Anya and Sonya Kuprienko AKA the captivating dark pop duo Bloom Twins are not just your standard teenage pop stars. The Ukrainian identical twins channel their boundless energies into their world of music and high fashion, finding inspiration along the way. I mentioned before how seeing Bloom Twins perform was an hypnotising experience and so I decided it was time to catch up with the sisters on their career so far.
The music and fashion industry are two of the most notoriously difficult worlds to break into and gaining a foothold in either isn't the easiest task in the world, yet the girls are conquering both after taking the dramatic leap of leaving their small town outside of Kiev for the sprawling lights and hectic pace of London. "It totally was a big leap for both of us." They explain "But we've always dreamt about it. Something we always wanted. And we are very lucky it happened this early in our lives. We were just babies in Love with British music, our parents introduced us to it. We naturally began to get hungry for music and started to discover lots of different instruments, but that wasn't enough. And than we met our manager, who suggested we move to London. And that was a step closer to our dreams." However it was a quintessentially British artist that may have had a sub-conscious effect on the decision. "Our main influence was the legend of music - Paul McCartney. Our parents know all Beatles songs by heart. And our childhood was drenched in an ocean of Paul's McCartney songs."
As diverse as London is a city, an eclectic mix of various backgrounds, there is still no escaping cultural contrasts. However for Anya and Sonya, what could result in home-sickness, they have turned into inspiration for their songwriting. "When we first arrived to London, we were very hypnotized by its beauty. We found it very different from our home-country. It was like being on a different planet. And the city inspired us to write our first song "She's not me".
It's not unusual in the fashion world for models to try their hands at a career in music once contracts become short supply (a record deal being one one of the prizes on America's Next Top Model) or even music artists becoming more known for the clothes they wear rather than the tracks they put out. However for Bloom Twins the two industries are not mutually exclusive, nor a back-up plan. Having graced the pages of Vogue Italy, Russia and Ukraine, music and fashion reflect one another for the duo. "Busy life is a happy life. Yes, music and fashion go hand in hand. They are very connected to each other, just like my sister and I. There is no life for us without music, and fashion helps us to show our personalities, we would say fashion is the way our music looks" Together in front of the camera, together behind the mic, do they ever drive one another mad? "We would lie, if we would say we don't drive each other nuts, sure we do, but that's healthy. We share all kinds of emotions with each other: Love, happiness, anger, sadness. Literally everything. Every one of her mistakes is mine, and an other way around. We're kind of prepared to be in marriage. We think we can overcome anything. And the good thing about having a twin is that sometimes we don't need words. We understand each other without them."
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| What do the girls think of each other? Sonya: (Anya is) a mathematician in music Anya: she's not me |
Last summer the world was united in grief and sadness when the commercial flight Malaysia Airlines jet MH17 crash landed - possibly shot down - with no survivors. The disaster came in the wake of civil unrest that has been boiling over in Ukraine due to the conflict of the country's standing with the EU and Russia. Last February Kiev saw their most violent day in over 70 years as fighting took place between police and protesters in Independence Square. Watching the crisis unfold in their homeland while thousands of miles away in London, Anya and Sonya knew that they could not remain silent on the issue. What emerged was a haunting cover of Bob Marley's peace loving 'Get Up Stand Up', using previously unseen footage which was unable to emerge into the media as the accompanying video. "Firstly, we were in London, and watching what was happening was not easy. It moved us in every way. There was pride and sorrow mixed in one. We wanted to support people of Ukraine who wanted the change and hence the words "Get up, stand up for your right, don't give up the fight" were the perfect choice."Explaining the intentions behind the music video "It always helps to know that someone supports you. And that you are not alone. One other reason was that our society strives on appetite for immediacy. What's on the tabloids today is nowhere to be found tomorrow. But what happened in Ukraine - is shaping the history. We can't let it be forgotten. And music and authentic footage will outlive anyone or anything." So how powerful a tool is music in getting a message across? "In our opinion music is one of the most powerful tools that exists. It's a language everyone speaks. It's so powerful and can really make a difference in a world. It can touch your consciousness. Anyone can relate to it, regardless of religion, skin colour, political view, or orientation. It cures people. Nordoff Robins transforms lives. And if we will manage to somehow make any difference in someone's live through it - then we certainly won the biggest prize."
The Bloom Twins debut EP was due for release earlier this year, but due to setbacks the twins have been unable to return to London in order to pursue its release. It's not the only plan they have for when they arrive back however. "First of all, we will buy soya late at a coffee shop. Cause we really miss it and we don't have it in Ukraine. Than we will see Lenka- our manager, and than the best of all- we'll get back to performing, recording, and we can't wait to release our long awaited EP that was pushed back due to visa issues. We miss performing so much. It's an addiction one can't cure."
Hopefully it won't be too long a gap before the duo do make it back to London, with their down to earth, bubbly personalities coupled with a steely ambition, it's an exciting wait to find out what the emerging EP will have in store.
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