DIVE INTO THE WORLD OF MELODY WITH THE LEO TWINS
All the way from the UK we had a quick chat with Haroon and Sharoon - better known as Leo Twins. The extremely talented multi- instrumentalists filled us in on their personal and professional lives, life during the on going pandemic and how the brothers work together as a duo. Read on...
Hi Haroon and Sharoon! We’re so glad to have you here. Before we dive in...could you please tell us a bit about yourselves? How did you begin your journey in the music field?
We are the youngest of eight siblings and our older brother, Asher Sidhu, plays the tabla which encouraged us to learn western instruments like violin and guitar.
‘We started our ‘Quarantine Sessions’ on YouTube during lockdown; we wanted to spread hope and positivity through music’
You both are multi-instrumentalists and create phenomenal music and song covers on the violin, piano and guitar to name a few! When did you discover your musical talent and decide to work as a team?
When we started playing, we joined the worship team in our church where we got the opportunity to practice our talent and realized that we both have great chemistry and shared the same passion for music so decided to work as a team. To top it off, we’re twins so we believe we were pre-destined to be a team.
Brothers and music partners - how do you guys balance the two? And how do you set aside any arguments or differences and work professionally?
It’s quite easy to balance being partners and brothers. We both have great work ethic. Occasionally, we do have arguments and disagreements about musical arrangements and other things, however we always respect each other’s perspective and come to a mutual agreement. Over the years, we’ve learned that our relationship as brothers is always the priority. We’re always together and manage all our responsibilities.
‘When we began our music career, we only knew how to play instruments but now we are able to play, make the arrangements and record our music as a duo’
How are you coping with the ongoing pandemic? Has it changed you both in anyway?
We don’t think it has changed us, instead it’s challenged us to create music whilst being at home, hence why we started our ‘Quarantine Sessions’ on YouTube during lockdown; we wanted to spread hope and positivity through music. That was a great success as we learnt to showcase our talents whilst being ‘locked’ at home. The only thing that’s changed is our martial status. During the pandemic we both got married and have now settled in the UK.
According to you, how much have you two evolved since you started out? Is there something you wish you did different?
We feel time is the best teacher. Everything evolves and changes with time, including us! When we began our music career, we only knew how to play instruments but now we are able to play, make the arrangements and record our music as a duo. We believe that our journey, so far, has made us who we are and we wouldn’t want to change that.
How do you overcome creative roadblocks? Where do you get inspiration from?
Well we jam, jam, jam and jam some more (Laughs). What we mean is, we plug our instruments in and play for hours and hours.
How do you feel Covid-19 has impacted the music business or in particular yourselves as a musical duo?
As we all know, every business suffered during Covid-19, including the entertainment industry. But, we couldn’t just sit around so we decided to entertain everyone at home from home through our ‘Quarantine Sessions’. Luckily, this idea of ours became a hit and we gained over half a million subscribers in six months.
If you could change anything about Pakistan’s music industr y, what would it be?
Giving royalties to the artists on time.
According to you, what sets you apart from the rest?
Google ‘multi-instrumentalists twins’ and see what comes up!
Your favourite project till date and why? Tell us a little about it. Before moving to the UK, we produced a Christian Gospel album (Hazrat Dawood Ke Zaboor) for ‘Sound Of Worship’. This project was very close to our hearts because we wanted to do something to serve the Lord with our gifts and talents.
What is one message you would give to your fans?
With passion, dedication and enthusiasm, everything is achievable!
INTERVIEW: SAFA ADNAN
PHOTOS: COURTESY LEO TWINS