Sounds of Christmas
We’ve managed to confuse the JJ Twins with each other yet again. They take it in their stride though, Jason laughing it off despite having been repeatedly addressed as Julian. They may not be identical twins, but the duo are so in sync with each other that it’s difficult to tell them apart. It’s this same dynamic that has made them a popular act in and out of Colombo.
The 20 year old RnB/pop singers have just released their album ‘Christmas Lights’ for the season. The album comprises of 11 tracks and was produced by the twins along with Bevan Jonathan David and Jay Joel. They are their own manager these days, and juggle gigs, contracts and appointments with ease. “It’s going well so far,” says Julian of managing their own act.
They started singing as children, but never seriously thought about music professionally until a couple of years ago when they sat down with a guitar and wrote their first song. The twins grew up in Wattala in the heart of the Prins family, who have always been supportive of their music, they say. Their first professional gig was with Prince Leone in 2012 and since then they’ve been performing at venues like the Good Market, Charcoal, the Floor by O! and Park Street Mews.
Christmas Lights features joint performances with their brothers, Devon and Dennis. “We’re very excited about working with them,” enthuse the twins. Both Devon and Dennis are featured on ‘Mistletoe and Wine’, while Dennis also sings ‘I Saw Mummy Kissing Santa Clause’. “It was a lot of fun recording the tracks,” says Jason. Did they have any brotherly disagreements? The twins look mildly scandalized at the thought. “Not at all!”
Working with their best friends Jay and Bevan has also meant that recording the album was a breeze. While many of the songs on the album are old favourites like ‘White Christmas’, ‘Feliz Navidad’ and ‘Oh Holy Night’, the twins have also written their own tracks, ‘Christmas Lights’ and ‘Merry Christmas Baby’. It’s important for them to write their own music, they say. The JJ Twins are fresh off a performance at the Sri Lanka Design Festival, and hope to take on more gigs in 2015 in addition to releasing their album ‘Dream’, which was slotted for release early this year. Due to logistical difficulties the boys had to push back the date but say that the album will be released soon. They also hope to travel abroad, perhaps to Australia or even Dubai in search of fresh opportunities. “We’ll see how it goes,” they smile.
You can purchase Christmas Lights from
St. Mary’s Church Nayakakanda or from the twins, contact them through their
Facebook page-
https://www.facebook.com/JJTwinsSingers.
The album is priced
at Rs. 750.