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Country pop duo Jack + Ella talk to Chasing Tunes about their new single ‘Hometown’ and E.P ‘Ready’

Jack + Ella are a country duo based in London, UK.  Their music is rooted in country, with infectious and catchy pop rock hooks.

Their influences include artists like Tim McGraw, Keith Urban, John Mayer, Lady Antebellum, Florida Georgia Line and Taylor Swift.

Both Jack and Ella are rock guitarists at heart and love to integrate the sound of rock n roll and male-female vocal harmonies in their country songs.

Jack + Ella met when they were 16 at a young talent competition that their dads had taken them to. Years later, in May 2016, they re-connected after recognising their musical and personality similarities over social media!

They realised very quickly that their writing and playing styles complimented each other too well for them to keep pursuing their own music without each other – and so their official partnership was formed!

Hometown Single Cover

The duo are gearing up to release their debut single ‘Hometown’ on 3 April 2017, with an EP entitled ‘Ready’ to follow two weeks after on 17 April 2017. They will then be playing shows across the UK for the rest of the year as well as starting work towards their first studio album.

INTERVIEW – Jack + Ella had a sit down with Chasing Tunes

How would you describe your music ?

Ella: I’d say we’re a fun mix blurring the lines between country and pop/rock.  We’re both heavily into modern country music; my Spotify is constantly playing Keith Urban!  But we both grew up playing in rock bands and love playing guitar solos and riffs!  We both love strong melodies and hooks and hopefully this shows in our writing…

Jack: We also integrate components of other electronic music – not heavily, but enough to put a noticeable spin away from conventional country music! One example would be electronic drums, synths and they often make a good shell for a verse before a big pop-rock chorus.

What is your new single about and where did the inspiration come from ?

Jack: Hometown is one of those songs that I think bridges two ways of life and captures the duality of the adventures of the outside world whilst also emphasizing a love for ‘home’ and where you come from. For me, one thing I’ve always loved about country music is the songs about roots, small town life, regular people, and non-glamorous stories. But at the same time we also live in the 21st century where more and more people, ourselves included, are exposed to the outside world, multi-culturalism and (if you’re lucky enough) the ability to travel.  Essentially when writing this song, we wanted to capture a picture where the romanticism of meeting ‘the one’ and settling down with them meets the fun, buzz and experience of a slightly more crazy fast-paced life. And I like the juxtaposition in the lyrics.

Ella: Yeah, and even if you just break it down to simple levels, it’s quite universal.  Hometown is basically a love song. You can be anywhere in the world but if a place and/or a person have your heart, that’s what matters really.

What are your top tracks/musical acts of all time ?

Jack: Highway Don’t Care (Tim McGraw) or Bed of Roses (Bon Jovi). If you hadn’t worked it out by now, I’m a sucker for powerful rock ballads and guitar solos.  Summer of 69 has to be my favourite song of all time.

Top 5 artists:

–        Tim McGraw

–        Florida Georgia Line

–        Lady Antebellum

–        Avril Lavigne

–        McFly

Ella: It’s such a tough question. But much like Jack, I’ve always been a fan of the ballad. A couple of my favourite songs are Blue Eyes Blue (Eric Clapton) and You’ll Think of Me (Keith Urban). I’d say Clapton, Keith Urban and John Mayer are my top 3 artists. But also The Darkness are awesome. Not a lot of people know this but they’re one of my favourites. I was also a huge Busted fan as a kid. Jack and I keep toying with Busted covers when we’re jamming so if you hear Year 3000 at a gig…

What’s in store for you in the long run ?

Ella: Long term we really want to be making people happy with our music and touring the world.  We’re aiming high, but right now we’re just psyched to release our first record to you guys.

Do you guys practice often ?

Ella: We’re practicing all the time at the moment as we’re getting our live band together and making sure everything is on point.  We’re both hard workers and perfectionists, which can be difficult sometimes when we both get frustrated when things aren’t happening quickly!  Jack likes working in shorter bursts and then going to the gym or for a run or something… The other week we went for our first run together.  I was so desperate not to look terrible!

Jack: No. She killed it! For 12 whole minutes !

What instruments do you both play?

Jack: I play guitar and a little bass… And keys enough to play in a studio environment during production, but not enough to play in a band or in front of an audience. I’d love to say banjo, but no. Only ganjo! For anyone who doesn’t know, that’s essentially a six string banjo, much like a guitar but sonically like a banjo.

Ella: We’re guitarists at heart and don’t feel comfortable without one in hand. We love Gibsons and Fender Teles. Jack has a beautiful white tele that I’m planning on stealing when he’s not looking.

Check out Jack + Ella online at http://www.jackandellamusic.com