Twin sister singer-songwriters, Felisha and Fallon King have always had an unspoken connection. How could they not? The two started as womb-mates and have since grown up together singing, writing, and participating in music groups since they could talkāor even before that. As infants, Felisha (who recently married and is now Felisha King-Harvey) and Fallon were always humming, warbling, or intoning. When they asked their mother for a snack, it was in-melody. Seeing talent in his daughters by the age of six, the twinsā father, Charles, began to manage them. They formed the group, Cherish (with older sisters Farrah and Neosha), and have since gone on to work with artists like Justin Bieber and earned No. 1 songwriting spots on Billboard.
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āMe and Felisha look at it not just as a job but as a lifestyle,ā Fallon tells American Songwriter. āEveryone wants to do what they love but not everybody has put in the 10,000 hours. A lot of people donāt know what it consists of or takes. The best thing is that we have each other. Being a twin, you canāt really slack.ā
Fallon explains that if one of the two sisters is tired or unwilling to do work, the other pushes her to move through lackadaisical moments. Itās one thing to know a job is difficult, itās another to actually get up every morning at 6 a.m. to get the dayās to-do list done line item by line item. But the hard work has paid off with writing credits on big songs like Bieberās āPeachesā and Sevyn Streeterās hit, āBefore I Do,ā among others.
āBoth Fallon and I are driven by the challenge,ā Felisha says. āThe passion is there but, in the end, it takes discipline.ā
To date, the twinsā list of accomplishments is long and varied. But it wasnāt always as glamorous for the duo. After Cherish concluded, the two later found themselves unclear of their creative and career directions, as well as in need of more income. In other words, they were at a collective crossroads. Unsure what to do, Fallon then proposed a plan.
āI remember sitting in the house with Fallon,ā Felisha says. āSaying, āWhat do you want to do? Do you want to continue?ā And Fallon said that the main thing we needed to do was stay consistent.ā
The two made a pact based on this idea of consistency. They decided they wouldnāt throw in the proverbial towel until theyād written 100 new songs. If at the end of the process of writing those 100 songs they didnāt want to continue or move ahead, if no fruit came from that work, then, okay fine, the dream could fizzle. But of course for the twins, the opposite happened: both Fallon and Felisha earned publishing contractsāFallon with Universal and Felisha with Sony.
āDiscipline and focus make all the difference,ā Fallon says.
āWhen it comes to the time where thereās no way out but through,ā Felisha says, āyou get to the point where dedication and determination supersede feelings.ā
The two put their heads down and worked and eventually lifted themselves up with that effort, as a result. The good fortune is both a result of sweat equity and of trust in one another, born from birth and later from countless hours together. It also comes from sharing the guidance of a guitarist father who, in his day, opened for bands like Earth, Wind & Fire and sharing good old fashion DNA.
āEven if we disagree,ā Fallon says, āwe know exactly what weāre disagreeing about, exactly whatās going on in each otherās head. Itās weird.ā
āBeing a twin,ā Felisha says, āis like the oddest thing ever that you cannot explain to someone whoās not. Itās a cosmic connection. The duality of it is very much like living in a parallel dimension. Youāre the same person in different worlds. Being a twin is like having a child you didnāt give birth to.ā
Both Fallon and Felisha grew up in the church. So, Faith plays a strong role in who they are. In this way, believing in a higher power, they say, allows them to think bigger than themselves and achieve more. Of late, the two appeared on the BET show, The Encore, a reality show about women in former girl groups coming together to create a new one. Despite typical drama and infighting on the show, the twins stuck it out and formed the quartet, BluPrint, with musicians, Shamari Devoe and Kiely Williams. BluPrint recently released its debut self-titled six-song EP on August 11, which quickly hit No. 1 on the iTunes Top 40 urban music chart.Ā
āI love the process,ā Fallon says, āof showing the consumer one way of how making a girl group happened. Itās important to see that itās not what you think it is.ā
With so much already behind them, for the 34-year-old Felisha and Fallon, who have traveled the world playing big stages since they were 8, there is likely much more ahead. But the twins are loath to make significant formal plans. Given their faith, they know how that can easily go south. As the saying goes, āMan plans, God laughs.ā Nevertheless, there are still ideas for potential television shows, solo albums, duo albums, maybe even a new Cherish or BluPrint record. Itās all part of the ride, which is, of course, full of plenty of ups and downs.
āItās about the music for me,ā Fallon says. āIf it wasnāt, I donāt think I would ever pick this industry in my life!ā
āItās about the creative process,ā Felisha says. āItās also about creating memories. One thing our dad always said, you can hear a song and remember exactly where you heard it for the first time. Weāre part of other peopleās memories.ā