Fiona Fitzpatrick: ‘We want to see Indian hipsters’

Fiona Fitzpatrick, one half of EDM duo Rebecca & Fiona, is all geared up for their India debut at Rolling Stone Electro Nights. “We can’t wait to play the gig and also go around doing touristy things like taking photos and stuff,” says Fiona, from the Swedish DJ group that was formed in 2007.

 

What’s the biggest misconception you’ve heard about yourselves?

People think we’re tall, but we’re actually quite short [laughs]. People also think we don’t do our own music, but we do. You know, we are producers. They also say, “You didn’t sing that yourself,” when they listen to our songs live. Is there a small person in the booth who’s doing it for us? It’s quite ridiculous.

 

What have you heard about the EDM scene in India?

I’ve actually heard very little, because I’ve not come across anything in magazines or anything about India.

 

Which was one of the biggest gigs you’ve played so far?

The Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas, for sure. It was just crazy and had a lot of our friends. Have you been to Vegas?

 

Yeah, I have. It’s just one big, endless party going on there.

Yeah [laughs].

 

Who did you guys play with at the Electric Daisy Carnival?

Oh, pretty much everyone was there ”“ Afrojack, Avicii, everyone! It happens in New York, Chicago and a few other places too.

 

Do you look up to any of those DJs? Are there any EDM artists you look up to?

Not so many [laughs]. There’s DJ Carli”¦ Richie Hawtin”¦

 

He’s played in India as well, you know.

He’s really good. He’s played in India? Did you go?

 

I couldn’t go, but he played at the same venue that you guys are playing in Mumbai

That’s awesome!

 

What is the EDM scene like in Sweden?

When we started [in 2007], it wasn’t big. No one cared about EDM. We’re very proud to be part of that scene. Now, everyone wants to be a part of it. Now it’s a big commercial scene and there are so many concerts happening. It’s very nice.

 

I know you mentioned Las Vegas and playing there, but which clubs and countries are on your wishlist right now?

I mean India and South America are the greatest places we haven’t been to, and Africa, so that’s where we want to go. I don’t know about any specific club, but I know we want to come to India and see the culture. We also want to go to South Africa and South America. We play once a month usually, and it gets big in Sweden. We get about 30,000 people who show up, so it’s different [compared to other countries].

 

Do you ever get hit on by your fans?

No, no one hits on us.

 

Oh, why?

Because they’re scared of us, I think.

 

Or is it because the DJ console is not really accessible to fans?

Yeah, but, people are scared of me. [Laughs].

 

What is it like dating a fellow DJ? (Fiona is dating Carli Löf)

We’ve been going out for a long time, we’ve been together for four years now. It’s awesome. We get to work together, send music to each other. Carli has been a DJ longer than I have, and we [Rebecca & Fiona] tour a lot, so a lot of the time we spend together is in the studio.

 

I know your dad was a pop musician and Rebecca’s dad was a pianist. Did you guys not want to become pop musicians and pianists? What drew you to EDM?

When I was younger, for Christmas, my father got me a synthesizer one time. I didn’t want to do what he did. I didn’t want to disappoint him, but”¦ I don’t know, man. It was just the musical interest being different. But he was cool with it. He encouraged me because he has a huge studio and had a lot of instruments so he could help me to learn. But we used to be in the club a lot and I used to like the music in the club. And then we wanted to play the same music that we heard, that we liked to dance to. It [music] didn’t come to us through our fathers, but directly, you know?

 

Pop, rock and metal coming out of Sweden has always been hugely popular throughout the world. And now it’s EDM. How difficult is it getting out of the national scene, into international success?

It wasn’t hard for us because we were lucky. We made a track with DJ Kaskade [“Turn It Down”] and this guy was huge in America and his fans liked the track so much and so they kinda grew on us. If you have the right tracks, I don’t think it’s very hard. The scene is so hungry now. I mean, there are a lot of people doing mostly house music right now. But not so many girls. I think your tracks should be good, that’s all.

 

Artists endorse everything from hot sauce to absinthe. What would Rebecca & Fiona like to endorse?

Beer and buffalo shoes, especially the ones with the high platforms. We love all kinds of beer. The shoes, we wear them to every show. They were made in the Nineties and you can buy them on eBay. We use the same 10 pairs between the two of us.

 

Anything else you’d like to add about coming to India?

We’re really excited and it’s going to be fun. Where should we eat? We want to see Indian hipsters. Where can we find all the hipsters?

 

Rebecca & Fiona play at Rolling Stone Electro Nights at Royalty, Mumbai on April 19th, 2013. Entry: Rs 500. Event details here.

Rebecca & Fiona also play at Penthouze, Pune on April 21st, 2013. Entry Rs 500. Event details here.