Idol Chatter & Voice Views

They were introduced to millions of fans on Season 9 of The Voice.

Their music was so well received, they topped even eventual winner Jordan Smith on the iTunes charts during the first two rounds of the competition.

Yet two months before the release of their first post-Voice music, they changed their stage name.

It certainly wasn’t a traditional move by artists trying to cash in on their television fame.

Then again, that wasn’t the intent of identical twins Andi and Alex Peot, who appeared on Season 9 of The Voice as Andi & Alex.

They are now Queen Hilma, a tribute to a late grandmother they describe as “a sassy lady but in the most amazing way ever.”

As for the decision to switch names — well, Andi explains.

“We decided to change our name to redirect our fans to what was important. We want them to see us as creative artists, and not just two girls who could sing pretty on TV,” she told Voice Views.

“We don’t want to be known just for ‘our voice’ or ‘THE VOICE.’ We want to be known for our musicality and lyrics. We also wanted to put emphasis on a full band, not just an acoustic session with Andi & Alex.”

She said the duo appreciates The Voice experience and exposure, adding “we know that our true fans, and not just ‘The Voice’ fans, will continue following us no matter what we are called.”

As for the EP, it features four tracks written by Andi or the twins together. Two were written in the last eight months, Andi says. The other two date back as far as four years. You’ll recall that pre-Voice, the sisters were in a band together called She the Monster. In fact, they released an EP and album with that band.

Howard Redekopp produced the new EP; Andi describes the sound as alternative Americana. The album title comes from the lyrics of the EP opening “Anything for Love,” one of the songs Andi and Alex wrote together more recently.

Next up for Queen Hilma: Tour dates over the next week in Rhode Island, New York and Philly.

The Philly show is set for Sunday, Aug. 28, at Coda. General admission tickets are $15; a VIP meet and greet is available for $30.

Just don’t expect to hear a lot of covers from The Voice.

Andi says you can expect a full band experience featuring “four happy faces”; Queen Hilma also includes Matt Whiteford on guitar and Matt Gusmer on drums. Plus an acoustic interlude in the middle of the show that might include one or two non-originals.

and Alex, based in Green Bay, were 23 when they made their splash on The Voice by turning four chairs with their blind audition cover of Dido’s “Thank You.”

Their success continued in the battle round when they covered “Wherever You Will Go” with Chance Pena and cracked the Top 20 on the iTunes singles chart.

But they were eliminated during the knockout round and inexplicably not invited back for the comeback round, though everyone associated with the show would have known how well they did on iTunes by that point. (The blind auditions, battle and knockout rounds are pre-taped).

Andi says she and Alex were disappointed not to be invited back too, at least at first.

“But we soon realized that the people that were hearing us on TV weren’t actually hearing the real us anyway,” she says. “We couldn’t do what we really wanted, which includes creating and composing. We can sing which is a plus. But honestly my first love has always been writing. So the reactions to our music have only really started to unfold.”

And judging from the comments on their Facebook page, that’s going quite nicely. You can also head there to get more information on those other upcoming tour dates.

You can also keep up with Queen Hilma through the band’s website. On Twitter, follow @Andi_and_Alex.

See also
Albums and EPs released in 2016 by artists from The Voice
Singles released in 2016 by artists from The Voice
Music videos released in 2016 by artists from The Voice