That part is tedious, but that part is honestly so worth it, to see everybody reacting to them.
So y’all have had some really awesome feedback? I have seen some.
Yeah, we posted a video on our Twitter today and it was like of somebody getting it, and opening it, and talking about it. I was literally sitting in the car crying, like I was bawling because it touched me so much. Definitely makes the envelopes worth it.
And social media is so great for that, because you have a faster way to connect and talk to fans, but letters are so personal and I think it is awesome that you are taking the time to do that.
What should we expect as far as youtube, music & shows go for this year? Will they be trying to travel new places?
Yes, I mean everything is kind of like in the works. We are working on more dates, and it not necessarily a tour, but it is just more random dates, and events, and things like that. Oh we are doing a show in Arkansas, Thunder on the Mountain, like a huge music festival. We are so excited about that. That is kind of like our first really big country festival that we have ever played, so we are stoked about it. We are playing that…
You are playing with some really awesome people.
Yeah we are playing I think, like the day we are playing, it is The Band Perry and I know Carrie Underwood is playing that festival but I don’t know what day or anything, but we are so excited.
Y’all are going to rock that! So you have some stuff coming up, so just keep in touch on Twitter and everything.
Yes absolutely.
What is your favorite thing about meeting your fans?
Well for me, it is everything. Just meeting people in general, it is just so cool to see how our fans, but I hate saying that word, because I feel like they are not our fans, they are people who help us, and we all help each other, and just meeting them and seeing how in general the type of girl that comes to all of our shows is just so smart, and they are all so strong and beautiful. It is just really really cool to meet these young women, mostly young women, we get a few guys, but mostly young women haha, who are just totally excited about life and passionate about so many different things and kind of getting like a little peek into their lives for like 5 minutes is just so excited and that’s like my favorite part and to see how we kind of help them achieve those goals and make them believe that they can do it, that is everything, that is why we do this is to help them and to help them and help people feel like they can do whatever they want to do. And seeing that in person is like the best thing.
That was such a good answer, I have asked that a lot, and that was just a really good answer.
Awww thank you!
You have a new single coming out…
Yeah we have a new single coming out on February 16. It is called “All The Way.” We actually wrote it like 2 years ago, and it is just now seeing the light of day. We are so excited about it. It is a ballad, a love song, and we are just so excited for it to come out.
It is that crazy too? How a song could be written 2 years ago, but it come to life 2 years later? Is that how it kind of works sometimes?
Oh absolutely, I think for this song especially the reason it was never released was because it didn’t really fit our sound that we were playing two years ago. You know and then we finally with now, it fits us perfectly. Sometimes a song are written and then they come back and this is just one of those songs, so we are very very excited about it.
I can’t wait to hear it! And then y’all “That Ghost” which oh my gosh, is so good!
Ohh yes, thank you! We are going to do a recording of that one eventually. I can’t say when, I don’t know when, but it will be out eventually.
Ok! Good enough haha.
Ok, so I always like to end with a little game to get to know you!
Flash Round:
Favorite Smell:
Liz: Lavender, love it!
Megan: I love the smell of cupcake scented candles
Favorite Album when you were 16:
Both: Fearless!
Favorite song on the radio right now:
Megan: Taylor Swift’s All You Had to Do Was Stay”
Liz: Nick Jonas “Jealous”
Dream duet partner…other than each of you….haha
Liz: I think having a great male singer would be really awesome. Like the lead singer of Eli Young Band, love Thomas Rhett a lot, Sam Hunt, I mean hey…
Favorite item of clothing you own:
Liz: high socks, over the knee, because I think they make any outfit look cute
Megan: probably like a big t-shirt, because you can wear a big t-shirt with like ripped jeans and that would be cute, you can wear it with a sweater and knee socks and have it be cute, it just goes with so many things
Any cool person that you have met? Actors, singers, etc?
Liz: One time we got to interview Jennifer Garner, and that was really cool. Yeah I fangirled over that.
Megan: One time Brittany Snow was in our cycle class and I fangirled over that. I was freaking out, I loved her when I was younger.
Best movie that you have seen recently?
Both: Gone Girl
Guilty Pleasure?
Megan: Chocolate covered strawberries
Liz: I have no shame in anything hahah
Favorite quote:
Liz: “Just because another is beautiful, does not mean that there is a lack of your own beauty.” I feel like that applies to talent, just physical appearance, I don’t know, just because someone else is doing great, doesn’t mean that you can’t do great. Just because someone else is beautiful, doesn’t mean that you aren’t beautiful too. I just feel like there is this whole thing where it is like, “oh she is so hot, that makes me feel like crap.” But it is like no, that is not how it should be. You should appreciate other people for being beautiful and for being smart, being talented and realize it has nothing to do with you.
Megan: I think mine would have to be whatever is meant to happen is going to happen thing. Because it is so true. You know, you worry about things all the time, everybody does. Everything is going to happen the way it is supposed to happen, and life is a lot easier if we just stop worrying about it, and let it happen.
Follow them!
Facebook: Megan and Liz
Instagram: meganandliz
Twitter: @meganandliz
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