Tell us about yourself and your music
Hey there, we’re Nicole & Scotty! A musical sibling duo and recording/performing artists, songwriters, musicians, producers, and audio engineers. We got our start in 2013, right after we were discovered on YouTube and invited to tour with one of our biggest inspirations, Lisa Marie Presley (Elvis Presley’s daughter). We love and have always been drawn to Pop music with meaningful lyrics, so that’s what we love to write and release. Our first single (a break-up anthem titled “#Queen”:) was released October 5th, 2018, and has since reached over 60,000 streams on Spotify. Our follow up single (a soft house track titled “Can Be Beautiful”) was released on December 22nd, 2018, and got us featured on Billboard Sound and AXS.
Talk to us more about your latest release
Our latest release is an energetic Pop/Rock song with a burlesque vibe titled “Sweet N’ Sour”. It was just released on December 6th, 2019, and was inspired by a character from an indie-horror game that we’ll keep a secret for now (though we hope someone guesses, someday!).
What inspired you to write this release?
Last January we received a request to write a song for an ad that sounded “sweet, but sassy”. It took us no more than an hour for us to write, and when we were done, we came to a mutual agreement: we loved this song too much to give it away. So instead, we’re sharing it with our fans. “Sweet N’ Sour” has a rock element to it that our previous songs don’t have, which we’re super excited about. We love to genre-bend and get outside of our comfort zones, as both songwriters and performers.
Describe the writing and recording process
Both the writing and recording process for all of our songs happen in the same place: our home studio. So when either of us come up with a concept or have a melody in mind, we come together to bring life to that potential pretty quickly. We pretty much knocked out all the vocals (including back-ups and harmonies) in one 3 hour session because this song was so much fun. It’s our favorite to perform live as well, and usually opens all our shows.
Any plans to release a video?
Any plans to hit the road?
We’re constantly touring and playing shows! Last year we played 42 shows, including tours and festivals. Below are our upcoming scheduled dates as of right now:
Genghis Cohen, 10:20pm. Hollywood, CA – 3/6/20
TV Appearance on Sounds Within, 1-6pm. Pasadena, CA – 3/14/20
The Viper Room Acoustic Lounge, 10:30pm. Hollywood, CA – 3/23/20
The Viper Room Acoustic Lounge, 10:30pm. Hollywood, CA – 3/30/20
As an indie artist, how do you brand yourself and your music to stand out from the rest of the artists out there?
We’ve been indie for 6 years since starting work in the music industry, and finding our footing and figuring out our brand has definitely been a learning experience. Your brand is who you are as a band, and who you are as individuals. We’re both big nerds and total music lovers, and we think that our fans really appreciate that we’re honest with them about what we stand for and what our personalities are like. Though there are other sibling bands or duos out there, we feel that our music stands out because we’re just ourselves, and our experiences and life journeys are our own. There’s no one like you but you, ya know? And realizing that other artists aren’t your competition but rather kindred spirits is vital to surviving and thriving as an indie artist.
Who have you been listening to lately?
Oh dang – where to start! We’ve always been into electronic dance music (EDM), but recently we’re super into melodic dubstep. So artists like Illenium, Said The Sky, Dabin, William Black, Seven Lions. Trip Hop is a genre we draw inspiration from when writing our own music, so artists like Terror Jr., Kiiara, and Marian Hill have also been staples. The Broods are a sister/brother duo from New Zealand that we’re obsessed with. And Billie Eilish and her Finneas are brilliant as well!
Who are your biggest influences?
Once again – so many! Ever since I (Nicole) was little, Taylor Swift has been consistently inspiring me to write about my experiences, whether they’re good, bad, or ugly, haha. Ellie Goulding, Camila Cabello, Tori Kelly, Ed Sheeran, and Shawn Mendes are other long-time inspirations for both of us. Lennon Stella and Lolo Zouai are our latest discoveries. Christina Grimmie and her music inspire us both on a daily basis. For Scotty, John Mayer has always been his guitar hero. He’s also super into EDM and House music, so Martin Garrix, Avicii, Calvin Harris, The Chainsmokers and other DJs similar are his favorites. Like we said, so, so many!
Tell us about your passions
Forgive us if we’re kind of all over the place answering this question, haha. Music is what drives us forward, and is definitely what we’re most passionate about. We love writing, recording, performing, producing, and audio engineering more than anything. We love learning about the business aspect of the industry as well. We’re big nerds and love video games and watching YouTubers play or discuss theories about video games (Game Theory, anyone?). We’re also big animal lovers! We have cats, and just adopted a 5 month old husky, who’s the literal light of our lives now. Our family and our friends are extremely important to us, and we love to support our musical friends as much as possible as well.
What else is happening next in your world?
A ton of behind the scenes work is happening right now! Our fans can for sure expect more music from us in 2020. We’re also working on making tour arrangements, with the possibility of international travel on the table as well!
Thanks for an awesome interview, Nicole & Scotty
Connect with Nicole & Scotty
Website: https://www.nicoleandscotty.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nicoleandscotty/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicoleandscotty/Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheMusicinMe777Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcgKFMzFYClUX-VjpZJHJ-gReverbnation: https://www.reverbnation.com/nicolescotty
