TWIN KENNEDY
Photo credit: Jessica Steddom
Nashville-based country duo Twin Kennedy has released their new single "Wise Woman". Featuring Canadian singer/songwriter Mallory Johnson, the single is an empowering anthem dedicated to women around the world.
“We’ve always found that our most personal songs are written with close friends who are also our co-writers. Mallory came over to our house one night, we opened a bottle of wine and sat on the patio with our guitars. Inspired by our shared struggles as women in a male-dominated industry, “Wise Woman” was born! Maybe it was the patio lights or maybe it was the merlot - it was one of those songwriting sessions where the music just flowed out of us,” says the duo.
"Wise Woman" was recorded in Nashville with Canadian producer Dustin Olyan (David Lee Murphy, Angaleena Presley) and co-produced with Carli & Julie Kennedy and Mallory Johnson themselves.
Twin Kennedy will be releasing their debut album Homebound later this year.
“Wise Woman” is now available on major streaming platforms.
Photo credit: Jessica Steddom
Introduce yourselves - what's your story?
Hi! We are Mallory Johnson & Twin Kennedy - a solo artist and a duo, musicians, songwriters and best friends! We grew up on opposite coasts - Mallory in Newfoundland and Carli & Julie of Twin Kennedy in BC. All three of us are now based in Nashville, TN, and we met at a songwriting session that was set up by a mutual friend. Since then, we’ve written a ton of songs together, and we all loved “Wise Woman” so much that we decided to record it as a duet!
Who was the first person to ever believe in you as an artist?
TK: Our Mom and Dad have always been our original cheering squad. They have been listening to our concerts since we were just five years old and the stage was our living room! When we made the goal to study music at the university level, our parents started driving us every weekend from our small town of Powell River to the closest big city of Vancouver for music lessons - a 10-hour round trip! They knew it was our dream to make music our career, and we are so grateful that they supported us to chase this crazy, wonderful life of being musicians!
M: My mom is a country music artist and my parents are both huge country music fans, so they believed in me before I could walk! My first time on stage was at 3 years old when my mom brought me up during her set to sing a Barney song for the crowd. From that moment on, my parents enrolled me in voice, piano, and dance lessons and the stage has been my second home ever since!
What have you learnt since the beginning of your careers?
M: There are a lot of lessons that come with experience. Paying dues is a real thing and overnight success just doesn’t happen. To have any kind of staying power, you need to build meaningful relationships and build a strong foundation which comes with patience, practice, and perseverance. In this industry you need to have a strong backbone and you have to get comfortable with hearing “no”, because you hear “no” a hell of a lot more than “yes”, especially as a woman in country music.
How would you define Twin Kennedy, the band?
We are twin sisters, string players, singer/songwriters and storytellers. We have been obsessed with all that goes into creating music - from songwriting to rehearsing to recording - since we were little girls. As a band, we strive to spread positivity and make music that makes a difference, whether that’s a song like this one about female empowerment or a fun, upbeat jam that makes people feel happy!
Mallory, how would you define yourself as an artist?
Much like Twin Kennedy, I also define myself as a singer/songwriter and a storyteller. I grew up singing Celtic/folk music so I tend to gravitate towards the lyrics and the stories of a song first. I’m very much influenced by strong female artists like Dolly Parton, Kacey Musgraves, and Brandy Clark who have a sense of humor and aren’t afraid to be bold and honest with their lyrics. I admire those who go against the grain and write about topics that some may deem as “risky”. I think music should take you on a rollercoaster of emotions and that’s something I strive to do with my music!
"Wise Woman" is your new single - what's the story/inspiration behind this single?
M: “Wise Woman” was inspired by our shared experiences in a male-dominated industry. We’ve all been in situations where we’ve felt like our opinions weren’t as valued as the male voices in the room. Women aren’t getting equal play, they’re not headlining as many festivals, and there are fewer spots for women at record labels. That’s not to say there aren’t gatekeepers who champion women, but the industry is still very unbalanced. In 2019, Rolling Stone published an article that stated the ratio of men to women on country radio was 9.7:1. We wanted to address these things by writing a female empowerment anthem that celebrated both the challenges and triumphs of being a woman in the music industry, or any other industry. “Wise Woman” is about the lessons we’ve learned and the lessons we want to share with other women around the world.
Could you describe the songwriting/production process for this single?
TK: The three of us wrote “Wise Woman” together, and we produced the track with Dustin Olyan, who is not only an incredible producer and musician, but also a great friend. He knew how important this song was to all three of us, and we all worked hard to build it from the ground up - Carli on acoustic guitars, Julie arranging and playing all the string parts, Dustin playing and putting together an incredible Nashville band, and Mallory and the two of us singing in harmony! We love the way the production for this song came together - it has a classic feel with the string instruments, pedal steel and vocal harmonies, and it also has an edgy and contemporary quality with not just the lyrics but also the vibey drums and pads.
What did you feel when writing this song?
TK: Our favorite songs are ones that share truth and make you feel something, and we definitely experienced all the feelings with this one. We dug deep into our own personal experiences to write from the heart. We’ve definitely all experienced the struggles and sexism that comes with being women in a male-dominated industry. We feel so lucky to be a part of such an amazing community of talented female artists but we continue to hear stories about women striving to have their voices valued, respected, and heard. Writing this song about our shared experiences was empowering because it gave us hope for a better future and for the next generation of women wanting to make their mark on the world.
What's your favourite thing about this song?
M: There are many reasons why I love this song, but I think my favorite thing about it is the collaboration. Julie, Carli and myself wrote this song, co-produced it, and played on it. We wanted to make sure we had our hands on every creative piece of this song and it’s been extremely rewarding to see it come to fruition. It’s also been overwhelming in the best way to see so many women and men come together to lift up this song and its message.
TK: We would definitely agree with Mallory that the collaboration on this song has been so special. Every piece of this song from the songwriting to the recording and production process to the music video production, has been creatively gratifying. It’s incredibly inspiring to work with women you love and a team of people that believe in what you’re doing, and this song has been so good for our hearts and our souls as artists and as women!
What made you want to release "Wise Woman" as a single?
TK: We always knew that “Wise Woman” was going to be a single, because we wanted to give the message of this song special focus. The cool thing was that as soon as we finished writing it, all three of us wanted to record it! So, it just felt obvious that we could make a song about female empowerment even better by recording it as a duet.
How would you define Country music?
TK: Country music tells stories and shares truths. Country music can break your heart or make you fall in love, but either way, it makes you feel something, and that is what we truly love about it!
What's your favourite thing about Country music?
M: I love that even though Country music has evolved and shifted its sound over time, the backbone is and always will be the story-telling. Whether the instrumentation is full of steel guitars and fiddles or programmed drums and synthesizers, the lyrics are always the heartbeat.
In your opinion, what makes a good song?
M: Honesty and authenticity. If you don’t believe what you’re saying, no one else will. I believe that the more personal or vulnerable a song is, the more it connects to the listener and allows them to insert themselves into the story.
What are your thoughts on today's music industry? If you could change one thing, what would it be?
M: I’d like to see an industry where we don’t have to constantly talk about “the struggles of being a female in the industry”. Why is this still a thing? When you think of the legends in country music, you don’t separate the women from the men and label them “female legends” or “male legends”. You simply say Dolly Parton, George Jones, Loretta Lynn, Merle Haggard, etc. They are just “legends”. I’d like to get back to that. I’ve also learned that the best song doesn’t always win but I think if the industry demands the best, they’ll get it.
What biggest life lessons have you learnt so far?
TK: True happiness in life comes from surrounding yourself with great people and building great relationships. It’s not about success or money or awards, it’s about time spent with people you care about. I think that this song is a testament to that - I truly believe that we could never have written this song if we all weren’t such good friends. We were able to write something real because we can be real with each other. We feel so lucky to have that kind of friendship, and on top of that, Mallory is so crazy talented!!! Getting to collaborate on this song as artists is the icing on the cake!
In your opinion, what would make the world a better place?
I don’t think there’s enough space on the page for the long answer, haha. To put it simply: Love > hate.
What message do you want to deliver to the world?
TK: You are worthy and you are loved. If you are experiencing something difficult, we promise you that there is someone who has been through the same thing. There is power in sharing our struggles and sharing our truth, because change happens when we speak up! We hope this song is one that makes you feel stronger (and want to sing along at the top of your lungs too!) ☺
Connect with Twin Kennedy:
Connect with Mallory: