American Young are a US country music duo consisting of Kristy Osmunson and Jon Stone. They are currently gearing up for the release of their new single ‘Eighteen’ which will drop this June and are also getting ready to hit the road next month.
Here we speak to American Young about their musical inspirations, memories, upcoming tour and lots more.
Growing up who inspired you to get into music?
My grandfather played the piano and my grandmother played the violin and they both sang. My grandpa was a heart surgeon and my grandmother was his nurse and they were medical missionaries in Singapore and Vietnam where my grandmother would put on worship for the troops. She would take all the un-exploded bombs in Vietnam have them melted down and turned into flower pots and send them to my mother and my other grandmother in Idaho where they opened a floral shop/wedding chapel called the Rose Petaler. Both sets of my grandparents played multiple instruments and sang and my Grandma Holm wrote songs pointing everyone up. My mamma plays anything with strings and sings and plays the flute and the accordion,,, my daddy plays bass and has the best voice in the family. I just roll singin’ high harmonies for everyone and filling in the holes where I can.
How excited are you about touring this year?
2017 has been amazing to us!! It is so exciting to be able to play Europe and have musical conversations with strangers [with] many different cultures and languages!
What can fans expect from your upcoming shows?
True musicians. Every show is different and we tend to feel the flow in the room and really bring the audience into what we’re doing on stage.
What is the best and worst thing about touring?
The best thing is seeing new places. The worst thing is jet lag.
You are playing a few UK dates, how do you think the genre has grown over here?
In this day and age music has become just music. The internet in my opinion made labelling obsolete. Now we just call it music. I would say that the U.K. Is thirsty for real musicians which is refreshing on so many levels.
Who are your favourite British acts?
The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, and Queen.
If you could collaborate with anyone who would you choose?
Elton John, Eric Clapton, Max Martin, and Harry Styles.
When writing a song do you write the lyrics or melody first?
Usually we go for the great ideas. But sometimes we’ll start with a melody. There’s really no wrong way to write.
Where do you find your inspiration for your music?
Life. Love. Dreaming about where we want the state of the world to be. I would love to be a part of that song that changed the world.
What do you hope to achieve in the next ten years?
We would love to play China and play where my dad grew up in Africa and my mamma grew up in Indonesia. Then run for President and have at least 14 number ones. I have low expectations of this band.
What did you think of our exclusive interview with American Young? Let us know your thoughts over on Twitter @CelebMix.