A Dirty Dozen with JUNA N JOEY – May 2021

According to a recent press release: “Following their recent success coming in runners up on Nickelodeon’s America’s Most Musical Family, brother and sister singer/songwriter duo Juna N Joey are following up with a new single “Something Good To Miss.” The song will be the first release of Juna N Joey’s self-titled EP produced by Ken Royster of the Luke Combs “Hurricane” fame. This new single is a perfect example of the brother/sister’s songwriting style and country pop sensibilities. Having grown their fan base to over 7 million viewers on YouTube and 6.6 million viewers on Tik Tok, Juna N Joey are ready to release some new music and get fans excited for their upcoming self-titled EP set for release in Spring 2021.” We get the duo to discuss new music, influences, and more…

1. Tell us a little about your latest release. What might a fan or listener not grab the first or second time they listen through? Are there any hidden nuggets you put in the material or that only diehard fans might find?

Juna: They might not realize that it happens to all of us–the feeling in this song relates to anyone who has fallen in love–it may take a quick minute to realize what the song is about–I like the nuances, the runs when I say “stealing time” over top of Joey-it’s like I am echoing Joey–it took a long time to get that right and listeners may not realize that is a little gem that took us forever to perfect–so I love that line.

Joey: ”Sneaking up in hanging out in my mind” lyric –we all do this sometimes–sort of daydream about someone and not realize we are doing that–you have to listen closely to get that line and think about it.

2. What got you into music, and can you tell us about the moment you realized you wanted to be a musician?

Juna: I saw the show Little Rascals when I was four years old and I heard the little girl sing L.O.V.E. made famous by Frank Sinatra–I sang it for my parents and my parents gave me singing lessons.

Joey: Juna did–she took the lessons first then, I wanted to join her too.

3. Building on that, is there a specific song, album, performer, or live show that guided your musical taste?

Juna: That is hard for me I started on classical with Joey–then went to rock — it was Ariana Grande that made me interested in being an artist and would have to say Brett Young began our journey into country–Joey always listened to him–we covered him first.

Joey: Dan and Shay –we went to a concert and they sang “Alone Together” and Brett Young –100 percent.

4. Who would be your main five musical influences?

Juna: Elton John- Billy Joel, Arian Grande, Dan and Shay and Kelsie Ballerini.

Joey: Stevie Wonder, Adam Levine, Luke Combs, Brett Young and Michael Buble.

5. If you could call in any one collaborator to do a song with, who would it be, and why?

Juna: Dan and Shay, because of the harmonies, and that would be an awesome four part harmony with Joey and I.

Joey: I’ll say Luke Combs as an alternative–but definitely, Dan and Shay–it is all about the harmonies.

6. How would you describe your music to someone who’d never listened to you before? What is the one comparison a reviewer or fan has made that made you cringe or you disagreed with?

Juna: We get compared to Lady A a lot and The Carpenters at first that made me cringe then I heard them sing–she was amazing–we cover them as much as possible. Sometimes I listen to her on Pandora for inspiration and every time I am amazed.

Joey: It is crazy we get compared to Taylor Swift and The Carpenters a lot, maybe because she was young like us when she started and I get compared to Elvis–at first it made me think, wait what? And then we took a picture of me next to a picture of him and then I saw what they were saying, at least in the looks category–musically I didn’t understand when they said The Carpenters–obviously they are brother and sister–but now I think it is a major compliment. Maybe we could work with Richard someday –that would be dope. I read his bio and know of his amazing talents.

7. When your band is hanging out together, who cooks, who gets the drinks in, and who is first to crack out the acoustic guitars for a singalong?

Juna: Definitely I would cook and I make a killer cappuccino –Joey definitely the guitar–he is always singing–Our Mom has to tell him to go on vocal rest some days.

Joey: I definitely break out the acoustic, It is always in my hands.

8. When was the last time you were starstruck and who was it?

Juna: We went backstage to a Florida Georgia Line concert and I saw Morgan Whalen and Dan and Shay too–That was a crazy day–we see a lot of celebrities lately, so it happens often.

Joey: Maybe Tim Mc Graw, John Schnider, Morgan Evans, Cole Swindel and Hardy–they are all incredible -It was a good day at CRS.

9. What is the best part of being a musician? If you could no longer be a musician for whatever reason, what would be your dream job?

Juna: The best part for me is creating a piece and then performing –it is the best–I would own a Bakery if I were not in music for sure something with cooking.

Joey: Live shows in front of a big audience–that’s when i come alive–I would do something with health and wellness–dietitian, own a fitness center or even a holistic doctor of some kind.

10. What is one question you have always wanted an interviewer to ask – and what is the answer? Conversely, what question are you tired of answering?

Juna: ”How music changed my life”? Because it has tremendously. The ones I am tired of is “Do you and Joey get along”?–because that is a trick question –we do compared to most –but sometimes I snap at him when he gets stubborn or tells me how to sing. But I guess people really want to know that because we are siblings. We actually spend so much time together–we have to get along or this won’t work. And I have to be honest–he is pretty easy to get along with.

Joey: “Do you want me to call Dan and Shay and see if they want to collaborate”?–lol That is what I’d like to be asked. We should never get tired of answering questions. At least the press wants to interview us–we actually feel blessed.

11. Looking back over your career, is there a single moment or situation you feel was a misstep or you would like to have a “do over,” even if it didn’t change your current situation?

Juna: Not really, we aren’t old enough to have too many regrets yet, maybe we should have learned how to engineer better and do sound so we can control our sound more. And maybe paid more attention to my wardrobe–some photos can be used as blackmail lol.

Joey: I definitely would have practiced more and fix my hair more often–sometimes I look at my posts and say if I knew I was actually going to get more famous I would have looked better–but I still don’t do my hair right sometimes.

12. If you could magically go back in time and be a part of the recording sessions for any one record in history, which would you choose – and what does that record mean to you?

Juna: Elton John’s Yellow Brick Road–I saw his life story–I would have loved to witness that greatness in the studio.

Joey: Hanging Out with Stevie Wonder in Motown would have been everything to me.

BONUS QUESTION – Due to the current world situation with COVID-19 / quarantine / shelter in place, what have you discovered you miss the most from your life before the pandemic struck?

Juna: Freedom–Face to Face contact–and Touring.

Joey: Peace of mind for not just us but the world–the carefree feeling a kid should have–and hanging out with my friends. And first and foremost live venues.

JUNA & JOEY LINKS:

OFFICIAL SITE

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

Category: Interviews