Interview: LA Based, Stereo Jane, Chats With Glitter on Their Song Writing Process, New Found Success + on Being Sisters Who Rock
They say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, and that can be said for sisters, Sydney and Mia, who make up the alternative pop-rock duo, Stereo Jane. You would think after first glance the pair would be strutting down a runway with their model looks and fashion-savvy style or maybe that they are just another packaged pop act pushing dance moves before vocals and sound bytes before acoustics. Stereo Jane is anything but that. Their sound is a clean mix of pop and rock with empowering lyrics mixed with a seasoned and edgy sound. You can see how these siblings have been rocking together since they were toddlers. Newly based on the west coast, Stereo Jane is churning out hits like, “Holy Hell,” “Strangers,” and “Real World,” which pulls from influences like Twenty-One Pilots, Imagine Dragons, and icons like Aretha Franklin, Queen, and Amy Winehouse. Sydney and Mia have already been featured on an original motion picture soundtrack as well as lending their vocals to CBS’ The World’s Best. How’s that for new artists? Read on to find out more about these rising stars and how they are making a name for themselves and a sound all their own.
GLITTER: Where did you grow up and when and how did you, as sisters, start making music together?
STEREO JANE: We grew up in Bloomfield Hills, MI, a town just outside of Detroit. Our dad was actually auditioning bass players when we got home from the hospital as babies. We’ve always been around music because of our dad. We’ve loved music since we can remember. We started our band around the age of five.
STEREO JANE: We grew up in Bloomfield Hills, MI, a town just outside of Detroit. Our dad was actually auditioning bass players when we got home from the hospital as babies. We’ve always been around music because of our dad. We’ve loved music since we can remember. We started our band around the age of five.
GLITTER: How long have you been writing music and how did you get started professionally?
STEREO JANE: Sydney- I remember writing my first song at a restaurant when I was five and I had my dad write the lyrics on a napkin for me. Our first song ever was called “Girls Night Out.” Our dad started managing our band and we started warming up for his around the age of nine. Our first real show was in a bar and they kicked us out immediately after we finished playing!
STEREO JANE: Sydney- I remember writing my first song at a restaurant when I was five and I had my dad write the lyrics on a napkin for me. Our first song ever was called “Girls Night Out.” Our dad started managing our band and we started warming up for his around the age of nine. Our first real show was in a bar and they kicked us out immediately after we finished playing!
GLITTER: Who are your musical influences?
STEREO JANE: We grew up listening to a lot of different artists. Some big ones when we were younger were Sheryl Crow, Aretha Franklin, Led Zeppelin, and Soundgarden.
STEREO JANE: We grew up listening to a lot of different artists. Some big ones when we were younger were Sheryl Crow, Aretha Franklin, Led Zeppelin, and Soundgarden.
GLITTER: How would you describe your sound?
STEREO JANE: It’s definitely a mix of alternative pop-rock.
STEREO JANE: It’s definitely a mix of alternative pop-rock.
GLITTER: What is your songwriting process like?
STEREO JANE: It’s always different. We’ve worked with so many different producers and songwriters over the years and we picked up a lot of tips and tricks. Typically, we start with music, then sing over melodies. We choose our favorite melodies and form the lyrics to them!
GLITTER: What instruments do you play?
STEREO JANE: Emilia- I play the drums.
Sydney- I sing and play guitar and piano!
GLITTER: Where are you based now and what do you enjoy about the location?
STEREO JANE: We’ve been based in LA for the past four years. We moved right after we graduated high school. We love it out here. There’s so much creativity and it’s really inspiring getting to be around people who do the same thing we do. There weren’t a lot of people in Michigan who were in the music scene.
GLITTER: What was it like having a commercial music feature for CBS’ The World’s Best reality show?
STEREO JANE: It was really cool! Getting to see our song playing in a commercial was so unreal.
GLITTER: How did ‘Love Me Tender,’ featured on Fox Searchlight Pictures’ Ready Or Not soundtrack, come about?
STEREO JANE: Sydney- We were tracking some vocals to another song of ours with some of our favorite producers. We were about to leave and they asked if I would be down to track some vocals before we left. They played us a really cool punk rendition of ‘Love Me Tender’ and we were hooked. Apparently they had been scrambling to find the right Singer for a while and it was one of those “ah-ha” moments when we heard Stereo Jane on it.
Emilia- It was really cool because I’ve never heard “Love me Tender” like that, which made playing drums on the track even more fun.
GLITTER: What have been some other highlights or memorable moments for you?
STEREO JANE: We actually got to go to Barcelona last summer for a really cool project! We can’t say what it is because it’s not out yet, but it was such a crazy experience.
GLITTER: Can you tell us about ‘Real World?’
STEREO JANE: “Real World” was written when we first moved to LA. We didn’t have a lot of friends and we were really new to the area. Everything was kind of big and scary to us. Our car broke down the day before our session and we decided we wanted to write about the real world and how we didn’t want to grow up. The first lyric of our song is “broken down on the side of the 405”.
STEREO JANE: “Real World” was written when we first moved to LA. We didn’t have a lot of friends and we were really new to the area. Everything was kind of big and scary to us. Our car broke down the day before our session and we decided we wanted to write about the real world and how we didn’t want to grow up. The first lyric of our song is “broken down on the side of the 405”.
GLITTER: How do you use your voice for change?
STEREO JANE: We actually write a lot about standing up for yourself and for who you are. We want to make it clear that we won’t change for anyone or anything. And that’s something really true to us. We want to inspire people to love who they are.
STEREO JANE: We actually write a lot about standing up for yourself and for who you are. We want to make it clear that we won’t change for anyone or anything. And that’s something really true to us. We want to inspire people to love who they are.
GLITTER: What do you hope fans take away from your music?
STEREO JANE: We want our fans to relate to everything we put out. A lot of our songs have a bunch of different hidden meanings. While one song may have been written about something specific to our lives, it can still be translated to anyone who listens to it. The most important part about music is that you can take someone else’s writing and related to your own life. We want our fans to know that we’re going through it one day at a time just like they are. We don’t know any better than anyone else. We’re growing with the people around us.
GLITTER: Best advice you were ever given?
STEREO JANE: “Normal is boring.”
GLITTER: Who is your mentor?
STEREO JANE: Our dad is definitely one of them. He’s been here since the beginning. He’s helped us through the good, the bad, and the ugly. We wouldn’t have made it where we are without him!
Glitter has a Celebrity #SelfLoveCampaign, and we want to know, what’s self-love mean to you?
STEREO JANE: Self-love means embracing everything about who you are. What you think is your worst quality or feature could actually be someone else’s favorite thing about you. Self-love means to look at yourself the way your loved ones look at you.
GLITTER: What would be a dream collaboration for you?
STEREO JANE: We’ve always said we want to work with Post Malone. If we could get him on a verse, that would be insane.
STEREO JANE: We’ve always said we want to work with Post Malone. If we could get him on a verse, that would be insane.
GLITTER: What’s on your playlist right now?
STEREO JANE: Lately, it’s been a lot of the oldies. Soundgarden, Audioslave, Bahamas, and The Beatles. This whole quarantine has us feeling a little nostalgic.
GLITTER: Social Isolation has become the new normal for now. What are your favorite things to do right now throughout the day?
STEREO JANE: Sydney and Emilia- It’s important to change it up when every day is Groundhog Day. If there’s a day we’re not feeling creative we try not to get too down on ourselves.
Sydney- I have been producing, working out, cooking new recipes, and learning Spanish!
Emilia- I’ve been practicing, reading, and going on tons of walks with my pup. I’m really trying to stay busy during this time and focus on myself.
GLITTER: Favorite ways to center yourself and relax?
STEREO JANE: Sydney- Working out really helps me relax. I find it helps clear my mind.
Emilia- Personally picking up a good book helps me relax. It puts my mind in another place and helps level me out.
GLITTER: Favorite foods to snack on?
STEREO JANE: Granola, dark chocolate, chips and salsa, and vegan ice cream!
GLITTER: What are your top 5 binge-worthy shows?
STEREO JANE: Barry, The Office, Dave, Mad Men, and Waco!
GLITTER: Sage or Palo Santo?
STEREO JANE: Palo Santo.
GLITTER: Favorite fashion indulgence?
STEREO JANE: Sydney- I love jewelry. I feel like it can really change up a look even if it’s super simple.
Emilia- I’m really big on vintage shopping. Love a good graphic tee and jeans.
GLITTER: Top 5 beauty favs?
STEREO JANE: We’re both definitely huge skincare addicts. We love the Laneige Lip Mask, Sunday Riley LUNA oil, Paulas choice BHA, Embryolisse Cream, and Aquaphor Advanced Healing Ointment for dry patches or dry lips!
GLITTER: What’s next for Stereo Jane?
STEREO JANE: We’re hoping that all of this craziness ends soon so that we can get back out and play some more shows! We plan on releasing a remix of strangers really soon and another single shortly after!
STEREO JANE: We’re hoping that all of this craziness ends soon so that we can get back out and play some more shows! We plan on releasing a remix of strangers really soon and another single shortly after!
GLITTER: Any special talents outside of music?
STEREO JANE: Sydney- I am actually really good at cooking vegan food. I make up most of my own recipes!
STEREO JANE: Sydney- I am actually really good at cooking vegan food. I make up most of my own recipes!
Emilia- I’ve been making wall rugs lately and it’s turned out to be really fun!
GLITTER: Best social platform for fans to find you?
STEREO JANE: Instagram and YouTube! @StereoJane!
Tune in to our Instagram and Facebook Live with Stereo Jane on 5/1 at 3PM PDT and 3:30PM PDT and check out their video below for their hit “Strangers.”
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