Nashville-based sisters Caitlin and Sid combine modern alternative pop rock and electronic. Better known as NEONI, they have spent the past 2 years building an extensive catalog and accumulating over 50 million streams on Spotify. Neoni released their explosive new single “MACHINE” on June 18th off their debut EP ‘Wars In A Wonderland’ (out August 20th). They’ve been featured on some of today’s top Spotify editorials like SALT, Rocktronic, Alternative Beats, Friday Cratediggers, ALL New Rock and Alternative Generation, as well as on some of YouTube’s largest independent music channels including CloudKid, Trap Nation, Trap City, MrSuicideSheep and xKito.
This week the Lakeside Entertainment Group blog talks with Neoni about their biggest challenges, future plans, and more.
LEG: How long have you two been writing and making music together? What is the best and worst thing about being in a band with a sibling?
We’ve been writing and making music together for the last 8 years under a couple different monikers and we’ve been Neoni for the last 2 years! Since we’re siblings we can be brutally honest with one another and I think that’s both the best and the worst thing about being in a band together. In the end I think we both push each other to be better and to learn new things, and most of the time we have a lot of fun doing it! But on the other hand, when you feel as comfortable as siblings feel together you’re not really worried about offending the other person so occasionally it can get a bit more brutal than honest and that’s where that whole “We argue and write songs” bit comes from!
LEG: Give us one crazy story from your childhood that you think sums up your relationship.
For Sidney’s 5th birthday we took a family trip to Disney World! We had already had multiple days in multiple parks and it had already been the perfect trip! So we went to ride the newest ride in Epcot at the time, Test Track, and with all the magic that is Disney we were chosen as the family of the hour which basically meant that we could ride Test Track as many times in a row as we wanted to without waiting in line. I would have ridden that ride at least a thousand times and Sidney was… less excited about it, in her words, “ I was super motion sick and wanted to puke on the first go” . So we rode it like 10 times and she was absolutely traumatized. I think it sums up our relationship because I can be a bit over zealous and a bit pushy and Sidney likes to take her time and think everything through… And not puke…
LEG: Your new single came out June 18th called “MACHINE”! Can you give us three words to describe it?
Rebellious, aggravated and explosive.
LEG: Your new EP, “Wars In A Wonderland” drops August 20th! Was this all written and produced during quarantine? Did the pandemic change your approach to making the EP?
Yes, the whole EP was written and produced during quarantine, it honestly all came together pretty quickly. We worked on writing most of the songs at the beginning of this year and I think there was just so much pent up energy, stress and aggravation following a year so full of uncertainty. The songs really came from this place of tension. We’d had so much time to think about the way we live our lives, what we thought was important and the way humans interact with each other. The EP was our way to break down all these new things we’d had time to think about. We live in this perfect world that’s so full of small luxuries that we think will make us happy but they never do. Wars in a Wonderland is a reflection on these struggles.
LEG: How did your partnership with Cloudkid come about? What do you think are the advantages to working with an independent label in today’s industry?
We worked on a song with Besomorph called Six Feet Deep and he pitched it over to the CloudKid team! We immediately connected with everyone at CloudKid and just really enjoyed working together! They’re really organized and super professional and just really fun to work with! Independent labels are so fast on their feet and open to new ideas and strategies! It really feels like a partnership where everyone’s ideas are heard and experimenting and brainstorming are not only welcomed but it’s the lifeblood of the whole release and promotion process. Working with Independent labels really gives artists the ability to dive into all the growing niches of the internet to find their people.
LEG: Over 50 Million Streams is very impressive for any major or independent band! What have been some of the contributing factors to getting that type of early traction?
Ah thank you so much! We’re so excited to see our project growing! In our experience the most impactful thing you can do to grow your project is release a ton of music! We went into 2020 thinking about streaming like social media! For example, if you want to grow your Instagram you have to post! In the same sense, the only way we’ve figured out to grow our profile is to drop as many songs as possible! It’s also a great way to overcome doubt and overthinking from a musical perspective. If you’re releasing twice a month you don’t have time to get stuck in the tiny details, you just go with your gut, create and release. You never know what will resonate with people. Another huge contributing factor for us has been trying new things all the time! Whether it’s working with new people, experimenting with new sounds or promoting yourself in new ways it’s so important to keep experimenting!
LEG: What advice would you give to young female musicians starting out in the business today?
Know who you are. There are a limitless number of people in the music industry, and honestly in your everyday life, who would love to define you. They would happily write your story and choose the perfect little box for you. You are the only person in the world who knows what feels right for you, who knows what you want to say. Never let someone else’s vision erase your vision. Another huge lesson we’ve learned is how to say no. It’s especially hard when you’re just starting out, every opportunity that comes your way feels like it could be “the” opportunity. The truth is that your gut is right most of the time and learning to trust it early will save you so much stress and struggle. And finally, never stop trying new things. Stay light on your feet. The music industry is crazy fast paced and no one really knows what’s coming next so experiment often and always.
LEG: What is one thing that you two have gone through together either personally or professionally that you consider your biggest challenge? How did you make it to the other side and overcome that obstacle?
Staying true to ourselves and to our vision has been a big challenge. We started the band together when we were really young and that brought in a lot of opinions and a lot of people who thought they knew who we needed to be to succeed. When you’re 13 and 16 years old and you’re already struggling to figure out who you are, it can be really hard to ignore the pressure and the expectations of other people. Honestly it just took time, confidence and learning to trust ourselves and each other. It took getting comfortable in our own skin and knowing that our instincts are almost always right for us. It took us realizing that no one’s opinion matters more than ours in our life.
LEG: Say we are going to Nashville…. Where’s the first place we need to go to eat?
Ok so choosing where to eat is an event for us so we always need options! So option 1 is Greko Greek Street Food. It’s this awesome gyro place downtown, it’s got a great vibe and as self proclaimed french fry connoisseurs, the fries are epic! Option 2, would have to be The Pub! It’s this great British Pub in the Gulch, honestly we love everything about it! Last but certainly not least we’ve got Mojo’s Tacos in Franklin! These tacos… They’re perfect! There’s so many creative options and they still slay with the tried and true! Choosing one place to eat is impossible and to be honest we would probably argue about where to go until we’re so hungry we just go to Taco Bell but these restaurants are definitely our favorites!
LEG: What can we expect on the horizon for Neoni for the rest of 2021 and beyond?
So… Much… Music… We’ve been back in the studio working on more music for the rest of this year and throughout 2022! We love releasing music and sharing our art with our supporters and we’ve got no plan to slow down. As we look farther out we’re really hoping to get back into performing and playing live, no plans in the works yet for that but it’s definitely on our minds!
For more Neoni visit:
website | spotify | youtube | instagram