Eastern Michigan University students Jaida Turner and Jessica Turner are not just sisters, but are also best friends who create music together. For many people, music is a way to get through every mood, which is especially true for the duo.
Jessica Turner is a senior at EMU majoring in marketing with a minor in African American studies; Jaida Turner is an EMU sophomore studying art education.
As children, beginning at ages 5 and 7, the sisters attended performing arts camps in the city of Detroit, and ended up taking a liking to singing the most.
“We always grew up singing. We did a lot of performing arts camps when we were younger, so that was like acting, singing, dancing, and we also sang at church,” Jaida Turner said. “As we got older, we just really liked singing a lot more, like how we could be really creative with it, so that kind of stuck with us.”
The purpose of their music is to uplift and inspire listeners, as other artists' music have done for them, the sisters said.
“The world we live in is kind of depressing when you think about it, all the horrible stuff happening, we just wanna uplift people, give them hope,” Jessica Turner said.
The duo described their music as “contemporary gospel," but said that there is definitely a noticeable mix of genres.
“We like to put a little bit of our faith in there, in our music, because we do make gospel inspirational music,“ Jaida Turner said.
However, the sisters said that their music can still be listened to by everyone, regardless of religion.
“You don’t have to be a Christian to listen to our music, it’s just inspiring music for everybody,” Jessica Turner said.
Currently, the pair has three singles out on all streaming platforms. Their first single “Whatcha Say Whatcha Say" has a more pop sound, while their second single “God’s Love" sounds more like “jazzy R&B.”
“I would say ‘God’s Love,’ our second song, [is my favorite] because we got to spend a lot of time on that one and really perfect it,” Jessica Turner said. “We really took our time on that one, and I just like how we sing in that one.”
The sisters said that they enjoy putting their individual interests and personalities together in their music to create something unique.
“We take our own individual vibes and kind of put it together and our own experiences together, so it’s an experience,“ Jaida Turner said. “I feel like I have a more funky, jazz vibe and then Jessica’s more like that R&B, chill.”
While some siblings may have a hard time getting along with one another, Jaida Turner and Jessica Turner’s friendship makes their music feel far from work.
“Sometimes it’s difficult because like I want it this certain way, so we have to compromise but that’s just working together so that’s working with anyone,“ Jaida Turner said.
The musicians' goal is to release an EP in the near future, and eventually a full-length album.
“Working with other artists too because we haven’t did any collabs or anything so I think that would be cool,” Jessica Turner said.
Some of their inspirations include another sister gospel duo Mary Mary, as well as Detroit group The Clark Sisters.
“They did a lot of big things in gospel music and they kind of paved the way for other artists in having a different sound then traditional gospel music,” Jessica Turner said.
The impact of music overall is something that the Turner’s find important to their personal lives and their artistry.
“It can impact your mood, it can inspire you, like if you’re feeling down in life, it can inspire you, give you hope,” Jessica Turner said. “Also, [music] can make you realize you’re not the only one going through certain stuff because a lot of people share their stories in their music.”
“With this process, we’re really like learning and growing and discovering ourselves in our music, so it’s just a journey,” Jaida Turner said.
