You know those success stories about celebrities who started with nothing and had to work their way to the top? Well, it doesn’t always have to work like that.
Take the story of YouTube and pop music sensations Megan and Liz Mace (aka Megan & Liz). These 19-year-old fraternal twin sisters (Megan is older by a minute) didn’t set out to dominate the pop world.
“We were just really bored one summer and we decided putting out videos was something to do,” explained Liz.
Through covers of popular songs like Adele’s “Someone Like You” and Katy Perry’s “The One That Got Away,” plus their own original music, the girls have earned (as of May 6) 674,887 YouTube subscribers and 147,372,916 video views. Not bad for two girls who were just looking for something to do.
Living A Teenage Dream
“I think we view YouTube as how we got our foot in the door,” Liz said of their transformation from Internet celebrities to an emerging pop brand.
Megan added: “[YouTube] is a great place to grow up but not a great place to live.”
Megan & Liz are basically living every 19-year-old girl’s dream. They’ve amassed an army of adoring YouTube fans. They’ve performed alongside big names like Demi Lovato, Gym Class Heroes and Cobra starship. They’ll even have their own Ring Pop flavor – raspberry lemonade – in the near future.
“We’re really lucky and we love what we do,” said Liz. “We just have fun all day everyday. We’re lucky we can do this for a job.”
Megan & Liz Style
Just like any 19-year-old girls, these two grew up listening to the usual suspects of the pop world: Kelly Clarkson, Celine Dion, Taylor Swift, etc. Though they admire those titans of the industry, they want to forge their own pop path.
“We like to say that we have our own ‘Megan & Liz style’,” said Megan.
Thanks to “Megan & Liz style,” they’ve earned the opportunity to meet some of their idols, like Taylor Swift – an encounter that Liz called a “huge moment in our lives.”
“It’s just insane,” she continued. “We still haven’t met Aly & A.J. When that day comes we’ll probably fangirl out.”
They probably had a similar reaction when they met Max Schneider of Nickelodeon’s How To Rock. He joined the duo to cover Carly Rae Jepsen’s ridiculously infectious “Call Me Maybe.”
“Max is so funny,” said Liz. “It was just like hanging out while also making music.”
Staying The Course
The Edwardsburg, Michigan, natives graduated from Edwardsburg High School in June 2011. Nothing has really changed in terms of their relationship with their friends since high school ended, though the girls do sometimes feel a little left behind.
“Our friends are still really supportive,” said Megan. “It’s hard though because they’re in college and we feel like we’re missing out. But we’re happy with what we’re doing”
As of now, neither Megan nor Liz has any plans to go to college.
“We are putting 100 percent of our effort into [music],” said Megan. “So far, fingers crossed, it’s working out.”
Considering they’re on the verge of winning the Macy’s iHeartRadio Rising Star competition (which will get them a spot in the lineup of this year’s iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas) and have an album coming out in “back to school time,” the music thing appears to be working out for them. What’s the secret to their success?
“If you love it, do it,” said Liz. “It does get hard sometimes but if you love it then it’s worth it.”
This is coming from a girl whose answering machine message is an enthusiastic, “If you can dream it, you can do it!” Clearly she and her sister are passionate about what they do. Of course, they both realize that the only reason they’re allowed to continue living their dreams is because of the love they get from their fans.
“We love them,” said Megan. “Thanks for all your continued support!”
Photo: provided by Perpetual Media
