Brit & Alex 'Step Up' to take North America by Storm

(andPOP) - Beautiful and talented. And, the best part is - there are two of them.

22-year-old twins Brit & Alex Smith are no strangers to the spotlight. Although their sound has been recently recognized by the North American public for their work on the Step Up 2: The Streets soundtrack, their blonde-topped faces are also recognized by many from their former John Frieda fame.

After moving to England as adolescents, the girls were snatched up by John Frieda's Sheer Blonde campaign, only to grace the pages of just about every fashion magazine in production. Seeking a change of pace, the twins hit the recording studio in 2006, taking a break from Sheer Blonde to showcase their sheer talents on vocals.

"We call our music melded pop, it's like a fusion of pop, urban and rock," says Brit, who claims to be the more outgoing of the two.

"We grew up listening to Michael Jackson and Prince, lots of Motown, but also Bonnie Rait, Whitney Houston, you know," chimes Alex as she and her identical twin pass the phone from one to the other.

As the questions are asked, the girls – who are releasing music under the moniker Brit & Alex – transfer the receiver back and forth, giving each other a fair turn to speak. Just as they share the interview, the girls claim to have no problem sharing their fame.

"I've sometimes thought it would be interesting to see what it would be like performing or recording alone," confides Brit, with her sister well within earshot. "It's hard because we do have to share our ideas when we work together, and we each have our own strengths. But I do think that it's a lot easier being on the road with another person."

Brit uses fellow performer Britney Spears as an example. "Like, Britney was young and touring on her own, staying in hotels and eating by herself. That couldn't have been easy," Brit says with genuine sympathy. "It's sad to look at her now. She's such a talent. I hope she can get it together."

The girls' single entitled Let It Go is featured on the soundtrack for Step Up 2, along with urban all-stars Flo Rida, Missy Elliott, T-Pain and Cassie.

"The song is just about being free and not caring what anyone else thinks. You know, letting go of inhibitions and worries, and about dancing," says Brit of the song that has generated upwards of 27,000 hits on Youtube since it was posted just a few weeks ago.

Both girls agree that the message in the song applies both to the plot of the film, which focuses on classically trained dancers who long to break free from the mould, and to their own experiences in the music industry. According to Alex, finding their place in the biz was anything but easy. The girls felt that when it came to their music, everyone else put in their own two cents regarding the direction their tunes should take – without the twins getting a meagre penny for their own thoughts.

"This song couldn't have come at a better time. Right now, we need to be ourselves and we need to do things how we feel, and the way we want to do them. We felt [the message] when we were singing the song," adds Brit, commandeering the phone again.

The girls have also had the opportunity to work with famed hip-hop producer Dallas Austin. Austin has worked with Janet Jackson, Pink and Madonna, and has now taken Brit & Alex under his wing. But before putting the microphone in their hands, Austin offered them paintbrushes.

"He had us come to his place and paint with him before we got started with anything [in the studio]," explains Alex. "We just painted what we felt, and so did he. He had paintings up all over his place, all done by other artists he had worked with in the past. It was really cool."

The twins are identical in appearance (with exception to their haircuts), but claim to be uniquely different. They further contend that these differences between them are what make them so special. Alex suggests that she is the shyer of the two, while Brit boasts about being the bigger flirt – although neither have had time for dating lately.

"If I had time," Brit says with a pause, "I'd like to go on a date skiing and be in a lodge, I love skiing but I haven't been in so long."

"I think a salsa dancing date would be a fun atmosphere," adds Alex, quick to jump in on the subject of dating.

"She'd want to go [dancing] with Tony Almeida from the show 24," Brit squeals in the background, divulging a secret shared between sisters. The twins erupt briefly in laughter proving that aside from being singers, models and performers well on their way to fame, at the end of the day, they're just two girls having the time of their lives, living, and growing, but above all learning how to just be themselves and "let it go."