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In the perspective of the Veronicas, they believe that there is a common thread that links all of the mistakes they have made throughout their almost two-decade long career: giving up control. Over the years, they explain that they have been influenced by others to go in certain directions, even when it went against their own instincts. Unfortunately, these situations have often turned out poorly.
“The only regrets we have are the times that we haven’t listened to that inner voice, and we’ve been like, ‘OK, we’ll do it’,” says Jess Origliasso, one half of the chart-topping pop duo with her twin sister, Lisa. “And, like any career after that long, there have been quite a few of those times.”
Not that their own instincts have always worked for them, Lisa adds. “I mean, there’s been a lot of wild times, I’m not gonna say that there hasn’t. God, it’s [been] 20 years – it could have been a lot worse for us. We didn’t go to jail. None of us went to rehab. If anything, we were little punk rock emo girls just writing out our little feelings into music, and people were connecting with it.”
We met to discuss Gothic Summer, the Veronicas’ sixth album, and the highs and lows that led to its creation. The highs were apparent – at just 20 years old, they landed a $2 million record deal with Warner Records in the US, one of the largest deals ever for an Australian artist. This jumpstarted their career, which took them all around the globe. Their debut album in 2005 went quadruple platinum and won them an Aria award. Their second album also went platinum, thanks in part to their worldwide hit “Untouched”, a song that was likely on repeat on your iPod nano and solidified their status as Australian pop icons.
As for the negative aspects, they may involve some of the tumultuous experiences. From the beginning, the duo was constantly in the public eye, a result of being open and self-assured young women during the early 2000s, a period known for its harsh treatment of female celebrities. Jess, who identifies as non-heterosexual, faced particularly harsh judgment and was exposed by the media before being accused of using romantic encounters with women for publicity. More recently, there have been other attention-grabbing incidents, such as a high-profile breakup and a 2021 allegation that their appearance on the reality show Celebrity Apprentice was unfairly edited. There were also countless rumors surrounding the year that the pair stopped speaking to each other and an incident where they were removed from a flight by the flight crew.
The Veronicas have little trust in the press, which explains why certain parts of the interview unfold the way they do.
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When I encounter them in the lobby of a hotel in Sydney, they both have pleasant and friendly demeanors. They welcomed me with a hug and gave me a friendship bracelet from the Taylor Swift concert they attended two nights ago, which I then put on my wrist.
I am astonished to discover that their manager, an American woman named Alex, will also be joining us. She is seated at a nearby table and happens to be Jess’s fiancée. Alex has officially held the position for the past six months, following two years of self-management. Jess jokingly says that one of her job responsibilities is to “try to silence us and prevent us from sharing our opinions.”
Alex definitely lets herself be known. At one instance, I inquire about the infamous year when the sisters were not on speaking terms, and she stops eating breakfast to interject: “You don’t have to answer that. Those are not approved topics.” However, while certain topics are often designated as off-limits before an interview, that wasn’t the case here; I had been informed beforehand that “some personal questions are allowed”, and that their main focus was on their music.
Afterwards, I mention their 2019 reality show titled “The Veronicas: Blood is For Life.” The show features the sisters receiving cosmetic injections, performing in concerts, and having disagreements. Alex dismissively states, “There’s no need to discuss the reality show.”
The sisters are open about their true feelings. When asked about the reality of the show, Jess responds, “It wasn’t exactly real, you know?” She goes on to explain, “It was more of a comedy, exaggerated version of our lives. I even joked with Lisa about deserving a Gold Logie for our argument in the last episode.”
Lisa appeared indifferent and remarked, “I am uncertain as to our reasoning for doing it.”
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The Origliassos tend to say more rather than less when answering difficult questions. Occasionally, they may correct each other on specific information or show some sibling tension. For example, when Lisa kindly advises Jess to have some self-awareness about her involvement in making personal issues public.
However, they also have a great sense of humor and often joke about the uncommon occasions in their profession where they had too much power. Lisa reflects, “In the early days, we did our own hair and makeup – looking back, I wish we hadn’t. People were willing to assist, but we insisted on doing it ourselves!”
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The Origliassos developed a love for music early on. They grew up singing and dancing and received guitars as a gift on their 16th birthday. They started performing live wherever they could, accumulating around 1,000 performances, ranging from small local events to playing at palliative care facilities. In their late teens, they signed a publishing deal as songwriters and spent two years honing their collaboration and writing skills. During a songwriting trip to the US in 2004, they were introduced to their now-manager, who played a key role in securing their major deal with Warner.
Following the initial success of their first two albums, the Veronicas embarked on relentless touring and recording, which was both exciting and ultimately exhausting. However, rather than quickly releasing a third album, it took four years for them to even release a new single, and another three years to release a new record. As Lisa recalls, it felt like they had disappeared during this time.
The group claims that their label’s instability, caused by the changing industry of the late 2000s, created challenges for their career. They were unable to get their music approved for release and were essentially put on hold, a term known as being “shelved” in the industry. Jess shares that this had a significant negative impact on their career and their ability to reach their fans. Despite being asked for a comment, Warner Music declined to provide one.
The duo penned a sincere request to be released from their agreement and joined Sony Music instead, following the appointment of a new CEO at Warner. Their debut single under the new label reached the top spot on music charts, prompting Jess to humorously tweet, “surprise, bitch” towards Warner. Looking back, she regrets that her Twitter privileges were not revoked. Nevertheless, the entire album also achieved platinum status.
Michael Paynter, who was the musical director for the Veronicas from 2013 to 2020, states that the twins have consistently had a clear vision for all aspects of their career – from the design of their merchandise to the desired sound of a drum snare.
According to Paynter, the Veronicas have deliberately crafted a strong reputation for themselves, leaving no aspect of their career to chance. This determination is why they continue to thrive in the industry.
However, there were certain circumstances that were out of their hands. It took them seven more years to put out another album, and this time the delay was due to personal reasons. First, they spent a year apart in 2017, which they prefer not to talk about. Then in 2018, their mother fell ill with a degenerative disease, and they returned to Australia to take care of her until her passing in 2021. This experience brought the two siblings closer.
Jess reflects on the daily task of trying to relieve suffering, acknowledging the difficulty in facing something outside of one’s control. She expresses deep admiration for those who consistently show up and offer support, recognizing that not everyone is willing to do the same.
Although their music career was not their top priority, songwriting served as a way to cope for [band/artist name]. They recently put out two albums with Sony in 2021, concluding their agreement with the label and giving them the opportunity to consider their next move as independent artists.
They opted for a new approach for their sixth album. Gothic Summer was distributed as a single record under a non-exclusive agreement with Big Noise, an independent American music label co-founded by their friend John Feldmann. According to Jess, The Veronicas are now essentially independent artists.
Now, they are overseeing every step of the album launch, which includes creating their own music videos and curating their own photoshoots. They are receiving guidance from American photographer Tyler Shields and Lisa’s husband, Logan Huffman, is in charge of taking the photos. (The Veronicas conducted their own shoot for this article, but the pictures were not yet released to the Guardian by the deadline.) According to Lisa, their involvement in the business aspect has made Gothic Summer a deeply fulfilling project.
The album is an energetic and enjoyable experience: filled with lively pop tunes that include percussion from Blink 182’s Travis Barker, a cameo by Australian rapper Kerser, and some occasional strumming of surf-inspired guitars. Lead singer Jess describes the process as a tough few years, making it even more satisfying to reach a place of joy and lightheartedness with the album.
However, there is a genuine sentiment behind the cleverly crafted words. The first song of the album, Perfect, pushes back against the unrealistic portrayal of beauty often displayed on social media, a type of shallow mentality that the twins have outgrown since the passing of their mother. Lisa reflects, “Experiencing loss completely transforms your perspective. It makes you question if you’re getting caught up in things that hold no real significance.”
This new album finds them settled in their lives, both now happily partnered and splitting their time between homes in Queensland and the US, pulling back from putting so much of their lives on social media largely because “of the last seven years,” Jess says.
I became exhausted from constantly causing drama. While drama can be entertaining and human nature, I no longer wished to be the instigator. I didn’t like the person I became when participating in drama, as it didn’t bring me any joy.
It’s a lesson that they have learned through experience.
“It’s quite unbelievable to consider that we were raised in the spotlight during the most crucial stages of our lives,” Lisa mentions. “People are aware of even more aspects than we anticipated, looking back.”
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The interview didn’t end on a positive note as it started. Approximately 20 minutes later, I receive a call from one publicist and an email from another, stating that the Veronicas want to cancel the profile. Looking back, if it does get published, their preference is for it to only feature their upcoming album and future plans, as they do not want it to be a 20th anniversary piece.
However, having been in the public eye for a substantial amount of time, the siblings, Origliasso, understand better than others that this concept does not hold true; granting admission results in relinquishing a certain level of authority.
“We have always taken pride in being resilient and vocal women, and I believe our intentions have always been sincere,” Lisa expressed during our interview.
We cannot control how others perceive, write about, or discuss this, but we can uphold our integrity and trust that we have always tried our best.
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The latest record from The Veronicas, titled Gothic Summer, is now available.
Source: theguardian.com
