Tegan and Sara

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Tegan and Sara
If It Was You album cover. Tegan is on the left, and Sara on the right.
If It Was You album cover. Tegan is on the left, and Sara on the right.
Background information
Origin Country flagCalgary, Alberta, Canada
Genre(s) Rock
Instrument(s) Singing
Years active 2000-present
Label(s) Vapor, Sanctuary
Website http://www.teganandsara.com
Members
Tegan Quin
Sara Quin

Tegan Rain Quin and Sara Kiersten Quin (born September 19, 1980, identical twins[1]) are Canadian singer-songwriters, performing as Tegan and Sara.

Contents

[edit] Biography and musical career

Born in Calgary, Alberta, they got their start winning Garage Warz, a local music competition in that city.[2] Since then, the two have toured extensively with many artists, including Neil Young, Rufus Wainwright, The Pretenders,[2] Ben Folds, The Killers, Hot Hot Heat, Ryan Adams,[3] Veda Hille, Little Birdy, Bryan Adams and Weezer and on Sarah McLachlan's Lilith Fair. They are signed to Neil Young's Vapor Records in the U.S. and to the Universal Music Group in Canada. Tegan currently lives in Vancouver, British Columbia and Sara in Montreal, Quebec.

Originally, as when they were competing in Garage Warz, the duo was known as "Sara and Tegan." They decided to change their band's name to "Tegan and Sara" because "Tegan" is a more unusual name and several other Canadian singers named Sara or Sarah, such as Sarah Harmer, Sarah Slean, and Sarah McLachlan were becoming popular at the time. Their first album, Under Feet Like Ours, was initially released under the name "Sara and Tegan";[1] copies are now a sought-after commodity among their fans.

The twins tell comic stories on stage, a throwback to when they didn't have a lot of material but still wanted to give people a full show. Their sisterly bickering is part of the show[2] and endears them greatly to their fans.

While both twins are similarly involved in vocals and playing instruments, the singing of the lead melody often goes to whichever twin wrote the particular song. Sara has been quoted saying that Tegan writes songs prolifically, "like a fish lays eggs," eventually discarding most of them. Sara's songs, on the other hand, evolve slowly and methodically and almost always make it onto the record.[2]

Both Tegan and Sara are lesbians.[4]

[edit] Cover songs

In 2004, Matt Sharp and Maya Rudolph of The Rentals recorded a cover version of Tegan and Sara's song "Not Tonight" and released it for free on the World Wide Web. [1] Sharp also played moog on "So Jealous."

In 2005, The White Stripes did a cover of Tegan and Sara's song "Walking With A Ghost," which was released on the "Walking With A Ghost" EP by the group. "Walking With A Ghost" was also used in a mashed-up Dance remix bootleg by Party Ben[2] with a song by Mylo, "Paris Four Hundred," under the title "Walking With A Ghost In Paris", which became a sought after club track after an influential dance radio station in the United States, C-89.5/KNHC/Seattle, Washington, started playing the song.

[edit] TV and Film

[edit] Accomplishments

In late 2004, Rolling Stone magazine named their album So Jealous on their list of the best 50 albums of the year.[5]

Tegan and Sara were nominated for a 2006 Juno Award for Alternative Album of the Year alongside Hot Hot Heat, Metric, The New Pornographers and Broken Social Scene.

[edit] Band members

[edit] Discography

[edit] Albums

[edit] Singles

  • "Time Running" (2003)
  • "I Hear Noises" (2003)
  • "Monday Monday Monday" (2003)
  • "Walking With A Ghost" (2004)
  • "Speak Slow (2004)"

DC Shoes also released a 3 song sampler of So Jealous as a promotional offer during 2005. DC Shoes will also be selling Tegan and Sara DC Remix shoes in the Spring of 2007.

[edit] Music videos

  • "The First" (2000)
  • "Monday Monday Monday" (2003)
  • "Living Room" (2003)
  • "I Hear Noises" (2003)
  • "Walking With A Ghost" (2004)
  • "Speak Slow" (2005)

[edit] DVDs

  • It's Not Fun, Don't Do It (2006)

[edit] Awards & Nominations

[edit] 2000

  • YTV Achievement Award
    • Band/Musical Group - Won

[edit] 2003

  • Western Canadian Music Awards

[edit] 2006

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Nichols, Natalie. "Nervous Breakthroughs", Los Angeles City Beat, 2005-04-28. Retrieved on 2006-09-12.
  2. ^ a b c d Tegan and Sara. Sanctuary Records. Retrieved on 2006-09-11.
  3. ^ Tegan and Sara: SO JEALOUS. Press kit on official website. Retrieved on 2006-09-11.
  4. ^ Rodriguez, Albert (2005-06-08). Tegan and Sara Reinventing Queer Stereotypes in Rock Music. Windy City Times. Retrieved on 2006-09-11.
  5. ^ "Records of the Year", Rolling Stone, 2004-12-15. Retrieved on 2006-09-11.