These talented twins are showing the local music scene their mettle.
They rocketed to fame with the release of their summer anthem ‘Sun in my Pocket’ and now, with their new album Running to Midnight receiving rave reviews from critics, Locnville have proved they’ve got staying power.

Twin brothers Andrew and Brian Chaplin may be only 21, but they’ve been making music since they were six years old and recorded their first single, ‘Amnesia’, at age eight. At 15 they took advantage of their US citizenship (they were born in NYC) to jet to the States and develop their unique sound.

Back on home soil, they caught the attention of Mxit General Manager Paul Stemmet, and became the first group to release an album on Mxit Music (under the name III) – pretty impressive for guys who had barely hit puberty!

Now, with hordes of adoring fans, two 2011 Sama awards under their belt and an international recording deal, it seems Locnville are a force to be reckoned with. Here are Andrew and Brian on…

BEING PROUDLY SOUTH AFRICAN
Andrew ‘We definitely consider our-selves South African, but are proud of our American background too!’
Brian ‘SA is our home – we’ve been living in Cape Town full-time since we were 13.’

INSPIRATION BEHIND ‘SUN IN MY POCKET’
Andrew ‘That particular track is actually a pretty funny one. I wrote the chorus without my brother and he didn’t like it at first. The inspiration for the song didn’t really come from anything specific, more the world as a whole. We are basically saying that you control your world by metaphorically having the sun in your pocket and the moon in your hands. I think a lot of people get that on some level, and that’s why they enjoy listening to it!’

THE NAME LOCNVILLE
Brian ‘There’s actually quite a long story behind the name. But it basically derives from the fact that we are both American and South African.’

BEING FAMOUS
Andrew ‘We didn’t expect this. We just wanted to put our music out there and hoped it would get a good reception.’
Brian ‘We just can’t think of ourselves as celebrities. With that title you dissociate yourself from other people. We’re just musicians who love creating music and enjoy it more when other people like it too. I’m the same Brian and he’s the same Andrew.’

THE NEW ALBUM
Andrew ‘I’m really excited about this album; we’ve really let loose with experimentation in the sound. Saying that, it was tough, because there’s an expectation that this will be a follow-up to a very successful debut – but overall I’m confident in this album, because it’s far more relevant to where we are now.’
Brian ‘Running To Midnight was the most eventful experience I’ve had with writing and recording, and it comes through in the sound. There are highs and lows, and all around a seriously intense and fun story. This is not our previous album, and I can’t wait to show it to everybody!’

LANDING A DEAL WITH SONY
Andrew ‘It’s an absolute dream come true! We’ve been working long and hard for this, so to finally have it happen is just phenomenal. We’re very honoured to be on the same label as so many of our favourite artists.’
Brian ‘Signing with Sony/Jive has really proved for us what determination and hard work can bring. To be on the same roster as so many fantastic artists is a dream come true and the passion that the team has shown Locnville is truly amazing.’

THEIR FOUR-DAY 21st CELEBRATIONS
Andrew ‘That was an awesome jol! We had all of our closest friends and family at the party. We rented a massive place up in Camps Bay in Cape Town and pretty much just had a four-day party!’
Brian ‘It was great. It was a group of close friends and family who we hadn’t seen in a while, so we just kept the party going for four days!’

BIO BOX
Date of birth 14 May 1990
Who was born first? Brian
Their famous relation Charlie Chaplin
Little-known fact Brian and Andrew are mirror twins, which means they are identical but their similarities, such as a slight lazy eye, are on opposite sides of their bodies.