carly and martina

carly & martina

words by VANESSA SALLES photos by CARLY AND MARTINA

Best described as authentic, Carly and Martina stay true to themselves in all that they do. Hailing from Chicago, the twin sisters and singer-songwriters have officially claimed their space on the music scene. Having written, produced, mixed, and arranged all of the tracks off their debut album, Are You Listening?, Carly and Martina hope to motivate and inspire their generation, proving that music can create a pathway to unity. We talked to the rising artists about their creative process, career goals, and so much more.

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Take us back to the beginning; when did you know music was something you wanted to pursue together?

We started writing songs together in middle school but never thought it was a career opportunity until a producer at a label happened to hear us performing a song we wrote for our friends and family at summer camp and wanted to sign us. It was then that we realized that there could potentially be a future in this industry!

Throughout your musical journey, how would you describe the evolution of your sound?

It’s really funny that you ask that - this album is the first time we truly found our sound. We used to be very affected by what people in the industry had to say; we went from pop to bubblegum pop to acoustic folk, but

we were never really satisfied with any of it. We thought we’d never be able to make music we loved and almost gave up a month before we started producing ourselves. Finally, when we decided to try making our music completely on our own in quarantine - writing, producing, and mixing ourselves – that’s when we found our sound, which is lush basement pop, rooted in R&B.

Tell us about your single, ‘Honeymoon’ – what’s the story behind the song? What has the reaction been like from fans?

This was the second song we ever completely wrote and produced ourselves. There isn’t a specific person who inspired the song, but more of a feeling we’ve gotten from multiple people that we wanted to bring to life. We’re so enchanted by the honeymoon phase of relationships, and how it can take ordinary events or moments and make them feel like you’re in a movie, so we wanted to dedicate an entire song to that. The flow of the song is very “stream of consciousness.” Our fans seem to love it and we’re really happy about that!

Tell us about your album! How long has it been in the works and what does it mean to you to finally be releasing it?

We started creating our album in quarantine, so it actually hasn’t been in the works for very long! It happened really fast since we were in complete isolation when making it [because of quarantine], and there were no distractions. It’s a concept album, following the journey of someone who goes through love, loss and, eventual acceptance, and it was really fulfilling to be able to write that story and see it through. For us, songs are about storytelling and it’s hard to write a complete story with multiple chapters in just 3 minutes. This album gave us a chance to really make songs that were different from each other but still belonged together. There are songs you can bump to and songs you can cry to, but they all fit together. We’re really proud of it so to finally be releasing this album is a really cool moment for us!

Are there any memorable behind-thescenes moments from recording/writing the album that you can share with us?

We wrote the lead single, “Your Song,” in our kitchen at 2am while late-night snacking on guac and chips. We were just eating and talking, and then Martina started playing some chords just for fun. Immediately, I started humming the chorus melody and saying some lyrics, and then it was just us banging on the table to make the drum beat and yelling, “I keep hearing your song…” until we wrote the song! It was honestly one of the best nights of quarantine and the first moment we actually felt like we had created something really good.

Is there a track off the album that means the most you? What’s the story behind it?

We kind of think of our songs like our kids, so we hate playing favorites! We have to love them equally, haha! One moment that really makes us feel like even more of twins than we are is that Carly wrote “Dangerous Things” in a dream and I had already started working on a vibe for a track that fit perfectly to her song without knowing she wrote it! That was kind of freaky, but in a cool way.

How would you describe your creative process?

It’s super loose and never happens the same way twice! We get inspired by everything - things our friends say, sounds of traffic… there’s no formula! In “For Life,” the beginning has the sound of children playing that we were inspired by. We try to let ourselves get inspired by anything and start working in whatever way feels natural. We never want to squash an idea because it wasn’t the way we did it last time.

When it comes to stage presence, which artist(s) are you inspired by?

Rihanna, Rihanna, and Rihanna. She makes it look so effortless.

Which artists are on your dream collab list?

We love Pink Sweat$, Miley Cyrus, and Harry Styles!

When it comes to your ultimate career goals, what comes to mind?

We’d love to be writing for plays and movies, as well as touring! Ultimately, though, we’d like to end up behind the scenes helping other artists grow! Maybe one day we can start an artist-friendly (and writer-friendly) record label!

As sisters, what are the pros and cons of working so closely together in both your personal and business lives?

The pros are that we can be completely honest with each other and the cons are that we’re completely honest with each other, haha! It takes a lot of communication and empathy to make it work, but we really care about each other and our goals so we make it happen.

What’s something about each of you that fans might be surprised to learn?

Carly: I’m the actual worst cook in the world. Maybe everybody knows that already but I’m hoping to change that one day, haha! Martina: I paint all of my friends’ jackets and shoes! I love designing clothes and helping my friends stand out!

How would you describe your personal style? Which celeb closets would you love to raid?

We have similar personal style. It’s classic but with a twist! We love paying homage to different decades of style and mixing them together to create our own kind of thing. We’d love to raid the closets of Kacey Musgraves, Halsey, and Gwen Stefani.

With a growing social following, what’s the best way for fans to get your attention online?

We always answer our comments and DMs! Just by being active, fans will get our attention! We love talking to them online so we’re always looking to meet new fans!

Though this year has been a tough one for all, what’s the biggest lesson you’d say you’ve learned?

The biggest lesson we’ve learned is to trust ourselves and our own abilities.

Any special message for fans?

We love you and thank you for listening to our music!!!