Take Me

sometimes the fans are just that dedicated. love those fans that want to stay from the start of your career to the very end and see everything you do. they’re the best ones. did you end up catching the show? we ended up being the closing act so that was pretty rad after such a solid list of performers. 

It’s baffling. Some of these people were little kids when they started listening to us and now they’re completely grown up adults. It makes me feel good that we have that kind of staying power but also super old. I did! You guys did fucking amazing, honestly would have paid to just see you perform all day.

That’s a good one! I do love me some Star Wars, so I just might have to do something like that. You guys are both going to be coming to my Halloween Party, right? I really want to see you both.

I think it would be a great idea! Of course! We wouldn’t miss it for the world, don’t even worry about it.

think it’s easier to break out of that when you’re in a band, but i can’t imagine it’s easy in the acting industry. being on disney shows seems to put a type cast on everyone that comes through. lolla sounds like a fuckin’ dream. are you playing at the festival that’s coming up on the 30th? ‘cause i am so maybe we can make it happen there. 

Yeah, and I mean it sucks but Aly and I have been in charge of our own careers since we left and we’ve been really lucky that our acting picked up in a way that got people wanting to hear us play music again. So it’s a win and a loss. It was so fucking cool. No, unfortunately! Aly’s working on something so we weren’t able to fit it in to our schedule. Can’t wait to see you guys bring down the house though.

I mean we’re all aware of the negatives that come with being recognized. We all learn to navigate. And with the age of social media they get an agent the moment they get out of these shows.

I find that absolutely wild. People get more famous because they were on one particular show that lasts far longer than the actual show sometimes. I mean the Real Housewives are going to be well known forever, even if they stop making them.

I think you’re right on the money with that! You grow and evolve as artists and want to try new sounds and this one I think is perfect for you. I mean, I knew it when I listened to I Know, which I still listen to at least once a day. I saws that TikTok too! People are so stuck on the Aly & AJ from Disney and can’t seem to let go of it because it was apart of their childhoods! You helped a lot of people grow up, now I think they gotta realize you aren’t the same people you were over a decade ago.

Thank you so much! I just hope that people can catch up with our sound, honestly. I think it’s great, and I hope that other people will appreciate it and love it as much as we do. That’s the biggest problem, I think. People will focus on an artist in a limited scope, and as soon as the artist moves on or the person moves on that artist is frozen in time until they come back into relevance via social media or whatever. And then all of a sudden they think that the artist is the same artist they always were, and if they’re not then they don’t matter. It’s shitty but it happens.

I have Chemicals React stuck in my head and I hope you know I think this song deserved everything that Potential Break Up Song got. @ajmichlka​

First of all, thank you! That’s really nice of you to say. Second of all, I think so too! It was genuinely one of my favorite songs we released back then, and I think that Potential Break Up Song kinda wiped it right out of the water. It’s a shame, though, because I loved it and I still do.

I know! What he is even doing, right? We need to both step it up though, if I am being completely honest. I am going to make sure this year that we both are on our A game. No excuses this time. That would be really cool, and would totally still work! 

Start looking up ideas ASAP. There are so many brother/sister costumes you guys could pull off. And Halloween is right around the corner. I personally think you guys would pull off Luke and Leia remarkably well.

Yeah but at the same time they can voluntarily leave any time. And some connections and real couples have formed from the show. Yes it’s TV and of course production is going to do things to assure we get good TV but how is it different from other shows like The Bachelor for example?

I guess that’s fair. I just hope that it’s worth it for those people, in the long run. I would hate to see shit happen to them because they decided to go on a television show.

you’re not wrong about that. i feel like anything in the industry ages you about fifty years, if we’re being honest. it’s a weird thing to think about. was it your first time visiting or nah? i’ve got my fingers crossed for you! also, if you end up needing a festival buddy for next time then i’m your dude. 

Oh absolutely, especially when you get stuck in the teen bubble for so many years because fans of yours are younger than like...basic adults. No, we’ve been on tour before, but it was our first time doing Lolla like that. Thank you so much! Absolutely, plus if we get to play at the same festival one day I wanna see your set, cause I bet it’s fucking amazing.

So I listened to your album in full the other day and I gotta say..it’s one of the best I’ve heard this year, honestly. I love the whole indie pop road you and your sister have gone on! Pretty Places? Definitely gonna be one of my most played songs for sure. @ajmichlka​

Oh my God, thank you! It’s honestly felt like the sound we were meant to have. I know people are looking for more of Potential Break Up song, but. Actually, I saw a tik tok of a person who was rating Lolla sets and they gave us 8/10 cause we barely played any old stuff. Which I feel says a lot about what people think about us.

I’ve been looking around the Broadway area, I want to be close enough to it but at the same time, a bit further away, just to get some privacy. Damn, why does it have to be so hard to make a decision? I suck. Oh that sounds awesome, congratulations on that!

I think that that’s fair. Do you have any other theatre people that are living in the area that could give you some advice? They might help you out. It’s okay, I’m the absolute worst at making decisions as well, that’s what I have Aly for. Thank you! It’s been a whirlwind, but we’re super excited.

Who knew that house hunting would be this complicated. I don’t remember it being this complicated when I first moved into my current place. Or maybe New York just has so many options that I have no idea what to go with. Thankfully, still got a few months before I have to go to the Big Apple. Anyways, while I struggle with that, how’s everyone else doing? I hope life is going as well for you as it is for me currently. @hfrpstarters​

Where are you looking? Because I’m sure narrowing it down to a specific area would be a big help. You’re going to be doing theatre again right? Maybe you should look for somewhere close to whatever theatre you’re working at. I’m doing okay! My sister and I performed at a music festival a few weeks ago and we released a remix of one of our recent songs. 

Guess what? Already seen it a bunch of times, haha. My brother and I loved the movie a lot when we were younger, actually. I was also Phil of the Future obsessed so I will admit that’s where I mainly know your sister from, then I got introduced to you through the music you both were making and then the movie. Win or lose, I’m down for some drinks. The drinking will either be a pick-me-up or a celebration but only time will tell. There’s no point in trying to be someone I’m not when I’m outside of work. I’m the total opposite of who I am on TV. My character is snotty, bratty, and mean. I’ve made kids cry before because I’m able to be that good at it. I always feel bad afterwards. But yeah, Sasha Banks and Mercedes are polar opposites. Mercedes likes to stay out of the spotlight, enjoys watching anime, is obsessed with Japan, kpop, and the list goes on. I was actually going to move to Japan and wrestle but WWE called me first.

Oh, wow! I mean I was totally kidding but that’s so sweet!  I think I made my official debut on Disney Channel when we did Walking on Sunshine, but that was just because Aly was doing something and I got to be part of it. Exactly! Can’t go wrong with alcohol for any occasion. At least that means you’re a good actor! And personally, I think it’s great that you can switch that on and off so easily, it’s really cool to see and know, especially since some people are the same in both work and their personal life. That’s so cool! Do you think you’ll still do that?

I don’t think they set people up for failure in the actual sense of setting them up though. I don’t know. I’m conflicted.

I mean they set a rule for a game for people that they’re pretty much guaranteed to break, you know? I know it’s more for the entertainment of the audience, but what about the people who are putting themselves out there?

I love that! I want to hear some of the costumes that you guys did. That’s honestly so cute though. I have an older brother, but we actually haven’t ever really done a duo outfit. Now I want to with him. I can’t wait for you guys to come, because you both have to be there. I have a them for iconic scream queens and killers. Like Jamie Lee Curtis from Halloween and Michael Myers.

I’ll have to see if I can dig out any pictures. Tell your older brother that he needs to step his sibling costume game up, honestly. We will be there for sure! Especially with a theme like that. There were no duo killers or scream queens, but I bet we’d make a mean set of Shining Hallway twins.

That’s true and it’s usually fans who are watching us act like crazy people. Though some fan might have gotten into our content from seeing us act like weirdos together. Wow, I thought everyone talked to the audience during a concert. Isn’t that one of the things fans enjoy when going to see someone live? That just makes it more boring to me, audience interactions is everything in my eyes. I bet you would, you’d see all the odd things that my mind comes up with or decides I need to save for later.

So either way, as long as people are enjoying that content you know they’re fans of you, which is always lovely. I thought so too! And I mean he had an entire stadium watching him, but it felt more like a coffee shop set after which he packed up and left. Getting to see people talk and laugh with you and sometimes call out is the absolute best, honestly. Oh please, my saved folders on literally any app are so confusing. And then sometimes people delete them and then I never know what it is.

Bingo! I’m so glad that I found someone who thinks similar to me. That is the saying. Do your best with what you’ve got or are given, more or less. I can sit in front of the TV for hours and just watch old Disney movies and shows. other than wrestling, that’s how my mind stayed occupied when I was younger. We’re going to be in a few places but my next big show is in Las Vegas on the 21st of this month. I’m going to be fighting for the women’s championship so here’s to hoping I leave sin city a lucky winner. My ex-husband designs my ring gear and he’s already getting started on it. It’s a team effort to be the Beyoncé of the wrestling world. Though if someone came to my house when I’m not Sasha Banks, they’d be like “who the fuck are you?” Cause girl, lemme tell you, the blue hair is a wig and it’s a struggle to maintain. I also am blind as hell. I’d answer the door with baggy clothes, messy black hair and glasses and people would be like ‘sorry, wrong house’. The fab & boujee side of me is just for TV. 

Exaaactly. You totally get it, you get the vibe. Hey, listen, I’m just throwing it out there that there is a certain Disney Channel original movie that you might see a familiar face in, it’s called Cowbells. You know, if you ever have some extra time. Ooh, Vegas! Then I will absolutely have to be there, I can watch you kill it and if it doesn’t work out we can go get drunk and have a good time. That just means you’re willing to be more honest with yourself and not trying to be anyone you’re not when you’re out of the ring, which I love.