Bobby and Suzy

Musical collaborations are dangerous at a young age. As kids, Nate and Gwyn Fowler of Bobby & Suzy were made to perform piano duets together by their parents. “Our practices always used to end in physical violence” explains Gwyn. “Yeah, I would usually take the pencil and stab her for sitting to close to me,” adds Nate. Fifteen years later, after each graduating from college – Nate from Duke and Gwyn from Furman – they have reunited to create their own music in their hometown of Charleston, South Carolina.

While their collaborations are still quite dangerous, they now take on a more playful, spirited edge as they each pull from their polarizing musical influences. Nate draws on his love for R&B and pop, while Gwyn draws from her folky, singer-songwriter roots. The results are a deliberate electro-acoustic pop collision that defies categorization. Their first single “The Tour” fuses Matt & Kim’s delightful melodies with a subtle R&B styling circa Mariah Carey’s “Always Be My Baby.” On the other end of the spectrum, “Song For Something” blends The xx’s soft, breathy vocals with the moody, synth-pop edge of The Postal Service. And somewhere in between this spectrum lie “Touchin’ On Me” and “Vampires.”

The project first began as a challenge between Nate and Gwyn over who could write a mainstream pop song the fastest. Fueled by cheap wine, they began to write a song as joke – Yet, half-way through the recording session they knew they had stumbled onto something great. That song would become “The Tour,” and Nate and Gwyn would become Bobby and Suzy. The band draws its name from the bed-time stories they heard from their dad when they were kids. In these stories, Bobby and Suzy would go on underwater adventures in a magical world with a dolphin named Flipper. The adventures would always end with the Bobby and Suzy theme song, sung by their father as a bedtime lullaby. Twenty years later, Nate and Gwyn decided to add to their dad’s story and continue their story of Bobby and Suzy.

In 2011, the pair continued to write new songs while garnering attention from music blogs and Capitol Records. They are currently in the studio working on their debut EP to be released in early 2012. The duo also enjoy the thrill of being onstage and can’t wait to embark on their first tour after the EP release. Their performances around Charleston, SC have come to be known by their witty banter and almost psychic connection that only close siblings have.

As Bobby and Suzy look forward to the release of their debut album, they’re focused on inspiring the same joy in their fans as pop music did to them as children. “We love the idea of the perfect pop song” Nate adds, “and that is how we approach writing music together, creating memories that you can experience again and again.” Although their collaboration maintain a polished-pop edge, Bobby and Suzy still manage to make their tracks sound homespun and nostalgic, “and that’s just the way we want it” says Gwyn.