The BalCONy’s Wesley Stromberg and Kenny Holland dropped by “Jake’s Take” to have an exclusive “Conversation.” (Photo property of Lynch Archer PR)
By: Jacob Elyachar, jakes-take.com
It is rare to see lighting in the bottle chemistry in today’s music industry.
However, one duo that could test this theory is The BalCONy’s Kenny Holland and Wesley Stromberg!
Both Kenny and Wesley individually have made big splashes in the music industry as Kenny has amassed over 1,800,000 followers on Vine, while many might recognize Wesley as a former X Factor USA finalist and member of Emblem3.
Together, the BalCONy made their debut at DigiFest NYC where they not only opened for Demi Lovato, but also premiered their first single: “Fire.”
In this edition of A Conversation, Kenny and Wesley talked about their participation with the DigiFest, the challenges that they face breaking into the music market and which band they want to collaborate with in the future.
Jacob Elyachar: Guys, could you please share your group’s origin story with my readers?
Wesley Stromberg: Kenny and I met in Colorado on a snowboarding trip. During that week, we began to talk about music and potential collaborations. At the end of the trip, both of us agreed that we had to team up. Once we got home, we instantly started to write and wrote our first song that night. We instantly fell in love with it and we had to get the song out to everybody. After we wrote our first song, we immediately formed our group and we continued to work super, super hard on our music off the balcony and that is why we are called the BalCONy!
JE: Can you describe the BalCONy’s sound?
Kenny Holland: Our sound is heavily rock and roll influenced and we blend it with a little bit of beach funk and reggae. Wes grew up listening to that kind of music and is very familiar with the scene. We also look to Sublime and the Red Hot Chilli Peppers for inspiration. We really love our music and are very passionate about it.
JE: Recently, the BalCONy made their debut at DigiFest’s stops in New York City & Chicago. How did you get involved with DigiFest?
KH: Wes launched his career after appearing on The X Factor USA and was working hard to establish a career before and after the show. At the same time, I was working on establishing my own career. I got a lot of followers on social media and my career was mainly social media based, which is basically DigiFest’s concept. Throughout the tour, we became really good friends with some of the performers including Nate and the Jacks (pop-rap duo Jack and Jack). This has led us to collaborate with them and we blasted our collaborations onto social media.
WS: Basically, DigiFest gave us the opportunity for us to perform as Wes and Kenny. We told them that not only would we perform, but we also announced our debut as the BalCONy on stage.
KH: It was a super special moment for us!
JE: Wesley, it turned into a mini “X Factor USA” reunion for you as the BalCONy supported Demi Lovato.
WS: We got to open for Demi, which was huge for us! Demi is an amazing girl and I love her! I also got to see Bea Miller as well because she performed at a couple of stops. DigiFest helped me reconnect with some of those acts and I love those people so much!
JE: What are some of the challenges that this duo is facing with breaking into the American music market? How are you overcoming them?
WS: I have to say that the biggest challenge we are currently facing is that our duo is fully independent!
KH: We have to do all the work that ranges from the marketing to record and produce all of our music. We also have to plan all of our tours as well! But, with hard work and dedication, we are mastering all of the elements that are exactly needed to succeed in this business.
JE: Let’s talk about your new single: “Fire”! What was the inspiration behind the song?
KH: It is very interesting to talk about how this song evolved. First, we hopped into the studio and recorded the bass track. We kept adding elements throughout the song’s building process through weeks and weeks of writing and hard work. Once, we mastered and completely owned the craft while we wrote that song.
WS: We had a rough outline of the song and we put it on the back burner for a little while. However, we found ourselves going back through the song. While I encouraged Kenny to keep writing and continue to build the track, I really got into playing the guitar.
KH: He composed this amazing rock star lick.
WS: Once, I did compose the lick, Kenny told me: “Bro, you got to put that into the track that we worked on a few weeks ago. It would be perfect for it.” Once we threw that lick into the song, it all made sense for us. “Fire” is one funky and fun song!
KH: It is filled with lots of positivity and will make listeners bob their head and make them join our party!
JE: Which artists or producers would you like to collaborate with?
WS: It would be so sweet to work with Imagine Dragons!
JE: If you had the chance to meet with aspiring groups who want to have a career in the music industry, what advice would you share with them?
WS: I would tell them to “believe” and “practice.”
KH: I would also add that if they are passionate about music—go chase it! You can make things happen for yourself and that is what Wes and I are currently learning right now. With hard work, passion and good vibes, you can do whatever you put your mind to.
To learn more about the BalCONy, visit their website!
Also, don’t forget to download “Fire” on iTunes & listen to it on YouTube!
You can also follow the BalCONy on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter!
