Hiya Twayn, thanks for joining us in the virtual RGM lounge today. Grab a brew and take a seat.
Thanks for joining us today… Tell us bit about where you are from and how you got into music?
So, we are 21 y/o twin sisters, Hannah and Grace, from the North East. We’ve always been into music at school, singing in choir and performing in school productions and the like, and at home we’re quite a musical bunch. The Covid Pandemic gave us the time and the opportunity to teach ourselves music production and to start recording some of the songs that we had been writing over the years.
The turning point for us came less than three years’ ago. We kicked off our music careers whilst still at school, when we entered our song ‘sweet 16’ into the Liverpool International Songwriting Competition (Road to Nashville – 2022). We came 2nd place out of over 22,000 entries and got to play the iconic Exit/In, Nashville where the likes of Etta James, Linda Rondstadt, Willi Nelson, R.E.M. and the Red Hot Chili Peppers have played before us.
The competition was judged by a distinguished judging panel of Nashville and international music industry veterans, including Head Judge Jeff Cohen (Grammy-nominated songwriter/producer), Pamela Lewis (PLA Media and formerly part of the original MTV team), Regie Hamm, Tim Wipperman, and Gary Morris (Broadway and Country music legend who sung ‘Wind Beneath My Wings’).
What’s the live music scene like in Newcastle Upon Tyne right now? Anyone we should be looking out for (bar you, of course)?
Newcastle has a warm and welcoming music scene so that’s a great help for anyone starting out. We also have Generator who runs courses to help support up-and-coming artists and producers. Along with Newcastle City Council and the North East Combined Authority, they have done great things to bring lots of opportunities a renewed focus to music in the region, for example, bringing the MOBOs to Newcastle last year. Also in 2025, the Mercury Prize moved outside London for the first time when it came to Newcastle, and Twayn was lucky enough to be chosen to perform as part of the Mercury Prize Fringe events.
We are so pleased that it’s just been announced that the Mercury Prize is coming back to Newcastle in 2026, which is fabulous news and shows they must have liked what they saw in the region in 2025, so it’s a real credit to everyone involved last year too.
What are your ambitions for the band?
We want, and have always wanted, Twayn to keep making great music which really speaks to our audience and the challenges we face, whether it be friendships, situationships, toxic relationships etc. We had a taste of touring late last year when we supported Jools Holland on part of his Winter 2025 tour and that has really cemented our ambition to tour more and make music our career.
What’s your favourite social media platform to use and why?
We’ve found Instagram to be the most enjoyable so far, but we love other platforms too. We record a monthly series on YouTube called ’Twayn’s Takes’ where we talk about what we’ve been up to and any hot takes on the music industry. That’s a really nice thing to look back on, because we’ve been doing it for over a year, so we can see the progress we’ve made. It’s like a digital diary! We also stayed off TikTok for a long time, but posted our first video in 2022 after lockdown. We love doing more casual videos over there … so there’s a platform for everyone!
This year we plan to launch some very exciting new ideas to our social media followers so we are certainly worth a follow @twayntwins!
We believe it’s essential to have a presence on Facebook, Instagram and X to introduce yourself to all the different types of audiences out there, what’s your thoughts on that?
In 2026, it’s hard to avoid having a presence on social media as an independent artist. It’s where many musicians find their niche and fanbase, and it can be amazing for discovering new opportunities too. We don’t think it’s ‘essential’ be on any particular platform – we’re not on X, for example. But it certainly helps, and is amazing to interact directly with people who listen to our music.
What’s your view on the Music industry today?
It’s tough and a lot more difficult than we had ever imagined. We don’t think that many people outside the industry would have a clue the challenges that you face and the amount of hard work you have to put in on a daily basis, and by that we mean the admin behind the music making which takes up a lot of time – we always say that music probably makes up only 10% of our jobs. It makes writing time and studio time so much sweeter we guess.
What’s the biggest thing you have learned recently as you progress with your music?
Consistency is key! Even if momentum ebbs and flows, as long as you’re doing something to progress your art, you can’t be doing too much wrong. Just keep going, even when the going gets tough.
What’s currently in your ears and on rotation at the moment?
H: My favourite band of all time is Trousdale, so I’m always listening to them (and we were lucky enough to meet them a few weeks’ ago too) … and I’ve been diving back into Carole King recently, too! I’ve recently discovered an artist called Katie Gavin, whose 2024 debut album ‘What A Relief’ has been on repeat day and night. She’s got such a great voice, and her single ‘Aftertaste’ is a little addictive!
G: Punch Drunk Love by Aleksiah has been on repeat recently! She’s a new artist recommended to me by our producer, Josh Ingledew which I’ve been enjoying. I’m also loving more 80s-style pop like Jealous Type by Doja cCat and Ring Ring Ring by Tyler The Creator to manifest some summer energy! My latest vinyl purchase is Maisie Peters’ debut which has reinspired me in lots of ways and reminded me of her amazing songwriting.
What was your worst experience on stage? Any funny stories to share?
“Probably when I momentarily forgot to plug my guitar in on stage”, says Hannah, “I managed to remedy it quite quickly but it wasn’t the pre-song prep I had imagined on The Royal Albert Hall stage! Thankfully it was rectified before we started”.
Got any fun, funny stories from life on the road?
Well, we had a big plan to celebrate the end of the Jools Holland supports just before we headed home for Christmas, but when we got back to the hotel, the bar was closed so we ended up celebrating with a few bags of crisps and popcorn and some cans of pop! Rock and roll, hey?!
I hear you have new music. What can you tell us about it?
Well, talking of the Jools Holland support gigs, we sang ‘Spine’ and ‘Scary’ (both are from our third EP ‘Sadness Is My Sanctuary’) as part of our set at those gigs, including at The Royal Albert Hall. We also have plenty of new music being released in 2026, so keep your eyes and ears peeled!
What was the recording process like?
We’ve worked with our producer, Josh Ingledew, since we were 16 (and we’re 21 now), so recording is always such a creative, fun and comfortable space for us. If you want an insight into the process, check out our ‘Making Of’ videos on YouTube, where we document the process of each song.
Would you change anything now it’s finished?
Josh (our Producer) will laugh at that question as we drive him crazy at times as we are such perfectionists when we are in the studio, and we are forever adding extra layers of harmonies. By the time we have the final master, it becomes our firm favourite (until we write and record the next song, of course). We really feel our songwriting and music is constantly progressing … we love all of our songs so much – they’re our babies!
Is there anything else you would like to share with the world?
Be kind! Always.
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