The Reklaws

Boasting over a million streams of their last single Hometown Kids, it is fair to say that Canadian sibling duo The Reklaws are well on the way to music superstardom. Having started on the Canadian country circuit over half a decade ago, the brother and sister duo have been fine tuning their sound and their stage craft ahead of their international launch. With Hometown Kids having already proved a streaming success, we think 2018 might just be the year that sees them break out as international icons. We caught up with the talented duo to find out what they have learnt so far and how they feel about being one of the acts we tip for the top in 2018.

2017 - what will you look back on most fondly from the year so far?

Jenna: The thing we will most fondly look back on is the release of Hometown Kids! Because it felt as though it was the real beginning to a career that we had been searching for. We had the right people and support around us to fulfil our goals. It really reiterated that fact that timing is everything and when you are ready you are ready!

Stu: I will look back on the all the work we put in, and how at the time we thought we were spinning our wheels, but are now starting to pay off.

Did you make any new year's resolutions at the outset of 2017?

Jenna: I mean yes... health is pretty big to us! We both love to workout, so getting our bodies in a healthier state is always a resolution, but on the other hadn we do love pizza. So it’s a race to see how long we last! Ha!

Stu: I wanted to aim to improve my songwriting as well as my physical fitness, sometimes the two go hand in hand, or at least in my case.

What was the biggest lesson you learned in 2017?

Jenna: Biggest lesson in 2017, is patience. Patience not only with our careers, but with ourselves as people. It was a developmental year for us, we had to focus in on songs and who we were as people if we wanted to release something that was truly us. And that is harder than it seems, it’s like someone handing you a blank piece of paper and then telling you to write down everything that scares you, and then they take it a share it to the world… but once they do, it all becomes alright, because you begin to understand that everyone has similar feelings! Anyways, that was a rant… but it’s true, patience is key, and finding yourself through that patience is awesome.

Stu: Enjoy the moment.

What was the musical highlight of 2017?

Jenna: Musical highlight of 2017... has got to be the development of the songs that we will be releasing this year! We cannot get over how excited we are about what is ahead. Hometown Kids was just the beginning of it. So, the highlight has been the chance to focus on the material that we want to share with the world. It has taken a good 2 years to get it right, but that has made time to create some pretty exciting things! You. Just. Wait! lol

Stu: It would have to be a toss up between Justin Trudeau adding us to his Spotify playlist, and playing The Kee to Bala in Muskoka on Canada’s 150th. Those were both amazing days.

Who are you excited to hear from in 2018?

Jenna: SAM HUNT. Like its almost like he is playing hard to get now... honestly everything he releases is going to be a smash... so we just cannot wait to learn every word to whatever he puts out.

Stu: Same! Sam Hunt’s much anticipated sophomore album is going to be amazing, we’ve only heard one track but I know it’s gonna be great.

Tell us about your current music?

Jenna: Our current music that we are about to release is a mixture of who we are and the music that shaped our lives. We are fans of all types of music, growing up in the country and then going to school in the city helps to create a personal playlist full of many of our artistic idols... like Dixie Chicks, Taylor Swift, FGL, Drake, Rihanna... and so many more, the input that these artists have imprinted in our minds has become imprinted in our music. So, with every release you hear from us, you will hear elements of different genres, but with the strong roots of Country! Country was the reason we fell in love with music and performing, we just want to put our own Reklaw twist on it.

Stu: The new stuff is different for sure, it’s a mixed bag of styles and sounds, we are so excited for the fans to hear it. Our goal was to be as progressive as possible without pushing the envelope too far.

If you had to pick three artists to be filed next to, who would they be and why?

Jenna: Florida Georgia Line, Lady Antebellum, The Chainsmokers

Stu: Florida Georgia Line, well because they’re Florida Georgia Line. Imagine Dragons, cause I have never seen a more intimate but at the same time unbelievably huge show. The Killers, because they write such different but amazing music.

What inspired "Hometown Kids"?

Jenna: The inspiration behind Hometown Kids came from taking a moment to sit down with writers whom we look up to so much, and talk about what we really wanted to say to our fans and to the country music community. After some discussion, we agreed that we needed to make sure that the song that we wrote that day would allow us to say "Hey! We are just like you" to every current/potential Reklaw fan out there. Hometown Kids was the outcome, and it felt so great to sing, because it truly was us!

Stu: We had never been asked “who are you guys” and the boys we wrote it with were the first ones to ever ask that, after 6 hours Hometown Kids was done and we felt like we wrote the first song that describes us in 3 minutes.

If the song were an animal, what animal would it be?

Jenna: It would be the panther mascot from our high school! If you watch our music video for hometown kids, the mascot has a pretty big part! lol Glenview Park Secondary School the place where Stuart and I attended high school allowed us to borrow it for the day! So, if Hometown Kids was an animal, it would the Panther Mascot!

Stu: A Party Animal.

Define your sound in five words...

Jenna: Fresh, Country, Catchy, Relatable, Real-Life (thats kinda one word..)

Stu: Progressive, Hype, Lyrical, Comfortable, Party

If you could jam with one artist alive or dead, who would it be?

Jenna: Jammin' with one artist... hmmm... it would have to be like from a country standpoint... Kenny Chesney. I don't know why I always come back to him, but something tells me that being on stage with him would be epic. From a not so country stand point.. it would have to be Rihanna. She might be the coolest chick in the business, her attitude and performance is out of this world. I think I would get on stage with her and just be like "No you just do you, I just wanna watch" because she is everything.

Stu: Keith Urban, he could play and we could try to look busy on the stage.

If you could have written one song by another artist, what would it be?

Jenna: It would be, "Better Man" - Little Big Town. But it was written by Taylor Swift, the fact that she can still have such a hand in the Country Music platform is so amazing. I would love to be in that room with her, and learn from her and laugh with her.

Stu: Probably Love Yourself by J Bieber’s, only cause having your name on that song would be such a landmark. And it was written perfectly, Ed Sheeran knows where it’s at.

Someone is making a film of your life, who will play you?

Jenna: Hmmm... I want to say Jennifer Lawrence, because she is funny and relatable! Which I hope I can be to everyone, I never want to be looked at as better than anyone, I just want to be friends with everyone! lol (how corny) but its true, and I feel that J-Law has done that with the entire world, I truly think you could have her over for a glass of wine and it wouldn't even be a big deal!

Stu: Kramer

Lastly, tell us one thing you have never revealed in an interview...

Jenna: That heartbreak is real, and I think that it’s important to go through it.

Stu: I have never told anyone that I love Taylor Swift. It’s been a secret for too long