DirectLyrics Interviews Neon Jungle: Talk 3rd Single, Debut Album & Favorite Songs!
They are releasing their third single 'Welcome to the Jungle' this Sunday (April 20th) in the U.K but before that historic event takes place, Directlyrics.com had a quick chat with the fabulous Neon Jungle, the most exciting pop girl band to come out from Britain in the latest years (sorry, Little Mix). Check out what Shereen Cutkelvin, Amira McCarthy, Jess Plummer, and Asami Zdrenka had to tell us below!
But before you begin with your interview read, just a reminder that the very-exotic Neon Jungle only started their career last summer. First single "Trouble" was their statement debut single which reached the Top 15 in the UK and even charted on the dance charts in the U.S! (Giving them the opportunity to perform at the 2013 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show!). Their follow-up (and our favorite Neon Jungle song to date) 'Braveheart' charted even better in their homeland. Top 4 in the UK! These girls are on fire!
'Welcome to the Jungle' is another great song (a little darker if you will) but we have the confidence UK'ers will give Neon Jungle another smash hit.
Now read below what Neon Jungle told us about their forthcoming full-length debut, the new single and music video, supporting Jessie J on tour, what they'll be doing when they score their first UK #1, and what their fave songs of the moment are!!
THE INTERVIEW
1. Why did you decide to name the group Neon Jungle? Did you have any other candidate names?
Amira: Neon Jungle came from one of our songs, 'Welcome to the Jungle'. We had so many other potential names but none of them had the right ring! It took forever, we literally had to be introduced as “the girls” until we finally picked it.
2. You are signed to RCA/Sony. How does it feel to kick off your career already in a major label and with all the good things it implies?
Amira: Obviously this whole industry is daunting but as four young girls who love to sing we came into it with that expectation and I think we are extremely fortunate to be signed to such a leading label because this has allowed us to get the exposure we need.
3. Your debut single 'Trouble' was released in the summer of 2013. It is a fierce, electro/dance pop song where you all girls show a lot of attitude. Was it a very easy decision choosing 'Trouble' as your first single?
Amira: I think 'Trouble' was a perfect first single as it was a statement catchy song that allowed us to be remembered. It was feisty intro to us.
4. 'Trouble' reached the Top 10 in Scotland, Top 15 in the UK and it even charted really well on two Billboard dance charts in the U.S. How proud are you of the reach 'Trouble' had with you just starting in the business?
Amira: It was a big shock to do so well so early on in our careers, definitely a proud moment but it made us more hungry for even better results - it was ammunition to work harder.
5. The sudden success of 'Trouble' in the dance charts in the U.S made you visit the country last year to perform on the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, which is kind of a big event in there. How did you get that performance slot on the show? Were you nervous at all? Models definitely loved to strut to the beat of your song!
Asami: The producers of the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show had found our song and loved it and thought it was perfect for the 'Pink' section! We were all of course a little bit nervous, but it hadn't sunk in yet, and we were all just thinking 'walk with your right leg first'!
6. Are you hoping to do more promotion in the U.S with future singles or when your album comes out?
Asami: Of course America is a huge market and an amazing place so we would love to do more promotion.
7. In the beginning of 2014 you released your second single 'Braveheart'. Many praised the song as 'the best single by a UK girl band in years!'. The song has sort of a 'dark' atmosphere but it’s definitely dance-y too. 'Braveheart' reached #4 in the UK. When recording the song, did you think to yourselves, ‘boy, do we have a hit it in our hands!’?.
Asami: When it was coming up to release week and it charting we were hoping for at least a Top 10 as we feel like it deserved it as we loved it and we worked so hard on it, so when it hit #4 and stayed in the top 10 for 4 weeks we were over the moon! We thought and hoped it would be a huge hit but you never know what the public think!
8. Your third single 'Welcome to the Jungle' will be releasing in the UK on April 20th. Tell us about the new song for those out there who haven’t heard it yet (but should ASAP!). What is the song exactly about?
Asami: This song is our statement song we think. It's our “we are here to stay and not going anywhere anytime soon” song! It's about just having fun, letting loose and just enjoying everything!
9. Neon Jungle recently premiered the 'Welcome to the Jungle' video on VEVO. And you girls shot it in the woods at night time. With a song title like that, coming up with the treatment for the video was piece of cake right?
Jess: We all had the same exact same vision for the video! It was perfectly fitted for the song we all felt. Doing it in an actual jungle would have been far too obvious!
10. When is your debut album hitting stores? Tell us about it! Is the album complete? What producers have helped you?
Jess: YES! We have an album on the way. It will all be out early summer. We really want it to be perfect for our fans. People are definitely going to be in for a shock. It is a lot more diverse then what people may expect. We have worked with amazing producers such as Duck Blackwell, More Mega, Mathematica and Jaz Rogers.
11. So far all your singles have been electro/dance-pop-oriented tracks. Would you say ‘electro/dance-pop’ is the DNA of Neon Jungle?
Jess: It is definitely a side of us yes. We often say it's like we are 4 solo artists that continuously collaborate… There are a lot more sides to us too.
12. What are Neon Jungle's favourite songs of the moment?
Jess: Duke Demont ft. Jax Jones - I Got U
Amira: Beyoncé - Flawless
Shereen: Miley Cyrus - Adore You
Asami: One Direction - You and I
13. What will you do when you get your first UK #1?
Shereen: We’ll need to have a party! Without a doubt we have to celebrate with everyone.
14. You opened for Jessie J in her most recent UK tour. What is Jessie J like? Would you love to record a collaboration with her in the future?
Shereen: Yes we did! She is an amazing performer, picked up a few tricks from her. She was lovely in person too. We would love for Jessie to do a collab, she has an amazing voice!
15. Neon Jungle is just starting, but how do you see yourselves in ten years ?
Shereen: I would like it if we had loads of number #1s, toured the world three times already and everyone knew us!
16. Thank you very for your time, Neon Jungle! Best of luck with your new single, and upcoming album! Any last thing you would like to share with our readers at Direct Lyrics?
Shereen: Thank you for having us here, was a pleasure! (Hmmmm!) I think we covered just about everything but just remember 'Welcome To The Jungle' is out in the UK on 20th April and available to pre-order now!
Connect with Neon Jungle: Facebook / Twitter
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