KTJ & CARLY give in to the addictive desire of wanting something bad for you on their new single, “Cherry Coke,” out February 11th, 2021. Following a string of successful singles, including “Almost True” and “Enable Me,” the duo released their debut EP, “Identity” in late 2020. Their music has been critically acclaimed in iconic publications like American Songwriter, Popular TV, Kings of A&R, and Earmilk. And despite a year where live performances were few and far between, they managed to continue growing their fanbase with virtual performances at Pridefest, Rockwood Music Hall, and their online show, “Late Night Live.” Now they are kicking off the new year with their provocative new single, “Cherry Coke.”
Think back to the first time you tasted the syrupy sweetness of cherry coke. The rush of sugar and near addictive flavor had you coming back for more. That’s what you feel when you listen to KTJ & CARLY’s new single, “Cherry Coke.” Bubbling with an effervescent production, the track bumps and blooms to an anthemic chorus that won’t stop fizzing. Between their soulful vocals and explosive charisma, they radiate with the desire of wanting something you know you shouldn’t. A guilty pleasure that leaves you craving more. Their message is clear, once you have a taste, you won’t be able to resist. And there’s no doubt the same can be said of their new single “Cherry Coke.”
Hi Ladies! How are you both?! Absolute pleasure to have you again and be a part of our OLC! family. How has the beginning of your 2021 been for you both?
– 2021 has been actually crazy. We already released our first single of the year Cherry coke! So that is exciting:) still a lot of craziness, but we are looking on the bright side!
How did you both spend your Christmas and New Years? Do you both like to party on New Years?
– We spent our Christmas at home with our family! Then we went to our sisters for new years! It’s always fun to celebrate and party on New Years, but I think the most rewarding thing on NYE is to just be with the people you love and care about. 🙂 – Carly
– I love to party on New Years! It’s truly a celebration of a new year passing by with all the people you love and it’s so incredible and rare that we’re even here to experience it. -KTJ
Did you make any New Year’s resolutions?
– I did! I made a resolution to spend more time outside. When I sit down on my computer I’ll be there for hours, and our studio is super dark so I wasn’t getting much sunlight. But now I am!! – Carly
– To fix my sleep schedule. It’s actually gotten better which I’m happy about 🙂 I also started a course on getting my certification in teaching yoga, which I plan one day to incorporate in our music once I’m certified! 🙂 -KTJ
Now you have a new single out called “Cherry Coke”, what inspired you both to write this song?
– I find it interesting when people use objects and tangible things as symbols. When we drink coke, we all know it is bad for us. It’s not healthy, but we do it anyway because it tastes good. I find myself in situations like that in all walks of life. There are constant temptations to do the wrong thing for instant gratification that typically has bad long term effects. We see this in so many walks of life. To put it into the terms of the symbol, I pick up a cherry coke all the time. I always try to resist it, for health reasons. I even tell myself I am resisting it, even when I’m not. I don’t even think about the consequences. We indulge in things that are bad for us because at the time, the taste outweighs the outcome. This song is from the addict’s point of view. The idea that the song is upbeat and sexy is a symbol in itself… Behind the groove, are consequences of the lyrics… In the chorus, we say, “I think I’m bound to lose.” The lyrics understand that they probably won’t win in the end. However, they do it anyway. Cherry Coke, is the symbol of weakness. – Carly
– Sometimes it’s so hard to leave a relationship because even though you know it’s bad for you, you still hold on because it feels like all that time you spent making it work would have been for nothing. You don’t want to believe it’s tearing you down, but it’s an illusion; if something is unsustainable and you know it, the whole system will collapse eventually. People all have these programs of habits in our subconscious mind, whether it be smoking, working out, over sleeping, not sleeping enough, eating healthy, dating bad boys, drinking too much cherry coke, etc. We were inspired by capturing what goes through the mind of someone who is facing addiction to something they know is unsustainable. -KTJ
I love the production. It’s a bit of a different sound than we’re normally used to hearing from you, who helped you work on the single?
– Thank you! We wrote this song with Katie Buxton! She is a fantastic artist, she also wrote Someone You Like with us from our EP. It started out a lot different than when we started it in my opinion. We wrote it to a simple bass line, and when Katie and I started producing it, we were really inspired by the rebirth of pop/rock. I feel like it has really come back in mainstream music and we love rock so we were very inspired by that when we produced it. – Carly
Will this song lead into the release of an EP? And if so what exclusive can you give us?
– For now, this song is just a single! However, we do plan to have another EP in 2022!
Any plans on doing a music video for the song? And if so what ideas if any do you have for it?
– Yes! Not saying anything big yet for the surprise factor, but just imagine the feeling of being in a convertible, driving up the mountain, and adventure. All the vibes 🙂 – Carly
What are you both looking forward to in 2021?
– Looking forward mostly to the live shows!! We have so much new music coming out as well which we are both super excited for. I’m definitely excited to get back to scoring ‘God Save the Queens’ which will be the first feature film we’re scoring as composers! -Carly
– Exactly what Carly said, we can’t wait to perform live again and we’re really excited to
get back to LA! -KTJ
Thanks for stopping by ladies we love having you both, stay safe, take care, but before you go is there anything you’d love to say to all our followers in OLC! world?
– Please go stream Cherry Coke! It is available on all platforms. Share it with your friends and family, add to your playlist, jam out to it, and interpret it in whichever way fits your situation. Love you all. ♥
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