On Monday January 25th, I was able to fulfill the lifelong goal of my 7-year-old self by talking to Aly & AJ at in2une Music’s first Campus Campfire Circle event. I remember seeing Aly all the time on Phil of the Future and I loved watching the duo’s music videos between commercial breaks on Disney Channel.
Like many of my fellow Gen-Z’ers, Aly & AJ were a staple in my childhood, along with Kellogg’s Yo-Gos and Puppies in my Pocket, and I was honestly in awe in seeing my idols over Zoom.
I had been following the duo on and off for the past 13 years, but Aly & AJ became a fixture on my Apple Music home screen over quarantine. For the readers who don’t know, a couple months ago a group of moms posted a TikTok in which they are lip-syncing the lyrics to ‘Potential Breakup Song’ in a bar. The short video went viral and very quickly thousands of users began trying to recreate the video or give their own spin of the song. The song began its second life and soon eyes were on Aly & AJ to see their next move.
In the beginning of January, Aly & AJ released the explicit cover of the song, which many of us who grew up with the song were eagerly awaiting. It was quite interesting to see a reverse Kidz Bop in the fact that the once child-friendly song had its lyrics given a more adult sound so to speak.
Back to the interview, I was unbelievably lucky to be the first person picked to ask a question. As much as I was tempted to ask about Aly’s favorite gadget from Phil of the Future or Aly’s favorite outfit from Cowbells, I wanted to ask about one of my favorite newer songs of theirs, ‘Joan of Arc on the Dancefloor’. The song is a funky 80s electronica track with the powerful vocals and signature harmonization the sisters are known for. The song has empowering feminist lyrics, which were accompanied by a music video that had footage of the two emotionally crying out the lyrics in medieval costuming interlaced with footage of Republican politicians arguing for the Brett Kavanaugh confirmation.
As a survivor myself, this song is incredibly personal and is an anthem to stand up to the forces that are so quick to put you down as a woman. I love this song and was wanting a deeper understanding of the songwriting process for it, particularly why the sisters paired Joan of Arc with techno club beats. The answer was one I was incredibly moved by. Aly talked about how the song was made in order to be an anthem of living your life unapologetically authentic, and the electronica element came from the disco legend Giorgio Moroder, who the pair had been avidly listening to.
As somebody who recently came out as bisexual and is still struggling with their own sexuality, I really feel connected to this message. Many women and men have been told how to present themselves to the world, as Joan of Arc was told, but times are changing and much like Joan we are becoming more unapologetic and living the way we wish to. It is an incredible feeling to be able to grow up with an artist, and I am beyond grateful that I have had Aly & AJ at every pitstop on my way to adulthood.
I am incredibly thankful for the opportunity I was given to speak with these two talented siblings and I am really excited for their new album coming out in the near future!
You can check out their discography on music platforms like Spotify and Apple Music.