Written By: Alisyn Re
Journalist
Chicago, Illinois- AUC-based Twinsoundz are twin singers, songwriters, pianists, guitarists, and producers who go by the name Jacobi and Jasper Mitchell. They knew what they were destined for from the moment they heard music for the first time. Their journey began in the church, and soon they were headed to Atlanta, GA to chase their dreams.
Who are the TwinSoundz?
“TwinSoundz are a duo of singers, songwriters, instrumentalists, producers, etc that came together to bring R&B back. We’re a soul group that is dedicated to making music about love, different feelings, different emotions, etc. We want our music to speak to different varieties of people and just to make them feel better!”
Initially, what drew you all to music?
“Ever since we were little children, we’ve always been into music. We both grew up in the church and that’s what we were mainly surrounded by. When we were about 2 or 3, we were given our first microphone and piano. The church gave us the space to share our talents and things like that. Since our parents were ministers, we were given a lot of opportunities to perform solos in the church too.”
Was music always something you guys wanted to pursue?
“Yes, music is always something that we’ve both wanted to pursue. For as long as we can remember music has always been for us. Music was something we’ve always been good at. We would always sit there and play in the church. We were a part of the choir, we conducted, we sang solos, etc. Music was always second nature to us. We never really thought about any other path. In fact, there was really nothing else. Everybody would always tell us “they’re gonna sing and do their own thing.” We never really had time to even think about any other career path because this was the center stage of our lives.``
Who inspired you both to start making music?
“Our dad. He was the one that pushed us the most to even start getting into music. He would tell us that we “could be as big as we want to be but you have to start making your own music.” Our dad really got us to start writing and he was also the main one giving us music quizzes. We would be in the car while listening to music and he would ask “who wrote that?”, “do you know when this was written?” He was giving us an ear for criticism and things of that sort. He made us look more into music and fall in love with art.”
Who are your biggest inspirations?
“Stevie Wonder is most definitely one of our biggest inspirations. Stevie has been doing music for a long time, he’s truly one of the best to ever do it. He’s worked with so many legends and has put our legendary hits! Michael Jackson is another one of our inspirations. He had such a positive impact on our lives from when we were little kids to now. After his death, that’s when we really started getting more into music. They weren’t just musicians but they were also social activists, especially Stevie Wonder. He constantly spoke/spoke on social justice issues and policies. Even in Motown, those musicians used their talents to speak on important issues within the world. This inspires us to make music actually, it reflects the struggle that we talk about. We want to be a catalyst for change.”
What does your writing process look like?
“Usually we go into our different corners and play around with the chords progressions and melodious until we find one that we like and can write to. Jasper plays the guitar and Jacobi plays the piano. But, the process can change every now and again. I wouldn’t want to say that the song writes itself but it really does happen that way. Sometimes music talks to you and you have to be the mouthpiece to get the song out there. Just let the music roam freely through you.”
Are there any artists that you would like to work with in the future?
“Yes, quite a few actually. We would like to work with HER, Anderson Paak, Smino, PJ Morton, Noname, etc. But, our all-time favorite and one of our biggest inspirations Stevie Wonder.”
What’s the best piece of advice another musician has given you?
“Our Uncle Tim told us to “do it ourselves.” We would always be running around trying to get anybody to even listen to us and trying to get into studios. We held up so much of our own progress because we were constantly waiting on other people to give us a chance. For the longest we were afraid of putting anything out because we didn’t think we were going to sound “professional”, that fear ended up just holding up our own progress. One day we visited him because we were going to record a song with his help. Instead, he sat us down and told us how we shouldn’t be waiting on anybody to give us a chance and that we should go home, teach ourselves about this, and do it on our own so that we didn’t have to rely on others. In the long run, it really taught us about believing in ourselves and that if we put our minds to it, we could do it.”
Your art is meant to convey a message, what is that message?
“Just put it out. All of your emotions, feelings, grievances, etc just put it all out there. That one album can touch the hearts of many. Don’t ever be discouraged to do anything, always do things with a purpose. You never know if you share the same story with someone else. That one song or album can change somebody’s life, make their day, etc. Just be you, be your authentic self.”
What has been your greatest accomplishment thus far?
“Our album release has been the best one so far. We did this independently and we actually pushed ourselves to make this happen. We loved the feeling of having complete control of this project and having it come out just the way we wanted it to. The album is a representation of us and who we are.”
Where can we reach you or just follow you on your journey?
“You can follow our Instagram, Tiktok, Spotify, Apple Music, Soundcloud, and YouTube at TwinSoundz_.”
“There will be times when you don’t like what you’re making. There are going to be times when you won’t be able to see your way in or way out. But, even though times can get rough, you have to keep pushing on. Keep making your art. Keep writing. Keep putting yourself out there. You wouldn’t want to regret it if you gave up. Just keep going. Everything will pay off in the end.”- TwinSoundz
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