Gilbert duo Radio Disney’s ‘Next Big Thing’

The next pop sensation to cause a Hannah Montana-esque clamor among tweens could hail from Gilbert.

The teen pop duo Jonnie and Brookie have been named Radio Disney’s “Next Big Thing” after a listener poll that tabulated nearly 9 million online and text-message votes. The contest spotlights young recording artists and allows them to get their music heard on a national level.

“It’s a pretty big deal. We’re pretty excited,” says Jonnie Allen, 16. Her sister, Brookie Allen, 14, makes up the duo’s other half.

“One of the prizes is that we get to open for a big artist. We don’t know anything about the specifics yet, but that’s really exciting. And they played our song on the radio; that was the first time we’d ever heard our music on the radio,” she says.

The sisters sing and play guitar, bass and keyboards. Their latest CD, “For Better,” features the songs “Missing Me Crazy” and “Hey Boy,” which have garnered a combined 73,000-plus plays on MySpace Music. They also have music videos posted at YouTube.com, and they’ve been featured in a spot on DarynKagan.com, the inspirational online news site produced by former CNN anchor Daryn Kagan.

The pair have recorded six CDs and written three children’s books, and they are currently on tour, playing shopping malls, festivals, amusement parks and community events across the nation. They also visit public schools, putting on 45-minute musical assemblies aimed at building kids’ character.

The sisters donate a portion of proceeds from CD sales to food banks and other charities, and they’ve used their concerts to collect 100,000 cans of food for the hungry.

Jonnie and Brookie edged out three front-runners in the Radio Disney contest: AllStar, Bre Morgan and Comic Book Heroes. The contest ran for 22 weeks and featured 11 unsigned young artists or acts.

“We have a lot of fans out here in Gilbert, and we had a lot of people voting for us. We were confident we’d do pretty good, but we weren’t sure we could beat out Push Play. They have something like 100,000 fans, and we have more like 10,000,” says Brookie Allen.

Young performers that have launched careers after exposure on Radio Disney include Hilary Duff, Miley Cyrus, Jonas Brothers, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale, Corbin Bleu, Raven-Symone and The Cheetah Girls.

Radio Disney is a 24-hour radio network devoted to children and families. Its current playlist includes Miley Cyrus, Jonas Brothers, Taylor Swift, Demi Lovato, David Archuleta and Jordin Sparks.

—

contact writer: (480) 898-6818 or azajac@evtrib.com