I was recently given the chance to speak with Katie Jayne Earl, lead vocalist of The Mowgli’s. We reviewed their latest album, Kids In Love, here! The band just finished up their West Coast Tour, and plans on releasing their new album soon. Keep an eye out over on their website for any new updates!

Indientry: Let’s start with some easy ones. The world is ending, and you have an hour to do whatever you want before we all go up in flames. What do you do?

Katie Jayne Earl: Parachute off the Hollywood sign.

I: How would you describe the color blue to a blind person?

KJE: I would say the color blue looks like how water feels.

I: What’s one thing that most people don’t know about you guys?

KJE: We’re terrible people.

I: What have you been listening to lately?

KJE: Kanye West’s “The College Dropout”.

I: Who are some of your biggest musical influences?

KJE: Personally, I’m a musical theater kid. The lyrics always told stories and the melodies are unforgettable and universal.

I: Who’s your favorite band that you’ve ever toured with?

KJE: What? We can’t answer this! Walk the moon, Misterwives, American authors, family of the year, hippo campus, x ambassadors, echosmith, oh honey, Pom poms.. Next question!

I: In your Facebook Live video, you guys commented that life on tour isn’t as exciting as people imagine. What do you do to pass the free time on the bus?

KJE: We watch a lot of movies. I watch a lot of “Ru Paul’s Drag Race”. Andy watches a lot of “Survivor”, and we listen to a lot of music.

I: Your music, and your band’s overall image, promotes positivity, love, and happiness. Is this a personal value, or where did it come from? Can you talk a little about that?

KJE: We all agree that the world could use a little more positivity and personal truths so we try to use that as our motivation when we write our songs. Growing up, we all listened to a lot of darker music, whether that be emo, hard core, nirvana, etc… So we accepted a personal challenge to make meaningful music that was positive and “light”… Promoting charitable organizations was the next logical step in actualizing our goal to bring a little more light into the world so we try to team up with a different organization every tour.

I: Fan interaction seems to be something that you guys try to keep up with, which is great because it makes everything more personal. I read that there’s a phone number somewhere where fans can leave voicemails. Where did that come from?

KJE: It was one of many ideas tossed around when we were brainstorming ways to connect with fans! It’s been pretty fun.

I: Speaking of fans, what’s the weirdest or coolest fan encounter you’ve ever had?

KJE: We have had mostly positive interactions with fans. Of course there have been some odd encounters but for the most part, we can’t complain!

I: “Freakin’ Me Out” is awesome. Will the new album be along the same lines, in terms of sound?

KJE: We explored a lot of ideas and a lot of our own talents when writing this record. I’m not sure if “Freakin’ Me Out” is considered “in line” with the rest of the album’s sound but if definitely fits in the catalog.

I: Your last album, Kids In Love, was incredible. Can you guys talk a little bit about the process and the feelings that went into that album?
KJE: Kids In Love was an interesting process because it was the first time we wrote with a deadline. It was challenging and exciting to be working within the “music industry” for the first time and I think we ended up with a pretty upbeat, feel good record.
Originally published on Indientry on July 8, 2016. 

Note – May 24, 2020: This interview has been lightly edited for grammar and clarity.