Biography
Prolific Canadian sister act Tegan and Sara explored issues of love, sexuality and emotional connection through a variety of musical styles, from folk to indie rock and upbeat pop, over the course of a career that generated numerous hit records and awards, including an Oscar nod and multiple Junos. Identical twins Tegan Rain Quin and Sara Keirstein Quin were born eight minutes apart on September 19, 1980 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. They began playing music at the age of eight and writing songs in their teens, which they performed in a band called Plunk. In 1997, they recorded a pair of demos that won a garage band competition, earning them professional studio time that they used to record three additional demos. Songs from two of the demos were later recorded on their debut album, Feet Like Ours (1999), which attracted the attention of Neil Young's Vapor Records; the label issued their next album, This Business of Art, in 2000, which Tegan and Sara supported through extensive touring with Young and the Pretenders. The duo scored their first gold record with their fourth record, So Jealous, which featured the single "Walking with a Ghost," which was later recorded by the White Stripes. By the release of their 2007 album The Con, Tegan and Sara had added a variety of new sounds to their musical palette, including pop-punk and indie rock; the resulting work, which featured guest contributions by members of Weezer and AFI, entered the Top 40 on the Billboard albums chart. The duo reteamed with Death Cab for Cutie guitarist Chris Walla, who produced The Con, for their next LP, Sainthood, which performed even better on the charts, peaking at No. 24. Tegan and Sara spent the next few years working on a variety of side projects, from collaborations with DJ Tiesto and comedian Margaret Cho to a book of essays and photographs from their 2008 tour of America, before issuing their seventh album, Heartthrob, in 2012. The record, produced by pop veteran Greg Kurstin, shot to No. 3 on the albums chart and earned them three Juno Awards, including Song and Pop Album of the Year. Tegan and Sara followed this success with a slew of collaborations, from songwriting for Lisa Loeb and Carly Rae Jepsen to "Everything is Awesome," a team-up with the comedy trio The Lonely Island and DEVO's Mark Mothersbaugh that served as the theme song for "The Lego Movie" (2015) and earned an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song. The following year, Tegan and Sara released their eighth studio LP, Love You To Death, which peaked at No. 16.
