The Aquadolls Give Exclusive Backstage Interview For Spring Fling Tour
Femme punk band The Aquadolls (Melissa Brooks, Keilah Nina and Jacqueline Proctor) are on the road for their Spring Fling tour to celebrate their third studio album Charmed that touches on themes of love, sisterhood and growth. Love can come in many beautiful shapes and forms, but for the trio, they emphasize the power of healing through platonic love – or what they call soulmate love they’ve reached with each other – and the importance of sustaining self-love throughout chaotic times.
Packed with the band’s signature guitar-driven sound, 90s inspired grunge soundscaping and lots of glitter, The Aquadolls bring love and sisterhood to their new era of music and their headlining stages.
“There's really no going back and I think we have gotten to the point where it's this soulmate territory, but it's also we need to learn how to keep it professional because we are around pressures all the time,” the band says. “I think compared to other tours, we've gotten a lot better at communicating and recognizing when others are down, recognizing when we need help.”
The Spring Fling tour celebrates the band’s growth of healthy boundaries, reaching a defining point in their self-love journeys and a reflection towards their sisterhood.
“You have to uplift each other because we make music for hot girls, that’s what drives us,” the band says.
[UNPUBLISHED]: Welcome back and thank you for sitting down and talking to Unpublished Magazine. Last time we talked, your single “Sneaky” released and we got a sneak peek off your album Charmed. I would love to catch up and see how life has been treating you since then and how touring has been?
[AQUADOLLS]: Tour has been intense but the shows have been so fun. It's a lot of hard work that goes on behind the scenes. We're doing what we can to put on a rock n’ roll show. I'm excited and it seems like the fans are really digging the new songs. They've been really fun to play live.
[UNPUBLISHED]: What song are you most excited to play every night and why?
[AQUADOLLS]: “Sneaky” and “Burn Baby Burn.”
[UNPUBLISHED]: Last time we talked about fun, memorable experiences from past tours. What have been some of your favorite moments so far with Spring Fling?
[AQUADOLLS]: Shaky Knees was such a fun moment and it was such a good vibe that day. The set felt very spontaneous. It was cool getting to meet a lot of people and watch all the bands perform. Also it’s a festival, so there’s less pressure to carry the weight of the whole show. There was a row boat started in the middle of a mosh pit during our last song and they’re all on the ground rowing this imaginary boat and we got to crowd surf.
[UNPUBLISHED]: How does the Spring Fling tour stand out compared to past tours?
[AQUADOLLS]: It's harder but we love it. We’re so grateful because at the end of the day, I think it’s fun and it’s a dream, but it’s also a job. I definitely think with all of the really great things that have been happening in our career, it puts a lot more pressure on us to deliver. It has been a bit of a harder tour in that sense, just because it feels like the pressure is on. When we see things unfolding, like opportunities and really cool things like press opportunities and things of that nature, now there's more pressure. It's really hard finding a balance on tour because it's really hard to take a moment to be like, wait, what do we need to figure out here? It’s like bus, club, another club and I quote it everyday, but you don’t have time to just sit and talk. It’s all very fast paced.
[UNPUBLISHED]: How do you guys stay grounded throughout the tour?
[AQUADOLLS]: We have to laugh. Laughter and each other and communication with each other because at the end of the day, being tight with your band in every way, musically and emotionally, it's very important to survive – and the music helps.
[UNPUBLISHED]: When I see you guys, to me, your friendship and sisterhood comes first and then the band second. Last time we talked, you touched on being able to fully step into your sound and formation of the band on Charmed compared to your last album The Dream and the Deception. How has that transition been for you guys, both personally and professionally?
[AQUADOLLS]: I think it's definitely made us closer. I feel like I'm playing songs every night that are so personal to us that makes us closer, but also being on the road and being family but also business partners. You have to learn those boundaries and have healthy communication. It’s the closest coworkers you’ll have at the end of the day. I feel like a lot of bands that I see, they're just not as close as we are and it's not like we're different, we're just so close but once you get to a certain level in the music industry, we’ve seen so much and gone through so much and you’ve done it all together. There's really no going back and I think we have gotten to the point where it's this soulmate territory, but it's also we need to learn how to keep it professional because we are around pressures all the time. It's a really weird balance. I think compared to other tours, we've gotten a lot better at communicating and recognizing when others are down, recognizing when we need help.
[UNPUBLISHED]: Your album Charmed is about to be released early next month and it’s definitely giving that “aggressive glitter” energy we talked about last time. It’s full of messages of love and friendship. What messages, emotions or story do you hope listeners can take away from Charmed?
[AQUADOLLS]: Something personal from what they can find, like a certain lyric or song, I feel a lot of songs are very universal and self-love is so important because that’s within you and you’re your own person and you have to love yourself. It’s just a lot of personal topics. You can get as deep as you want or not deep because it has that balance. I hope people feel seen because I think a lot of the messages of self-love and you can save yourself, I hope it resonates with people and they feel seen and they can do it. We all have our issues and we don’t come from much, we're very lucky to be where we are and I feel like we're very normal, like you don't really have to have tons of money and opportunities being funneled into our account. If anything, it makes the listener feel more resonant with us and I hope it pushes them to work harder. I hope it helps someone push for better and know their worth.
[UNPUBLISHED]: How do you show yourself self-love throughout crazy busy times like touring?
[AQUADOLLS]: Laughter and joking all day and giving each other compliments. It’s the little things when you’re in a band with hot girls. You have to uplift each other because we make music for hot girls, that’s what drives us.
[UNPUBLISHED]: Charmed is baked with love and the beautiful energy you put into it. Do you think you guys have grown closer in your sisterhood and friendship during the creative process of Charmed?
[AQUADOLLS]: There’s a lot of self-reflection that is seen throughout the entire creative process and post-process. We are on a time crunch, but we try to be as honest and sincere because it’s really important to us. I think that definitely shows what we can do professionally together and that closeness brings you closer and you get insight into each other’s minds. It’s a soulmate thing.
[UNPUBLISHED]: Mel, last time we talked, you said that The Dream and the Deception was you sitting alone and writing a majority of the album. How has that energy shifted with Charmed?
[AQUADOLLS]: There's so much more soul and life into the drums because of Jackie. Having everyone in the studio, it feels more alive and more intimate. It’s really chill to be able to work together in the studio post-COVID and put a little piece of us into our process and it’s a beautiful creation. I love The Dream and the Deception, but Charmed is all about Melissa, Jackie and Keilah.
[UNPUBLISHED]: With your continued involvement and deeper rooted friendship with the Charmed release, I would love to know what is your favorite thing about each other?
[AQUADOLLS]: We’re still very much us, like Mel is still Mel, Jackie is still Jackie and Keilah is still Keilah. We have different music tastes, but our core is what makes us and keeping that individual quality within a band can be hard. We have to remember that we are all separate people and we’re all learning that no one’s perfect. We are all very understanding of each other and it takes some time to learn new things. We’re going to be constantly making mistakes. My favorite thing about each other is that we’re very understanding of each other’s space. I feel like I’ve never met anyone in my life who is as understanding, caring and nurturing of me as these girls and they validate and uplift me. It’s hard to find people who validate you in that way, but they validate every feeling. When I get mad, they affirm that I should be mad and what I’m feeling is normal and has to be experienced. We always check in on each other. It’s nice because I never feel like I have to carry a burden or any shame when I’m with them. They're always there to validate how I'm feeling and I've just never had a friendship where people care about each other as much – almost too much. I admire everybody's strength and the bad-assery all of us go through and the circumstances that we deal with, they handle them incredibly. It all comes down to communication and checking in on each other. I'm so proud of us and how far we've come.
[UNPUBLISHED]: How are you feeling in this current era of your career and what does the rest of the year look like that you would like to share with Unpublished Magazine?
[AQUADOLLS]: I'm excited to see where this album takes us. I really hope people really resonate with it and a lot of people hear it and we can reach as many people that need to hear our message. We're going to be playing some festivals and Riot Fest.
