Interview with Pete Devine of Pete’s Rock News and Views (https://petesrocknewsandviews.com)
PD: How would you describe yourself or your band as an artist?
BATJ: We’re a hard-working, creative band who’ve found our niche in the fusion of soul and rock.
PD: Can you tell us briefly about your background – i.e. where you’re from, how you came to make music, etc. What is the band’s lineup?
BATJ: We’re a band based in Oslo, Norway, made up of people with different musical backgrounds and preferences, merging our talents and passion into something uniquely our own.
The band was formed in the autumn of 2019, but the pandemic stretched out the process of finishing our debut album and delayed our chance to play live.
That made it take longer than expected, but when we finally got on stage, it felt all the more liberating.
PD: Who and what inspires you to make music, both in terms of musical and other influences? What do you like to write about in your songs?
BATJ: We’re deeply inspired by legends from the ’60s and ’70s; artists like Elton John, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Aretha Franklin, and Ray Charles.
When it comes to making music, it’s simply a drive that never stops. For us, creating music is essential for our well-being- it’s a way of processing life.
Life itself, and the people in it, are constant sources of inspiration.
Lately, our lyrics have been exploring themes like self-development, spirituality, and of course; the timeless themes of love and heartbreak.
PD: What are your aspirations as an artist?
BATJ: We’re here to find our people; the ones we know are out there, waiting for something that feels like this.
We want to play big stages, share something real, and make people feel good.
Whether it’s one person or a thousand, if someone walks away feeling something; we’re doing what we came to do.
PD: What is the proudest moment in your music career so far?
BATJ: We think our proudest moment so far was winning the award for “Best Song of the Year” for “Endless Summer” at the Radio WigWam Awards a couple of years ago.
It really felt like a milestone and it has meant a lot to us.
PD: Promoting one’s music is such a challenge these days, especially with so many new
artists emerging from bedrooms in the day of the home studio. How is that going?
BATJ: Well, it is always a challenge to get heard in the jungle of new music and “noise” on all the different platforms, but thankfully we feel like there are more and more people, slowly, but steadily finding their way to our music.
PD: And how do you book and promote your live shows and tours? Any performances coming up?
BATJ: We’re lucky to work closely with our manager, Arne Aronsen, who also handles most of our booking. Promotion is something we mostly do ourselves, often in collaboration with the venue or festival. Our next live shows will be at Dark Season Blues in Svalbard- the world’s northernmost blues festival. We´re heading there next week, it’s going to be wicked!
PD: What do you think about downloading music online? What about streaming sites like Spotify?
BATJ: This question is too complicated to answer fully in a short way.
But even though it can feel like artists and bands are being treated unfairly when it comes to streaming deals, the platforms do make it possible for anyone to find your music, anytime, anywhere.
So while the deals aren’t great, streaming also comes with a lot of opportunities.
PD: What song do you wish you’d written and why?
BATJ: Songwriters like Lennon, McCartney, Dylan, and Paul Simon are definitely high on our list.
“Bridge Over Troubled Water” is one of those songs we wish we had written!
PD: Is there anything you don’t like about the music industry, which you would change if you could?
BATJ: It would be fairer if the big labels didn’t have so much power, especially when it comes to playlisting. It would also be nice to see a fairer share of streaming income going to the artists.
PD: So, what are you working on at the moment?
BATJ: Currently we are working on finfishing up the potential songs for our third album, the final of the thrioloy.
PD: Where can we learn more about you and buy your music/merch online, have you any Social Media links that you can share?
BATJ: If you visit our homepage bonnieandthejets.com, you can read more about us and follow our live shows, etc.
Here are our different social media links:
https://www.facebook.com/bonnieandthejetsmusic
https://www.instagram.com/bonnieandthejetsmusic/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgepKdUAJYO3voujGiSY0YQ
Bonnie And The Jets links:
Band/Artist location – Oslo Norway
Website – Facebook – You Tube – Soundcloud – Merch – Tidal –
X(Twitter) – Threads – Instagram – Apple – Spotify – Amazon – Deezer – TikTok – Check our page for Bonnie And The Jets
