Mumbai and Delhi were recently (November 23 and 25) paid a fleeting visit by identical twins Tegan and Sara on their whistle-stop maiden India tour and all indications point to a successful debut on these shores. “The shows were amazing. It seems like we have a good start to a fan base here. They seemed excited that we were finally here,” says Tegan Quin, who, like her sister also handles vocal, keyboard and guitar duties in the band.
“It’s always a big leap of faith to go to a new country because there’s the fear that nobody knows who we are,” she confesses, but adds chirpily, “But I love this feeling and this is why I do what I do. We love bringing our music to other countries.” Tegan elaborates that Only Much Louder’s Vijay Nair had approached one of the band’s managers in the US about coming to play a few college shows in India. “We didn’t have the time then. But we had heard about India and couldn’t give it up; we just had to find another time to go,” adds Tegan. One of the most peculiar and intriguing quirks of this eponymously named band is that both Sara and Tegan write music independently of each other. One would imagine then that the cohesion and flow of their songs would make a quick aerial trip out of the window. Not quite. “I usually start with guitar and write some chord progressions and melody lines, at which point, I start drafting lyrics and themes. Then I record the song for Sara, for her comments and edits,” explains the elder twin (by only eight minutes) and adds, “We both write songs, but we always write it alone and send it back and forth for feedback and additional recording. We split everything 50/50 and rely on technology to collaborate and once we’ve picked the songs, we get together and record them.”
The 30-year-old duo that has spent half its life writing music, released its first studio album in 1999 and has since, put out five more LPs. Over that period of time, the girls have toured with an array of prominent international acts, but which artistes/bands did they enjoy touring with the most? “We have toured with so many awesome bands, from Neil Young to Cyndi Lauper. Opening for Neil Young and The Pretenders in 2000 was pretty amazing. Touring with The Killers when they were breaking in America was pretty incredible as well,” replies Tegan.
With over a decade of touring under their belt, the sisters have obviously experienced all the thrills and spills of the road and of course, the stage. And yet, they continue to have some weird experiences every now and then. “When people jump on the stage, it feels very strange. It throws off the show and causes us to be uncomfortable,” says Tegan after the band’s all-too brief India tour and adds, “Sometimes people also throw things like underwear and bras on the stage. That’s strange to me too.”