Can you believe its been ten years since the energetic twins from Lucan first hit our screens on The X Factor stage?
2009 saw the beginning of what would be a phenomenon on the Irish and UK pop scene, and we’re in the mood to celebrate!
To mark the occasion, we’ve gone for a dig through the archives, back to 2012 and VIP’S epic shoot with the pair in Amsterdam as they prepared to represent Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest for the second year in a row.
From swarms of fans, to crashing boats, this was one of our most eventful shoots to date! Take a look back at all the pics from 2012 Jedward mania!
“We’re like the Christopher Columbus of Ireland, exploring an unknown place in the world.”
Amsterdam is a beautiful city, one steeped in rich culture, filled with stunning architecture and it certainly possesses that ‘je ne sais quoi’ quality so few cities do.
VIP meets with Dublin music sensations Jedward for an exclusive interview during their European promotional tour in the Netherlands, and for a shoot we won’t soon forget. They have jetted off to Amsterdam to perform a pre-Eurovision concert alongside 23 other contestants at the iconic Melkweg theatre in a bid to further boost their profile in voting countries.
The hardest working act in showbiz tell VIP that the iconic song contest is going to be “deadly…no matter what happens”. But don’t let that fool you, this ambitious duo are very much in it to win it.
When VIP meets John and Edward Grimes in Amsterdam, they are as energetic as you would expect.
Most of our afternoon is spent telling them ‘no’ to their ideas for the shoot, which are too wacky…even for us. “No, guys, you cannot jump up and down on the stern of the Paradis boat”, (which we have rented for the afternoon); “No, it is not a good idea to crash your pedal boat into a cruiser filled with tourists along the canal” (that one fell on deaf ears); and “No, John, it is not a good idea for you to sit on the handlebars while Edward steers you on the same bike at the Vondelpark”…for the obvious safety reasons.
Throughout the day, some 50 fans have gathered pace and follow us – literally – everywhere we go. They were waiting for them at the hotel reception this morning and have now set up camp outside the Comedy Café at the Max Euweplein, which we are using as our base. VIP quickly learns that these followers are ‘friends, not fans’ and the people that Jedward respect, appreciate and adore right back.
If you thought that Jedward had done it all, then think again, as Jedward won’t be happy until they achieve world domination. This is not a threat, it’s a promise…
John, Edward, welcome to Amsterdam! What are your thoughts on the city?
Edward: We had a lot of predictions for what Amsterdam would be like – we’ve heard all different rumours. But now that we’re here, it’s really calm.
John: In every city, there’s a party scene and a scenic scene and we got the second route.
You came here to Amsterdam for a pre-Eurovision concert with some of the other acts at the Melkweg theatre. How did it go?
E: John and I got to meet the first 23 acts. It felt like a school reunion meeting all these different people.
J: It was awesome! The crowd was amazing and we got to see some of the other acts that will be performing in Baku.
What was your favourite part of your Dutch shoot with VIP?
J: Doing the shoot here has given more meaning to Amsterdam for us. And the clogs were also fun to wear!
E: It’s much more fun to shoot on location rather than against a white screen. It gave us the chance to capture a moment – our perfect time in Amsterdam – which we’ll never capture again!
Before our European getaway, we last shot with you in April of last year. How have your lives changed since then?
J: At the beginning of every year, we set ourselves the target that we want to achieve a few epic things. We’ve achieved that in the past 12 months!
That you have! Between dancing onstage with Britney Spears, performing for Barack Obama and placing eighth at last year’s Eurovision Song Contest…epic would be the right word! What has been your highlight?
J: Our highlight was meeting Barack Obama!
E: For me, it was learning to style our hair better. They discontinued the mousse we use, so we had to find new techniques. We’re proud of that.
Should we expect to see you with your own line of hair products soon?
E: Yes, we’ll have our own mousse and hairspray.
J: We’ll conquer the merchandising world! We’ll become the biggest hair brand out there.
Right! Down to business, we’re here to talk Eurovision. Are you excited about going back to perform for a second time?
J: It’s like going back to school for us. We’ve been on our ‘summer holidays’ all year. But now, it’s back to Eurovision for Jedward.
E: This year we’ll be recognised as celebrities in our own right. Last year we went as contestants representing Ireland. This year, we’re going as Jedward.
Do you feel more confident going back the second time now that you have the lay of the land?
J: Definitely. The theme of Eurovision this year is fire, and with Waterline, Jedward will be putting out the fire!
E: Some of our fans have been saying they preferred Lipstick instead of Waterline as our entry. But we’ve had more recognition for Waterline. Lipstick was a catchier pop song, but Waterline has deeper meaning. It’s a metaphor for love.
So you’re in it to win it this time?
Both: Yes!
J: It’s going to be deadly…no matter what happens.
What would winning mean to you?
J: Winning would mean we did it for Ireland! It would be a big moment.
E: Representing Ireland has created an amazing spirit around the country and it’s so cool knowing that we’re responsible for that. Everyone in Ireland knows who we are and has followed our whole journey. It’s a cool moment for Jedward.
Are you looking forward to visiting Azerbaijan?
J: It’s unknown territory. We’re like the Christopher Columbus of Ireland, exploring an unknown place in the world. We’re going to publicise Azerbaijan – when Irish people hear its name, they’re going to think, ‘Jedward went there for Eurovision’. It’ll be great for tourism.
Your costumes sound pretty impressive! We hear rumours that they will all be 3D. That must require a lot of work?
E: Right now, the people that make our outfits are under a lot of stress because we’ve requested a lot of specific looks; we’ll have 3D costume models of popcorn and bubblegum dispensers, and a few surprises. We design all the outfits ourselves.
J: When you go to Eurovision, you don’t just have one outfit, you need one for each day. You have to bring your A-game every day!Is styling important to you?
E: Yes! When you do photoshoots, you’re dressed in awesome clothes and it’s upsetting to give it back at the end of the day. So rather than hiring a stylist, we buy all our clothes ourselves. We like knowing when we wear something that it’s special and unique.
J: Everything we have, we buy ourselves. We don’t get sponsored. We appreciate all the clothes we have.
What do you do with your wacky get-ups after you’re done with them?
E: Because we’ve paid for them, we get really good use out of them on tour. When they’ve reached their peak, we put the outfits in a box and seal it away. Sometimes, we’ll go back to old outfits that we’ll update to look like new.
J: Our whole garage at home is rail upon rail of crazy clothes!
Here in Amsterdam, there are about 50 fans that have followed us everywhere we’ve gone! A surreal experience for us at VIP, but it must be the norm to you both by now?
E: That’s the standard mob. They are what separates us from other artists – me and John have real people who come and meet us and support us everywhere we go, whereas other artists mightn’t have that.
J: Our fans are really connected. There’s Facebook, Twitter and then, there’s the ‘Jedward network’. They go from country to country and meet up with other fans there. They know people all around the world just because they’re Jedward fans.
Is it a humbling experience to think that people take time out of their lives just for you?
J: It makes you feel safe because there’s always someone around.
E: People think it’s weird that they’re following us, but they’re there to support. We’ve given them a new way of living – they know they don’t have to drink and do other crazy things to have fun.
What’s the craziest thing a Jedward fan has done for you?
J: They all have Jedward tattoos! Some have them all along their neck and arms. They’re crazy, but it’s normal for us. It’s normal for us to see crazy things.
E: Another fan made us a custom quilt with a theme of one of our songs, Bad Behaviour. She just sent us another quilt with a map of Azerbaijan ahead of Eurovision. They both look amazing!
A very famous fan – and friend! – of yours is American actress Tara Reid. You met in the Celebrity Big Brother house last year and have stayed in touch since. Did you have an instant connection?
E: It was nice meeting her in the Celebrity Big Brother house because we knew who she was, but she didn’t know who we were. It was a neutral meeting ground and there was no one telling her not to hang out with us and vice versa. We just connected instantly. After that, we’d lived in such close quarters that our relationship went beyond the stage of just being friends…we’re more like brother and sister!
J: I was talking to her last night at 2am, and yesterday morning, I was talking to her for over two hours. That’s the longest phone conversation I’ve ever had!
As far as public perceptions are concerned, Jedward and Tara Reid are very different people. What do you guys talk about?
E: If John and I are getting distracted, she helps us focus. Equally, if she has a moment where she’s in a weird situation, she’ll call us for advice.
J: Her fans and ours are now united, they support each other. They’re all a part of the fan network.
Your new album, Young Love, has just been released. How does it differ to your last album, Victory?
E: This one is a lot cooler!
J: It’s a lot more mainstream. We needed new, different types of songs to get even more fans!
Your new songs sound very different. They have more meaning and a new rhythm. Is it important for you to let people know that Jedward can actually sing?
J: On this album, our vocals are more raw, you can hear Jedward.
E: The new album has three slow songs, then some heartthrob songs and pop ones. There’s a type of song for everybody.
Does a new type of music mean we’ll be seeing a Jedward image makeover to match?
E: Recently we’ve been wearing our hair both flat and spiky.
J: Our fans know us with flat hair, but the general public don’t. Strangers will say, ‘Oooh Jedward got hot’ when they see our new hair. But we’ve always been hot!
You recently ran the LA marathon (without any training beforehand)! How was that?
E: It meant a lot to us because we used to do lots of running and were very competitive about it, training six times a week. We wore red, white and blue outfits. Everyone said, ‘God Bless America!’ as we ran!
J: We became we were the tourist attraction. We were the heart and soul of the marathon.
How do you stay fit?
J: We’re on stage for two and a half hours nearly every day performing! We do our ‘Jedward exercises’…which we invented!
E: For us, going on stage is like doing a fast zumba class. It’s non-stop exercise.
Is that where you get your energy from?
J: I don’t know! Everyone thinks we’re so energetic, but we don’t even sleep that much! We have a lot of positive people around us and we get energy from each other. We pump each other up!
How do you relax and unwind?
E: By going to the shops and buying food, chilling out and watching dvds. Sometimes, we unwind by going for a run.
You finished a very successful run as hosts of RTÉ’s OMG! Jedward’s Dream Factory last December. Will you be making more dreams happen on our screens soon?
E: The show has been picked up for a second season and this year, we’ll have even bigger dreams to make and hopefully we’ll get Louis (Walsh) and other big celebrities on board.
J: We’re planting the seeds of ideas with presenting and when the seeds have eventually grown into a tree, we’ll probably be presenting The Late Late Show.
You’re clearly thinking about the future! Now that you are 20 years old, have you thought about where you’d like to eventually settle down..where the ‘dream house’ is going to be?
E: New York, because it’s between Europe and Los Angeles. Times Square could become our local hangout. We need to end up living somewhere fast because we get tired if a place is too laid-back. We’re thinking of moving to the Theatre District and we could get a seven bedroom apartment there.
J: Our dream house will be an escape for us, it will be totally private.
Do you think you’ll live together forever?
J: We’re just doing our own thing now.
E: We might get one expensive house or two ‘okay’ houses that we could share.
On a serious note, you are both ambassadors for the ISPCC anti-bullying campaign. Having been so vocal about your own experiences with bullying in the past, how does it feel being in a position to help those who are experiencing bullying?
E: It’s a really good feeling. There are pictures of us with the ISPCC shields hanging in our old school – it’s cool knowing that if anyone returns, they’ll see John and Edward are on the walls now.
J: It’s good for our fans to know that we were bullied too and we’re okay.
Interview: Caitlin McBride