Shana Halligan and Kiran Shahani are the genius behind the music of Bitter:Sweet. I stumbled across their latest album while browsing on MySpace and I have never been happier to find a band in my life. Instantly, I added them to my page, e-mailed my cohorts in music greatness and ran to Waterloo Records and acquired my prize.

Their latest album, The Mating Game, is a sensual mix of trip-hop, lounge, and lush grooves that is making a powerful statement in their hometown LA scene. Having met through an ad on Craigslist, this duo blends a mix of old school 70's and 80's influence with modern electronica, horns and the voice of a sultry songstress into a perfect concoction that left me feeling intoxicated and wanting more from my very first hear. Recently featured in The Devil Wears Prada soundtrack, in episodes of Entourage, Nip and Tuck and Grey's Anatomy, their music is making its mark in pop culture while still maintaining the feel of staying true to the cool underground.

Shana and Kiran were kind enough to sit down and answer our 20 Questions while in the midst of their busy touring schedule and, with my many thanks, here is what they had to say...

Q: Your latest album is a brilliant mix of trip hop and lounge with a soulful edge. Who do you find is your biggest audience with such a progressive sound?

• Anyone with an open mind who's looking to be turned on!!

• Growing up here we were lucky enough to be exposed to such incredible music on a daily basis. While it's true that there are so many bands out here trying to do the same thing, we never felt like we were competing with anyone. If anything, it just inspired us to just do our thing even more. For most people that come out here to "make it," they are leaving everything they know, including their own comfort zone to make the impossible possible. But for us, being immersed in this town and in this business for such a big part of our lives, it seems so much more accessible. This is our home town. So just like bands in every other town, we just won over our community first.

Q: Who or what are the influences that inspire you most in your music?

• Shag rugs, chia pets, a great bottle of vino, Doris Day, late nights in Paris, a splash of bosanova with a spoonful of electro, love affairs, and some Billie Holiday for good measure.

Q: What would you say is the biggest misconception that the media and the public have about your band?

• People may think that we're just an electronica band but that is not the case at all. We record and play live with so many amazing musicians from all walks of life and incorporate so many different genres and influences into our music. One of our first reviewers who came to see us live had said that he was expecting to see Kiran and I up there with nothing but a laptop and a keyboard. He was then blown away when he realized Kiran was on bass, there was a harpist, a guitar player, percussionist, a violin, DJs... you name it. We love to mix it up anyway we can. People that claim not to like electronica music don't even know what we are and end up loving us!!!

Q: I really love the lounge influences in your music (when picking a friend up from the airport, I told her to listen for the lounge and she would find me as I blared "The Mating Game" on my stereo), what about that particular sound inspires you to express yourselves through it?

• Lounge is not just a sound it's a way of life. A religion if you will. We have mastered the art of lounging we believe and it's only natural that we would slink around those sounds and beats with such ease.

Q: If you are a superhero kind of band, what superhero power would you each like to have? (I really like superheroes)

• Kiran would be Scooby Doo with wings (as he is always flying high) and I (Shana) would probably be Wonder Woman meets Bond girl. I would use my red locks of fury to capture my next victim.

Q: How did you decide on naming your band "Bitter:sweet"?

• We had such a difficult time coming up with a name that could capture the essence of the stories told on this album, and in our lives. Ironically, we had both thought of the name separately and we knew that it was meant to be. Life is after all bittersweet.

Q: Your MYSPACE page is pretty active and you seem to get a lot of plays. Do you think that the internet is the new frontier for bands and musicians?

• Absolutely!! The music industry has changed so much over the past several years so the internet has become the new saving grace for getting artists heard. Through MySpace alone our music has been played almost a half a million times already and we are reaching fans all across the world!!!

Q: In your experience, what is the best philosophy you have found to live by?

• Ask the Dali Lama for that one. We're still figuring it out.

Q: Pop music today seems to be so empty and superficial. In the Billboard top 40, we used to have powerful artists like Radiohead, Tori Amos, Beck and Nirvana, while today we are inundated with music by Paris Hilton, Shakira and Jessica Simpson. What do you think of the trend in popular music today?

• The industry is afraid to take risks and develop artists like they used to. With record sales down, and stores like Tower going out of business, it seems that they are only interested in formulating something that will guarantee them to make money without having to be creative. It's really sad. That's why it is so important to slip through the cracks any way we can as an indie band to get to be heard. People will still find good music if it's out there and that's what we count on to survive.

The following questions have been collected from fans, my girlfriend and probably from a few people who are so happy that I've turned them on to you:

Q: What is your favorite fast food joint?

• Shana and Kiran go to WhiteCastle (although Shana is a vegetarian)

Q: Where do you buy your clothes?

• That's our dirty little secret.

Q: What music do you like?

• We love all music as long as it's good!

Q: What's it like to be a Bitter:sweet groupie?

• We'll tell you when we get one.

Q: Do you get stalked by the paparazzi and, if not, do you secretly want to?

• Kiran wants too... he needs a lot of intention, he's ADD. Me, not so much.

Q: What celebrity, be it musician, actor, politician, whatever, would you really like to see tarred and feathered and made to just go away?

• Barney.

Q: When you were a kid, did you ever pretend that you were in a band, like play air guitar or play the paint can drums? You know, basically being a dork.

• I always play air guitar... is that dorky?

Q: When you grant an interview or perform on television, do get excited and go buy the publication or record the show you are on, and be honest, do you call your mom and tell her to watch?

• Of course!! It's so much fun to see all of that. Who knows how long any of this will all last so now's the time to make a scrapbook for the grandkids.

Q: What is your personal spiritual belief?

• Kiran's is to live by the truth which stems from Hinduism. I feel that everything happens for a reason so it is very important to listen to the universe, live each moment wholly, practice forgiveness in yourself and in others, and just be at peace.

Q: And finally, do you know how hot you are?

• We're hot? We thought we were more like a warm summer day. xoxoxoxo

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