Tegan and Sara
Tegan and Sara are a Canadian indie rock duo formed in 1995 in Calgary, composed of identical twin sisters Tegan Rain Quin and Sara Keirsten Quin (both born September 19, 1980). Both musicians are songwriters and play the guitar and keyboards.
The twins are openly gay. Tegan lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Sara lives in Montreal, Quebec, and also in New York City with her girlfriend; they have been dating since 2011.
Background and early work: 1997–2003
Tegan and Sara Quin were born September 19, 1980 in Calgary, Alberta. They began playing guitar and writing songs at age 15, forming a band called Plunk without a drummer or bass player. In 1997, they used their school’s recording studio to record two demo albums: Who’s in Your Band? and Play Day. In 1998, they won Calgary’s Garage Warz competition, using the studio time they won to record their first professional demo, Yellow tape, which was followed by Orange tape and Red tape.
In 1999, they released their debut album Under Feet Like Ours independently under the name “Sara and Tegan”. Two songs from Red tape appeared on the album, and two from Orange tape. They later changed their name to “Tegan and Sara” because it was easier to pronounce and because they wanted their name to stand out amongst the other “Sara” musicians at the time such as Sarah McLachlan and Sarah Slean. They reprinted their first album under the name Tegan and Sara. Neil Young’s manager signed them to Young’s Vapor Records label and they released This Business of Art through Vapor in 2000. They have toured extensively since then. In 2002, the band released their third album If It Was You. Their fourth album, So Jealous, was released in 2004 and led to wider success. This album was released through both Vapor and Sanctuary. One track on the album, “Walking with a Ghost”, was covered by The White Stripes, who released it on their Walking with a Ghost EP.
Mainstream success: 2007–2011
Their 2007 album, The Con, was released by Vapor and Sire. The album was co-produced by Chris Walla. Jason McGerr of Death Cab for Cutie, Matt Sharp of The Rentals and previously Weezer, Hunter Burgan of AFI, and Kaki King all appear on the album.
On October 27, 2009, Tegan and Sara released their sixth album Sainthood, produced by Chris Walla and Howard Redekopp, as well as a three-volume book set titled ON, IN, AT, which is a collection of stories, essays, journals, and photos of the band on tour in America in the fall of 2008, writing together in New Orleans, and touring Australia. The photographs in the book are by Lindsey Byrnes and Ryan Russell. Sainthood debuted on the Billboard top 200 albums at number 21 selling, 24,000 copies in its first week. While recording Sainthood, Tegan and Sara spent a week writing songs together in New Orleans. The song “Paperback Head” appeared on the album, making it the first song on any Tegan and Sara album that they wrote together. Spin magazine gave Sainthood four out of five stars and wrote, “Tegan and Sara’s music may no longer be the stuff of teens, but its strength remains in how much it feels like two people talking.”
In 2011, they launched 2011: A Merch Odyssey, which saw at least one new item in the official online stores every month, all year long. A live CD/DVD combination package titled Get Along was released on November 15 and contains three films titled “States”, “India” and “For The Most Part”. Get Along was nominated in the 2013 Grammy Awards for “Best Long Form Music Video”.
Heartthrob: 2012–present
Tegan and Sara started recording their seventh studio album, Heartthrob, on February 20, 2012. The first single, “Closer”, was released on September 25, 2012. The album was released on January 29, 2013 and debuted on the Billboard top 200 at number 3, the band’s highest charting record to date, selling 49,000 copies in its first week. Heartthrob debuted at number 2 on the Canadian chart, digital downloads chart and hit number 1 on the rock and alternative album charts. In July 2013, the album was shortlisted for the 2013 Polaris Music Prize.
In 2009, Tegan and Sara worked as producers for the first time. Tegan worked with char2d2 on the 2009 Small Vampires EP, while Sara worked on 2010 debut albums for Fences and Hesta Prynn.
Tegan and Sara have appeared on American, Canadian, and European television shows, including The Ellen DeGeneres Show (2013), Jimmy Kimmel Live! (2005, 2013), Jonovision, The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn (2004), Late Night with Conan O’Brien (2005, 2007, 2009, 2012), Late Show with David Letterman (2000, 2008, 2012), The NewMusic, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (2008, 2013), C à vous (2013), and ZeD.
Tegan and Sara songs have been featured in the films “Dallas Buyers Club”, “G.B.F.”, Monster-in-Law, Sweet November, and These Girls, and in the television shows Degrassi: The Next Generation, 90210, Being Erica, Ghost Whisperer, Grey’s Anatomy, The Hills, Hollyoaks, jPod, The L Word, Life Unexpected, Melrose Place (2009 series), One Tree Hill, Parenthood, Rookie Blue, Vampire Diaries, Veronica Mars, Waterloo Road (2011) and What’s New, Scooby-Doo?. Their song “Closer” was covered by Glee on the episode “Feud” which aired March 14, 2013 at 9pm EST on Global for Canada and Fox for USA. The song is also used in the teaser trailer for the 2013 independent comedy film, “Exes”.
In 2006, Tegan and Sara performed in The L Word episode “Last Dance” (season 3, episode 11). In 2008, they appeared on the kids music television show Pancake Mountain where they acted in a skit and performed their songs “Back in Your Head”, “Hop a Plane”, and an acoustic version of “Walking with a Ghost”. In 2010, they appeared on CBC’s Mamma Yamma, revising their single “Alligator” into a children’s song. In 2012, Tegan and Sara appeared in the 90210 episode “The Things We Do for Love” performing “Closer” and “Now I’m All Messed Up” from their album Heartthrob.
In 2011, Sara Quin was a panelist on the CBC Radio 1 program Canada Reads, defending Jeff Lemire’s graphic novel Essex County. The book, the first graphic novel to be featured as part of Canada Reads, was voted off after the first round but then later placed #1 in a “People’s Choice” poll with more votes than all other books combined.
In March 2013 during the SXSW festival Tegan and Sara co-hosted the mtvU Woodie awards with rapper Machine Gun Kelly. They also performed their single “Closer”. The Woodie Awards aired on MTV on March 17, 2013. On September 30, 2013, Tegan and Sara performed “Closer” on Today.
Tegan and Sara have collaborated with The Lonely Island on a song called “Everything Is Awesome!!!” for The Lego Movie soundtrack. The movie opened in theaters on February 7, 2014. The song debuted at number 62 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 24 on the Official UK Singles chart.
Official Website: http://www.teganandsara.com/
Twitter (420K followers)
https://twitter.com/teganandsara
Facebook (1,040,378 likes)
https://www.facebook.com/TeganandSara
My Space (51K & 322,058)
https://myspace.com/teganandsara
Tumblr
http://teganandsara.tumblr.com/
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1763207/
Soundtrack credits: The Lego Movie (2014), Altitude (2010), Dallas Buyers Club (2013), 90210 (TV Series) (3 episodes) (2009-2012), Grey’s Anatomy (TV Series) (performer – 8 episodes, 2005 – 2007) (writer – 3 episodes, 2005 – 2012)
Tegan Quin on Her ‘Awesome’ Vocals and Tegan and Sara’s ‘Lego’ Song
“We were told we should sing it with as much excitement and jubilation as possible,” singer tells Rolling Stone
2/18/2014 | The Rolling Stone
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/tegan-quin-on-her-awesome-vocals-and-tegan-and-saras-lego-song-20140218
When the musical comedy trio the Lonely Island reached out to Tegan and Sara with the prospect of recording a song for The Lego Movie, Tegan Quin remembers their reaction was, “Legos, cool!” The indie-pop sister duo worked on a demo and within two weeks, found themselves recording “Everything Is Awesome” with Devo frontman Mark Mothersbaugh. “Two hours later, we watched the video and voila,” Quin says. The ebullient hit single debuted at Number 11 on Billboard’s Dance/Electronic Songs chart.
Quin says they spent all of a couple of hours working on the song, futzing around with its tempo and its key to get it just right. She was happy with the result. “Obviously we got to end up as Legos,” she says. “We saw a couple of scenes from the movie and I thought it was really smart and funny.” Rolling Stone caught up with Quin to put together (har har) how the song was recorded.
6 major reasons Tegan And Sara are on fire right now
Everything is awesome for musical sister duo
2/18/2014 | HitFix Music
http://www.hitfix.com/immaculate-noise/6-major-reasons-tegan-and-sara-are-on-fire-right-now
Tegan and Sara Quin made a very conscious decision to make their music more “accessible” with the release of their last album “Heartthrob” last year.
“Look at Adele and Coldplay, who are accessible to more people. For their fans, that’s really raw and emotional… I can’t change my voice. I’m never gonna sound like Katy Perry or Chris Martin or Adele,” Tegan told me back in May 2012. “There’s always going to be fans who wish we still sat on stools and didn’t have a band and played our shows that way… but now I want to share my music with as many people as I can.”
“Heartthrob” became one of the sister-duo’s best-selling album to date, and yielded their biggest singles, and thrust them further into music’s mainstream — and main stage, big screen, small screen and into headlines. And even moreso lately, it seems, they’re everywhere.
Here’s six major reasons Tegan and Sara have been totally killing it so far in 2014:
1. “Everything Is Awesome.” It is indeed. Anybody who has set foot in “The Lego Movie” and/or The Internet will be unable to deny the attractive power of the film’s, erm, anthem “Everything Is Awesome.”
Everything is cool when you’re part of a team. And it took a team. Mark Mothersbaugh of Devo produced and co-wrote the soundtrack to “Lego Movie,” including this brain-gum of a single. Tegan and Sara plus comedy troupe The Lonely Island all piled on to its “remix,” which itself should be the topic of a masters thesis class in contemporary pop music. It not only makes fun of popular music tropes, but has its own lyrical subversion and performances that T&S knock out of the park.
2. Opening for Katy Perry. A few months ago, I had the privilege of seeing Katy Perry take the stage at the Hollywood Bowl, and some of her own personal favorite, hand-picked artists open the show. T&S, who have performed with Perry before, lit up the Hollywood Bowl with their typically hysterical banter. Their appreciation for each other, their acumen to warm a (literally) chilly and mainstream crowd and their kinship with Perry could kindle even the coldest cockles.
Perry has tapped T&S among her set openers for the forthcoming Prismatic World Tour, with Tegan and Sara’s spots starting Sept. 9 in Vancouver. Don’t expect “Everything Is Awesome” to make the setlist, though.
“Without the Lonely Island guys traveling with us, I can’t really imagine it within our set. But that’s not because I’m not proud of it,” Sara Quin told Billboard.
3. “Don’t Find Another Love.” I have listened to this new song from the soundtrack to “Endless Love” about 700 times. It’s equal parts Ellie Goulding, Local Natives and Diana Ross, and yet still inextricably Tegan and Sara. Upbeat and “wicked,” it’s simple and unapologetically sweet.
Do not see the movie. I’m sorry. Do listen to this amazing soundtrack, which also has some Immaculate Noise favorites like Nonono, Cults, The Tallest Man On Earth and The Bird And The Bee with The National’s Matt Berninger. There is no pouty Pettyfer to contend with.
4. Oreos. God, as if I didn’t love Oreos enough. Tegan and Sara retained their distinct style and voices for a fresh commercial for the milk-loving cookie co. And they didn’t write this “Wonderfilled” jingle, ad company The Martin Agency did. How did they manage to find the perfect opportunity to line their pockets with fresh, delicious money without compromising their sound? Well, of course, it helps that their sound has drastically changed from their early career, but the dance-pop version of T&S is a no-brainer for partnerships like these.
This campaign started around the Grammys last month. Now give me a bite.
5. “Shudder to Think.” Still hungry? How about their original song for Oscar-nominated “Dallas Buyers Club?” Beyond even that: 10% of the sales of the soundtrack went to (RED) in the global fight against AIDS. This burst of awesome has staying power into 2014 because “DBC” is up for a whopping six Academy Awards in March, including Best Picture. How about a Best Song nod for T&S soon, huh?
6. That Ellen Page name-check. The “Juno” actress and your new best friend gave a nine-minute speech on Valentine’s Day as a coming-out, during a human rights conference. “I am here today because I am gay,” Page said, then saluting others’ efforts to “promote safety, inclusion, and well-being for LGBTQ youth.”
“There are pervasive stereotypes about masculinity and femininity that define how we’re all supposed to act, dress, and speak, and they serve no one. Anyone who defies these so-called ‘norms’ becomes worthy of comment and scrutiny, and the LGBT community knows this all too well,” Page said from the podium at the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Time To THRIVE conference. “Yet there is courage all around us. The football hero Michael Sam; the actress Laverne Cox; the musicians Tegan and Sara Quin; the family that supports their daughter or son who has come out.”
Tegan and Sara were “out” as lesbians in their teens. Fifteen years on, strangers still approach them and tell them their own stories of coming-out. T&S have been powerful and vocal activists and advocates for LGBT rights, starting by being who they are and being very talented. A hat-tip from a high-profile actress is not just lip service but a testament to power by example. A very cool moment.
‘The Lego Movie’: Why Tegan & Sara Went Chirpy for ‘Everything Is Awesome’ (Video)
2/17/2014 | The Hollywood Reporter
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/earshot/video-lego-movie-why-tegan-680761
The duo worked with Andy Samberg’s Lonely Island and film composer Mark Mothersbaugh for the blockbuster’s insanely upbeat track.
While this week’s Hot 100 chart includes two songs in the Top 20 that were first heard in feature films (Pharrell’s “Happy” from Despicable Me 2, and Idina Menzel’s “Let It Go” from Frozen), a wacky single from current box office champ The LEGO Movie is also finding an audience. “Everything Is Awesome,” a collaboration between Tegan & Sara, the Lonely Island and film composer Mark Mothersbaugh, debuts at No. 11 on the Dance/Electronic Songs chart, with 34,000 downloads sold to date, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
The chirpy, insanely upbeat track does not exactly fit into the nuanced indie-pop catalogue of Tegan & Sara, but that’s what attracted the veteran sister duo toward the project, the group’s Sara Quin tells Billboard.
“We want to be a ‘serious’ musical band, while also being funny people,” says Quin. “But this was so adorable, and the movie looked great, and the opportunity to do something with Mark Mothersbaugh and the Lonely Island… it was sort of a no-brainer, and it’s turned out to be this really cool moment. We feel like it was a win-win.”
Tegan & Sara signed on to record “Everything Is Awesome” after hearing an early version of the song, which didn’t yet have the Lonely Island delivering the rap breakdown. Although the duo typically writes its lyrics, the song’s cleverness and catchiness pushed Tegan & Sara to cut vocals for a new version of the “Awesome” song.
“It’s a crazy earworm,” says Quin. “As someone who prides myself on being able to write things that are memorable and hooky, the second that we heard this song, I was astounded. Whether you like the song or not, whether you think it’s funny or annoying, there’s no denying that it’s a ridiculously hooky thing. As soon as you hear it, it never leaves your brain.”
Quin says that her sister Tegan went into the studio with Mothersbaugh — the leader of Devo who composed music for films like 21 Jump Street and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs — to record the song’s main vocals, while Sara sent in backing vocals from her apartment. Although the pair was never in the studio with the Lonely Island, Quin says that the final product is a “fun, spontaneous” combination of their pop stylings and the Andy Samberg troupe’s off-the-wall antics. And after The LEGO Movie earned positive reviews and grossed $69.1 million over its opening weekend last week, Quin says that she’s noticed a swell of interest in the song over the past week.
Tegan & Sara have been on the road for over a year supporting their 2013 album Heartthrob, and will be opening on part of Katy Perry’s Prismatic arena tour this summer. However, fans shouldn’t expect to hear “Everything Is Awesome” nudged in between recent tracks like “Closer” and “I Was A Fool” at Tegan & Sara concerts.
“The other night, we were playing a show and were about halfway through the set when I heard a guy go, ‘Play “Everything Is Awesome”!’ And I was like, ‘Oh no, this could become a problem,'” says Quin with a laugh. “Without the Lonely Island guys traveling with us, I can’t really imagine it within our set. But that’s not because I’m not proud of it.”
Tour schedule:
http://www.teganandsara.com/shows/