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After a very public revelation last year that almost put Hey Lolita's front-woman Arianna Harley out of a career, the singer has remained low-profile ever since, strictly focusing on music and staying away from as many media appearances as possible. Whilst man behind the music, Jared Nevo, has always remained a mystery to the public, choosing to take a back-seat for the most part when it came to fame and attention. So much so in fact, that the pair have yet to give their very first interview as a duo... until now, in an exclusive with Rolling Stone. The duo talk beginnings, the future, new business ventures and the mystery behind their music.
This is your first interview as an duo, an EP and two albums later, what took you so long to open up to the media?
Jared: Well the media sucks, man. You can craft the best record ever, but when it comes down to the media and actually selling that album, they can completely rip it to shreds. You see all the greats in the industry? The media have all turned on them at some point, it's a scary thing to get involved with.
Your latest album The Confessionals became a big hit, both commercially and critically. What do you think is the key behind the success that you've had?
Arianna: We're very inspired by the past, because I think it was the best way to live. You know, like the 50s and 60s, my favourite eras. Women were so beautiful then and it wasn't a shallow type of beautiful, it was very natural and authentic. And we kind of mix that honest, real feeling in with our music, because everyone is looking for honesty and true feelings in their music. I believe our music is beautiful, and very different.
Jared: We used all real instruments and we had a sort of old-school approach when it came to making this album, more so than the first. We wanted to just strip everything away and really get down to the very core in our music.
Arianna, your vocals dominate the record for the most part. Was it a conscious decision to have you sing most of it?
Arianna: Scar is really the driving force behind the record, we'll write lyrics together and he'll kind of map out in his head how it'll all sound. A lot of that involved him suggesting that I do the vocals, so you could say it was.
Jared: I think Ari has a beautiful voice that shouldn't go unheard, that's her strong point, and mine would be more behind the scenes, sat in the chair, working away in the studio. We seemed to find that balance with this record, that's what we were most comfortable with doing. Sure, I'll add my voice into the mix every now and then for a surprise, but we know what works.
Your lyrics tell such a vivid story, how do you both come up with such songs?
Arianna: Quiet nights, sat talking in the studio with a joint and a bottle of wine. We chill, we talk about our past, and suddenly one of us will say "Yes! That's it, get writing." It's literally that simple for us.
Jared: A lot of the time, it's the stuff that Arianna tells me that blows my mind, like really fucked up things. It's usually her stories that trigger the songs.
What kinds of stories?
Arianna: Oh, gosh. (giggles) I've just met a lot of eccentric people in my time, people that have inspired me. Whether that's junkies, perverts, preachers... there's a story behind the eyes of them all. I like meeting people, so I give everyone who wants to know me a little time in my day, and that's how I come across such beautifully weird strangers. I'll go to a bar in my hometown and just experience such things, that's New York for you.
Do these strangers know they're chatting with Arianna Harley of Hey Lolita?
Arianna: No, no, I don't think so. I think that's the magic of where I live, you're somebody and nobody all at the same time.
Let's go back to your earlier days. Jared, you're from London, so how did you two meet and form this duo?
Jared: I was working as a producer for the time-being, and I had gathered up my spare change and caught a flight to LA. I thought, "I'm serious about doing this for a living, why the hell not?" I was working in a studio, a pretty run-down, nasty one to be fair. Arianna was working in the next room, and we ended up meeting and decided to work on a song together, it all started from there.
Arianna: It's funny, because I didn't actually start out as a vocalist. I love poetry and creative writing, so I was writing songs for anyone who wanted them. Jared heard me sing and persuaded me into making a song with him, we really just liked how we worked together. We have very similar tastes, yet come from very different backgrounds, and I like how the music brings that all together.
Did you ever think you'd catch on in the way that you two have?
Jared: Hell no, we were so different to everything on the radio, we never even aimed for that, that just wasn't in our minds. We made an EP, the Hollywood EP, just as an experiment really, hoping that it'd catch on. In the end, it went onto sell over 1.5 million. Funny, huh?
Arianna: It was more like an art project, we decided that if we enjoyed working together so much, then why not continue that? Our very first album sold six million, it's so wonderful to know people actually get us, and understand the music that we make.
Jared: Which is the great thing, because a lot of people didn't get what we were going for, before we really blew up. A lot of naysayers and label heads that just wouldn't touch us, so it's always cool having the last laugh.
You're now both on North Hill, how much creative freedom do you get?
Jared: Honestly, no one dictates to us what we can and can't do with our music, we're very free in that sense. If we didn't have that control, we simply wouldn't sign a contract with that label, no matter how big they were. No fucking way.
Arianna: I imagine we'll be allowed to have a lot of freedom now, especially. It's very sad to see Nadia Berry step down from her position at the label, but she offered me to buy her half of the label, and I thought I'd take the risk. (gasps) I hope I was allowed to reveal that.
So you're now technically owner of the label with Ryan Ross Hernandez?
Arianna: Yes, we have equal shares now. I had a very long conversation with Ryan beforehand, and he was more than happy to work beside me. He's a very intelligent man, and knows a lot about the industry, so it's nice to know he has faith in me. I've never worked at a label before, but I have been working in music for as long as I can remember, so I'm hoping it's a challenge that I can rise to.
Jared: It's more than awesome for us, if we ever get a record that commercially disappoints, I don't have to lose sleep at night thinking that we're getting dropped. (laughs) But Arianna's a smart girl, she'll do well.
You also announced an album together, is that still happening? Jared, will you have a hand in that record?
Arianna: Yes, we've had a lot of discussions over that, and we've slowly been crafting it and making sure we know what we want to do. We have a few songs already, but it'll take time, it'll come eventually.
Jared: I won't be working on that album, that's a collaboration between the two of them, but it sounds like something that's gonna be timeless. I'm really excited for that. They've both got such distinctive, different voices. Ryan's got that husky, deep tone and Arianna has quite a soft, high-pitched voice, so I think that blend is gonna be pretty damn sexy, even I'd admit that.
Little is known about your personal lives, what do you both do when you aren't doing this?
Arianna: Well, I live with my boyfriend, he's in a band called our name is stars., so I've been dropping in on his recording sessions, Jared's actually working with them. But in my spare time, I'm very into photography, I've got a beautiful vintage camera. I like capturing images all the time, I just think there's something special about it. I'm forever writing songs too, I have a gorgeous typewriter in my bedroom, and I just sit and write with it at night.
Jared: Yeah, as Ari said, I'm working on the new our name is stars. record which is turning out to be really different from their first, they're extremely talented, really cool dudes. I've got a number of other acts that I'm working with in the next few months, Nadia Berry and such. I worked with her on her last album, and she's so professional, she can get a song done within one take in the recording booth, she's been doing it for so long, she just knows what to do. It's awesome.
As artists who came out of nowhere, what do you think is missing in the industry right now?
Jared: I really think it's time for a new band, we had some huge ones come onto the scene a while ago, like Riot! and Misery Loves Company, yet no one's really matched up to that level since. A lot of pop music these days is trash, and I hope 2014 brings a drastic change, I think we need it.
With the success of your most recent album The Confessionals, do you think you'll go on tour?
Arianna: That would be wonderful, our last tour was so special to us, it was our very first, and I loved every second of it. We would definitely like to tour again, I think we'd be able to do bigger venues this time too, which would be exciting.
Jared: Our last tour was in theatres and such, so if we can go onto sell out arenas, then we know we've made it. When people in their tens of thousands are paying to come watch you, you know you're gonna be eating well for the next few years, at least. (laughs)
Arianna: We'll keep everybody updated, dates will be on our website if so. I'm also on Tumblr, so people can follow me and I'll post it there.
Hey Lolita's album The Confessionals is available now. |
