NORFOLK, Va. — Music has always been an integral part of Jamie and Jeena Anderson’s lives.
The sisters have childhood memories of playing around with melodies on the piano in their Virginia Beach home and discovering artists like Eric Clapton and the Beatles from their parents' CD collection.
After songwriting throughout their teenage years, Jamie and Jeena decided to pursue music professionally and formed their indie-folk band “Fox and the Bear.”
The duo had a lofty goal in mind: to break into the highly-competitive Norfolk music scene.
Watch: Fox and the Bear on Coast Live
“[Norfolk] was our whole goal when we started… Because [Norfolk] has so much talent, it was more of a challenge to get in the scene,” said Jamie. “It's pretty saturated.”
Seven years later, the sisters are now living in Norfolk, creating music and performing throughout the city. They’ve performed live in intimate, small-group settings and for larger groups at local staples like Elation Brewing.
They’ve even performed at the NorVa, where they spent their teenage years watching their idols take the stage.
“That was a really big moment for us… It was literally on our five-year plan,” said Jeena. “It's such an awesome venue and we've seen so many people that inspire us at that venue.”
Watch: Fox and the Bear perform America the Beautiful
Despite the highs, Jamie and Jeena say navigating the music industry can be demanding. When they’re not songwriting and performing, the sisters are booking shows and handling the marketing for Fox and the Bear.
“There’s that age-old trope of starving artists and not that we're starving, but it is a lot of hats to juggle,” said Jeena. “You have to be the manager, promoter, booking agent, writer.”
Like many artists, things slowed down for the sisters during the COVID-19 pandemic when booking live performances wasn’t an option. Even post-pandemic, finding the time to do shows and create music is a tough balancing act. However, the sisters remain motivated by their long-term goal: making music for a living.
“I would just be really happy if I could keep doing this and it was like, a form of stability,” said Jeena. “If I can do less of the [managerial tasks] and be more of an artist, I say I'd be successful then."
Their drive is further boosted by the people in the Hampton Roads community, who’ve been cheering the sisters on throughout their journey.
Jamie and Jeena say some of their most cherished memories performing here are when their work makes the audience feels something, whether it's through the meaning of their lyrics or their rendition of a song.
Watch: Fox and the Bear on Coast Live
“It's like magical, not to sound very corny, but if you have just a connection with a person, like where you actually feel like, ‘Oh, man, what I said landed with them. And what they said landed with me,’” said Jamie. “If you take that feeling, like actually feeling seen... and you amplify that with a room that feels that, it's crazy.”
Fox and the Bear plan on releasing a new single in the next month or two.
For updates on Fox and the Bear’s music and to follow Jamie and Jeena’s journey, check out their website and Instagram.
