Jo asks:
How difficult is it being in a band and being in a relationship? Especially with fans wanting to know everything!
Hey Jo!
Honestly I don't find it difficult at all being in a relationship and doing what I do. From the beginning of our career I've found it quite easy to just say I'm in a relationship and leave it at that. The press is pretty respectful thus far
(probably because we aren't giant pop stars or famous) and our fans rarely ask for more information other than what I have said publicly. I imagine sometimes it might be hard for my partners to have been in an audience where people we were yelling sexual things or being aggressive sexually but..I imagine its just as hard for them to hear negative things about us. I am not a cheater and treat my partners well and have never had any issues with jealousy etc. Ultimately I would not date someone that couldn't deal with the lifestyle I chose to live.
Thanks for the question!
Tegan
Nakia asks:
You guys have collaborated with many other artists and musicians, who are some people (musicians, artists, photographers) you would love to collaborate with in the future and why?
Nakia
Hey Nakia!
Great question. Though its a tough one for me to answer. I really don't have a list of people in my mind. When I met Against Me for the first time I just sort of blurted out that I'd love to do something with them. That's generally how it works. Ha. So, we'll see who I meet next. Ha.
Take care,
Tegan
Lynda writes:
Hey Tegan!
I saw you and Sara in Dublin,Ireland a few weeks back. Great show! Thanks for coming! I was wondering if you or Sara are into any sports or were when you were kids or do anything in particular to stay in shape? Or is doing shows almost every night enough?
Thanks a lot,
Lynda.
Hey Lynda!
When we were kids we were really active. Both of us played basketball (had a net on our garage and played at school) and we were also in Karate for 9 years. Sara and I were training for our black belts when we quit so don't mess with us! ha. Now I run, do yoga and recently started doing INSANITY. Pretty awesome. The work out we get on stage is great but we have a lot of time to kill on tour and at home and I like to be as active as I can. Its a great way to deal with stress for me and to release the energy I have pent up from sitting around all day working on music, answering emails etc.
Thanks for asking!
-Tegan
Jess asks:
Hey Tegan!
You and Sara have been preforming for the best part of 12 years now, do you still get nervous or "stage fright" before shows?
Jess
Jess!
Rarely. I was VERY nervous before our Glastonbury set most recently. I find at festivals I get nervous before I go on because we are playingmin front of a mixed audience (meaning some are our fans and a lot don't know us) and worry that it won't go well. But I don't really get nervous before our own shows. I know our audience is awesome and will treat us well!
-Tegan
Marci asks:
Hey Tegan,
About five years ago, I had a discussion with one of my computer classes (34 eighth grade boys!) about music and internet piracy. The major point was that it would adversely affect music making because less musicians would see it as a way of making a living. But now, after seeing how people use the internet just to get their music out there, it seems that there is a music renaissance of sorts. As someone who has been in the business for 10+ years, how do you see the future of music in regards to technology? What are the pros and cons to having music so accessible now from the perspective of both a fan of music and someone who does it for a career?
Hey Marci!
In general the digital music era has been good for us. We do see a lot of sales on the Internet through sites like Amazon and iTunes and its great to be able to go preview songs on websites and blogs before you buy a song. Obviously from a green point of view its also awesome to get rid of all that pesky packaging etc. The down sides are basically the most obvious ones. People download for free like crazy and people are overwhelmed with choice and I think this creates this throw away music culture we see now. One day its the Jonas Brothers and then its over and its Justin Beiber's 15 minutes. Its stressful. Those artists are all talented but the audience just moves on. Obviously our band hasn't and won't face the same threat that a young pop star does but...we have seen a major down swing in terms of sales etc. We sell a lot of concert tickets which is awesome and tshirts and that is how we make a living but with record sales down every artist is on the road to make a living and promote their CD which is making it VERY competitive out there right now. That is another downside. Its the trickle down effect of low record sales...but over all its good, we support it, we do our best to be apart of the movement towards digital and we do our best to make a quality product and write great songs so we keep our core fan base happy and honest.
Thanks for the question!
Tegan