Veronicas

Hit Australian Duo The Veronicas Talk About Their U.S. Album Release, Hook Me Up

By Jonathan Widran

The Veronicas

In light of their recent 12-gig stint opening for the Jonas Brothers, everyone’s been asking 23-year-old twin sisters Lisa and Jessica Origliasso -  aka the Veronicas - what it was like touring with this hot teen band. True Veronicas fans, however, remember that in 2006, when the girls were promoting their debut album The Secret Life Of The Veronicas across the U.S., it was the Jonas Brothers who opened for them. This year’s Jonas/Veronicas shows coincided with the recent U.S. release of the duo’s second album Hook Me Up, which was first released last November in their native Australia. They’ve also been getting the buzz going in the U.S. on other tours this year with Natasha Bedingfield and Hanson.

While the Veronicas’ first release only reached #133 on the Billboard 200 album chart, it hit #3 on the Heatseekers chart and its single “4ever” reached #20 on the dance/club play chart. While they made steady progress breaking through in North America, the album enjoyed massive success overseas, particularly on their home continent, where it reached #2 in Australia  (four-times platinum) and #5 in New Zealand. And their latest album Hook Me Up reached #2 on the Australian charts, going double platinum and spawning four Australian Top 10 singles. The  title track “Hook Me Up” was their first #1 single in Australia and was followed by the Top 10 hits “Untouched,” “This Love” and “Take Me On The Floor.”

“Considering the fact that we haven’t toured the U.S. in a while and our second album was just released, the exciting reaction we received from the young fans at the Jonas Brothers shows really amazed us,” says Lisa. “Because our music has edge and attitude, we can relate to older pop/rock fans as well, but being on tour with the boys was a way to familiarize ourselves again with old fans here and make some new ones from the younger age group. Those fans are wonderfully dedicated and enthusiastic, and Jess and I had a blast doing our half-hour sets. It was intense but really fun.

“We’re quickly figuring out that America is a completely different ballgame when it comes to a new artist breaking through to the masses,” she adds. “Looking at the Jobros success, the music is just the start and it’s all about going multimedia. No matter how good your songs are, you have to be on a million different shows, guest star in movies, have a big presence on MySpace and build your brand. In Australia, we achieved what we did purely because of our records, but we also expanded into fashion working with Choice Calvin Klein and the Australian hair product company nu:u, and releasing our own fashion line at Target stores in Australia last year. In the U.S. we sang the title song on the TV show Related, appeared in the show and our song ‘4ever’ was in the Amanda Bynes movie She’s The Man. We also guest-starred and sang on The Suite Life of Zack & Cody. So our goal is to let the music speak for itself while building the Veronicas brand in the U.S.”

The Veronicas

Teen Vogue dubbed The Secret Life Of The Veronicas “sweet and vicious” and the duo’s debut showcased both their trademark harmonies and talent for writing catchy pop rock tunes. Rather than simply duplicate that vibe on Hook Me Up, the sisters exchange their early pop punk influenced stylings for a powerhouse explosion of electro-beat—a sound they absorbed while living part of these past few years in the Hollywood Hills and immersing themselves in what Lisa calls “the underground electro-rock scene.” She says, “Jess and I started getting inspired by getting out there and hearing these bands that our friends were telling us about, and incorporating those intense grooves and sonic ideas into our own sound just from naturally living and breathing where it was taking place. Because we’ve grown so much as songwriters, singers and artists over the past few years, we knew we weren’t going to just do the same album over again. It’s only natural that different things would inspire us over the course of time, and we would write about different things. The point with Hook Me Up was to make a record that reflects where we are right now. But the harmonies thing was going to stay, because we’ve been doing that since we were five!”

Recorded mostly at Lisa and Jess’s townhouse in the Hollywood Hills, their sophomore date features collaborations with top hitmakers Shelly Peiken (Christina Aguilera) and John Feldmann (The Used, Good Charlotte) as well as three holdovers from their first album: Greg Wells (Mika), Billy Steinberg (Madonna, Celine Dion) and Toby Gad. While Gad contributed three songs to the first album, Hook Me Up is driven by the new dynamic in his creative relationship with the girls. Each day, Gad, who penned Fergie’s 2007 smash “Big Girls Don’t Cry” and whose credits include Hannah Montana, Beyonce, Sean Kingston and Donna Summer, would drive over to their pad and set up a makeshift studio. Lisa and Jess would share gossip with him and tell them about all the drama in their lives and see if any of it could be developed into new material.

Jess says, “That's why a lot of the songs we wrote with him come across as emotional and dramatic. I'd have to say this record is even more personal than the first one, which was hard because the first record was very much us.” Lisa adds, “Toby really got what we wanted for this record. We played him some of the electro beat music we were loving and we’d have those intense therapy sessions, and soon there was this bond that was so natural and easy. He might play a beat or have a lyrical idea, or one of us might, or he would have a hook and we would develop it from those seeds.

“Toby came to understand the differences in our personalities, that Jess is more assertive in her opinions and has no trouble telling people what she thinks, while I’m less decisive and usually need to get a bunch of opinions before making a decision,” she says. “But when it comes to songwriting, we both fight to the death for our own opinions. Joining forces with outside writers and producers like Toby is the perfect way to balance our unique ways of approaching the writing and recording process. Jess and I complement each other’s strengths and weaknesses, but what makes The Veronicas work so well is that we both share an equal passion for what we do together.”

Like their friends the Jonas Brothers, the Veronicas are quickly emerging as role models for a new generation of young women, especially those who want to pursue careers in music and the arts. Asked what advice she gives girls who want to know what it takes to be as cool and popular as they are, Lisa says, “I just tell the girls the basic things, to go for it, believe in themselves and always make sure they’re surrounded by a loving support system. To get anywhere in this business, you need people who will encourage you. It’s also essential that you’re pursuing this career for the right reasons, and for the love of music.

“There are a lot of quick ways to become famous these days,” she adds, “but truly passionate singers and musicians are not in it for a quick shot at fame. They know it’s hard work and not as glamorous as it looks. As long as you’re dedicated and stay grounded, have a good head on your shoulders and have good people around you, you have a legitimate shot. Another key thing is learning to take charge and do a lot of things yourself. The less you rely on other people, the happier you’ll be. That starts with writing your own songs and seeking out collaborators who share your vision and want to reach the same goals.”