Carly and Martina:
Music and community

At only 18, and with music featured in Radio Disney, Spotify, HULU, and Amazon TV, these Chicago-born singer/songwriters are twin forces to be reckoned with. Carly and Martina’s passion for music began at age four taking their first steps on their creative journey with piano lessons.

Their dreams of becoming musicians became a reality shortly after attending a songwriting camp. There they played an original song in front of their friends and family for the first time in a studio— and were spotted by the studio’s owner. Since then, these talented twins have traveled the world, played dozens of shows, and created original songs and mixed mashup videos that can be found on their social channels.

Carly and Martina found a new love for creating content, and a new way to connect with their audience

For Carly and Martina, creativity is what bonds people together. As both twins and best friends, the sisters’ love of making music has brought them even closer, and the way they create songs together shows just that. If you listen to them sing, you’d understand what we mean. A quick listen to a 30-second clip of a self-created mashup reveals just how musically connected the twins are: Carly’s beautifully angelic voice, mixed with Martina’s soft, lush vocals and elegant piano, forms a hypnotic harmony that pulls you in.

It’s clear that a large part of the young artists’ success has come from the sisterly bond that’s strengthened when they play music together.

“When you create something together, there is a bond that happens,” explains Martina. “Creativity breeds connection. Some of our best friends are because we sat in the room together and we made something and it kind of bonds you in some way.”

“No matter how many times something is created, it can always be created a new way next.”

To reach a larger audience and establish an online community, Carly and Martina started creating videos and sharing them on YouTube. They found a community through the internet, which helped them to share their music and their story.

Beginning with covers of their favourite songs and mashup videos, the girls found an incredible online community of people that supported and inspired them. Using platforms like YouTube and Instagram helped kickstart the twins’ careers in a way that would never have been possible without the Internet.

Within these platforms, Carly and Martina found a new love for creating content, and a new way to connect with their audience. Today, they continue to create visual and video content that’s inspiring and relatable on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok, and they’re always excited about making new friends and connections through these channels.

Everyone’s creative process is different. When asked what creativity means to them, the twins had surprisingly different answers. To Carly, creativity means, “asking a question, and not stopping until you find the answer.” For Martina, creativity is at the core of who she is, and it’s also her greatest motivator, as she can’t go through the day without creating something.

Both Carly and Martina agree that there are no bounds or limits to creativity, claiming that no matter how many times something is created, it can always be created a new way next. “Everybody can be creative,” says Carly. “They take nothing, and they make it into something.” In the twins’ case, they had the vision and the software to create what they imagined, so they worked hard to bring that vision to life.

Creativity allows dreams to happen

It’s clear that for these two young artists, creativity has changed their lives in remarkable ways. They’ve been fortunate enough to have traveled all over the world (from LA, to New York, to London) and meet inspiring people -- people that the girls never would have met if they weren’t creating something.

In terms of dreams as musicians, the talented twins agree that they have achieved a few already. They’ve traveled the world, writing with and producing for different people. Their songs have been featured in their favourite shows. And, as of recently, they’ve completely self-wrote, produced, and mixed their own album (coming out August 7).

To stay driven, Carly and Martina continue to set new goals for themselves to stay focused on their dreams of becoming successful artists. They want to make music in as many ways and as many mediums as possible.

What’s next for these talented twins? Aside from recording multiple albums in the years to come, Carly and Martina aim to score movies and write plays and scripts for television. They want to keep traveling the world, doing what they love and meeting people who respond to their music.

When asked about what success means to them, the musical duo told us that success is being really proud of the project that they’ve created. Even if a video doesn’t do as well as they had hoped or get as many views online, Carly and Martina still consider it successful, because “it’s theirs and they love it.”

Inspiring new creators

If you’re an aspiring musician or creator, Carly and Martina agree that it’s important to believe in yourself and what you can bring to the table, regardless of your experience. The singers stressed the importance of a creator’s “newness” in the industry, claiming that a newbie’s “freshness” is actually the key to their success.

“Never let anyone make you feel like your newness or your freshness is a flaw,” explains Carly. She advises aspiring creators to view their newness as a strength, because it allows you to create something that’s never been done before.

Martina added that a creator’s inexperience should not hinder them from creating something special. “Don’t let your inexperience hinder you at all -- that is your secret weapon because it allows you to think of things from a different perspective,” she explains. “If there are no rules weighing you down, you have the power to do anything and be successful if you work hard and never give up.”

Sharing a part of themselves through music

As singer/songwriters, Carly and Martina willingly share a piece of their creative hearts with their audience, which can be quite personal. When asked what it means to share that part of themselves, the creators agreed that their music is what connects them with other people.

“Sharing a part of ourselves through music is taking that uniform feeling of the human experience that everybody goes through, and saying, ‘This is how we went through that. And now it’s yours,’” Martina explains.

In the intimate process of creating songs, the twins add their own unique perspective in hopes that others can grab onto it, take some of their experiences, and ultimately relate to them. For Carly and Marina, that’s what sharing yourself through creativity is, and it can be powerful. All you have to do is take the first step, and let your creativity take you there.