Julissa Girardi: As far as being signed - Jesse was signed in the early 2000s to Dirtbag Music Group out of San Diego and I was signed around 2011 to DanceMusicLabel distributed by WarnerMusic. General involvement in music has been our entire lives. Jesse is a self-taught guitarist that is known for his signature rhythm guitar playing and songwriting. I was a classically trained opera singer from the age of 10-15 before transitioning to R&B and pop. I auditioned for American Idol twice before getting on the show and Jesse ground it out, show after show, record after record before getting signed. We both had two distinct journeys to the infamous record deal signing, but arrived there nonetheless. lol

Julissa: 100% - we did actually quit for about 9 years. We had a small three-piece band called Color the Lion, in Phoenix, AZ. We did really well - charted on iTunes Top 50 alternative/indie releases next to Incubis, and was voted best new band in Phoenix. At that point, however, we were extremely jaded by the music industry - it was more of a job where you could never meet the expectations or desires of your boss because what they wanted out of you was a forever moving target, not to mention the worldly influences pressing down on you each day. Meanwhile, you lose sense of why you began making music in the first place. It's a dangerous place to be for an artist, and many don't recover from that place. Because of that, we ended up moving back home to be close to family, which we had neglected pursuing our "dreams," and reconnecting our broken relationships. It was during that time that God met us through Jesse's Aunt in our kitchen.

Julissa: When I think of it, it's a funny question, because, once you are a Christian, isn't everything you do permeated by Christ? If it isn't, I think it should be. To detach any creative work we do from Christ would be counterproductive for not only our music, but our relationship with Him as well. I don't think we can make a song without Jesus being the center and focal point because He is precisely that in our lives.

Julissa: Boy, a wide range for sure. Everyone from the Smashing Pumpkins to The Cranberries, to Killswitch Engage and InFlames, to Heart and Dire Straits - even Madonna, Mariah Carey, Chaka Khan and Whitney Houston were huge influences. Not to say that we follow them for their character traits, but their music definitely has had an impression on what we create. Lately, we've been listening to Chester Bennington's original band Grey Daze, Skillet, and the latest Disturbed single, "I Will Not Break."

Julissa: We would love to release a full album when the time is right. At the stage we are in with JNDJ, it doesn't make sense time wise since we do everything, nuts to bolts, in house, so singles seem to be the best bet to reach our listeners and build a strong foundation. God-willing, should He want us to take time out to craft a full album, we would be more than happy and honored to fulfill that request.

Julissa: Currently it's just the two of us. When it's time to play out, we would need to recruit a bass player and a drummer to fill out the band. Where we live now in Western Mass, we haven't found musicians that have the experience to be able to jump on a tour. When we were in Phoenix, it was a non-issue, but here it's tough. But, you know, God knows that, so when it's time, He will provide : )

Julissa: Music is extremely powerful - that's why Satan has pervaded almost every crevice of the music industry. It can shape culture, shape mindsets, dictate what is true and good, and because of that, we want to make sure we push back with Jesus Christ. In the rock world, there is a lot of darkness-the look is dark, the graphics are dark, the art is dark, the clothes are dark, the lyrics can be, for the most part, pretty darn dark. It's time to band together with likeminded musicians, build a frontline, and reclaim territory by bringing some light into the darkness, and that's what we plan to do with our music.

Julissa: A ton of ways: You can message us directly through our website contact page: https://www.jndjmusic.com/jndj-media-inquiries-bookings

You can sign up for our newsletter where we give away downloads to our music, discounts to our merch, and run subscriber-only contests: https://www.jndjmusic.com/jndj-subscribe

You can hit us up on socials, like Facebook

And if you really want to connect directly, you can send us an email to jndjmus[at]proton.me

Julissa: If you've gotten to this part and have been intrigued by our music and our story, consider praying for us - that God would guide us and help us make good decisions each day, especially on daily decisions we need to make and who to partner with as we grow. Also, consider following us on socials and helping us share our story and our music. Many hands make light work : ) May God bless all of you!