Tegan and Sara

Artist Image: Tegan and Sara
Attribution
Image Credit: Tabercil (Own work), CC BY-SA 3.0

Biography

Tegan and Sara are a Canadian indie rock band formed in 1995 in Calgary, composed of identical twin sisters Tegan Rain Quin and Sara Keirsten Quin (born September 19, 1980). Both play the guitar and keyboards, and write their songs. Tegan and Sara Quin were born September 19, 1980 in Calgary, Alberta. They began playing guitar and writing songs at age 15, forming a band called Plunk without a drummer or bass player. In 1997, they used their school’s recording studio to record two demo albums: Who's in Your Band? and Play Day. In 1998, they won Calgary's Garage Warz competition, using the studio time they won to record their first professional demo, Yellow tape, which was followed by Orange tape and Red tape. In 1999, they released their debut album Under Feet Like Ours independently under the name "Sara and Tegan". Two songs from Red tape appeared on the album, and two from Orange tape. They later changed their name to "Tegan and Sara" because it was easier to pronounce and because they wanted their name to stand out amongst the other "Sara" musicians at the time such as Sarah McLachlan and Sarah Slean. They reprinted their first album under the name Tegan and Sara. Neil Young's manager signed them to Young's Vapor Records label and they released This Business of Art through Vapor in 2000. They have toured extensively since then. In 2002, the band released their third album If It Was You. Their fourth album, So Jealous, was released in 2004 and led to wider success. This album was released through both Vapor and Sanctuary. One track on the album, "Walking with a Ghost", was covered by The White Stripes, who released it on their Walking with a Ghost EP.

Details

Item Name Item Details
Year Formed 1995
Number of Albums 39
Record Label Sire Records
Website www.teganandsara.com
Wikipedia Tegan and Sara on Wikipedia
Social Networks

Trivia

What are the names of the twin sisters in the band?

Tegan Quin and Sara Quin

...a, Canada in 1995. The band consists of identical twin sisters Tegan Quin and Sara Quin (born September 19, 1980). Both sisters play the guitar and ke...
When did Tegan and Sara first play as Plunk?

1995

... memoir High School in 2019. Tegan and Sara initially played as Plunk in 1995 , and lacked a drummer and bass player. In 1997, they used their schools ...
How many demos were recorded in 1997?

two

... bass player. In 1997, they used their schools recording studio to record two demo albums: Who's in Your Band? In 1998, they made an early breakthroug...
What was the name of the local music competition in Calgary?

Garage Warz Battle of the Bands

...r Band? In 1998, they made an early breakthrough by winning Garage Warz Battle of the Bands , a local music competition in Calgary. When they were comp...
What was the name of their first album?

Under Feet Like Ours

...her registered them on the competition forms. Their first album, Under Feet Like Ours , was initially released under the name Sara and Tegan. While bot...
Under Feet Like Ours was released under what name?

Sara and Tegan

... album, Under Feet Like Ours, was initially released under the name Sara and Tegan . While both twins are similarly involved in vocals and playing inst...
Who produced Love You To Death?

Greg Kurstin

...Produced by Greg Kurstin (Adele, Sia, Beck, Ellie Goulding), Love You To Death delivers 10 new Tegan and Sara tracks more vibrant and visionary than e...
How many new Tegan and Sara tracks does Love You to Death deliver?

10

...eg Kurstin (Adele, Sia, Beck, Ellie Goulding), Love You To Death delivers 10 new Tegan and Sara tracks more vibrant and visionary than ever. Tegan and...
What was the first time Tegan & Sara explored a transcendent pop sheen?

Heartthrob

...nd Sara explored a transcendent pop sheen for the first time on 2013s Heartthrob , which deftly balanced critical acclaim with mainstream ambitions. Th...
In what year was Heartthrob released?

2013

.... Tegan and Sara explored a transcendent pop sheen for the first time on 2013 s Heartthrob, which deftly balanced critical acclaim with mainstream ambi...
What did Heartthrob balance with mainstream ambitions?

critical acclaim

...heen for the first time on 2013s Heartthrob, which deftly balanced critical acclaim with mainstream ambitions. They follow it up here with an equally ...
What are Tegan and Sara mining their own lives to investigate?

complex relationship dynamics

...h finds Tegan and Sara mining their own lives to investigate complex relationship dynamics . Secret relationships (Boyfriend) give way to social judgme...
Marriage is eloquently questioned as what?

a barometer for commitment

...sience (Faint of Heart). Marriage is eloquently questioned as a barometer for commitment (BWU), while commitment itself is questioned with a deliberat...
What is a deliberately selfconscious antilovesong?

Uturn

...ent itself is questioned with a deliberately selfconscious antilovesong ( Uturn ). With each album their writing grows in precision and vulnerability, a...
Tegan and Sara operate to the left of what?

popular culture

...y the mainstream, Tegan and Sara consciously operate to the left of popular culture their lyrical and social wisdom comes from an outside vantage look...
What is the essential message that underpins their worldview and identity?

inclusion

..., the essential message that underpins their worldview and identity is inclusion . So it is only fitting that these two selfdescribed outsiders have ul...
What did twin sisters Tegan and Sara Quin release?

a handful of records

.... In just a few years, twin sisters Tegan and Sara Quin released a handful of records , evolved their sound from stripped down to revved up folkpunk an...
Sara Quin released a handful of records, evolved their sound from stripped down to revved up what?

folkpunk

...andful of records, evolved their sound from stripped down to revved up folkpunk and toured with artists from Ryan Adams to Neil Young. Smart songwrite...
Sara Quin toured with artists from Ryan Adams to who?

Neil Young

...down to revved up folkpunk and toured with artists from Ryan Adams to Neil Young . Smart songwriters about love, the gay Canadianborn twin Quin sisters...
What instrument did the girls use to write their own songs?

acoustic guitars

... ages eight to fifteen, the girls played piano, but they turned to acoustic guitars , on which they began to write their own songs. When they were seve...
When did the girls release a lowbudget recording called Under Feet Like Ours?

1999

... battle of the bands, which jumpstarted their career as a live group. In 1999 , the girls released a lowbudget recording titled Under Feet Like Ours. A...
Neil Young's label landed the girls on what label?

Vapor Records

...rom Under Feet Like Ours soon landed the twins on Neil Young's label Vapor Records . The girls began to record their new album with producer and musici...
Who was the producer and musician on the twin girls' new album?

Hawksley Workman

...e girls began to record their new album with producer and musician Hawksley Workman . Workman wanted to take their stripped down teenage angstfilled fo...
What was the first album to feature '80s pop influences?

So Jealous

...ir close harmonies with insightful lyrics and catchy melodies. 2004's So Jealous was the first album to feature '80s pop influences and sported their ...
What year was Love You to Death released?

2016

...arp left turn in the direction of modern pop. Both 2013's Heartthrob and 2016 's Love You to Death adopted the sonic tropes of the genre, while still d...
In what direction did Heartthrob and Love You To Death go?

modern pop

...nd LGBTQ causes grew, they took a sharp left turn in the direction of modern pop . Both 2013's Heartthrob and 2016's Love You to Death adopted the soni...
What was the name of Heartthrobe's memoir?

High School

... led them to write a memoir of their tumultuous teenage years; titled High School , it was released the same week as an album of rerecorded demos from ...
When did Tegan and Sara Quin first start playing piano?

eight

...ir parents' musical interests. Tegan and Sara began playing piano at age eight , and in their teens, they were writing songs and playing in their own p...
What was the name of the album released the same week?

Hey, I'm Just Like You

...s an album of rerecorded demos from when they were teens titled Hey, I'm Just Like You . Natives of Calgary, identical twin sisters Tegan and Sara Quin...
Who were the twin sisters that released Hey, I'm Just Like You?

Tegan and Sara Quin

...ey, I'm Just Like You. Natives of Calgary, identical twin sisters Tegan and Sara Quin were heavily influenced by their parents' musical interests. Teg...
When did Tegan and Sara sign a contract with PolyGram Records?

1998

...gan and Sara made in those early years helped jumpstart their career. In 1998 , when were 18, they signed a contract with PolyGram Records, which event...
What was the name of the label Tegan signed with when she was 18?

PolyGram Records

...t their career. In 1998, when were 18, they signed a contract with PolyGram Records , which eventually led to a tour with Neil Young. They've since won...
How many Juno Awards have the sisters won for their music?

three

...our with Neil Young. They've since won awards for their music, including three Juno Awards, the Canadian equivalent of the Grammy. Now, the sisters re...
What is the Canadian equivalent of the Grammy?

Juno Awards

...Neil Young. They've since won awards for their music, including three Juno Awards , the Canadian equivalent of the Grammy. Now, the sisters revisit the...
What is the phase of life most vividly signposted?

Teenagedom

...old this story, it had the air of a myth being bornor rather, reborn. Teenagedom might be the phase of life most vividly signposted by pop culture, wh...
In John Hughes movies, and often in real life, what stems from a blend of horniness?

teen rebellion

...omposals, and so on. In John Hughes movies, and often in real life, teen rebellion stems from a blend of horniness and the quiteplausible fear of turn...
Teens may be baffled by what?

dating rituals

... quest to form an identity, and they may be particularly baffled by dating rituals shaped by the imperative to one day marry and have kids. Lacking mo...
How long have Tegan and Saras been helping out with queer comingofage?

two decades

...nd Tegan and Saras emotionally acute poprock has been helping out for two decades . Now the 39yearold Calgary twins fling open their teenage yearbooks ...
In their new memoir, High School, they trade off what kind of chapters about adolescence?

terse, reflective

...open their teenage yearbooks for public consumption. In the new memoir High School, they trade off terse, reflective chapters about their adolescence....
What are Tegan and Sara known for?

their stage banter

...eir songs. They tour with a backing band and theyre notorious for their stage banter . Tegan and Sara initially played as Plunk in 1995, and lacked a d...
In what year did they record two demo albums?

1997

...tially played as Plunk in 1995, and lacked a drummer and bass player. In 1997 , they used their schools recording studio to record two demo albums: Who...
In what city is the Battle of The Bands held?

Calgary

...y winning Garage Warz Battle of the Bands, a local music competition in Calgary . They are signed to Neil Youngs Vapor Records in Canada, and to Sire i...
How many studio albums and EPs have the duo released?

nine

...The pair have released nine studio albums and numerous EPs. The duo earned a Grammy nomination in 2012 for their DVD live album Get Along. Their ninth...
What was the name of the DVD live album that earned a Grammy nomination in 2012?

Get Along

...s. The duo earned a Grammy nomination in 2012 for their DVD live album Get Along . Their ninth album, Hey, I'm Just Like You, was released on September...
When was High School released?

September 24, 2019

...on September 27, 2019. Their memoir, High School, was released on September 24, 2019 . History edit 19952005: Background and early work edit Tegan and ...
When did Tegan and Sara begin playing guitar and writing songs?

15

...ly work edit Tegan and Sara began playing guitar and writing songs at age 15 with the use of an old guitar they found in their basement owned by their...
Who owned an old guitar?

Bruce

...itar they found in their basement owned by their stepdad (at that time), Bruce . One of the very first songs they wrote was Tegan Didn't Go To School T...
What was one of the first songs they wrote?

Tegan Didn't Go To School Today

...at time), Bruce. One of the very first songs they wrote was Tegan Didn't Go To School Today , originally written by Sara and they later on sang and rec...
Who wrote Tegan Didn't Go To School Today?

Sara

...gs they wrote was Tegan Didn't Go To School Today, originally written by Sara and they later on sang and recorded together on a tape. They first calle...
What was Plunk defined as?

light punk

...d together on a tape. They first called their band Plunk, defined as ' light punk ' as they didn't have a drummer nor a bass player that time. In 1997, ...
Where did they first play?

guitar

...t 19952005: Background and early work edit Tegan and Sara began playing guitar and writing songs at age 15 with the use of an old guitar they found in...
Who opened the bigtime show for?

Hayden

... Band? Their first bigtime show was in May 1998 in Calgary, opening for Hayden . In 1999, they released their debut album Under Feet Like Ours independ...