For fans of the hit show Pretty Little Liars, this music duo and especially, their mesmerizing melodic tune, “In Too Deep” may sound familiar. The Sweeplings is made up of Whitney Dean and Cami Bradley. Their music has already caught the attention of hit tv shows, radio stations and the like. We got a chance to chat with them about their music, how the duo came to be and what’s on the horizon.
TYF: You guys have been writing music for just a little over a year now. How did you guys form the duo, The Sweeplings?
The Sweeplings: It’s actually been about two years now! Craziness! The story is a bit crazy. I (Cami) was on America’s got Talent and Whitney’s wife Bethany saw me performing one night on the show. She ushered Whit downstairs and told him he needed to write with that girl. He said, “ok, honey…you and 9 million other people are thinking that too”. But Bethany is a persistent gal and Facebooked me anyways. Upon receiving the message, I didn’t say yes. In fact, my first response was “no thank you”. But she didn’t give up and after a few messages back and forth, a phone call and some brief conversations, Whitney flew to my hometown (Spokane WA) all the way from his hometown (Huntsville AL) to do some writing and meet. The rest truly fell into place. Neither of us had intended to form a band or make something of it. It just started to naturally happen. We couldn’t deny that the music was good and we liked doing it. So The Sweeplings was born.
TYF: What’s the story behind the band’s name?
The Sweeplings: It’s a name that formed even before Cami came around. A made up word of sorts. “ling” is a suffix. Used in such ways as “duckling” or “sapling”. A small grouping (which we are – two people). And we are two people who write sweeping melodies. Therefore…The Sweeplings.
TYF: How has the immediate positive fan reaction and music success felt like, thus far?
The Sweeplings: It’s been so awesome for us. We are still small, but our momentum seems to be continuing. We love playing live for our fans, so getting to them is always a favorite thing. But our success on TV has been amazing as well. We recently had songs/placements on Pretty Little Liars and an on-screen performance on The Fosters. So our following on social media and Spotify has grown quite a bit, and we are so thankful!
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TYF: Prior to The Sweeplings coming together, Cami Bradley was on America’s Got Talent. What was that experience like?
The Sweeplings: Crazy. A blur. A crazy growing experience that was a giant blur. Ha! I loved and hated every second because it was so challenging for me and completely out of my comfort zone. But I’m so grateful because I learned so much about myself as a musician and performer.
TYF: Your song “In Too Deep” was featured on Freeform’s Pretty Little Liars. How did that opportunity come about?
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The Sweeplings: We work with a licensing company in Nashville that is wonderful. They connected us to some neat people at ABC who asked us to write the song for them. Thankfully…they loved what we wrote and wanted to use it in a special way. It ended up being more of a partnership than just a placement, with it being placed on 2 of Freeform (ABC Family) shows season finales in August.
TYF: What was your reaction hearing your song play during the show?
The Sweeplings: It always feels a little surreal. You know it’s going to happen, but then when it actually does, it almost doesn’t feel like it’s you! The cast and crew of both shows have been so sweet and welcoming to us and we feel privileged to have gotten to be a part of both (Pretty Little Liars and The Fosters) season finales.
TYF: What was it like putting together your album, Rise & Fall?
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The Sweeplings: We loved it! We wrote, recorded and produced all of this album ourselves (except for drums that we tracked with a friend in Nashville) everything else we recorded in Spokane, WA or Huntsville, AL at home studios near the same rooms we wrote the songs in. So when we say our heart and soul is in it…we mean it. Blood, sweat and tears went into making a record that we are extremely proud of. We hope everyone can hear it! So many of those songs are pieces of our lives tucked into them, so in a way, each track is getting to know us a bit.
TYF: Can fans expect a full album that’ll include the track “In Too Deep” to be released soon?
The Sweeplings: We are back in the studio in the coming months for our next album! More to come on that ;)
TYF: You guys did a beautiful cover of “Chains” by Nick Jonas. What made you guys want to do a cover of this song?
The Sweeplings: We actually have a whole EP that’s filled with covers that you should check out. We wanted to find a way to connect to some people who aren’t familiar with our music yet. It became a sort of a gateway for new fans. So we picked “Chains” as well as a variety of other songs to show who and what “The Sweeplings” are from the perspective of another song. People relate to covers so much, so attaching your musical impression to them can really help people get you as an artist. Although we ultimately would love people to hear our original stuff, we poured “us” into our covers too. So you can easily transfer from hearing a cool cover like chains, dig what you hear, and love our album as well.
TYF: Are you guys planning to release any other covers?
The Sweeplings: Not at the moment, we are focused on starting to record our follow up album.
TYF: When will dates to your upcoming tour be released?
The Sweeplings: We will be in the studio for the next little bit so tour dates will be a little less for a bit. But we’ll be in a few of our favorites places in December, then a few select dates over January and February. Keep your eyes peeled on our socials!
TYF: Lastly, what’s the best place where music lovers can listen to more of your music?
The Sweeplings: Anywhere! You can visit our website. You can also follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram as well as our YouTube page and even Spotify. We release new content relatively often so be on the look out!
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