RESPECT. Interview: R&B Twin-Duo THEMXXNLIGHT Share Their Experiences With Rolling Papers 2, Bollywood Music, Aspirations, and Building Indian American Culture

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Success doesn’t happen overnight but the process for it could happen while making preparations. THEMXXNLIGHT is a mysterious and unique out-of-this-world R&B duo from The Bay Area, California.

The identical twins seamlessly weave their melodious,ethnic vibrations in to their exotic masterpieces. The duo has garnered a huge following on SoundCloud & Spotify before they got together with Wiz Khalifa on his Rolling Papers 2 album. The 3 tracks that they featured on garnered 3 Million+ streams since it’s release on July 13th.

Their first inspiration to create music actually came from The Weeknd. The twins heard The Weeknd’s first ever mixtape titled “House of Balloons” and were immediately inspired by his airy vocals. They sang the songs around school and after gaining local attention for their covers of The Weeknd, they started THEMXXNLIGHT together and are now revolutionizing R&B with their pure and refreshing, yet familiar sound, which is exactly what the music industry needs. The duo focuses their creative energy on sounds that truly connect with listeners to give them something they have never heard or felt before.

RESPECT.: How does life feel at this particular moment with a beginning career and the first breakthrough into stardom with three major song placements on the sequel to Wiz Khalifa’s debut album w/ Rolling Papers 2?

THEMXXNLIGHT: It feels pretty surreal and to be honest it hasn’t really hit us yet. It’s just amazing that our hard work in our passion and hobby of making music was placed at such a prestigious level.

RESPECT.: Where are ya’ll from and how did THEMXXNLIGHT begin?

THEMXXNLIGHT: We are from the Bay Area, California. Long story short, we picked up our passion for music after we decided to quit our college basketball team. Our family has always shared a passion for all kinds of music, mainly R&B, rap, and Bollywood hits. This allowed us to develop a unique and cultured sound that is new to the ear.

RESPECT.: What were some early signs that you both should begin creating music together in R&B and as a group?

THEMXXNLIGHT: As twins, we’ve done everything together. This includes classes, instrument lessons, karate, sports, etc. We’ve always been artistic and creative so it was only natural that we found a shared passion for the art of music.

RESPECT.: What are a few of your musical influences?

THEMXXNLIGHT: Growing up, our parents used to play us a lot of Bollywood songs as well as artists such as Sade, The Beatles, ABBA, etc. Our current sound has hints of these influences along with a strong influence from many Toronto artists such as The Weeknd, Majid Jordan, PartyNextDoor, and Roy Woods.

RESPECT.: Looking how fast a life-changing experience or opportunity could come to you, do you think opportunities come with more of preparation or the courage to pursue them?

THEMXXNLIGHT: It’s a mix of both. You must always be prepared to prove yourself. We are always thinking ahead and planning the next move. However, you can be prepared all you want, but if you don’t have the courage to pursue those opportunities, that preparation won’t do much for you.

https://tidal.com/track/91638954

RESPECT.: With you both being identical twins, do y’all ever get intuitions or can feel each other vibes from afar?

THEMXXNLIGHT: All the time. We basically finish each other sentences when in conversation with others. Sometimes we even cough or sneeze at the exact same time. It would an interesting scientific study for sure.

RESPECT.: I read the write-up by Genius, what is the responsibility that comes with being Indian American songwriters and gaining prominence in the music industry?

THEMXXNLIGHT: First of all, thank you for reading the Genius article as it does have some key information about our story. Our main goal is to show that Indian Americans, or any minority, can feel comfortable pursuing their creative passions outside of academics. We want to prove to the world that South Asians can really be a force in the artistic world. Being Indian, we are very cultured, but we just need to be given the opportunity to display our talents internationally. We wish to inspire the younger generation, especially in the Bay Area, since it’s very technologically oriented.

RESPECT.: Summer 18’ is halfway over, how do you want to continue building your music catalog, network, and portfolios?

THEMXXNLIGHT: We have a catalog of 20 quality songs that we will choose from to release on our upcoming album titled, MOOD. We build our network everyday as we stay in contact with fans, record label A&Rs, and fellow artists and producers.

RESPECT.: Any upcoming projects/releases?

THEMXXNLIGHT: Our album MOOD will be releasing sometime this fall. It is executive produced by Sledgren of Taylor Gang with Co production from fellow Taylor Gang affiliated producers as well. Our next release, Hold Up (Prod. Sledgren), is dropping in the coming weeks.

RESPECT.: What does RESPECT. mean to you?

THEMXXNLIGHT: Respect is everything in this world and if you lack it, you won’t go very far. You need to have respect for your elders, parents, fellow artists, fans, or anyone that you come across. We always believed that you must treat others the way you want to be treated. We’ve stuck by this rule for our whole lives.