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Aly & AJ
Alyson and AJ Michalka in concert during their 2007 tour
Background information
Also known as	Aly & A.J.
Origin	Torrance, California, United States
Genre(s)	Teen pop,1 alternative rock,2 dance-pop3, electropop4, adult alternative5
Years active	2005 — present
Label(s)	Hollywood Records
Website	AlyAndAJ.com
Members
Alyson Michalka Amanda Michalka

Aly & AJ are a teen pop band consisting of sisters Alyson Renae "Aly" Michalka and Amanda Joy "AJ" Michalka. They were born in Torrance, California, but spent part of their childhood in Seattle, Washington. They are both actresses, singer-songwriters, and guitarists.

Contents 1 Early years 2 Music 2.1 2005-2006: Into the Rush 2.2 2006-2007: Acoustic Hearts of Winter 2.3 2007-2008: Insomniatic 2.4 2008-present: Upcoming album 3 Personal life 4 Other occupations 4.1 Religion 4.2 Licensing 4.3 Charity work 5 Discography 5.1 Studio albums 6 Dual filmography 7 References 8 External links

Early years

Aly and AJ have had an interest for music since they were very young. "I think it started when we were three and five. Just singing in church together and in school plays," Aly said.⁶ That later moved onto just AJ as Aly started to act very early, when AJ was nine years old. The sisters both live in a gated community in Calabasas, California with their parents. Their mother, Carrie Michalka, used to sing in a Christian group called "J.C. Band", Alyson also had a starring role in Phil of the Future on the Disney Channel alongside Ricky Ullman.

Music

2005-2006: Into the Rush

Aly & AJ's debut album, Into the Rush, went Platinum as of May 2007. The song "No One" was featured in the Disney motion picture Ice Princess. The song "Do You Believe In Magic", written and originally recorded by The Lovin' Spoonful, added a rock edge. This cover was used in the soundtrack of the made-for-TV Disney Channel original movie, Now You See It..., in which Aly held the starring role of Allyson. Also, their cover of Katrina and the Waves' "Walking on Sunshine" was used in the Walt Disney motion picture Herbie: Fully Loaded. They have been involved in various Walt Disney Records projects, some of which are covers. These include soundtracks and compilations, and are primarily "Rush". "Rush" has been featured on the Disney Channel Original Movie, Twitches, and on many other soundtracks and compilations from Walt Disney and Hollywood Records.

The "Aly & AJ Concert" took place on July 24, 2005 at the Henry Fonda theater located in Hollywood, California. The aired concert was cut to five songs and interviews (filmed October 15 and October 16, 2005). The concert included songs from Into the Rush. Aly & AJ opened for The Cheetah Girls in December 2005 on the girls' "Cheetah-licious Christmas Tour".

The album was re-released in August 2006 with three new songs, including the hit, "Chemicals React", and two new versions of "Collapsed" and "Something More". It was released with an all new cover and was the group's second CD to be released in the UK physically.

2006-2007: Acoustic Hearts of Winter

On September 26, 2006, their album, Acoustic Hearts of Winter, was released. On this album, Aly & AJ perform traditional Christmas songs, including "Joy to the World" and "Silent Night", as well as original songs, "Greatest Time of Year" and "Not This Year". In late 2007 Aly and AJ had recorded three more Christmas originals.

2007-2008: Insomniatic

On May 8, 2007, they released a brief clip of their new single called "Potential Breakup Song". The full song is currently available for request on Radio Disney, and available for download on iTunes as part of their new album, Insomniatic. The album was released on July 10, 2007. Time magazine named "Potential Breakup Song" one of The 10 Best Songs of 2007, ranking it at #9. Writer Josh Tyrangiel singled out the lyrics in the bridge: "This is our Potential Breakup Song/ Our album needs just one/ Oh baby please", and praised the authenticity of its having been written by the teenage sisters who sing it.⁷⁸

In December 2007, the news was revealed that Aly & AJ would be replacing the Jonas Brothers as the opening act for the extension of the Hannah Montana Best of Both Worlds Tour from January 11 - January 24. In early January 2008, Aly & AJ performed a cover of KT Tunstall's "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" on Yahoo's Pepsi Smash video site.⁹ The cover is also featured on the Japanese re-release of Insomniatic, recorded at Abbey Road Sessions.

2008-present: Upcoming album

Billboard confirmed the girls are working on a fourth studio album, to be released sometime in 2009,¹⁰ aside from the films they both are filming (Alyson in Bandslam with Vanessa Hudgens and AJ in The Lovely Bones.). It will have around 14 songs. They mentioned, in an interview on Radio Disney on April 23, 2008, they are going for a rockier sound, and this time, want to sing separately (as in not harmonize their voices), to let fans know who is singing.¹¹ On October 7, the yet untitled fourth album had been confirmed to be released in April 2009,¹² however, a month later, on November 9, Aly & AJ Reaction revealed that the album had been delayed until the summer of 2009.¹³

The duo also wrote a song with Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo, but it is unknown if the song will be made public on an album.¹⁴

Personal life

On June 26, 2008, an Ohio man named Rex Mettler was arrested for stalking the duo. The Lancaster man "obtained contact information for the acting and singing duo and made threats online, by phone and handwritten notes" as stated by the police.¹⁵

Other occupations

Religion

Along with making music for the mainstream audience, Aly & AJ, who are both very open about their faith, have become significant in the Christian music rock scene. "Never Far Behind" was only released on Christian rock radio. It went to #1 on Radio & Records (R&R) Christian CHR. Although Aly and AJ are both very open about their Christian faith, they do not want to be labeled as Christian music artists. In an interview with Blender magazine in June 2006, the girls said that their music comes from a Christian perspective. "We don't ever wanna preach or shove anything down people's throats, but we want our music to be inspiring."¹⁶

In an interview with Blender magazine, the two expressed their disbelief in the theory of evolution, with the interviewer asking what their thoughts were. When asked if they accepted evolution, AJ responded, "No," and Aly responded, "Are they teaching that in schools now?" When told that it had been taught for the better part of a century, she replied, "I think that's kind of disrespectful, anything that has to do with anybody's beliefs on religion, that should stay out of the classroom. I mean, I think people should be able to pray in school, if people were into that. Everybody should just do their own gig", and AJ added "Evolution is silly. Monkeys? Um, no."¹⁶

• Aly & AJ were nominated in September 2006 for Favorite Contemporary Inspirational Artist of the Year at the 2006 American Music Awards, but lost the award to Kirk Franklin during the November 21 presentation.¹⁷

Licensing

Huckleberry Toys released Limited Edition Hello Kitty Aly & AJ dolls to selected Target stores.¹⁸ Toys R Us is currently selling a line of the dolls which have been available since November 15, 2007. On November 8, 2007, the official biography of the girls was released with behind the scenes information, photos and interviews. On November 20, 2007, The Aly & AJ Adventure game was brought out, for use on the Nintendo DS. In the game, the player plays their assistant, helping them record songs, direct music video etc.

As of June 12, 2008, the duo started releasing their own paperback adventure books, called Aly & AJ's Rock 'n' Roll Mysteries, each part describing Aly & AJ on tour, every book describing a mystery in a different city. The drawings in the books were done by Aly. The first two (First Stop, New York and Mayhem in Miami) were released on June 12, the third installment (Singing in Seattle) on September 2, and the last (Nashville Nights) went to stores on October 4, 2008.

PDP (Performance Designed Products) released Aly & AJ-designed guitars that are compatible with MTV's Rock Band and Guitar Hero on November 10, 2008. Aly's guitar features a heart-and-crossbones print in pink (PlayStation 2) and AJ's guitar is in the shape of the Aly & AJ heart logo featuring bright pink and purple zebra print (Wii, PS2). The duo launched the guitars on October 11, 2008 during event at Universal Studios CityWalk in California.

Charity work

Aly and AJ are co-chairpersons for the Children's Advisory Board of the AmberWatch Foundation, and have performed at a benefit concert to raise money for the charity.¹⁹ The song "I Am One of Them", which was featured the in the debut album Into the Rush is dedicated to work with AmberWatch.

The duo also walked a fashion show for the Race to Erase MS show in early May 2008, showing their support.

Discography

Main article: Aly & AJ discography

Studio albums 2005: Into the Rush 2006: Acoustic Hearts of Winter 2007: Insomniatic Dual filmography Year Title Aly's role AJ's role Notes 2006 Haversham Hall Hope Mason Sam Tillar Pilot was not picked up. Cow Belles Taylor Callum Courtney Callum made for television (Disney Channel) 2007 Super Sweet 16: The Movie Taylor Tiara Sarah Conners made for television (MTV Films) Aly & AJ: Sister Act Herself Herself One episode reality-show References ^ Acoustic Hearts of Winter from MTV, obtained December 27, 2006. ^ Adult Alternative Pop/Rock - Insomniatic Aly & AJ / CD / 2007 ^ allmusic ((( Into the Rush > Overview ))) ^ http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewArtist?id=33989931 ^ http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewArtist?id=33989931 ^ Interview that was part of the aired Aly and AJ concert. ^ Tyrangiel, Josh; "The Best Top 10 Lists of the Year"; "The 10 Best Songs"; Time magazine; December 24, 2007; Page 39. ^ Time magazine's Top 10 Songs of 2007 at time.com ^ "Black Horse & the Cherry Tree" video at Yahoo! Music ^ Aly & AJ Writing New Songs, Plot Films. Billboard. January 10, 2008. ^ Aly & AJ On Radio Disney. Aly & AJ Reaction. April 24, 2008. ^ "April Rules!!". Aly & AJ Reaction. October 9, 2008. ^ "New Album Delayed?". Aly & AJ Reaction. November 9, 2008. ^ "The Billboard Q&A: Rivers Cuomo". Billboard. December 7, 2008. ^ "Alleged Aly & AJ Stalker Arraigned". Accessed June 27, 2008. ^ a b Tweenage Riot. Blender magazine, June 2006. ^ 2006 American Music Awards. Accessed December 11, 2006. ^ [1] ^ AmberWatch Foundation official site. External links Aly & AJ Official italian site Official site Aly & AJ Official YouTube Channel Aly & AJ Official MySpace Alyson Michalka at the Internet Movie Database Amanda Michalka at the Internet Movie Database v • d • e Aly & AJ Alyson Michalka · Amanda Michalka Albums Into the Rush · Acoustic Hearts of Winter · Insomniatic Main Singles "Rush"  · "Chemicals React" · "Greatest Time of Year" · "Potential Breakup Song"  · "Like Whoa" Other Singles "Do You Believe in Magic" · "No One" · "Walking on Sunshine" · "Never Far Behind" · "On the Ride" · "Shine" · "Something More" Filmography Cow Belles · Super Sweet 16: The Movie · Bandslam · The Lovely Bones Related articles Discography · On the Ride Concert · Aly & AJ: Sister Act