Interview: Fionn Chat About New Ep, Being a Sister Act, and Future Music | Second Society Report

Prior to making their debut in 2017 with their single “Skeleton,” twin sisters Alanna and Brianne knew that music was their passion and that through dedication, collaboration and the use of honest, intriguing lyricism they could successfully launch their way into a successful career.

And now, three years, dozens of singles, and thousands upon thousands of followers and monthly Spotify streams later- the duo have taken their artistry to the next level, defying genre boundaries and expectations.

With their 2018 self titled album and 2020 release Everybody’s A Critic, Fionn have been consistently evolving and experimenting with sounds that help the duo stand out as a unique force in a world of similar acts. They are not an artist you want to ignore- and their latest releases only solidify that.

We had the opportunity to chat with the sisters behind Fionn to learn more about their recent singles, their plans for the reset of 2020, and how being a sister act has helped their career rather than hinder it.

You can read our full interview below, and be sure to stream their latest single “Space,” out now.

Second Society Report: First off- I’m sure you’ve been asked this a hundred times this year but I know things have been in a constant state of uncertainty so it feels important to still check in- how have you both been doing? I hope you’ve been staying safe and healthy!

Fionn: We’ve been doing well! 2020 has definitely thrown us a few curveballs, but we’ve been keeping busy and writing a lot of new music! 

SSR: You’ve just released your latest single “Space” which is a very dreamy pop song about some of the more difficult aspects of a relationship. What was the inspiration behind the sonic direction of this track? 

Fionn: “Space” was lyrically inspired by the feeling of friction in a relationship when a partner or friend would rather run away from their problems then face them head on, and the difficult feelings that come along with trying to give somebody the space they may need. We wanted the production to sound ethereal and dreamy to give listeners the feeling of being suspended in stars while falling through space at the same time.

SSR: I know that you are vocal about your thoughts on artists evolving their sound as they grow- both as people and as performers. Your evolution is clear through your discography as you’ve switched up your acoustic almost folk sounds to this new pop landscape. Has this transition been difficult at all? (If yes, what has been the most difficult part of creating this new sound. If no, why do you think it’s been easy?)

Fionn: We were both surprised at how easy it was for us to transition into a more pop sound but also always knew that we would enjoy creating more electronic sounds, as we have always been pop music fans. We are extremely passionate about writing songs and found that even when we were writing our folk songs we were still using pop song structure. This made it easier for us to change our vibe since all we really needed to change in our writing process was the production of the songs themselves.  

SSR: You’re currently preparing for the release of your upcoming album, Everyone’s A Critic, which you began writing during the pandemic. How (if at all) was the writing process for this album different from previous releases? 

Fionn: Everyone’s a Critic was actually the EP we released during the pandemic with songs that we wrote in 2019 when life was still normal! Throughout 2020 we have been working on music that will be released early next year, and have found that the subject matter of the songs has been affected by our current circumstances, focusing a lot on longing for past experiences. We have spent a lot of time co writing over zoom and found it a little bit hard due to glitchy calls, but overall a really great experience. We have gotten more writing done than ever during this year since it has felt like we’ve had all the time in the world with zero distractions!  

SSR: Can you give us a look into your writing process? What usually comes first, the lyrics or the melodies?

Fionn: It really depends on the day. Sometimes we’ll go into a writing session with lyric ideas in mind and sometimes we’ll have melodies running around our heads instead. We’ve started writing more on Logic rather than just acoustic guitar, and sometimes find that certain synth sounds will spark creative waves that produce lyrics and melodies at the same time! 

SSR: What can fans expect either lyrically or sonically from your upcoming album? Is there an overall theme to the release?

Fionn: Right now we have just been focused on releasing singles and having enough  material on the back burner for consistent releases. We have a mix of fun upbeat pop songs and sad girl pop songs that altogether showcase the ups and downs of experiencing youth before and then during a global pandemic. 

SSR: What is the most difficult or best part of working in a band with your sister as opposed to someone outside of your family?

Fionn: We always found that one of the best parts of working together was that we were able to consistently practice and write all the time from a very young age. Since we are twins we feel that we have a very unique relationship compared to even regular siblings, and have really felt like a team since day one. Because of this, we never struggled with going from a ‘me’ to ‘we’ mentality when we started our music journey. We have heard a lot about bands who aren’t related to each other getting into disagreements when their egos get in the way, but since we’ve been having disagreements with each other since we were toddlers, we feel that we have mastered the art of letting go of pettiness. 

SSR: Are there any artists that inspire you either lyrically or instrumentally that you would one day want to collaborate with?

Fionn: If we’re thinking big here, we both have geeky Taylor Swift fans since pre-teen hood and have since dreamed of being able to write a song with her one day! We also think it would be cool to collaborate with another twin act like Tegan and Sara or The Veronicas. We also have recently fallen deeper in love with Phoebe Bridgers since she released her new album, and would definitely jump back on the folk train in order to record a song with her!  

SSR: Lastly, this year has left a lot of music fans (and I’m sure artists as well) feeling a bit hopeless and uncertain about the future of the live music industry. Do you have any words of hope or advice for people struggling right now?

Fionn: We think that it’s easy for everybody to feel trapped in this time period and to fall into the feeling that this pandemic will never end. The truth is, all things do pass, and we really do believe that there are enough artists and music fans out there that will be more excited than ever to experience the magic of live performance whenever it is possible again! 

SSR: Is there anything else you’d like to share?

Fionn: We just want to thank everybody who has streamed or downloaded “Space,” and we hope that everybody is staying safe, healthy, and happy during this time!

You can stream Fionn’s latest singles “Winter Love,” as well as “Space,” out now, and be sure to follow the duo on social media to stay up to date on all things new music.