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Artist Interviews
Q&A: Jedward
By CMU Editorial | Published on Wednesday 21 July 2010
So, where to start? Collectively known as Jedward, twins John and Edward Grimes are an Irish pop duo who rose to fame after finishing fifth in last year’s ‘X-Factor’. Also known for their distinctive gravity defying blonde quiffs, the twins have split public opinion with their pop tunes and hyperactive performances.
Their debut single ‘Under Pressure (Ice Ice Baby)’, a collaboration with Vanilla Ice, was released back in January, reaching number two in the UK charts. Since then, the duo have been working on their debut album ‘Planet Jedward’ with producer Nigel Wright (Take That, Boyzone), which is due for release on 26 Jul, along with the first single to be taken from the LP, a cover of Blink 182’s ‘All The Small Things’. We caught up with John and Edward to find out more.
Q1 How did you start out making music?
Ever since we were little kids we kinda had no choice. It seemed normal to be performing and having little shows for our friends and family. We loved Disney and cartoons when we were younger – we think that influenced our attitude towards life! Us being twins always made us different! One Christmas we got violins and the next one we got guitars, we always did the normal things – singing in the mirror, thinking you were performing for millions with a hairbrush! We used to carry a note book and right down things that we thought were cool and write little songs but now we are really focusing on doing that and in the future writing all our own songs.
Q2 What inspired your latest album?
‘Planet Jedward’ is the concept of the album and brought the whole album together and we got really excited because when we have the ideas for the videos and tour and we can see that in our heads! We get really excited! ‘Planet Jedward’ is all about fun, fans, tricks, new world, spontaneity, eccentric, animals, fire, love! We needed freedom to really express ourselves and our crazy ideas to our fans. That’s really what ‘Planet Jedward’ is about!
Q3 What process do you go through in creating a track?
We go into the studio and we never know what’s going to happen, it’s like an experiment. We hear a beat, and we get on a vibe for a song, and start writing and sharing ideas! You know, it’s really a great feeling to be in the studio, we are loving the music right now and working with all different producers is really exciting, and that adds loads of different flavours to an album, like sweets, and each track is unique! We have to be in the zone. When we are in the studio we have to think like we are performing to thousands of people to get the energy and life in our vocals! We have a huge input and are always looking for something different, and they are the types of songs we as artists get excited about! We always want every track on the album to be a potential single and Jepic and Jeadly, just like Jedward (John and Edward together! Name given by our fans!)
Q4 Which artists influence your work?
You know, all the early music from Elvis. And he inspired our hair! Justin Timberlake just put the level of male entertainment all the way up there. He does acting, he has a great voice and that’s really the person we look up to… that type of entertainer and dancer! Triple threat! We love Britney Spears, she does what she wants to do, and that’s why she is Britney Spears!
Q5 What would you say to someone experiencing your music for the first time?
90s pop! As time goes by, people will see who we are for who we are and every time we do a project we learn something new! We know what it takes to put on a good show for the fans and that’s what we are about. We love entertaining! The most boring thing in the world is silence! So we intend on making music for ever because we are twin brothers and it’s kinda hard to split! But we want to learn loads of musical instruments because there is no such thing as the top for us. We always have to work harder and harder because someone in life is always trying to take your place! Oh yeah, you need to have an open space because you will wanna get up and dance!
Q6 What are your ambitions for your latest album, and for the future?
We always dreamed of having a number one album and number one single! When we buy an album, we like when you don’t have to skip any songs. That’s the kind of album we are making. There’s something on there for everyone, R&B, pop, punk, rock. We are twins and only eighteen years old and we think people are always looking for something that’s new, something exciting, something different! We intend on making good music and music that our fans want to hear and once a good song always a good song and young people nowadays have an ear for pop music because it puts you in a good mood and makes you happy! We are really excited about going on the road and taking it to the next level because we are all about performing and we love our shows!
MORE>> www.planetjedward.net
