Aly & AJ

Sisters Aly & AJ launched their recording career while still adolescents, cutting teen-oriented pop tracks for Disney Channel films before later shifting toward unconventional pop shaped entirely by their own vision. Following platinum certification for the single “Potential Breakup Song” from their 2007 album Insomniatic, the pair spent years distancing themselves from the teen-pop label, even adopting the moniker 78violet for a period. Roughly a decade later they completed their artistic overhaul through a series of singles—2017’s “Take Me” and 2020’s “Joan of Arc on the Dancefloor” among them—that blended vintage synth textures with contemporary electronic pop. Two subsequent albums further established them as creators first and pop figures second: the 2021 release A Touch of the Beat Gets You Up on Your Feet Gets You Out and Then into the Sun, steeped in California ’70s-rock influences, and the country-leaning 2023 set With Love From.

Alyson and Amanda Joy Michalka, who perform as Aly & AJ, displayed early enthusiasm for both music and acting, beginning piano lessons at age six and enrolling in acting classes shortly afterward. Although born in Los Angeles, the Michalka family relocated to Seattle in the early ’90s, where their parents introduced them to diverse musical styles and encouraged their dual interests in performance and songwriting. While studying piano and guitar, the sisters also secured acting and modeling assignments that later eased their transition into professional pursuits once the family returned to Southern California.

AJ Michalka appeared on programs ranging from Birds of Prey and Oliver Beene to General Hospital and Six Feet Under, while Alyson landed the role of Keely Teslow on the Disney Channel series Phil of the Future, where she performed numbers such as “Protecting Me.” Recording together as Aly & AJ, the sisters delivered a cover of the Lovin’ Spoonful’s “Do You Believe in Magic” for the Disney Channel film Now You See It; the track reached number one on Radio Disney’s most-requested list. Their next single, “No One,” surfaced on the soundtrack to the 2005 film Ice Princess, and their full-length Hollywood Records debut—containing songs written solely by the Michalkas—arrived the same year. The holiday collection Acoustic Hearts of Winter followed in 2006. In 2007 the duo issued their second studio album, Insomniatic, and starred in the MTV adaptation of My Super Sweet 16. Insomniatic entered the Billboard Top 200 at number 15, and its lead single, “Potential Breakup Song,” climbed to number 17 en route to RIAA platinum status.

Work on a third album began in 2008 with a planned 2009 release, yet repeated obstacles at Hollywood Records stalled progress. In July 2009 the sisters adopted the name 78violet and projected an album for 2010, though that project never appeared; by February 2010 they had parted ways with the label. Throughout the mid-2010s they continued recording as 78violet after signing with Red Light Management in May 2013, but despite numerous sessions and live performances no material was issued, prompting their return to the Aly & AJ name in December 2015.

Nearly ten years after Insomniatic, the duo resurfaced in 2017 with the synth-pop single “Take Me,” whose parent EP Ten Years arrived that November. Two further singles, “Church” and “Don’t Go Changing,” preceded the May 2019 release of the Sanctuary EP. Collaboration with producer Yves Rothman yielded the 2020 synth-pop tracks “Attack of Panic” and “Joan of Arc on the Dancefloor,” and the singles and EPs from this era were compiled on the November 2020 collection We Don’t Stop. During this period the sisters were surprised to find “Potential Breakup Song” circulating widely on TikTok in user-generated videos, inspiring an explicit remake issued in December 2020.

Since early 2019 Aly & AJ had also been developing material with a more organic sound, working alongside Rothman and a small ensemble at Sunset Sound. Drawing on 1970s California pop-rock, the resulting album A Touch of the Beat Gets You Up on Your Feet Gets You Out and Then into the Sun appeared on their own Aly & AJ Music imprint in early 2021; Heart’s Nancy Wilson guested on one track, and L.A. indie-pop artist Jorge Elbrecht contributed multiple co-writes. The sisters played two concerts that year before performing at Lollapalooza. They then prepared another set of songs and, with Rothman, Elbrecht, and additional trusted collaborators, spent a week at Sunset Sound aiming for a spontaneous, live-in-the-studio atmosphere. Shortly after those sessions concluded, they released a deluxe edition of A Touch of the Beat Gets You Up on Your Feet Gets You Out and Then into the Sun containing four previously unheard tracks from the same recordings.

Aly & AJ toured extensively throughout 2022, closing the year with a performance on Dick Clark’s Rockin’ Eve broadcast from Disneyland. Just prior to that appearance they unveiled the Fleetwood Mac-inspired title track from their forthcoming album With Love From. Co-produced by Rothman and the Michalkas, the record moved away from the synth-driven new-wave textures of its predecessor toward a blend of pop-country and melancholic, Mac-inflected soft rock. Following the album’s release, the duo embarked on a headlining tour of U.S. venues.