Criminally Underrated Musicians of Y2K

In this episode, Mary and Kelsey give the y2k stars they believe to be ~criminally underrated~ their flowers. They discuss pop princesses from the early aughts whose songs you definitely jammed out to in the car but you may have forgotten about since- like Stacie Orrico, Aly & AJ, and identical twin sisters pop duo The Veronicas. Mary and Kelsey share why they believe these stars deserve more credit for their contributions to 2000s pop culture and give an update on where they are now.

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Transcript

Kelsey:
Hello, and welcome to When They Popped, I'm Kelsey.

Mary Gagliardi:
And I'm Mary.

Kelsey:
Mary, there's some breaking news happening in the Y2K circles right

Mary Gagliardi:
Ehh

Kelsey:
now, including this new Aaron Carter documentary that just dropped. I know you saw it, I haven't seen it yet. I really need to know your thoughts, feelings, comments, concerns.

Mary Gagliardi:
Yeah, you know, I thought it was good and bad. You know, it's done by ABC, which means it kind of has that like newsy twist to it versus it being done by like HBO or, you know, something a little even Netflix, like a little bit removed from like the cable networks. But it was good. You know, it was interesting seeing AJ talking about his connection to Aaron. I assume Nick approved it, which

Kelsey:
Right, I was gonna say, why do you think that AJ appeared on it? I feel like Nick would have gotten a lot of hate if he was on it, because even just looking at

Mary Gagliardi:
Yeah.

Kelsey:
just passive, just scrolling comments on social media, a lot of Aaron's fans are putting some blame on Nick

Mary Gagliardi:
Yeah.

Kelsey:
and just saying really ugly things that I don't think anyone would want to be subjected to after they lose a family member. So I wonder if that was sort of a... decision on Nick's part so he

Mary Gagliardi:
Yeah.

Kelsey:
wouldn't look like he was benefiting in any way. Not that you're benefiting,

Mary Gagliardi:
Yeah.

Kelsey:
but you know what I mean.

Mary Gagliardi:
And like it may still be very difficult for him to talk about as well. You know,

Kelsey:
Right.

Mary Gagliardi:
I think, I think you're right. There's probably a couple more than one reason as to why it wasn't Nick. But, you know, it's interesting to hear these like conversations that AJ and Aaron had and how he tried to help them. And it just seems like, you know, you can't help someone who isn't in a position or able or wanting to help themselves.

Kelsey:
right?

Mary Gagliardi:
as well. It seemed hard for AJ to talk about it. I don't know. His baby mama, Melanie Martin, was on. They showed his son Prince, who is literally his spitting image, which is always kind of sad to see. He looks just like

Kelsey:
Yeah.

Mary Gagliardi:
his dad. But I would watch it if you're into that. It's worth checking out. It's like an hour. It's one episode.

Kelsey:
Oh, easy

Mary Gagliardi:
Yeah.

Kelsey:
breezy.

Mary Gagliardi:
Yeah.

Kelsey:
Well,

Mary Gagliardi:
Easy

Kelsey:
not

Mary Gagliardi:
Breeze.

Kelsey:
easy, it's a heavy, heavy subject

Mary Gagliardi:
Bring

Kelsey:
matter,

Mary Gagliardi:
the tissues.

Kelsey:
but what's with every movie being three hours these days? My husband and I were actually crying laughing because the runtime for the new Barbie movie came out and it's only an hour and 30 minutes. It's like a 90

Mary Gagliardi:
Oh

Kelsey:
minute

Mary Gagliardi:
my

Kelsey:
runtime

Mary Gagliardi:
god.

Kelsey:
or something like that. And he goes, what? That is a fucking date night movie. Yes, I'm so gonna see it in theaters. Every movie now is like two and a half.

Mary Gagliardi:
I know.

Kelsey:
but it has no business being two and a half hours.

Mary Gagliardi:
I could cut so much out, just like I'll probably cut so much out of our episode tonight.

Kelsey:
I know chip chop bitch well Thank you for giving us that breaking update there

Mary Gagliardi:
Oh yes.

Kelsey:
It is important that we shine a light on all of the new things that are coming out in our orbit so Onto the subject of today's episode So over the last few episodes we've talked about some really big names Brittany factory boys all the TRL chart toppers And today we want to shine a light on some of the people that you may have forgotten about so that we can celebrate their contributions to Y2K pop culture. These are the people that we feel are criminally underrated. So Mary and I both look deep inside our Y2K psyches to pick the people who we felt like should be better known for this era. You know, we've already hit on the chart toppers of the time. Who else do we feel like deserves a piece of this Y2K pie? Let's get into it. I am obsessed with the person that you picked to dive into Mary, so please educate the people around this pillar of Y2K culture.

Mary Gagliardi:
Well, okay. I don't know about you, Kels,

Kelsey:
Hahaha

Mary Gagliardi:
but ever since we started our podcast, AKA our PP, AKA our passion project,

Kelsey:
Pee-pee!

Mary Gagliardi:
I am no longer feeling a little bit stuck and or wondering if there's gotta be more to life. I'm hoping my hints are not too subtle, but I wanted to kick this criminally underrated discussion off with none other than Stacey O'Rico. Kelsey, were you a fan of this Christian singer turned pop princess who has since disappeared from the spotlight?

Kelsey:
Wait, I had no idea she was a Christian singer first

Mary Gagliardi:
I

Kelsey:
of all.

Mary Gagliardi:
know.

Kelsey:
Plus one on the pop princess, her music video, there's gotta be more to life, like changed my brain chemistry, she's playing all these different characters who are on these different life paths, and it's basically like everything everywhere all at once. I think they ripped off this music video for that movie idea. Some characters she plays are like a single mother, another is a marathon runner, there's a bank robber in there, there's a waitress at a diner, but my favorite part of this music video was when she plays the model at a fashion shoot. The makeup, oh my God, I wanted to be a singer just so I could be in music videos

Mary Gagliardi:
Yes.

Kelsey:
like this one and play all these different characters and dress up.

Mary Gagliardi:
And it was really a unique video, I think, and also, again, what am I trying to say? It was very unique. And it's not like she was being... I honestly think that song has Christian undertones. If you think about

Kelsey:
Really?

Mary Gagliardi:
the lyrics, it was mainstream radio at that time, but that song could hit

Kelsey:
Oh my

Mary Gagliardi:
on

Kelsey:
god,

Mary Gagliardi:
Christian

Kelsey:
you're

Mary Gagliardi:
radio

Kelsey:
so right.

Mary Gagliardi:
as well.

Kelsey:
There's gotta be more to life than chasing every temporary high. You need like

Mary Gagliardi:
Yeah.

Kelsey:
a higher love.

Mary Gagliardi:
Yes, I don't know. That's just my interpretation. But

Kelsey:
Oh my god.

Mary Gagliardi:
I, I know, I know.

Kelsey:
Have I been brainwashed by Christian radio?

Mary Gagliardi:
Maybe, maybe, or...

Kelsey:
I thought this song was more about like those I'll be happy when people You know I'll be happy when I get a promotion. I'll be happy when I make more. I'll be happy when I buy this dress I'll be happy when I move to a new city because my problems won't follow me there

Mary Gagliardi:
That's another really great way to look at it. And that's probably honestly what she was going for. I just think it could

Kelsey:
You're so

Mary Gagliardi:
easily

Kelsey:
right.

Mary Gagliardi:
translate into different kind of genres.

Kelsey:
You're

Mary Gagliardi:
But

Kelsey:
so right. That's the last place my mind ever goes is a religious

Mary Gagliardi:
I know,

Kelsey:
place.

Mary Gagliardi:
no,

Kelsey:
So that makes

Mary Gagliardi:
I had

Kelsey:
sense.

Mary Gagliardi:
never thought of it until I learned more about her background. And I was like, oh, her last album before this was a Christian one? Okay, well this song

Kelsey:
What?

Mary Gagliardi:
kind of seems like it could straddle. No

Kelsey:
Is she like

Mary Gagliardi:
pun intended.

Kelsey:
the female Brian Littrell?

Mary Gagliardi:
Oh, she very well may be Kels, but

Kelsey:
Tell me more.

Mary Gagliardi:
for me, it was the... I just remember, I get the notes from Stuck, Stuck in my head, literally. It's like that frantic, like violin with like a siren suddenly in the background. It's like, there, there, there, there, there, there, there. And it's like, do you know what I'm talking about or am I losing

Kelsey:
Oh

Mary Gagliardi:
my

Kelsey:
yeah,

Mary Gagliardi:
mind? Okay,

Kelsey:
no.

Mary Gagliardi:
so.

Kelsey:
Stuck on you. I, well I totally forgot that this song existed until I like brushed up on my Stacey Erika before we dropped on.

Mary Gagliardi:
Oh yeah. And it was a, that was a great song. That kind of was her first single on mainstream radio. It's what caught my attention. And you know, hearing her vocals on that and some of her other music, she's talented. And I became a fan. I, I always thought a lot of her lyrics were super relatable. Like, you know, we were only 12 when the self-titled debut was released in 2003, but I was like living for these breakup. angsty anthems that she was cranking out and I knew a lot of you were too. And not just break up our angst, but like questioning things like who am I? What do I

Kelsey:
Right.

Mary Gagliardi:
need? Where am I going next? I just thought she was a relatable queen.

Kelsey:
And

Mary Gagliardi:
So

Kelsey:
when you're a tween, those are the

Mary Gagliardi:
yes.

Kelsey:
questions that you kind of ask. Everything feels so big, everything feels so dramatic.

Mary Gagliardi:
Right.

Kelsey:
When you're sad, you're so sad. And when you're happy, you're so happy. Man, puberty is so rough. I would

Mary Gagliardi:
I

Kelsey:
never want to go through that again.

Mary Gagliardi:
know. Well, thankfully we will not need to, so don't you worry.

Kelsey:
Don't worry, we get menopause.

Mary Gagliardi:
Oh yeah, that'd probably be worse. But let's get into a little background on Stacey. Let me drop some more fun facts on you. As I mentioned, her roots are in Christian music. Her father worked as a missionary and brought the family along with him to Ukraine and other impoverished countries all over the world. She said in interviews that even before finding her fame, she said in interviews that even before finding fame, her life was never normal. She was not a normal. She didn't have a normal childhood. So she was kind of used to that in a sense. So how did she get her big break? At 13 years old, she attended a Christian music festival, Praise in the Rockies, and it was in her then home state of Colorado. At that time, her home state of Colorado. Stacey, inadvertently, I guess, entered this high stakes talent competition. She didn't realize what was at stake or who she was competing against. and she ended up winning and a record executive was on hand and approached her for a record deal.

Kelsey:
Isn't that always what happens, like, when you don't have any pressure on you?

Mary Gagliardi:
Yeah, that's a really good point. It just, and I mean, she's talented enough, that's for sure. So she signed with them. And then actually in 2001, she opened for Destiny's Childs. Okay, I need to move that. Sorry.

Kelsey:
Wait, I did not know that though. That's so huge.

Mary Gagliardi:
Well, hold on, let me see. So wait, when did her album come out? 2003. So and prior to her first album, her first mainstream album coming out, she actually toured with Destiny's Child on their Survivor Tour in the United States. That's kind of a big deal.

Kelsey:
That's a huge fucking deal performing for Beyonce. You kidding me.

Mary Gagliardi:
I know.

Kelsey:
I have a question Mary I feel like you would know this

Mary Gagliardi:
Hmm.

Kelsey:
and I could Google it but I won't how

Mary Gagliardi:
Okay.

Kelsey:
Do artists decide who opens for them? Like is it all on the record

Mary Gagliardi:
Mm.

Kelsey:
label to pick who opens because remember Destiny's Child open for Backstreet Boys So in a way could we say Backstreet Boys picked Destiny's Child and then Destiny's Child picked Stacey. So we have seven degrees of separation

Mary Gagliardi:
and Destiny's Child open for Britney Spears as well.

Kelsey:
Right. So like, do they get to pick or is it just like sort of a matchmaker thing from the record loop?

Mary Gagliardi:
I would say they have very minimal to little say, except like, for example, when Aaron,

Kelsey:
Uh oh. I

Mary Gagliardi:
I...

Kelsey:
was like, you're gonna say the opposite?

Mary Gagliardi:
Well, like, but I think there's instances like Aaron opening for the Backstreet Boys, I feel like that's like, you know, I'm sure

Kelsey:
commercial,

Mary Gagliardi:
Nick had

Kelsey:
it

Mary Gagliardi:
a...

Kelsey:
makes sense. It's gimmicky almost, yeah.

Mary Gagliardi:
But I think they're controlled machines. I don't know

Kelsey:
Interesting.

Mary Gagliardi:
the answer to that though. So if anyone knows, please tell us.

Kelsey:
I would like to think that Beyonce picked her. Hand

Mary Gagliardi:
Well, let's

Kelsey:
selected,

Mary Gagliardi:
go with that.

Kelsey:
Stacey.

Mary Gagliardi:
Let's go with that. Beyonce was like a Christian girl growing up. Maybe they had some like connection.

Kelsey:
I mean Destiny's Child, they sing,

Mary Gagliardi:
Yeah.

Kelsey:
they have some, don't they have Christmas albums?

Mary Gagliardi:
Oh yeah, I think so.

Kelsey:
Beyonce is very religious

Mary Gagliardi:
We're gonna

Kelsey:
also.

Mary Gagliardi:
get into them. We're gonna get into them later. I don't know what I'm saying. Okay, so

Kelsey:
Oh

Mary Gagliardi:
she

Kelsey:
yeah,

Mary Gagliardi:
signed

Kelsey:
we're

Mary Gagliardi:
with...

Kelsey:
definitely gonna cover, sorry.

Mary Gagliardi:
Yes.

Kelsey:
You mean we're gonna cover Destiny's Child?

Mary Gagliardi:
Yes.

Kelsey:
Yes, we are definitely gonna do a deep dive on Destiny's Child, it's been way overdue. We fricking love them.

Mary Gagliardi:
It's in the works, don't you worry. But, so she signed with this Christian record label forefront and released two albums with them. There was first one was called Genuine that came out in 2000. She was 14 years old when she recorded that and it sold over 13,000 copies in the first week which is the highest ever for a Christian female artist. And the single from the album was number one on the Christian charts for 10 consecutive weeks, which is pretty significant. And it was gold certified. They didn't really give her much press, so it was very word of mouth alone. The Christian community comes out. So she did pretty well just with that. And then she also had a Christmas album come out in 2001. I personally had never heard and still have not heard any of her Christian music or her Christmas album. But again, the girl has... beautiful vocals and I'm not surprised that she did so well.

Kelsey:
Sometimes I'm, well, I don't drive anymore because I live in a city, but when I used to drive and I would just be like, you know, channel surfing, you put like the scan feature on.

Mary Gagliardi:
Yeah.

Kelsey:
Sometimes I feel like I'm vibing with the Christian Rock station before I knew that it was Christian Rock and then it would be, say something like really overtly religious and I'd be like, wait, what is this?

Mary Gagliardi:
Yes, same. They have like really good like beats and stuff. I've heard similar and I'm like, what is this? And it's like, yeah, no,

Kelsey:
Sometimes

Mary Gagliardi:
I agree.

Kelsey:
I'm like, wow, this is good. So I'm sure if I was scanning the radio at that time,

Mary Gagliardi:
You would

Kelsey:
I would

Mary Gagliardi:
stop.

Kelsey:
have stopped on Stacey.

Mary Gagliardi:
Exactly, same. So when Stacey was 17, this is when she came into our orbit. That's when we got her, technically her third album, herself titled Stacey O'Rico, and that was released in 2003. And there was an attempt here to target a more mainstream audience, and that she did. Stacey O'Rico sold over 500,000 copies in the United States. It was certified gold and has sold an estimate 3.4 million copies worldwide. The album charted on the US Billboard 200 and the first single from the album was Stuck, which became a worldwide hit and it reached top five in a lot of different country charts. You may remember this song was featured in the Disney Channel original movie Stuck in the Suburbs. In an interview, Stacy said, Stacey spoke about the inspiration for Stuck, and it really struck a chord because I think a lot of us have been there at one point or another at some point in our life. She said, and I quote, Stuck, I wrote with a guy named Kevin Kadish, and we were just talking about what 17-year-old girls or 15-year-old girls or whatever are dealing with in their relationships. And Kevin said to me, Stacey, when girls are dealing in a hard relationship, when do you think it, where do you think it comes from? Why do you think it's hard? Why do you think they feel hurt? Why do you think they make bad decisions? And I just said, I think that a lot of young girls end up in relationships where they're not being treated very well. And they haven't had a healthy relationship in their life to look to, to know how they're supposed to do it. They don't know exactly how they are supposed to be treated or how they are supposed to do it to make it all work out right and to feel good in a relationship. And they end up on this emotional roller coaster. It's like on one side, I know this relationship isn't good for me, I know it's not healthy, I know I need something more. But on the other hand, I don't know what I'm gonna do if I don't have him in my life. And I'm afraid of being lonely and losing security. And I'm afraid of, as sad as it is, just not having a boyfriend. Because that does something to my self-esteem and sometimes you end up feeling really extreme emotions in that situation. And that really, and I will end the quote there. And I thought that was a really That really summed it up. Who hasn't been there? What girl, what anybody, what human hasn't been there in their life? They're in something they know that's not good for them, but they don't wanna let it go because they're afraid of what's on the other side. They're afraid of starting over and the uncertainty. Again, she's a relatable queen. But the music video, like we are staying on theme here, is about a girl, Stacey, who's stuck in the cycle with a guy who's like obsessed with her, but also flirting with other girls. kind of a douche bag, rubbing it in her face. I love that it takes place in a high school and

Kelsey:
Mm-hmm.

Mary Gagliardi:
like on a school bus and at the dance. I feel like a lot of artists during this era like wanted to make their music videos much more mature and make the subject matter more mature, like age themselves a bit. But this is Stacey sticking true to who she is and we love that. And fun fact, the D-bag boy in the music video is played by her cousin.

Kelsey:
What?

Mary Gagliardi:
I know, I know, fun fact, right? So,

Kelsey:
Uhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Mary Gagliardi:
I know, I don't think they kiss or anything, but it's just her like rolling her eyes at him and like him like flirting with girls in front of her and just like then like chasing her. But so Stuck, you know, was a huge success. And so they followed up with the single There's Gotta Be More To Life, which I know, another amazing song truly, which peaked in the top. 30 on the billboard, 200. And as Kelsey kind of laid out for us earlier, Stacey's playing all these different women throughout the video. They're all kind of going through something questioning, like, there's gotta be more to life, right? Like in whatever job they have or whatever they're going through, they're kind of searching for something more. And I already said that. It's a, I think it's

Kelsey:
Sorry,

Mary Gagliardi:
a profound,

Kelsey:
I didn't realize that it

Mary Gagliardi:
No,

Kelsey:
was already

Mary Gagliardi:
no, no,

Kelsey:
done here.

Mary Gagliardi:
it's okay. I liked I should have looked at but you wrote it's fine. Don't worry. I think it's a great music video and like very mature for someone her age again. She's like not trying to be sexy. She's like trying to get a point and a message across and she's obviously beautiful. And like it's not like she isn't sexy just as she is. But I think there's a lot deeper meaning to this video and I appreciate it. There's More to life wasn't as popular in the United States as stuck was which I was a little surprised about because I feel like I Heard it all the time. So here's

Kelsey:
Yeah.

Mary Gagliardi:
our big question Kelsey if you had to pick between stuck or more to life to listen on repeat for the next 10 years Which would you pick and why?

Kelsey:
Okay, Sophie's Choice. I'm also pretty sure Stuck was in my AIM profile for

Mary Gagliardi:
I'm

Kelsey:
a

Mary Gagliardi:
sorry.

Kelsey:
few months, which was like a really long time for me because I was one of those people who liked to switch it up, like weekly.

Mary Gagliardi:
Yeah. Hehehe.

Kelsey:
But I think More To Life has my heart because that key change with the chorus,

Mary Gagliardi:
The final one.

Kelsey:
oh my

Mary Gagliardi:
The sweet

Kelsey:
God, it

Mary Gagliardi:
reward.

Kelsey:
just, the state of the word, every time I hear it, I just get so freaking excited.

Mary Gagliardi:
I like in stock when on the final, every now and then when I'm alone, she's like, she changes the way she says telephone. She's like, I've been wishing you would call me on the telephone. You know what I'm talking

Kelsey:
Yeah, it's like

Mary Gagliardi:
about?

Kelsey:
off beat, yeah.

Mary Gagliardi:
Yes, I love, I've been noticing that more and more in songs like the final chorus, like, or final bridge, how they kind of switch it up. But I love it. I live for it.

Kelsey:
Which one would you pick?

Mary Gagliardi:
I mean, I don't know. I'll take stuck since you took more to life. How about that?

Kelsey:
Stuck felt so satisfying to sing when you knew all the words and you got them right.

Mary Gagliardi:
Every

Kelsey:
And

Mary Gagliardi:
now

Kelsey:
right

Mary Gagliardi:
and then.

Kelsey:
now,

Mary Gagliardi:
When I'm all

Kelsey:
like

Mary Gagliardi:
alone.

Kelsey:
she talks so fast, it feels so satisfying.

Mary Gagliardi:
I love

Kelsey:
But

Mary Gagliardi:
it. It's such

Kelsey:
there's

Mary Gagliardi:
a

Kelsey:
gotta be months to wait.

Mary Gagliardi:
Uh, exactly.

Kelsey:
That is a car

Mary Gagliardi:
And,

Kelsey:
scream until you feel lightheaded song.

Mary Gagliardi:
oh, and I can't hit any of the notes either. It's, it's, it's pretty embarrassing. But so after the release of her self-titled album, she got a little flack from her fan base, she had to answer some questions, explain herself to some of her Christian fans who were worried she was trying to shake this, shake her formerly Christian image. She responded. She was She responded that she was still a Christian but wished with music that she didn't have to have a label. You know, she just wanted to be an artist. She didn't want to be pigeonholed into a genre. Like, I get that. Hello? That makes sense. Just because she's not singing Christian music doesn't mean she like isn't Christian anymore. Leave her alone. Leave her alone. So in 2004, Stacy received a nomination at the Grammys for Best Pop Contemporary Gospel Album. But snub alert the award was given to someone I've literally never heard of Michael W Smith Also interesting that

Kelsey:
What's the most generic name of

Mary Gagliardi:
Yeah

Kelsey:
all time, Michael

Mary Gagliardi:
Michael

Kelsey:
Smith?

Mary Gagliardi:
Smith. I also found it interesting that that is how her I don't know who categorizes albums but like that it was a pop gospel Just seems

Kelsey:
Another

Mary Gagliardi:
like

Kelsey:
great question, Mare. How do artists pick their opening acts

Mary Gagliardi:
Yeah!

Kelsey:
on their tour? And how are they decided by?

Mary Gagliardi:
like

Kelsey:
Yeah, I wonder if it's like they think that they'll have a better chance of winning something if they put it in a certain category

Mary Gagliardi:
Right. So is

Kelsey:
or

Mary Gagliardi:
it

Kelsey:
if.

Mary Gagliardi:
up to the artist or is it from the academy?

Kelsey:
I'm sure it's the

Mary Gagliardi:
That's

Kelsey:
record

Mary Gagliardi:
what

Kelsey:
label. Yeah, like

Mary Gagliardi:
the label...

Kelsey:
if they market it, because I'm sure it goes into like some division, right?

Mary Gagliardi:
Sure. So I don't know. That's, you know, she didn't get that. And there was obviously just the whole world went from this album release and becoming more of a mainstream artist. So after that, after 2004, Stacey decided to take a bit of a break from music. She actually moved back to live with her parents who were then living in Seattle and got a regular day job. She is a self-proclaimed homebody and didn't have any interest in dabbling in that celebrity teen socialite scene. Stacey commented that she spent some of her most pivotal developmental years of her life in the music industry. And she commented that as a result, the entertainment industry was becoming her entire identity and she knew she needed to take this time off this break to find out who Stacey O'Rico is outside the entertainment industry. I think that's pretty damn mature for an 18 year old who has just had a taste of fame, celebrity and success.

Kelsey:
Uh, yeah, find me in the club if that was

Mary Gagliardi:
I know.

Kelsey:
me. Goodbye.

Mary Gagliardi:
I'm like, where's Paris Hilton? Let's go.

Kelsey:
Yeah,

Mary Gagliardi:
Exactly.

Kelsey:
I'm gonna go buy a Ferrari in my Juicy Couture. Like, ta-ta, see

Mary Gagliardi:
So

Kelsey:
ya never.

Mary Gagliardi:
yeah, I give her a lot of props for like, I feel like so many child or younger celebrities at the time should have and could have made that decision and didn't and it didn't end up as well for them. So I give her

Kelsey:
Good for

Mary Gagliardi:
a

Kelsey:
her parents also,

Mary Gagliardi:
yes.

Kelsey:
and the people around her who let her do that. I feel like other people, like Brittany, they were kept too busy to ever even think it was an

Mary Gagliardi:
Yeah,

Kelsey:
option.

Mary Gagliardi:
they weren't

Kelsey:
Exactly.

Mary Gagliardi:
allowed to take a break or quit or anything exactly.

Kelsey:
But when you think about allowed, like who's allowing, when you're 18 years old, you can decide

Mary Gagliardi:
And that's

Kelsey:
what you wanna

Mary Gagliardi:
true.

Kelsey:
do. So I think that she just had a really good support system around her who let her recognize her own power.

Mary Gagliardi:
Yep, that's a really good point. It sounds like she had a good family. But, so she took this break about 2004 to 2006. And in 2006, we get an announcement. And in 2006, she announced a new album called Beautiful Awakening, which was set to be released in August of 2006. However, for reasons that we still don't know, the release of the album was postponed in the United States. In an interview, she had said that the album was one of the best albums she had worked on and was a very personal album. The songs are about her life and her day to day. But of course, this is the era of internet leaks and once again, nearly the entirety of Beautiful Awakening leaked online. The label released it instead in the United Kingdom and Japan and it did okay, but not great. However, the first single, I'm Not Missing You, went on radio in June of 2006, but due to little promotion, was re-released again in October. And here's another question, add this to the list, Kelsey. Why do labels not promote their artists and their records? Like, if they promoted it, it would do better. It would make more money. Like, why don't they do that? I don't get it at all, but. Um, Stacey was a writer on this track. I'm not missing you. It's really good. I would suggest if anybody hasn't heard it, check it out. It's in the vein of stuck and more to life, but the song peaked at number 19 on the bubbling under hot 100 singles chart. Okay. I have never heard of that chart, but I do know and love this song. Kelsey, have you heard it?

Kelsey:
No.

Mary Gagliardi:
Okay, well you have some homework lady. You have some Stacey Orico homework to go listen to this song, the music video, I just wanna say it shows Stacey happy. She's happy, she's not attached to anyone. That's kind of the theme of the song, I'm Not Missing You. And fun fact, she provided and put together her own wardrobe for this video. Like, God, the more I learn about her, the more I love this girl. I feel like

Kelsey:
Yeah,

Mary Gagliardi:
we could

Kelsey:
what?

Mary Gagliardi:
be friends? Like, hello?

Kelsey:
I wanna be her number one fan now, I need to go listen to all her songs.

Mary Gagliardi:
I know. So it's 2007 now and we still haven't gotten Beautiful Awakening, it was postponed once again in the United States. I can only imagine that must have been, I can only imagine how frustrating that must have been. And then in March of 2007, she announced that she would be leaving her label and not releasing the album with them. And so then her tour dates were canceled and she just kind of disappeared. However, in on her MySpace, okay. However, in March in 2007, we get a plot twist and it was confirmed that she traveled to South Africa as a volunteer to help children with HIV and AIDS. I just can't keep up with this girl. I have a feeling she caught that philanthropic bug from her dad and wow, do we respect a humble and charitable queen. Did you know about this side of her, Kelsey?

Kelsey:
No, I'm not surprised though. I feel like, you know, she's being the daughter of, what did you say he was? He

Mary Gagliardi:
But

Kelsey:
was a missionary.

Mary Gagliardi:
yeah.

Kelsey:
You know, it sounds like she's used to going into new places and trying to teach people about things. So I'm not surprised by that, but that's amazing.

Mary Gagliardi:
Yeah, we, you know, she continues to impress. So we think we don't really know what she's been up to from 2008 to 2012. It's a bit spotty in the Stacey O'Rico timeline. We do know in 2008, she performed at a few international festivals. She wrote a song for American Idol winner, Fantasia, in 2009, but it didn't make the album final cut. I know she also appeared on a song with the fray on their- 2012 album, Scars and Stories, in which they all performed a cover of the Fugees, Ready or Not. I feel like her voice could sound really pretty on that song, but this era was definitely plagued with these rumors that she had left the music business for good, but a few of her friends in the industry continued to come forward and confirmed that she was still writing music, just doing it on her own time, her own way, et cetera. So in 2013, we get a YouTube video from Stacey and she explained her what she had. In 2013, we got a YouTube video from Stacey and in which she announced plans to return to the studio. She revealed that she had been studying women's literature and acting at NYU from 2011 to 2013. Okay, you go girl. And she also announced that she was working on an R&B album that was supposed to be released in 2014. And as of 2000. 23, it has still not been released, unfortunately. Personally, we know that she married actor Isaiah Johnson in July 2016. And as of 2022, her and the Hubs have a son and daughter together, which is adorable.

Kelsey:
Thank you.

Mary Gagliardi:
And then in May of 2020, we know Stacey is a philanthropic queen. It's literally in her blood. And she was one of the founders of a group called the Nile Project. which is a modern day artist salon focused on providing women a place for collaborative feminine ways of healing and creating. It's a virtual community designed to connect you to your essential creative self. I was on their website, I was looking through it. Apparently they offer like classes and trainings and seminars and like a safe space. It's her and a few other women.

Kelsey:
Like

Mary Gagliardi:
I

Kelsey:
for what?

Mary Gagliardi:
am... I don't really understand, but I just think it's good.

Kelsey:
It kind of, it's getting a little, it's giving cult vibes.

Mary Gagliardi:
Oh God, no, it seemed very like, like almost like hippie kind of like, be your true artists. Like, I wasn't getting like sucked in by a cult. Don't worry. But

Kelsey:
Okay.

Mary Gagliardi:
and this was kind of cool. I don't know. This was think this was during COVID. But in July of 2020, Stacey and Tori Kelly did an Instagram live together and they did a duet of there's got to be more to life. I think at fans' urgings that their voices would go really nice together. It finally happened and I found it on YouTube and their voices sound beautiful together, perfect for that song. Oh my goodness. I'm so excited.

Kelsey:
I gotta look it up.

Mary Gagliardi:
Well, I'll pull a clip, we'll link it, something along those lines. But that's all we really know about Stacey right now, but it seems like a happy ending, but not an ending, just where everything's going well. My only request is, she put out some more bops, please. Release all this stuff that hasn't come out yet. This is a nostalgic time and we will eat it all up, I swear. She seems like an old soul and a true artist interested in the music and her craft, not. being a celebrity and I completely admire and respect that.

Kelsey:
definitely criminally underrated.

Mary Gagliardi:
Yes. Who do you have for us, Kelce?

Kelsey:
I picked Ali and AJ.

Mary Gagliardi:
Woohoo!

Kelsey:
I feel like they are having like a bit of a resurgence right now, but the reason why I believe that they are criminally underrated is because

Mary Gagliardi:
Hmm.

Kelsey:
I just saw them in concert, first of all, and they were so good. I felt a little old because they recorded, we recorded some of their songs recently, like potential breakup song with explicit lyrics. And I was so

Mary Gagliardi:
Ah.

Kelsey:
used to like the Disney-fied PG version that I was like, Let me repeat that I want my stuff back. Well, everybody else was yelling, I want my shit back. And

Mary Gagliardi:
I don't

Kelsey:
I was

Mary Gagliardi:
know.

Kelsey:
like, oh my God, I'm so old and out of the loop. But,

Mary Gagliardi:
Well, they did that.

Kelsey:
oh yeah, they did. They have like Taylor's version. They came out with Allie and AJ's

Mary Gagliardi:
Oh...

Kelsey:
version of some of these songs that were big on Disney where they weren't allowed to swear in them. So they're sort of like

Mary Gagliardi:
Amazing.

Kelsey:
taking their power back, putting their new Allie and AJ spin on some of their old stuff. So the reason why I believe they are criminally underrated is because when I told people I was going to see Allie and AJ, I was expecting her to be like, oh my god, like, yes, I'll come with you. But

Mary Gagliardi:
Mm.

Kelsey:
a lot of people were like, huh? And they were like, oh, yeah, like potential breakup song. I was like, oh my god, they're known for so much more than that. And it was just kind of hard to get people excited about it. And that is why they are criminally underrated. But the good news is that my sweet, sweet husband took me. And.

Mary Gagliardi:
Wow.

Kelsey:
My wish for every one of our listeners is that you too fall in love with somebody who will take you to go see your favorite criminally underrated star 15 years after you missed their concert in high school.

Mary Gagliardi:
He's such a good sport and if I remember correctly, I think I sent you their concert dates because I saw they had a show in your town and I was like, if you're not traveling for the Backstreet Boys this weekend, you need to go to this. I was very jealous and had FOMA.

Kelsey:
Yeah, because you're a true friend, Mary. You're a true Y2K head. Like, you're the only person who would get excited.

Mary Gagliardi:
Of course.

Kelsey:
Like, so my friends were like, yeah, if you can't find anyone else to go with.

Mary Gagliardi:
Uhhh...

Kelsey:
I was like, oh my God, Allie and AJ deserve, like,

Mary Gagliardi:
Yes.

Kelsey:
Pete, like, big pit energy.

Mary Gagliardi:
Yes.

Kelsey:
Like, this is not the big pit energy I was looking for, but we brought it. So, I especially love that they had a resurgence during COVID with all the potential breakup songs, TikToks, remember like when the moms did it and it went

Mary Gagliardi:
Yeah!

Kelsey:
everywhere. So, by the way, I found in my research that this song was apparently inspired by Joe Jonas. Did you know that?

Mary Gagliardi:
No, I did not.

Kelsey:
Apparently AJ dated Joe Jonas and it was right about him. So not that I want to give him literally any credit, even though low key I love him, because he's inspired like so many love songs.

Mary Gagliardi:
Yes.

Kelsey:
Like he, it's kind of iconic. Like Allian AJ, Taylor Swift, probably also Demi Lovato, because who could forget that ill-fated Camp Rock tour when they broke up midway through?

Mary Gagliardi:
I swear to God, there's a viral clip on TikTok right now of Joe and Demi performing when change a thing during that breakup and they both look so mad and won't even acknowledge each other and they're

Kelsey:
They

Mary Gagliardi:
singing

Kelsey:
won't even

Mary Gagliardi:
this

Kelsey:
look at

Mary Gagliardi:
like,

Kelsey:
each other, yes!

Mary Gagliardi:
yeah, and they're singing this like love song and they're like scowling at the ground. I was dying. They

Kelsey:
When they're

Mary Gagliardi:
signed

Kelsey:
like,

Mary Gagliardi:
a

Kelsey:
but

Mary Gagliardi:
contract.

Kelsey:
we don't see eye to

Mary Gagliardi:
Yeah,

Kelsey:
eye.

Mary Gagliardi:
no,

Kelsey:
They're

Mary Gagliardi:
no

Kelsey:
literally

Mary Gagliardi:
shit.

Kelsey:
avoiding eye contact.

Mary Gagliardi:
They will not make eye contact. Clearly,

Kelsey:
fire

Mary Gagliardi:
they-

Kelsey:
and rain!

Mary Gagliardi:
They signed

Kelsey:
Anyways.

Mary Gagliardi:
a contract and business is business, even

Kelsey:
That's

Mary Gagliardi:
if there's

Kelsey:
enough talk

Mary Gagliardi:
a breakup.

Kelsey:
about a man on our podcast.

Mary Gagliardi:
Yeah.

Kelsey:
I'm just kidding, we love men, we love Joe Jonas. I actually like, if I had to pick one of the Jonas Brothers, I would pick Joe in a second, like definitely. We can skip that part, cut that out.

Mary Gagliardi:
Okay.

Kelsey:
Anyways, back to Allie and AJ. So I believe that they had all of the makings to be the next Hillary and Haley Duff. They were Disney Channel girls, they were real life sisters, they were close enough in age to play characters. who are besties, but also maybe sisters. And even though they're touring today, we really don't hear too much about them after they popped in the mid 2000s. Back in the day, I loved them so much, but I never knew too much about their backstory except that Ali was on Fill of the Future, which by the way, it only had two seasons.

Mary Gagliardi:
Whoa, I would have lost a lot of money on that.

Kelsey:
Right? I guess I think that the Lizzie McGuire show was the same way. It's just they were really long seasons, I'm pretty

Mary Gagliardi:
Oh,

Kelsey:
sure.

Mary Gagliardi:
okay, okay.

Kelsey:
But like I was aged out of watching Disney Channel by the time Phil of the Future came around, so I wasn't super familiar with it. But I loved the music that Ali and AJ pumped out together. I think you watched Phil of the Future, right? I can't remember if you'd seen it or not. But I know we talked about Phil in our Disney Channel original movie episode.

Mary Gagliardi:
Yes, I had a big crush on him, so of course I watched.

Kelsey:
Same, Wicked Crush. Wicked Crush on Phil, so naturally I was jealous of Allie, who played his best friend because she got to hang out with him all the time. So naturally I wanted to be her. Naturally she was a blonde and had a natural beauty mark.

Mary Gagliardi:
Eheheheheheh

Kelsey:
So I was just so jealous of her, but I loved her music. And normally when I'm jealous of someone, I like go all Anne Hathaway and like mean about them. But,

Mary Gagliardi:
I'm sorry.

Kelsey:
can I just say in my research, I found a recent nylon article profiling them. and the author said this, their joy

Mary Gagliardi:
I'm

Kelsey:
is viscerally

Mary Gagliardi:
not

Kelsey:
contagious in

Mary Gagliardi:
sure

Kelsey:
only the way it can be when you've been building a

Mary Gagliardi:
if

Kelsey:
parasocial relationship

Mary Gagliardi:
I'm

Kelsey:
with someone for most

Mary Gagliardi:
gonna

Kelsey:
of your life. Shout out to our episode

Mary Gagliardi:
be able to

Kelsey:
about

Mary Gagliardi:
do this, but

Kelsey:
parasocial

Mary Gagliardi:
I'm gonna try. I'm

Kelsey:
relationships

Mary Gagliardi:
gonna try. I'm gonna

Kelsey:
because

Mary Gagliardi:
try.

Kelsey:
I

Mary Gagliardi:
I'm

Kelsey:
am

Mary Gagliardi:
gonna

Kelsey:
deaf

Mary Gagliardi:
try. I'm

Kelsey:
in

Mary Gagliardi:
gonna

Kelsey:
one

Mary Gagliardi:
try.

Kelsey:
with

Mary Gagliardi:
I'm gonna

Kelsey:
Allie

Mary Gagliardi:
try. I'm gonna

Kelsey:
and

Mary Gagliardi:
try. I'm

Kelsey:
AJ.

Mary Gagliardi:
gonna try. I'm gonna try. I'm gonna try. I'm gonna try. I'm

Kelsey:
For

Mary Gagliardi:
gonna

Kelsey:
the

Mary Gagliardi:
try.

Kelsey:
same

Mary Gagliardi:
I'm gonna

Kelsey:
reasons,

Mary Gagliardi:
try.

Kelsey:
Dr.

Mary Gagliardi:
I'm

Kelsey:
Theron identified my other parasocial

Mary Gagliardi:
gonna try. I'm

Kelsey:
relationships

Mary Gagliardi:
gonna try. I'm gonna try. I'm gonna try. I'm gonna try. I'm

Kelsey:
because

Mary Gagliardi:
gonna

Kelsey:
the

Mary Gagliardi:
try.

Kelsey:
nostalgia

Mary Gagliardi:
I'm gonna try. I'm gonna

Kelsey:
and it

Mary Gagliardi:
try.

Kelsey:
persisted

Mary Gagliardi:
I'm gonna try. I'm

Kelsey:
over

Mary Gagliardi:
gonna try.

Kelsey:
time

Mary Gagliardi:
I'm

Kelsey:
and they caught me at a time

Mary Gagliardi:
gonna

Kelsey:
where I was growing emotionally. mentally,

Mary Gagliardi:
try. I'm gonna

Kelsey:
spiritually,

Mary Gagliardi:
try.

Kelsey:
physically, all the things. And they're just such an important part of looking back on that middle school, high school time for me, and I love

Mary Gagliardi:
Yes.

Kelsey:
it. So here's a brief little history of Allie and AJ, because I know you all want one. So in 2004, when Allie was 15 and AJ was just 13, they signed a record contract with Disney-owned Hollywood Records. They had an audition, they performed six original acoustic guitar songs that they had written in their bedroom. That's so many songs.

Mary Gagliardi:
I know it's such a such a young age. That's pretty incredible.

Kelsey:
That's crazy. I think AJ is our age too. So we were both like 13 by the time. Like I say this in every episode, but what the fuck were we doing when we were 13? Not writing acoustic songs.

Mary Gagliardi:
Nothing impressive, let me tell you.

Kelsey:
trying to figure out how to stalk the Backstreet Boys

Mary Gagliardi:
Yes,

Kelsey:
in new creative ways. That's

Mary Gagliardi:
pretty

Kelsey:
what

Mary Gagliardi:
much.

Kelsey:
we were doing. So their debut studio, studio, bluh-la.

Mary Gagliardi:
Yeah.

Kelsey:
Their debut, their debut, oh my God. Their debut studio album, Into the Rush, was released a year later in 2005 and it featured total bangers

Mary Gagliardi:
I'm sorry.

Kelsey:
like Rush, insert clip here, and some really fun covers, including Walking on Sunshine, insert clip here. and Do You Believe in Magic? Which was all over Disney Channel at the time.

Mary Gagliardi:
Another two songs that my mom had to humble me and break it to me that they were covers. Walking

Kelsey:
Right?

Mary Gagliardi:
on sunshine and Do You Believe in Magic? I had no idea.

Kelsey:
I remember Do You Believe in Magic because there was another show that was on ABC Family around the time and that was like the intro song. I can't remember what it was. But I can like see the intro, like the opening credits in my mind's eye so clearly. But yeah, Walking on Sunshine did not know. Could have fooled me and

Mary Gagliardi:
Oh,

Kelsey:
you did.

Mary Gagliardi:
yeah.

Kelsey:
Some of you guys may remember the song No One, which was featured in the Disney feature film Ice Princess. Did you see that movie?

Mary Gagliardi:
Oh, of course, who didn't? A great

Kelsey:
I didn't.

Mary Gagliardi:
movie. You did it? Oh my

Kelsey:
No!

Mary Gagliardi:
God. You still haven't seen it.

Kelsey:
No.

Mary Gagliardi:
Okay,

Kelsey:
Isn't

Mary Gagliardi:
so

Kelsey:
it Michelle Trachtenberg,

Mary Gagliardi:
yes.

Kelsey:
Harriet the Spy?

Mary Gagliardi:
And Hayden Panettiere, I think it's my best friend in high school was a figure skater, so I have a feeling she probably influenced me on this one, but it's Hayden Panettiere, Michelle Trachtenberg, Joan Cusack. There's a lot of, and also, Um, there's just a lot of there's just a lot of um, it's a classic disney movie and honestly you said their their song no one was featured in it i think getting your song featured in a disney film back in the day was just like okay you've made it you're in right now just like stacy aurico stuck and stuck in the suburbs hello

Kelsey:
Yeah, you're so right. And it was like a closed loop on Disney. Like

Mary Gagliardi:
Yes.

Kelsey:
you were in a movie in movie theaters. So you would

Mary Gagliardi:
Yes.

Kelsey:
do promotional appearances for that movie. Then they'd play you on Disney Channel. You'd be in the music video, the little bridged music videos that come on in between shows.

Mary Gagliardi:
Yep.

Kelsey:
And then you'd be featured in the shows. And it was like a whole ecosystem where

Mary Gagliardi:
Mm-hmm.

Kelsey:
these stars were just pumped out. So this album was a huge hit. It debuted at number 36 on the Billboard 200 certified gold. and they close out the year 2005 by opening for the Cheetah Girls on the Cheetalicious Christmas Tour. So talk about that ecosystem. They had all these inroads with Cheetah Girls. So,

Mary Gagliardi:
Oh

Kelsey:
I'm

Mary Gagliardi:
my

Kelsey:
going to

Mary Gagliardi:
God.

Kelsey:
go ahead and start with the Cheetah Girls. So, I'm

Mary Gagliardi:
Have

Kelsey:
going to

Mary Gagliardi:
you,

Kelsey:
start with the Cheetah Girls. So

Mary Gagliardi:
sorry, keep going. I'll

Kelsey:
Go

Mary Gagliardi:
go

Kelsey:
ahead.

Mary Gagliardi:
after you. Have you heard, do you know this song, Cheetalicious Christmas?

Kelsey:
I don't think so.

Mary Gagliardi:
I love that song. I totally forgot about it. Sorry, I had a moment.

Kelsey:
That's what this is for! That's

Mary Gagliardi:
I didn't

Kelsey:
also

Mary Gagliardi:
mean to

Kelsey:
criminally

Mary Gagliardi:
cut you off.

Kelsey:
underrated!

Mary Gagliardi:
Oh my God. Look up Cheetalicious Christmas, everybody. It's a bop.

Kelsey:
we'll do a criminally Christmas underrated up

Mary Gagliardi:
Ooh,

Kelsey:
season, up seasonal

Mary Gagliardi:
yes.

Kelsey:
episode. Then that'll be number one on Mary's list.

Mary Gagliardi:
I'm sorry.

Kelsey:
So in summer of 2006, Into the Rush was re-released with three new songs, including Chemicals React, which is honestly, honestly, one of my top 10 songs ever, like ever, ever. Not Disney ever, not Girl Power ever, like ever, ever.

Mary Gagliardi:
Wow. So did

Kelsey:
Yeah.

Mary Gagliardi:
they perform that at their concert?

Kelsey:
No.

Mary Gagliardi:
Oh my God, I hit a sore spot. Okay. Sorry about that. Rude.

Kelsey:
genuinely

Mary Gagliardi:
Offended.

Kelsey:
really upset by

Mary Gagliardi:
Yeah,

Kelsey:
it, but they

Mary Gagliardi:
I

Kelsey:
did

Mary Gagliardi:
understand.

Kelsey:
some other good ones, but they did some other ones, so it's okay.

Mary Gagliardi:
Okay.

Kelsey:
It's okay, I sang it at home very loudly with Michael

Mary Gagliardi:
Good.

Kelsey:
as my audience.

Mary Gagliardi:
Good.

Kelsey:
He did not

Mary Gagliardi:
Excellent.

Kelsey:
love it.

Mary Gagliardi:
Ha ha ha.

Kelsey:
But yeah, so that was a huge year for Howie and AJ. They were on the up and up. They starred as the leads in Cowbells on Disney. Did you ever see that one? Again, this kind

Mary Gagliardi:
I don't

Kelsey:
of

Mary Gagliardi:
think

Kelsey:
aged

Mary Gagliardi:
I did.

Kelsey:
out and not really watching Disney Channel by this time.

Mary Gagliardi:
I have it, like, I can kind of picture the,

Kelsey:
The posters,

Mary Gagliardi:
you know, the, yes, but I don't think I saw it. No, I'm guilty.

Kelsey:
right. I think we all knew like the concept of it. They played

Mary Gagliardi:
Mm-hmm.

Kelsey:
sisters in it. But again, just to show that Disney is really putting their full support behind them. So as then they released this new album called Acoustic Hearts of Winter, which is a Christmas album. And I

Mary Gagliardi:
Ooh.

Kelsey:
gotta say, I don't love that title.

Mary Gagliardi:
Oh, oh, so that will not be on your list of criminally underrated

Kelsey:
not iconic.

Mary Gagliardi:
Christmas. Okay,

Kelsey:
It's

Mary Gagliardi:
got

Kelsey:
not

Mary Gagliardi:
it. Ah.

Kelsey:
underrated, but I mean, the music is really good. But we needed to workshop that title a little more, I think.

Mary Gagliardi:
Oh, okay.

Kelsey:
So after cowbells, after this Christmas album, they're hot shit. They're everywhere, right? So their careers popping. And the higher ups at Disney had them in mind for what would become a very influential TV show. Hannah Montana. Like You may remember last year there was like a flurry around this because the casting director Hannah Montana, Lisa London revealed that the other stars that were being considered for the lead role Taylor Momsen and Victoria's star, Daniella Monet were in the final three with Miley. Well, Miss AJ saw this all over the internet and she was like, girl, hold my purse because she dropped that Hannah Montana was originally offered to Ali and the role of Hannah's

Mary Gagliardi:
Wow.

Kelsey:
best friend, Lily was I can't even imagine Hannah Montana with anybody else other than Mylene. It's all I can think about ever since

Mary Gagliardi:
No,

Kelsey:
I saw this TikTok.

Mary Gagliardi:
I agree. And I also think it being like a family business, family show with Miley and Billy Ray helped the show and its success a bit because he obviously appealed to older people, our parents. I remember my mom watching him on that because she knew who he was. Like, it just made

Kelsey:
Oh

Mary Gagliardi:
it

Kelsey:
really?

Mary Gagliardi:
more enjoyable. Yeah, the whole family could, you know, pick someone out in that and recognize them. Not that I don't think Allie and AJ would have knocked it out of the park, it just, I think Hannah

Kelsey:
Right.

Mary Gagliardi:
Montana ended up the way it was supposed to.

Kelsey:
That's so funny, because I always thought that Hannah Montana did way more for Billy Ray Cyrus than Billy Ray Cyrus did for Hannah Montana.

Mary Gagliardi:
Well, he brought my mom into it, so

Kelsey:
That's

Mary Gagliardi:
that

Kelsey:
so interesting.

Mary Gagliardi:
was just

Kelsey:
That's a

Mary Gagliardi:
my...

Kelsey:
really, I like that perspective of it. Cause I was always like, Billy, what are you doing here? But

Mary Gagliardi:
It did revamp

Kelsey:
you're so right.

Mary Gagliardi:
him too, I think.

Kelsey:
Right, brought him to new audiences, obviously brought her up. And then they got Dolly Parton on all these episodes because that's

Mary Gagliardi:
Yeah.

Kelsey:
her godmother in real life. All of these amazing real world connections that came to be on the show that Disney is so good at harnessing. So. This was just like earth shattering to me because even though I was way too old to be watching Hannah Montana, I was obsessed with it. Like I thought it was the best show ever.

Mary Gagliardi:
I'm sorry.

Kelsey:
And Allie appeared on a podcast called Between Cut and Action. And she shared more about the decision process when this came across her desk, her little desk at 16. And she said, end quote, I remember being so sure about saying no. I was just like, I don't wanna do this. I don't want to do a show about singing. I don't want to do a show where I play two people, she explained. I'm a solo artist, but in my real life, I'm actually a duo with my sister. I think this is going to be insanely confusing for people. This makes so much sense to me. Looking at Miley's trajectory, the way the show became so ingrained in her public persona.

Mary Gagliardi:
Yeah.

Kelsey:
I mean, they even renamed the character, which was originally Chloe Stewart. Oh wait.

Mary Gagliardi:
Yeah.

Kelsey:
I need to... Okay, I

Mary Gagliardi:
makes

Kelsey:
needed to end the quote. Hold on, let me redo this part,

Mary Gagliardi:
okay

Kelsey:
sorry.

Mary Gagliardi:
yeah I get it yeah

Kelsey:
So Allie appeared on this podcast called Between Cut and Action, and she shared more about her decision process. Because if you're offering me the role of Hannah Montana, it's gonna be a hard decision for me to say no. But she said, end quote, I remember being so sure about saying no. I was just like, I don't wanna do this. I don't wanna do a show about singing. I don't wanna do a show where I play two people. I'm a solo artist, but in my real life, I'm actually a duo with my sister. I think this is gonna be insanely confusing for people." End quote. And that makes so much sense to me because looking at Miley's trajectory, the way that the show became so ingrained to her public persona, I mean, they even renamed the character, which was originally Chloe Stewart, to Miley Stewart, so that it is confusing for young fans who may have already had a hard time separating the artist from the art in the first place.

Mary Gagliardi:
AKA me.

Kelsey:
Yeah, all of us, like Miley Stewart versus Miley Cyrus, like,

Mary Gagliardi:
Yeah.

Kelsey:
are you kidding me? And her dad being Billy Ray and her dad being Billy Ray in the show. And Allie said that another factor playing into her decision to reject the role was straight up that she was too old and she just didn't want to be a Disney adult. She said, quote, I was like 16 and a half. A side note, I love that and a half because

Mary Gagliardi:
Yeah.

Kelsey:
16 versus almost 17, that's like a world of difference.

Mary Gagliardi:
Yes, it is true. It is true.

Kelsey:
So she's 16 and a half and she was like, I was growing out of Disney and so I think I had just started mentally shifting out of the channel, end quote, which again, totally appropriate.

Mary Gagliardi:
Yeah, that doesn't surprise me. I understand why so many of these younger actors wanna kind of break from the Disney Channel chains and assert their identity and adulthood. I get it.

Kelsey:
I get it too, I just can't help but wonder like what if they did it. Like you know those My Life Transition sounds, yeah, yeah, yeah. Like imagine if it was Ally and AJ's voices instead.

Mary Gagliardi:
That would be of great.

Kelsey:
But it would be so confusing like to be like, oh no, that's not me, it's me and my sister. And

Mary Gagliardi:
right.

Kelsey:
I totally get it. So anyways, now the year is 2007 and they come out with their third studio album, Insomniatic. Okay. is the album that I know every single word to. Like, whoa? Insert clip. Bullseye? Insert clip. Division? Insert clip. Collosure?

Mary Gagliardi:
and potential breakup song.

Kelsey:
That wasn't even the best one though, Mary. It doesn't even,

Mary Gagliardi:
But it's

Kelsey:
like

Mary Gagliardi:
still

Kelsey:
that

Mary Gagliardi:
a good

Kelsey:
doesn't even,

Mary Gagliardi:
one.

Kelsey:
it's a good one. But it is the album we're reviewing on potential breakup song, which by the way, it was named one of the top 10 best songs of 2007 by Time Magazine. It

Mary Gagliardi:
Mmm.

Kelsey:
came in at number nine. So that's a good segue, because I wanted to give you some trivia, Mary.

Mary Gagliardi:
Oh, 2009.

Kelsey:
Can you guess what other songs? made this list in 2007 of Time's best songs of the year.

Mary Gagliardi:
Holy shit.

Kelsey:
This is a real time capsule. I was like squealing going through it. You

Mary Gagliardi:
2007.

Kelsey:
don't have to get all nine, just throw out, just try to throw out some early

Mary Gagliardi:
I was,

Kelsey:
naughty oddies.

Mary Gagliardi:
was it like, was like Beyonce on there?

Kelsey:
Nope.

Mary Gagliardi:
Okay, 2007, so we, oh, I was in

Kelsey:
this.

Mary Gagliardi:
middle school? Or no, high school. Yeah,

Kelsey:
Yeah,

Mary Gagliardi:
okay, wait.

Kelsey:
what?

Mary Gagliardi:
Okay, let's see. Was it like, was Justin Timberlake on there?

Kelsey:
No, I'm gonna put you out of your misery, I'll tell you.

Mary Gagliardi:
Okay, because we could be here all night.

Kelsey:
Number one was Rehab by Amy Winehouse. Number two was One, Two, Three, Four

Mary Gagliardi:
Oh

Kelsey:
by

Mary Gagliardi:
God.

Kelsey:
Fice. Tell

Mary Gagliardi:
No.

Kelsey:
me that you love me more.

Mary Gagliardi:
Ooh.

Kelsey:
Three was Umbrella by Rihanna.

Mary Gagliardi:
Okay, I get

Kelsey:
I

Mary Gagliardi:
that.

Kelsey:
Get Money by 50 Cent was also on there. And Hey

Mary Gagliardi:
I

Kelsey:
There

Mary Gagliardi:
get

Kelsey:
Delilah

Mary Gagliardi:
money.

Kelsey:
by Plain White Tees.

Mary Gagliardi:
I like that one. That was a good one.

Kelsey:
Of course you do. because my niece's name is Delilah. So I think about this song a thousand times a day, which is approximately the amount of times I think about how cute my baby niece is, and I wonder how it knows he can be so small. So there are some pretty serious earworms on this

Mary Gagliardi:
Yeah.

Kelsey:
top 10 songs of 2007 by Time Magazine. So for them to be holding their own is amazing. And this is definitely when they popped. The album peaked at number 15 on the Billboard 200. It sold over... 39,000 copies in its first week. It became Alien AJ's highest debut to date. They're like on top of the world and bringing things full friggin' circle here, for two weeks they were the opening act for Miley Cyrus' best of both worlds tour. I don't know, I feel like we talk about, or I talk about this a lot, because I just think it's very interesting to see how media and we as pop culture enthusiasts look back on these child stars. So Allie and AJ said in a recent interview that even though they were huge stars at a young age, it really didn't feel like they were uprooted or

Mary Gagliardi:
Mm-hmm.

Kelsey:
had. any of those moments that some other child stars have come to experience where they sort of lose themselves. And a lot of the coverage that I read about them said something very similar to what we talked about in our Amanda Bynes episode, like she didn't fall to the typical pitfalls that come on to young child stars. She's avoided all of those. But they said that most child actors don't have a sibling also experiencing the same success at the same time. So Allie attributes a lot of them sort of keeping their heads on straight to each other and maintaining that normalcy. And I mean, let me tell you something, nothing brings you back down to life than a sister. Especially

Mary Gagliardi:
You would know.

Kelsey:
an older sister.

Mary Gagliardi:
Yes.

Kelsey:
There were no eagles in our household. So 2008 is where things seemed to go off the rails a little bit. Up until this point, they've been climbing, climbing, climbing, as Miley may say, it's a climb. So in early 2008, they're working on their fourth studio album under Hollywood Records, again, Disney owned. It's due to be released in 2009. But they really wanted to distance themselves from their Disney-like image. They're really on the tail end of that Disneyland ride. So they changed their band name to 78 Violet in 2009. If you're scratching your head, You should be because this is where everything seemed to come to a screeching halt. Like branding 101, like don't change

Mary Gagliardi:
Don't do

Kelsey:
your

Mary Gagliardi:
it.

Kelsey:
name unless

Mary Gagliardi:
Yeah.

Kelsey:
you're drastically changing yourself. So the album that they had been working on and another album were shelved, AJ described it as quote, a bit of an identity crisis. They essentially went silent for a full decade, but they continued to act. You know, they had a few singles here and there. They had some TV appearances. In 2013, they signed to Red Light Management and they released a new single called Hot House and they performed live for the first time in five years at the Roxy Theater in LA. And they had all this momentum behind them. They're finally back, baby. They announced that they would be releasing an EP in 2014, but Crickets, it never came rip to us.

Mary Gagliardi:
That's just like

Kelsey:
So...

Mary Gagliardi:
Stacy, all these things, it's coming, it's coming and then they never, it never comes.

Kelsey:
It never comes, but after having so much success, it was like cutting the cord with Disney seemed to

Mary Gagliardi:
Yeah.

Kelsey:
really. Stomple, sample, sample, damper damper,

Mary Gagliardi:
Trample.

Kelsey:
trample, cutting the, cutting the cord with Disney seemed to really put a stop to a lot of that momentum that they had behind them. So in December, 2015, they returned to music. They changed their name back to alien age. I thank God. and they came out with an EP four years later in 2019.

Mary Gagliardi:
Ooh.

Kelsey:
2019. So 2021 was the year they released their first album in 14 years. That's how old Ally was, like when they came out with their first album,

Mary Gagliardi:
Oh,

Kelsey:
like full

Mary Gagliardi:
wow.

Kelsey:
circle, and they called it, the album was named, A Touch of the Beat Gets You Up on Your Feet, Gets You Out and Then Into the Sun. It is a

Mary Gagliardi:
Uh...

Kelsey:
very, it's a mouthful.

Mary Gagliardi:
what?

Kelsey:
You could- Right, so you can probably decipher from, and everything's lowercase. So

Mary Gagliardi:
Oh.

Kelsey:
they're kinda like hippie dippy-ish, but I vibe with it.

Mary Gagliardi:
time.

Kelsey:
It's like Kacey Musgraves meets Fleetwood Mackie type vibes, but like girly, it's really, their sound now is definitely mature. It's not as pop punky as it used to be.

Mary Gagliardi:
Yeah.

Kelsey:
Lot of harmonies, they're playing lots of their own instruments, but it's good. So they performed at Lollapalooza in 2021, Austin City Limits in 2022. And they experienced this really scary moment when their tour bus was caught in a crossfire of a mass shooting in Sacramento. Six

Mary Gagliardi:
Wow.

Kelsey:
people were killed and multiple others were wounded. They were not hurt, but they said that they found like shell cases in their trailer.

Mary Gagliardi:
Wow.

Kelsey:
And at their concert that I recently attended, there was this super emotional moment where they... recalled this encounter and they asked everybody in the audience to take a pledge that promotes safe gun storage. And I just found it really moving. It sounds like they have just matured so much and they're using a lot of their platform now for good, for social change that they hope to see. They've been advocates for removing stigma around mental health, medication, they've shared their experiences with depression and anxiety. They've been vocally supportive of admire who they've grown into.

Mary Gagliardi:
Yeah.

Kelsey:
I love that they're still out there and doing what they love and being a positive thing, being a positive influence.

Mary Gagliardi:
Yeah.

Kelsey:
They say, don't meet your heroes, but I feel like Allie and AJ would be great ones to meet. In a

Mary Gagliardi:
Oh.

Kelsey:
recent interview with Forbes, they were asked what advice would they give their younger selves? I thought that their answers were super telling as to why perhaps they didn't reach the same level of success that other Disney stars with their talent and their magnetism did. Their advice to themselves was to not stop and to keep going and to keep building a touring career and keep putting out records. Ali said that, I look back and I'm a little sad that there was a 10 year accidental hiatus, but I am also blessed for that time because I think it brought us to where we are now. Had they never stopped touring and putting out music, like Stacey Orico, she

Mary Gagliardi:
Yeah.

Kelsey:
took this self-elected hiatus because she

Mary Gagliardi:
Right.

Kelsey:
wanted to. Ali and AJ seemed like it was not intentional. would we be discussing them as criminally underrated? Like maybe not, but I think it all worked out the way it was supposed to. Their stuff is really great now. I don't know if their sound would have matured as much as it did. I don't know, it's up for debate. We'll never know, we'll never

Mary Gagliardi:
I'll

Kelsey:
know.

Mary Gagliardi:
never

Kelsey:
But

Mary Gagliardi:
know.

Kelsey:
I just believe that Abby and AJ are criminally underrated. The fact that not everyone was like kissing my feet to try to get my extra ticket for their concert is, should be illegal.

Mary Gagliardi:
I agree. And it's just nice to hear that it sounds like they're doing well and they're putting out music their way, how they want to. They're not under this, you know, what I hear to be like somewhat kind of crushing. Disney umbrella pressure and you know if it took 10 years if it took 20 years it's just it's great that it's happening for them now.

Kelsey:
It's great, and they have a new album out now. It's called With Love From. And again, it feels like this California 70s vibe. It's

Mary Gagliardi:
Hmm.

Kelsey:
calm, it's good, like Saturday morning music,

Mary Gagliardi:
noted.

Kelsey:
if that makes sense.

Mary Gagliardi:
Yeah,

Kelsey:
Like

Mary Gagliardi:
love

Kelsey:
when you

Mary Gagliardi:
it.

Kelsey:
just wanna drink your coffee in the morning sun, that's how I feel about it.

Mary Gagliardi:
Okay, perfect.

Kelsey:
So that's Allie and AJ. And there was one more group that we just felt like we had to touch on. because they're sort of in the same vein as Alli and AJ, our honorable mention for criminally underrated. The Veronica's. Insert

Mary Gagliardi:
Whoo. Oh,

Kelsey:
clip. I feel like Forever was the ultimate banger of 2004. And

Mary Gagliardi:
I mean,

Kelsey:
I-

Mary Gagliardi:
yeah, it's still, it's not over. Just like Allie and AJ and Stacey or

Kelsey:
It's

Mary Gagliardi:
Rico,

Kelsey:
not

Mary Gagliardi:
like

Kelsey:
over. It

Mary Gagliardi:
Yes.

Kelsey:
was never over. I still also put untouched on all of my playlists.

Mary Gagliardi:
Oh yeah.

Kelsey:
Mary, so when I say the word the Veronica's, like aside from these two songs, like do you know anything else about them, Mary?

Mary Gagliardi:
No, I honestly immediately just think of Amanda Bynes and she's the man like trying to change her

Kelsey:
Yes!

Mary Gagliardi:
between boy and girl costumes. That's like immediately where my head goes when I hear the Veronica's. So let's educate one another.

Kelsey:
Oh my god, so same, same, same, same.

Mary Gagliardi:
Ehhuh

Kelsey:
I literally knew nothing about them, so I did a little Google and did not realize that neither of them is named Veronica and that they are identical twin sisters. I

Mary Gagliardi:
Ooh.

Kelsey:
literally just thought that they were best friends who were each named Veronica who kinda looked alike.

Mary Gagliardi:
Oh my God, that's so, I thought they were sisters. I had no idea what I thought their names were, but I did not think twins.

Kelsey:
Well, you know what their names are now. Lisa and Jessica. What?

Mary Gagliardi:
and Jessica.

Kelsey:
Like I, got into my head, I'd have no idea what their names are. So now that we've established their literal names, here is a little bit about the Veronica's, the group. So they're an Australian pop duo from Brisbane. They started performing in 2004 under the name The Twins, which makes so much more sense. You can't imagine the relief I felt when I saw on their Wikipedia page that there was an explanation for why they're called the Veronica So here's what it said according to Jess twin number one The name is something we thought about for a short time and we wanted it to be a girl's name But we didn't want it to be the Jesses We were very conscious of not wanting to make it a twin thing because we don't think that's really cool Um, hello has Australia ever heard of Mary Kate and Ashley like didn't they go down under undercover and our lips are sealed

Mary Gagliardi:
Or like the parent trap?

Kelsey:
Yeah, Hallie and Allie, iconic

Mary Gagliardi:
Yeah.

Kelsey:
behavior, whatever. Anyways, back to the quote. They said, we didn't want it to be called the Lisa's either, said Lisa. So one day we saw the movie Heathers, and there's a line where Christian Slater asks, are you a Heather? And Winona Ryder's character Veronica answers, no, I'm a Veronica. And so we went with that because she was kind of this cool, unique chick with an attitude, which okay, I get, who doesn't wanna be Winona Ryder in Heathers, I get it.

Mary Gagliardi:
That's so funny. And you know, once they once they picked that name for their little duo, there are some alarm bells went off because Archie Comics, you know, has this character, Veronica Lodge, if you ever watched. Riverside Riverdale.

Kelsey:
Riverside.

Mary Gagliardi:
Riverdale, you know exactly what I'm talking about. And when Archie comics heard of this group, they sued them for trademark infringement in relation to the popular character Veronica Lodge. And she's known as this, you know, female character with an attitude and just kind of like the vibe that the Veronica's were going for. And in an attempt to stop the girls from using the name, Archie Comics asked Warner Music Group, their label, to hand over all publicity rights and to pay them $200 million in damages, which is insane. And of course, as all legal things play out, there was a settlement was reached and it included this kind of cool cross promotional deal between Archie Comics and the Veronica's. And part of it was that the girls appeared in the issue of the Veronica series through Archie Comics. And it featured the girls in a feature story and they meet the lodges, they perform in Riverdale and they spend a day there. And then it also included a card with a code allowing a free download of their single forever.

Kelsey:
stronger together, you know?

Mary Gagliardi:
Yeah!

Kelsey:
Also, that's so fucked up that they can think that they own the name Veronica.

Mary Gagliardi:
Yeah, like just because two Brutac girls wanna call themselves the Veronica's doesn't mean it's ripping off Riverdale. Like come on,

Kelsey:
Also,

Mary Gagliardi:
Archie Comics.

Kelsey:
right, so weird, but I'm glad that they all worked it out. So

Mary Gagliardi:
Yeah.

Kelsey:
yeah, other highlights, 2006, I think this is when they popped off.

Mary Gagliardi:
I'm sorry.

Kelsey:
Their debut single, Forever, was featured, as you mentioned, She's the Man. Maybe this is why I love them so much.

Mary Gagliardi:
And in sticking with our theme throughout this podcast, it's worth noting that Forever is actually produced by none other than the one and only Max Martin. I like, I can never get over this, like how far his reaches. And I'm sure you all by now can recognize his signature sound in that song.

Kelsey:
Wait, what is untouched? He didn't do untouched.

Mary Gagliardi:
Nope,

Kelsey:
There's this

Mary Gagliardi:
I

Kelsey:
one part where

Mary Gagliardi:
miss

Kelsey:
it goes,

Mary Gagliardi:
forever.

Kelsey:
I go ooh, ooh,

Mary Gagliardi:
And

Kelsey:
you go ah, ah La la la la la la la la That sounds like Max Martin lyrics

Mary Gagliardi:
the intro to Untouched 2 is kind of like, those five, da, da, da, da, da, da. I feel

Kelsey:
Yeah.

Mary Gagliardi:
like that could be it. I think they had a lot of success in Sweden and they may have worked with a different Swedish producer for that, but not Mac.

Kelsey:
You're so right, Mary. Perfect segue because their second album called HOOKING UP dropped in 2007 and that is what had untouched on it. And that was an international top 10 hit, especially in Sweden,

Mary Gagliardi:
Nope.

Kelsey:
where it topped the chart for seven weeks. And that song became their first single to chart the Billboard Hot 100. It debuted at number 62. And yeah, they're freaking popping off now. They became the first Australian artist to have a single certified platinum in the U.S. with over a million paid downloads. Hello iTunes, Bill, that went to my parents and I got in trouble, that was, some of those downloads were mine.

Mary Gagliardi:
Oh yeah.

Kelsey:
And the same year, the girls also appeared on the Suite Life of Zack and Cody, called in their episode called The Suite Life Goes Hollywood.

Mary Gagliardi:
Ooh, I didn't catch that. I personally loved their songs, besides the ones we mentioned, Take Me On The Floor and Popular. Did you know those?

Kelsey:
Take Me On The Floor, the music video, oh my god, it makes me cringe and lull at the same time. This was the era when it was cool to wear business casual in the club,

Mary Gagliardi:
Uh huh.

Kelsey:
and it's giving like college frat party basement, neon lights vibes. But after this, I really didn't hear from them much, and to be honest, I kind of forgot about them except for literally just playing Forever and Untouching on my pregame playlists.

Mary Gagliardi:
I'm sorry.

Kelsey:
And... I found out that it's because they went on a super long hiatus. Once again, they split from their record label, Warner Bros, in 2013. And finally in 2014, a year later, they announced that they had a new record deal with Sony and that their third studio album finally came out that same year.

Mary Gagliardi:
Besides the music, let's go through this. They were also faces of a Calvin Klein campaign. They have their own unisex fragrance line called Untouched. They had a reality TV show on MTV Australia and a self-titled clothing line at Target's throughout Australia. And they're also known advocates in the LGBTQA plus community and wildlife protection communities. What can't these girls do?

Kelsey:
Well, apparently they can also be judges on The Voice Australia because they did

Mary Gagliardi:
Sure.

Kelsey:
that. And Mary, I saw that wildlife protection thing on their Wiki too. I saw that in 2006 they joined Steve Irwin's Wildlife Warriors Worldwide, which is a charity

Mary Gagliardi:
Oh.

Kelsey:
that helps protect animals and their natural environments. Sustainable Queens!

Mary Gagliardi:
Yes.

Kelsey:
Also, side note, I was deeply in love with Steve Irwin as a child.

Mary Gagliardi:
Wow, that's a twist.

Kelsey:
Didn't everyone have a crush on him? I thought that was normal.

Mary Gagliardi:
No.

Kelsey:
What? I thought that if you could hang out with Steve Irwin you'd get to like, hug a koala.

Mary Gagliardi:
Maybe I

Kelsey:
I

Mary Gagliardi:
don't

Kelsey:
was

Mary Gagliardi:
know.

Kelsey:
alone in the- Oh my god!

Mary Gagliardi:
I don't know. I was busy with Nick Carter in my like, oh, that was another funny thing for the documentary. But sorry. Did you? Well, okay. Now let's let's

Kelsey:
Thank you for crush-shaming me, Mary.

Mary Gagliardi:
Well, I didn't know that Steve Irwin, Steve Irwin, I'm losing my mind. Steve Irwin was a crush of

Kelsey:
A

Mary Gagliardi:
our

Kelsey:
total

Mary Gagliardi:
age

Kelsey:
babe.

Mary Gagliardi:
group. Yes.

Kelsey:
Yeah, he was rip rip

Mary Gagliardi:
Well, let's, let's spice it up a little bit. Did you know, Kelsey, that the Sisters hosted the Aria Music Awards of in 2016, which I think is an Australia topless performance of one of their singles, In My Blood, and I say topless, I mean they were legitimately topless with nothing on but red glitter body paint, Waste Up, which makes sense, In My Blood, like I get it I guess. But these girls are bad ass.

Kelsey:
Also to confirm, Mary Aria stands for Australian Recording

Mary Gagliardi:
Okay,

Kelsey:
Industry Association.

Mary Gagliardi:
excellent. I was pretty sure and I was like, there's no way this would fly in America. So I think it's in Australia. So that makes sense. But I thought that was pretty,

Kelsey:
They're

Mary Gagliardi:
I

Kelsey:
so

Mary Gagliardi:
mean,

Kelsey:
badass.

Mary Gagliardi:
bold. And then this was kind of interesting. They had, so then that was in 2016. Fast forward to 2021. They released an album called Godzilla on May 28th, 2021. And get this, this is so weird. Five weeks later, the girls released their most recent album called Human on June 25th, 2021. How crazy is that? Like I've never heard of like a five week album cycle. They

Kelsey:
Alright.

Mary Gagliardi:
just seem a lot busier and active than I would have guessed. And I also love how hands-on they are. They have writing credits on almost every single one of their songs and on their albums. They are true artists.

Kelsey:
That's pretty amazing. I wonder, hmm, there's gotta be something interesting about that. I wonder if I can find their documentary, their reality show on Australian

Mary Gagliardi:
Yes.

Kelsey:
YouTube somewhere.

Mary Gagliardi:
Yes,

Kelsey:
If anyone knows

Mary Gagliardi:
I'm-

Kelsey:
where that lives and has the link, DM it to us.

Mary Gagliardi:
Yeah, we do pretty well in Australia, so they might have

Kelsey:
Yeah,

Mary Gagliardi:
some more

Kelsey:
all

Mary Gagliardi:
information

Kelsey:
of our Australian

Mary Gagliardi:
for us.

Kelsey:
listeners, hello there!

Mary Gagliardi:
Bye!

Kelsey:
So that was today's episode, Talking All Things, All People, Criminally Underrated. You know who's not criminally underrated? You are listeners.

Mary Gagliardi:
Oh.

Kelsey:
And if you think that we are not criminally underrated, you can rate us five stars.

Mary Gagliardi:
Ooh, that

Kelsey:
Do you

Mary Gagliardi:
was

Kelsey:
like

Mary Gagliardi:
really,

Kelsey:
that one? I just came up with it.

Mary Gagliardi:
that was really, I was gonna say, did you, when did you come up with that? Cause that was very good. Kelsey

Kelsey:
Just

Mary Gagliardi:
is our creative

Kelsey:
now.

Mary Gagliardi:
brain. Yes,

Kelsey:
I'm sitting

Mary Gagliardi:
incredible.

Kelsey:
in the floor of my closet, it's Wednesday night and it's

Mary Gagliardi:
Yes,

Kelsey:
past my bedtime.

Mary Gagliardi:
me too. Not it's, it's almost nine. It's time for grandmas to go

Kelsey:
You

Mary Gagliardi:
to

Kelsey:
know

Mary Gagliardi:
bed.

Kelsey:
it's not underrated going to bed early.

Mary Gagliardi:
No, no, it's not. It

Kelsey:
It

Mary Gagliardi:
could

Kelsey:
is.

Mary Gagliardi:
never be underrated.

Kelsey:
It is so worth it. So anyways, thank you all so much for listening this week. We love you guys. Please follow us at whentheypoppedpod on IG. We're also on TikTok. I don't know what our handle is, so. What?

Mary Gagliardi:
When they popped pod when they pop some just

Kelsey:
Wouldn't it be

Mary Gagliardi:
you

Kelsey:
great

Mary Gagliardi:
know

Kelsey:
if it was the same and it would be so seamless, but I don't

Mary Gagliardi:
It

Kelsey:
know.

Mary Gagliardi:
might

Kelsey:
Fuck.

Mary Gagliardi:
be

Kelsey:
Oh my God,

Mary Gagliardi:
when

Kelsey:
now my tick.

Mary Gagliardi:
they popped. What are you opening TikTok?

Kelsey:
Oh no. It's just

Mary Gagliardi:
That's,

Kelsey:
when they popped.

Mary Gagliardi:
yeah, I think I jumped on that. Then we didn't have to have pod. I need to make a TikTok.

Kelsey:
No, it's

Mary Gagliardi:
All

Kelsey:
good.

Mary Gagliardi:
right, everybody, thank you so much for listening and for being amazing. And we will talk to you next week.

Kelsey:
Bye.

Mary Gagliardi:
Bye.