Harp Twins Camille and Kennerly Talk Music, Motivation, and Hard Work

Identical twin harpists Camille and Kennerly Kitt, better known as the Harp Twins, are anything but ordinary. These two sisters have worked hard to get to where they are today and as a result they have become the two most well known harpists in the world. Camille and Kennerly compose, arrange, and perform harp duet covers ranging from classic rock favorites to popular themes from some of today’s most well loved shows like The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones.  The two have released over fifty singles online and have three physical cover albums. They have also become well known for their extensive collection of music videos featuring their work (which you can enjoy on YouTube). Everything that they write and play is meticulously arranged and practiced to perfection. It is not hard to see why they continue to gain fans wherever they go.

Although Camille and Kennerly have made quite a huge mark on the music world with their unique take as duet harpists their music is not all that they are known for. They have also amassed an extensive resume which branches out to include acting roles on both film and stage. The two were featured in the Dreamworks film Delivery Man (starring Vince Vaughn, Cobie Smulders, and Chris Pratt) in which they played Vince Vaughn’s biological daughters. They have also been in several commercials around the world including a Toshiba tablet commercial in the United States and a Chupa Chups lollipop commercial which ran for two years in Japan. On stage they were chosen to play “the Geminae” in the musical comedy A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum. I have a feeling that we will be seeing a lot more of them on film and stage in the future.

I attended one of Camille and Kennerly’s performances late last year and was so impressed by not only their music but also by how humble and down to earth they both are. It is evident that they have a passion for what they do. But their passion seems to go beyond loving the music – these two truly love their fans and they go out of their way to make sure that they know that they are appreciated. I recently had the opportunity to speak with Camille and Kennerly to find out more about not only their music but also what keeps them motivated. They had so many great things to share about their musical career, life, and things that they enjoy. And in true Camille and Kennerly fashion they included a special message for their fans. You can’t help but to love these two.

Harp Twins Camille And Kennerly Interview

TAMMY: When did your love of music really begin for each of you? And at what age did you each begin learning to play the harp?

CAMILLE AND KENNERLY: We started playing harp in middle school after we had already been playing piano for years (actually on a keyboard because we couldn’t afford an actual piano). We were both really drawn to the beauty of the harp. It’s always seemed like a magical instrument to us. However, it took us a while to convince our mom that we were serious about learning the harp. We had to show that we were serious by earning some of the money ourselves. We babysat, walked dogs, did office work, and worked in a local print shop to earn the money for our first harps, which were pre-owned. For a while, we only had enough money to buy one harp, so we shared it!

TAMMY:  What you do is so unique. When did you first begin taking your love of playing the harp into this direction of playing classic rock, etc. What was the first song that you arranged together?

CAMILLE AND KENNERLY: While we were studying classical music, we thought that it would be a fun to play some more contemporary music like rock songs. So, we looked for harp arrangements of the kind of music that we liked to listen to and we couldn’t find anything for one harp, let alone two harps! So, we started to teach ourselves to arrange for our instrument. To this day, we have never been trained in arranging. Everything we have done, we have learned through trial and error and experience. The first song that we arranged was “Hey Ya!” by OutKast because our mom has always loved that song and we thought that it would be a fun and funny challenge. As we grew in our arranging skills, we were able to arrange more challenging songs and genres. We love continually challenging ourselves to take the harp to new levels and try things that no one else has tried! Recently we created a one harp, two player arrangement of Metallica’s One and it was so fun for us to try something that has never been attempted before – one of us backward, one of us handling the pedals for 2 different harp parts, rapping the harp, kicking the harp, switching sides, etc. Also, we recently arranged a one electric harp and one acoustic harp version of Billy Idol’s “White Wedding”. It was so much fun for us to experiment with guitar pedals and harp percussion techniques.

TAMMY:  All of your arrangements are amazing! I love the mixture of the classical harp sound coupled with classic rock favorites like AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, etc. You showcase such a wide range of artists in your work. Which musicians or bands stick out for each of you specifically as being major influences?

CAMILLE AND KENNERLY: Probably our earliest musical influences were rock and classic rock because that is what our mom listened to: The Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin, Billy Idol, Van Halen, ZZ Top, Johnny Cash, etc. Our classical training gave us the skills that we later translated into arranging and performing contemporary music to the level that we do. Our biggest influences are those who step outside the “box” and follow their own path. Our mom says that we have always marched to the beat of our own drummer, in step with each other!

TAMMY:  I was lucky enough to have the chance to attend one of your shows several months ago and was so impressed with you both. Not just with your music but with your positive energies and attitudes. You can tell that you both truly love what you do. What keeps each of you motivated? I’m sure that it can at times be tiring to travel so much to do shows.

CAMILLE AND KENNERLY: It’s really our passion and love for our music that keeps us going. It’s definitely tiring to be independent musicians for a living. People envision this glamorous rock-style life when they think of touring musicians, but in reality it’s just plain hard work (at least for people like us who don’t have a team of people working everything out for them)! Right now we’re doing everything ourselves, which we love since we have 100% control over our career and our music, but that also means that for now we have to sacrifice having the free-time that others our age have! Our fans are also a huge motivation for us! It makes us smile to see so many people every day who are enjoying our music. When someone tells us that our music has helped them through an illness, or inspired their child to learn an instrument, or even just given them some peace after a trying day, that means the world to us. As musicians, it’s the greatest feeling to know that our music has touched someone else in some way.

TAMMY:  One thing that I was curious about after seeing you perform live – how much do your harps weigh? To me they look like they would be heavy but you each make it seem effortless.

CAMILLE AND KENNERLY: Our electric harps weigh about 16 lbs and they are 4 feet tall. So they do put a strain on our backs. We often even bruise our hips from the straps if we have been wearing the harps a lot. There are very few people in the world who can wear that type of harp strapped on and actually perform. We love the freedom of movement though! As harpists trained classically, we never imagined that some day we would be rocking out on stage with electric harps strapped to our bodies!

TAMMY: Aside from being impressive harpists you both have a wide variety of other interests as well ranging from Tae Kwon Do to rifle marksmanship to horseback riding. What other special interests do each of you have? Is it difficult to find the time to indulge in these interests with being on the road so much?

CAMILLE AND KENNERLY: We love keeping busy and trying new things! We are almost always working from the time that we wake up to when we go to bed, so we have to squeeze in activities and fun while we’re working and traveling! We love hiking, spending time in nature, exploring old cemeteries, working out, watching the Walking Dead and Vikings, reading, writing, interacting with our fans on social media, and of course spending time with family and friends (and our cat, Grayling)!

TAMMY:  You have each worked for years helping to support underprivileged children. Could you tell me some more about your work in this area? I think that it’s wonderful that you are both so involved.

CAMILLE AND KENNERLY: Even though we never had money growing up, we were always taught the importance of giving back. Whether it was being involved in community outreach programs, working with kids who have special needs, or creating care packets for the homeless, we always found ways to help others. Our mom always told us that no matter how little we have, there will always be people in the world who have less. We went to a concert when we were about 8 where the artist was talking about an organization where people individually sponsor kids from other countries – providing school, food, clothing, medical care, etc. Even at that young age, we knew immediately that we wanted to do that ourselves. So, we chose 2 little girls in Ethiopia and sponsored them with the help of our mom. When we got old enough, we took over the sponsorship completely. We sponsored them and wrote letters back and forth with them for many years until they graduated from the program. We currently have taken on sponsorship for 4 more children in Ethiopia. We are firm believers that if everyone did something every day to help someone else, then the world would be a lot better place. There is a misconception that we see so often now that one must have everything in their own life sorted out before they can help someone else (we call it the “you have to do you” culture). We know from personal experience that when we’re feeling down, or feeling sorry for ourselves, or something bad has happened to us, the best way to recover is to do something for someone else. We hope that we can encourage others to do the same!

TAMMY: I’ve seen where you have both built an impressive acting resume ranging from commercials to film. Is there anything acting related in the works that you are excited about? What are your favorite experiences you have had with acting so far?

CAMILLE AND KENNERLY: We really enjoy the challenge of acting when we have the time to fit a project into our schedules. We were recently involved in something that we’re beyond excited about, but we’re not allowed to share anything until it airs later this year. We have a few projects that are in development, which we hope will come through – including roles in a miniseries adaptation of USA Today Best-selling author Pamela Morsi’s book “The Bikini Carwash”.

TAMMY: I know that you have been touring extensively over the last several months. What memories have stuck out the most for each of you as being your favorites while touring?

CAMILLE AND KENNERLY: We represented the United States at the World Harp Festival in Paraguay and it was an amazing experience! The Embassy also asked us to stay and tour to schools and towns in Paraguay for additional performances and to speak on empowerment for girls and women. We also had a full concert open to the public the day after the World Harp Festival ended and 900 people showed up to a 350-seat theater! So, we asked the Embassy and venue if we could add a second full show right after the first. It was so much fun to play back-to-back shows for our amazing fans in Paraguay. We then stayed for hours afterward to meet and take photos with fans, which was a blast! We also have had amazing experiences performing at several Walker Stalker Cons. We performed right before panels with Norman Reedus, Andrew Lincoln, Chandler Riggs, Greg Nicotero, and others. Meeting and chatting with so many of the cast and production members is pretty much a dream come true for us since we’re huge Walking Dead fans!

TAMMY:  What are some things that you are currently working on? What are you both excited about accomplishing in 2016?

CAMILLE AND KENNERLY: We’re currently working on our Harp Fantasy 2 album – which we have been promising to our fans for quite a while. We are also working on original music when we have time in-between performances, and we have a few other surprises in the works. We’re especially excited to perform for and meet some of our fans in 2016! We’re scheduling more public performances than ever, which is a dream come true for us, and continuing a full schedule of private performance events.

TAMMY: Is there anything that I have left out that you would like to touch on or relay to your fans?

CAMILLE AND KENNERLY: A huge THANK YOU to our fans for all of your incredible support and love! We wouldn’t be where we are today without all of you. Reading your posts and comments every day will always continue to put smiles on our faces. We’re so blessed to be in a place we never thought we would be. With your help and support, we’ll continue to grow so that we can tour to more of you. Thank you!

Be sure to follow Camille and Kennerly on Facebook at  so that you can stay up to date on new music, videos, and tour dates. You can also find them on Instagram. If you are interested in buying one of their albums (I recommend it!) you can do so on their website at www.harptwins.com .