We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kyrsten and Kourtney. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kyrsten below.

Kyrsten and Kourtney, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

We have been a duo for ten years and in that amount of time it has been truly an uphill battle to record and release music. It was either financial difficulty that would hold us back or lack of finding like-minded producers that really understand and grasped our vision. From 2012 until the present time, we had only released one project. In 2014 we released a full length, fully produced album of ten original songs and we had high hopes for it. Unfortunately, at the time, we were singing and performing covers 90% of the time and our audience knew us as that. When the album came out, it really threw our fans and followers for a loop because they hadn’t gotten to know us as songwriters/artists. Instead of leaving the album up, we ended up taking it off of streaming services and as a result; for about 8 years, we haven’t had music available.

This brings us to today. We have officially released our debut single “EXIT,” for the world to hear. Not only is this our first single, but it is also our debut as producers. We engineered and produced this song in our home studio in Nashville, TN knowing we were the two people who understood this song the most. “EXIT” was this hybrid song that blended genres and lyrical styles together and everyone that attempted to produce it only saw one aspect of it. They were phenomenal producers, but they just weren’t right for this song. And that’s the learning process as a musician; sometimes you’re the best one fit for the job and sometimes you’re not. It takes wisdom to know when to step up, and when to invite others to help you. This project has been absolutely pivotal. It was our chance to tell the world who REVIE is, where we’re going, and what to expect. It was our stamp on the music industry and our ‘exit’ out of musical silence. We are deeply grateful and we look forward to everything coming.

Kyrsten and Kourtney, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

We are an alternative pop/rock sister duo, with a whisper of country. Both of us are in our late twenties/early thirties and we currently live in Nashville, TN.

Growing up, we lived in many locations, never feeling like we fully found our home until we moved back to Nashville. It’s what our debut single, “EXIT” is about. It talks about finding that place/person that makes you feel understood and seen and how that inspires you to stay and put roots down. In many regards, it was our love song to Nashville. After releasing it, however, we saw an even deeper metaphor for our relationship as sisters. “I wanna stay it’s the way you love me, I’m so in it for the long haul honey.” We’ve been through a lot as musicians and as family and this song is that anthem for anyone who knows they found their place in the world. It’s our anthem. We wrote it because we were experiencing it and that’s what music is for us; it’s a journal that we get to sing to others.

And I would say that’s what sets us apart: we are willing to share the most vulnerable places of that journal, so to speak. We recently dubbed our music as “painfully pretty,” and I believe that sheds the perfect amount of light on who we are and want to be. The radio, the industry, the world needs our artistry because we talk about the deep, dark, hard things that we all try to lock away hoping no one finds out. We challenge that mindset. Becoming healthy people starts with unpacking the many boxes we’ve hid our skeletons in.

For Kourtney, and myself, it’s been our relationship as sisters. It’s been wildly trying. We broke the duo up three times. Twice, because we weren’t healthy as individuals nor as sisters. We fought constantly. We were ignoring what the other person needed and we swept all of our insecurities and frustrations under the rug and eventually it blew up in our faces and it was very clear we needed a break and space to work things out. These are our skeletons. The cruel world of being family AND business partners and that every day, we work on being kinder to and more aware of the other person. When we took our last break apart, it was truly the reason we are here today. That space allowed us to heal, and it allowed us to be honest with each other and not have the answers right away. And when we felt ready again, we came back to music.

If someone were to stop us in an elevator and ask why we do music our answer is the same every time. We have to. There isn’t even an option. Even if we never “made it,” music will always be a part of us and I’m a firm believer that artists who cannot separate themselves from their craft, are the ones who live on and become legend. They weren’t there for the fame, the money, the fans. They were there because that’s the only place that felt like home.

When you listen to us, that’s our hope: that it feels like home. And home? Home is where you live, where you cry, where you laugh. It is where you change and grow. Home is, well, like our song says, “Home is where your heart leads.” And our heart always leads us back to music.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

Being a musician is probably one of the most difficult things we’ve signed up for. Maybe you’re reading this thinking you’ve lost yourself, or you’ve burnt out and I just truly want to encourage you. We have both been there. I (Kyrsten) do a good deal behind the scenes. I am photographer, editor, engineer, producer, administrator, and communicator. I take on a lot of this because Kourtney has a learning disability that makes it quite stressful to handle all of this. Trust me though, she makes up for it and operates as PR, chief networking agent of REVIE, and I would truly be lost without her.

I share all of this to say: don’t lose sight of why you’re doing this. I know, I know. It’s a cliche t-shirt, or meme but it really matters in this game. WHAT IS YOUR WHY??

For us, it’s about allowing people the space to experience their emotions. Much like a therapist. And we’ve been told our music is therapy and for us, that’s such high praise. But we truly are fueled by the opportunity to write a song that makes people feel like they can just let it out. Whatever it is.

That drives us. And for the person reading this who feels like your “why” is veiled or fading away amidst the chaos that is life, I encourage you to step away from the noise and get back to the foundation of your craft. What started it all? When did you feel most alive? Is there a song or creative project that inspired you to keep going? And then ask yourself…”why?”

Why was I most alive in that season? Why does that song fire me up? And once you find it, keep it close to your chest. And every time it hurts or you’re disappointed, or you feel numb, remind yourself of all the people who need your art. Think of them. What do they look like? What are they going through?

It’s time like that, for us, that inspired us all over again. Some of our best music has come from the most excruciating seasons and we know it’s for a reason. That reason is to inspire others to embrace honesty, sup with their grief, befriend the loneliness. Live with it. It isn’t to be feared. And it may just be there to lead you to bigger and better things.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I feel like our entire life has been a picture of resilience. It would be a much longer article to get into all of it so I’ll try to share it in fewer words.

It took us eight years to release music. That alone required every drop of patience and fortitude we had in us.

It’s been a ten year career and without being negative, we haven’t grown like the other artists around us in terms of signing a publishing deal to write music for living, or a record deal. We haven’t been asked to open for artists (yet), gone crazy viral on TikTok, reached a million streams on a song, etc. It takes a daily reminder that we are exactly where we need to be, and to consistently reorient ourselves. You have to disengage from the societal pressure that says “busy = successful” and get back to the heart of why you’re here and doing this.

And like I said, our life has been one battle after the next and that has forced us to be strong. That strength is invaluable to us and we never take it for granted. I encourage you to look at your struggles in that light because it is shaping and refining you like nothing else can.

Contact Info:

• Website: wearerevie.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/wearerevie
• Facebook: Facebook.com/wearerevie
• Youtube: YouTube.com/wearerevie

Image Credits
Photography: Kyrsten Roseman and Ryan Reid