Everything
Rumour has it, that when Adele’s vocal coach and Drake’s engineer met at a bat mitzvah in 2017, the elusive duo Emotional Oranges was born. Since their debut, the two secretive creatives set out to create smooth, easy-listening RnB beats for the world. Garnering a passionate fan base – the pair recently performed in Australia with sold-out crowds and no promotion – they count Kanye West and Michelle Obama as listeners. But what’s in the quirky name?
ICON caught up with ‘A’ in time for the newly-release LP ‘The Juice: Vol. II’ for insight into their low-lying world. And it’s far more high-octane than you might expect.
ICON: The first, and obvious question: Why keep your identities a secret? Did this occur organically or was it specifically talked about before making your debut?
A: “Definitely a bit of both. It was pretty organic and natural given the kind of project we were looking to create.”
How does this approach affect your song writing process?
A: “It really has no influence on the song writing process at all. Each and every time we enter the studio we aim to make the best art possible.”
Is there any fear that your identity might be revealed?
A: “No.”
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What does a normal day look like? Do you still work the 9-5 grind?
A: “A normal day could mean going to the studio, photo or content shoots, meetings, or traveling for touring… Fortunately the 9-5 is now music. Which is the dream!”
You count fans A-list including Michelle Obama and Kanye West. Did you ever imagine you’d have this kind of reach or influence?
A: “No, we are incredibly overwhelmed by the reception of the music, especially by some of our idols.”
Can you explain the story behind the collective name, ‘Emotional Oranges’?
A: “Yeah, to be honest I was really high one night. I was smoking pot and contemplating life and ending up going skydiving. That is when it came to me. It just popped into my brain.”
You recently sold out shows in Melbourne and Sydney, with zero promotion – this shows how innately connected your fans are. How do you plan to reach a wider audience?
A: “Continue to put out music and art that we really believe in. We also think it’s important to travel and play shows in as many territories as possible. Nothing can replace actually connecting with our fans. We got to see our records come alive in Japan and Australia this year, which is wild!”
Which artists do you look to for inspiration?
A: “Prince, Janet Jackson, Aaliyah, and Michael Jackson to name a few.”
What themes can we expect from your newly-released LP?
A: “We talk about everything from over-coming temptation, body language, loss of a loved one, to masturbation equality. Basically everything that makes emotion.”
If you could collaborate with anyone – living or dead – who would it be?
A: “Easy, Sade.”
For more on the easy-listening, smooth RnB beats from Emotional Oranges, tune into the latest LP ‘The Juice: Vol. II’, here. And check out their website, here.
