Low-rise denim is a street-fashion staple and Aly & AJ are on tour playing to screaming fans across the country. It might be 2018, but you wouldn’t be blamed for thinking we’ve entered some sort of time warp transporting us to the mid-‘00s.
Aly & AJ, made up of sisters Aly and AJ Michalka, are the duo responsible for some of the catchiest pop bangers of the aughts. They were already Disney Channel royalty by the time they released Insomniatic, their album featuring arguably their biggest hit (and karaoke staple), “Potential Breakup Song.”
And instead of capitalizing on their rising success, they decided to step back at the height of their musical fame. The duo hardly disappeared from the screen, with Aly a fan favorite on the CW hit iZombie and AJ a regular on ABC’s The Goldbergs. They even briefly returned to music in 2013 under the moniker 78violet, releasing the single “Hothouse.”
But then in 2017, the sister duo returned to the music world with the single “Take Me.” A shimmery piece of ‘80s synthpop that sounds like a lost Genesis track, “Take Me” was more than enough to whet fans appetites before Aly & AJ released their EP Ten Years this past November, a full decade after Insomniatic. No longer signed to a label, the four-song EP allowed Aly & AJ to move on from their Disney roots and push their sound in a new direction.
Which brings us to today, with Aly & AJ in the middle of their Promises Tour and celebrating the release of their latest single “Good Love.” Teen Vogue caught up with the girls backstage at their sold-out New York City show to chat about everything from the reason it took them so long to release new music to why they won’t perform “Like Whoa” live anymore.
Teen Vogue: Why did you wait to release your new music a decade after your last album?
Aly: I don't think it was planned. We originally wanted to take a year or two away to focus on acting and find our creativity again as writers and adult artists because we were children when we made those records. I think ultimately it ended up being a harder road than we anticipated, not only being independent artists but trying to find our sound and that confidence again. We were so young we almost didn't realize how much success we had in that moment so we needed to step away and not feel the stress and pressure of having to deliver hit songs and being on tour. A lot of stuff was asked of us and we got burnt out. A the end of the day we needed space for ourselves and our own creativity.
AJ: And then it happened to be a decade later when we released new music so hence the name! It ended up being a big "we're back" moment, which we didn't plan. It was the time when we were like "we need to release music, we believe it needs to be in our life, and this is what we need to do, so let's make it happen."
TV: Were you worried fans would be receptive after all this time?
AJ: Totally. Just if people still cared or if they’d be upset that we took so long they wouldn't take a moment to enjoy the new stuff.
Aly: Or they would judge the new stuff and not like it because it was different from the old stuff. It's a little more grown up.
AJ: There was definitely a big fear releasing the EP but it surprised us how much people came through with support. Even being on this tour and seeing the people excited and treating the new music like it's the old stuff.
TV: Are there any songs you look back on that you’re embarrassed of?
Aly: I mean we don't love "On The Ride." The sentiment is really sweet. It's very much something we connected to in the moment because it's about sibling rivalry and affection, but now I look at the lyrics like ‘Oh god…’
AJ: I’d do it differently now, but I love the meaning behind it.
Aly: Yeah maybe not make it so on-the-nose.
AJ: ‘We're on this ride together, this rollercoaster ride!’ Like, okay...I was writing it like ‘This analogy is killer man!’ Meanwhile you look back and realize ‘Wow this is lame.’
TV: What was your goal with the new music?
Aly: To be back on the road and to tour much more frequently than even just this five-week tour. Our goal is to be out 4-5 months out of the year touring and the rest would be spent in the studio or writing or making movies.
AJ: We wanna tour, we wanna put out more music, we wanna play festivals we've never played before like Coachella and Bonnaroo. Festivals we were too young to do when we were making music.
Aly: We wanna earn fans in different ways than just a concert of our own. Having to win an audience over is really challenging but also makes you a better artist.
TV: During your break you two stayed busy acting. Was it ever tempting to stick with that?
Aly: Yeah it was. I think that's why we rode on that for a little bit longer than normal.
AJ: We got lucky because we both happened to land TV shows. It was easy to ride that wave as long as possible because making music takes up so much time. I think we can do both, and that's what we're gonna try to accomplish. Whether it's shooting a TV show then going to the studio or shooting a TV show and you tour for three months during your break, that's what you have to do. And we're more than willing to do it.
TV: Your new songs especially are so emotive and anthemic. Are they inspired by your own experiences or born out of your writing process?
AJ: A mixture of both. I feel most things come from the basis of a real relationship. "The Distance" is the most visceral for me because I was in a long-distance relationship for two years and that wears on you for sure whether you're in the industry or not, traveling and trying to get to that other person.
Aly: The only one more on the fictional side is "Promises." If it's not based on our own life it's based on a friend or some kind of inspiration outside of ourselves. But it feels therapeutic to write about things actually happening in our lives. It's a free therapy session.
TV: With Ten Years out, what are your release plans for future music?
AJ: So no full album out this year, but we're releasing "Good Love”! And we plan on releasing one to two more singles this year, which will be tricky because we go back to our shows in August. But our goal is that we have another EP coming out next year. An album is on the horizon. We're excited to release the next chapter of Aly & AJ whether it's in EP form or single-by-single.
TV: You mentioned you made the EP so you could go back on the road. You’re a few dates into your Promises Tour, what’s the experience been like so far?
AJ: It seems effortless and fun and obviously it's hard work but we love road life. We have a great time on the bus, we love our team and our crew, it's all amazing. Aly's husband came out, my boyfriend came out a couple nights and helped. It's been a family affair and it's been wonderful, like when fans come up with their old photos from ten years ago.
Aly: They're like "I met you when I was 10 and now I'm 23!" You're like "What the..." It's crazy. And just to play the mix of old and new is really great.
TV: You’ve partnered with some amazing programs like HeadCount and Project Heal that are on the road with you as well. What drew you to those causes?
AJ: HeadCount is a charity that helps people register to vote. I feel like so much of what we give on stage is a musical gift to our fans but we also wanna bring more depth to our shows if we can and do something empowering. HeadCount specifically tours with bands and even if just a few people who come to our shows register that makes a difference.
Aly: We felt like we needed to give back in some sort of way, especially with what's going on in our country with the past election. Project Heal is a place for people coming out of treatment for an eating disorder who need a peer group they can talk openly with. There are so many women and men suffering from eating disorders and I realized that we don't have to be suffering with something to have feelings for that cause. It's a booth for people to come up to so they can ask questions. They have chapters in every state and it's been an honor to have them. AJ and I wanted some sort of outreach at our concerts. It's more than just us, these are people that we care about, we want their well-being to be taken care of so why can't we provide that to them?
TV: “Like Whoa” is one of your biggest hits but I’ve noticed it’s become a meme in your fandom that you don’t like performing it. Why is that?
Aly: Well okay, I’ll tell you. It's because I said in an interview that we don't like that song, which we don't. And it started a thing where people were like "What? Are you kidding me?" But I don't think we really loved it in the moment either because I think that song really stands out on Insomniatic.
AJ: I do too but nobody else seems to think so. It became a thing where people were like "You HATE that song?"
Aly: I think we disliked that song even more during our 78violet days when you could've never gotten us to sing it. We've come a little bit back around like "We get it, it's fine let's make our own version of the song where we feel good playing it."
TV: Your tour kicked off during Pride Month, and I’ve noticed you have a huge following in the gay community and encourage fans to bring rainbow flags to your shows. How would you describe your relationship with that fanbase?
AJ: Just honest and pure, it's a really beautiful relationship. It's one of those things where we hear fans tell us stories during meet-and-greets like, "This song helped me come out" or "I didn't understand my sexuality until I listened to your record and I was able to be honest with myself because the lyrics in 'Rush' helped me admit to myself that this is how I feel" and it's beautiful. It's amazing how our fan-base has grown in that direction and it's a really cool time to be touring during Pride.
Aly: Our goal next year is to perform at Pride Festivals. Only then would we pull out "Like Whoa.” We'd have to. We'd be like "We're giving this to you guys because you deserve it!”
AJ: It's kind of our gay anthem, which makes me love the song again. Where if I take that away from it and think of the lyrics I'm like "Ugh."
Aly: But if I see a crowd of gay men and women living for it I'm like "Wait I love this."
TV: Now that you're independent of a label and in control, what's something you know now you wish you knew as teenage musicians?
Aly: I guess that every single obstacle truly does happen for a reason. I think it's just made us even more appreciative of our closeness as sisters. We were always really close and supportive but as we get older we see how important it was that we had each other in our lives during that time.
AJ: And our career is where it's at because it's supposed to be that way.
Aly: Whether it's kind of frustrating or slow or we’re not feeling patient enough, I do think it happens for a reason. That's so cheesy to say, but it truly does.
TV: And look at you now, about to walk out to a sold-out crowd in the middle of a national tour!
Aly: I mean a year ago today if you told us that we probably wouldn't have believed you.
Related: "Potential Breakup Song" by Aly and AJ Michalka Turns 10
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