Few youngsters factor band rehearsals and music lessons in their idea of fun. Siblings Hannah Heavenly and Arlo Blue are the exception. Together, they form the duo Heavenly Blue. Interview by Ramona Depares.

Your typical 21st century childhood puts a lot more focus on video-games than on fostering creativity, but one set of siblings is certainly going against the grain.

The young duo has already recorded a number of original tracks and are in the process of planning a setof summer performances

Hannah Heavenly and Arlo Blue, aged 11 and nine respectively, have been making music together for just over a year, in a childhood many will consider remarkable.

The fruits of this creativityhave now been formalised with the official birth of their band, Heavenly Blue. The youngduo has already recorded anumber of original tracks and isin process of planning a set of summer performances.

Hannah and Arlo moved to Malta from England some 10 years ago. You can say that they were ‘born’ into the music business – their father is none other than music entrepreneur Steve Brown, who has worked with the likes of Eric Clapton, Stevie Wonder and George Harrison.

Their mother, Sam Brown, is also highly involved in the music industry even on a local leveland currently manages public relations for Gozitan groupChasing Pandora.

“We’re lucky in that our parents are cool with us doing this, as long as it makes us happy. We grew up surrounded by music all the time; in our family you sort of have to like music,” says Hannah.

What about schoolfriends’ reactions to their unorthodox hobby? Arlo tells me that when hisclassmates discovered he actually recorded a CD, they all wanted to buy it.

“It made me feel good inside,” he says in an innocent and frank manner typical of children.

Hannah is equally enthusiastic and positively beams at thequestion.

“I have some great friends. I go to Verdala International School and most of my classmates hail from many different countries. There is a real feeling of being in a family at my school and this is one of the things I love about it. My friends support me, like my family. My best friends are from Sudan and Australia.”

What about the dreaded sibling rivalry? Are these two an exception? Mum Sam states that they “still have their moments”. And in case of real disagreement?

“Hannah always wins because she is so bossy!”

This is Arlo’s reply, naturally. However, his sister is having none of it.

“That is so not true! I care so much about our songs that it only seems like I always win, but I do give in if Arlo’s right. Then again, I am the elder...”

The two burst out laughing and Hannah follows up her statement with a “we are best friends most of the time” – and in all fairness it’s easy to see that this is true, most of the time.

If things were any different, Heavenly Blue would hardly have come about, right?

“Exactly!”

The duo decided to team up officially soon after Hannah started taking guitar lessons and jamming informally with Chasing Pandora’s Melissa.

“At the same time Arlo started drum and cajon lessons. It’s more fun playing together and we started to work on songs from our favourite artists. Eventually we started to write our own songs. Sometimes Arlo comes up with a beat that just gets me excited to write too and other times I have the song and melody and he fits the beat to it. ”

The way Hannah and Arlo speak about music, I find it disconcertingly difficult to remind myself that I’m talking to two schoolchildren. Not because of their behaviour – refreshingly, there’s nothing of the child star about these two – but more because of the way they talk about music.

Hannah’s first album – bought with a birthday voucher – was a Katy Perry CD when she turned seven. Since then, her tastes have changed considerably and she prefers Laura Marling’s style. One of her best memories is when her father took her to see the singer perform at the Hammersmith Apollo.

For Arlo, his first brush with the world of music happened with a Linkin Park CD, which he still practises to this day.

He also has a soft spot for Coldplay and for nu-folk outfit Mumford and Sons (“I just love the different instruments they use.”)

Eclectic seems to be the keyword to music with this duo. Just how versatile are their tastes?

“Well, to be honest I don’tlike pop and heavy metal,”Hannah says.

Arlo’s reply is unsurprising, given it comes from a nine-year-old: the young musician doesn’t get jazz and opera.

“Maybe I’m too young for them? I don’t know, I just don’t understand it...”

Both speak about their current music teachers with respect and awe. Hannah tells me howPeter Borg, her guitar teacher,is incredible when it comes to teaching technique.

“Sometimes I wonder why he makes me practise a Metallica riff. He knows it’s not my thing. Then I realise that it does help me improve my playing, and I see that he has a plan!”

Arlo also mentions his cajon teacher Dru, as a great sourceof inspiration.

“I feel great after a lesson with him. I practise for an hour after school every day and I really look forward to it.”

Any other inspirations?

“My dad. Sorry mum, you have awful taste in music! My dad has influenced me because he has introduced me to so many different types of music and allowed me to decide what I do and don’t like. I would never have heard Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen if dad hadn’t played them to me. I would also never have known Mamma Mia and Madonna if it wasn’t for my mum . You can’t win them all,” Hannah says with a grin.

Although music is their main thing, the pair are quite thecreative types. Arlo mentionsthat given more time he would draw more. Hannah, on theother hand, is a budding writer and admits that without music she would probably write “a lotof stories”.

“I find it hard to just write the lyrics for a song, so I start with a story. Then I sit down with my dad and we pull out lines that are important to the story and piece them together to make a song.”

But since music is, indeed, their life, where do they see themselves in 10 years’ time?

“I will be only 22, so I hope I will have kept up my practising and have become an even better guitarist. Maybe with better song-writing skills, more experience...” Hannah says in all seriousness.

But it’s Arlo’s reply that breaks me out in giggles. “Superstardom! And no maths!”

And who can blame him?

www.heavenlybluemusic.com