If there’s one thing that Jawbreakers want to be remembered for, it’s going above and beyond in every single thing they set their minds on.
Since their introduction in 2018’s YourShot DJ competition, Jawbreakers - comprised of Melbourne drag queens Kali Fornikate and Sabrina Babyslut - have evolved into a spectacle you couldn’t find anywhere else in the world; a melting pot of dance music, theatrical performance and high-quality drag that strives to be the embodiment of bold, colourful fun. “We want to blow everyone out of the water every time,” elaborates the duo, encapsulating their ethos. “Aesthetically, musically, visually… We want to be unexpectedly colourful and high-energy in everything we do.”
Over the last four years, Jawbreakers’ mission to bring something unique to Australian stages have seen them blossom into one of the country’s most in-demand new additions. Despite the twists and turns of the pandemic, they’ve been booked for some of Australia’s most celebrated festivals - Sydney Mardi Gras, Groovin the Moo, Beyond The Valley, Adelaide Festival and more included - and have performed in New Zealand, the Netherlands and the UK, introducing their distinct energy to international audiences early on in their journey. Their list of acclamations in such a short time doesn’t stop there: they’ve hosted triple j’s infamous Friday Mix, have collaborated with Courtney Act, and the bootleg remixes which often find themselves in Jawbreakers’ sets have received support from Steve Aoki, The Chainsmokers and more.
‘Boyfriend’ is the introduction to Jawbreakers’ new era, taking the high-octane fierceness of their shows and encapsulating it through work of their own, witnessing the multi-hyphenate performers add yet another craft to their skillset. Featuring AMUNDA (the solo project of Operator Please frontwoman Amandah Wilkinson), ‘Boyfriend’ captures the full spectrum of a Jawbreakers performance, nestled somewhere amongst the halfway point between mid-2000s Ministry of Sound anthems and modern-day pop divas. It’s everything Jawbreakers have aimed to showcase condensed into a three-minute bust of electricity, a palette of sounds that prelude a debut EP expected for arrival later in the year via Vicious Recordings (Avicii, Peking Duk, Madison Avenue).
It’s a natural progression for the duo, evolving beyond the edits and bootlegs which have seen them test their production skills in the past; the pandemic - and the various, accompanying lockdowns over the last two years - pushing Jawbreakers to refine their production skillset and create their debut collection of work. “We wanted to create music that represents us and the direction we want to take; unapologetically fun and catchy dance music that pushes aside the need to be cool,” the duo explain.
The arrival of their own music isn’t the only way Jawbreakers are set to evolve in the year ahead, however. After a two year period of touring uncertainty, Jawbreakers are focused on growing their live show beyond what’s already seen, furthering every element of their show - the music, the visuals, the fashion, the choreography, the performance elements - to create something that they feel is reflective of Jawbreakers’ new chapter.
Jawbreakers are a duo always striving to go beyond people’s expectations, and as they commence a new stage of their journey, that ethos remains as true as ever. One thing you can guarantee, however, is that it’s going to be one hell of a fun time.