Speaking with one half of the Veronicas, Jess Origliasso (twin sister Lisa is the other half) is as unassuming as watching TV with your sister. She laughs often, and proffers a sympathy for stupid questions that is as genuine as you'd never expect from their international equivalents. Given that The Veronicas are about to release their second album this Saturday; and furthermore that they're once again setting off for a tour next month; MTV took the opportunity to get some behind-the-scenes goss from Jess about their new offering; her fave sounds and, of course, the other half.
MTV: You've got your new album coming out next week - did you do anything different this time this time, compared to the albums before?
Jess: Yeah, our new album sounds quite different; it's a lot more beat-driven, like the kind of songs you'd hear in a club. We did our last album over two years ago, so it's definitely something a little bit different stylistically. We've been influenced by a lot of music in between.
MTV: So what new music is The Veronicas listening to right now?
Jess: I like Shiny Toy Guns from America. Then, for Australian bands, The Follow and Nina May are awesome. I like Paramore too, and Marilyn Manson's new record. And the Swedish band The Sounds
MTV: And what's your favourite song on your new album?
Jess: That's a good question! I've got a few; there's lots of different styles in the album. I really like "I Don't Want To Wait" because we did it with one of my favourite people in the world, John Feldmann, so I've got lots of great memories associated with making the song. I also love "Revenge Is Sweeter" because I think it's really clever!
MTV: One of your previous songs was performed by tATu in Europe to great success. Now some commentators have suggested that you have a tATu- kind of beat in "Hook Me Up". Do you guys consciously model anything from each other?
Jess: No, I don't think we model anything from them, as they don't write their own music - it's kind of the other way around! We wrote the song "All About Us" for ourselves but we didn't end up using it so we gave it to them. I guess we're similar in that we're both two girls singing pop, and we think their music's amazing too, and we love it! But there are differences.
MTV: The Veronicas have an official You Tube site, and on one of the videos there, you ask for people's feedback about the kinds of videos they'd like to see. Have you had any strange responses?
Jess: Not yet! We were expecting some weird responses. But I haven't checked for a couple of days - we only put it up last week, so maybe we'll get some eventually!
MTV: You've got a Hook Me Up Tour of Australia in the works for next month... what's your favourite thing about touring?
Jess: The different cities you get to go to; the different food you get to try.
MTV: So what usually goes on while you guys are touring?
Jess: We do a lot of sleeping! And a lot of hanging out, after parties, eating, taking vitamins...
MTV: So what kind of things would we usually find in your dressing rooms?
Jess: Fruit, tim tams and wine.
MTV: Does your sister have any bad habits that drive you mad?
Jess: She is never on time, and that annoys the hell out of me!
MTV: What are you reading right now?
Jess: I haven't been reading anything lately, except our MySpace! But I love reading all the little messages; they cheer us up.
MTV: What is the inspiration for your lyrics?
Jess: They're all pretty much based on our personal experiences. We tend to write about things that are going on in our lives; our relationships. Because we've changed quite a bit over the last few years, I would say what we write about has changed too. Maybe now we're a little bit more extended; our lyrics a bit more in-depth.
MTV: So to go back to a light treatment, how would you describe The Veronicas right now, in three words?
Jess: Electro Dirty Pop.
Don't miss out on grabbing a copy of their new album "Hook Me Up" when it hits the music shops and online stores. You can also find more information about their upcoming national tour here.
Copyright : MTV Australia
