Country duo bring music and message to Montrose pupils

Country and western duo Juna N Joey have been touring around 75 tours across the UK.

A young country and western duo from the United States appeared at Montrose Academy today (Monday) to share their music as well as a powerful mental health message for pupils.

Brother and sister Juna N Joey fle w to the UK at the beginning of June and their stop in Montrose was the latest on the Scottish leg of their tour. The duo from Nashville have visited schools across the country to perform as well as give a talk on mental health and bullying issues that are prevalent among young people.

They have consistently used their platform to speak out about the subject, helping to create an awareness as they feel that mental health is not talked about enough with youngsters.

They have talked and performed online and have amassed more than 11 million views and 1.5 million likes on TikTok alone while posts of covers on YouTube have garnered more than seven million collective views in addition to more than 82K subscribers.

Juna said: “It means a lot to us to be able to do this tour. We have a song called ‘Anchor’, about having that one person to keep you grounded to be there for you. It’s always been a strong passion to spread the message of anti-bullying.

“To help a lot of people we did weekly live on Instagram with Teach Anti Bullying, who we are ambassadors for. We talked with people about their experiences, about stress, bullying, being scared to ask somebody for help. We’ve been through all of this and it’s really important for us.

“The main takeaway message is that you are not alone, reach out to at least one person who can help you. And do not suffer in silence."

The tour coincided with the scheduled release of their latest single, ‘More than a Maybe’, which became available from the middle of June

Joey added: “When our booking agent booked this year for venues and festivals he asked if we would like to do a school tour. We have been doing a mental health program in the states so he asked us if we could do the same here. We said we’d love to.

“As well as performing our freshman EP, we also play covers for those who know some American country artists, as well as songs we love. We also take photos and sign autographs, getting to know the kids on a more personal level.”