The War and Treaty Open Up About Their Real-Life Love Story, Joke 'We Did Play All Those Games'
The War And Treaty aren't entirely sure who fell in love with who first.
"We met at a festival in Maryland that I used to do for kids where we would give away backpacks around back to school time," says Tanya Trotter of her now-husband and duo partner Michael Trotter Jr. during a recent interview with PEOPLE. "He was performing there, and he blew me away."
"Actually, I noticed [Tanya] a long time before that," interjects Michael, his loud laugh booming through the telephone. "When I first saw her, I said to my parents that she was going to be my wife. I saw her on the big screen back in the '90s (in Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit) and I was like, 'That is my wife right there.'"
His premonition was right, as the current trailblazing duo did marry after years of playing the back-and-forth game of love, which they touch on in their euphoric single "Lover's Game."
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"We did play all those games," remembers Tanya with a slight chuckle of the song she co-wrote alongside Michael and Dave Cobb and one of six songs featured on their groundbreaking new EP Blank Page. "Michael actually threw my phone number away. I really had to call around trying to figure out his phone number."
"As a man, we always jump the gun whenever a woman wants our number," adds Michael. "We think it's for one reason and one reason only. And I was just like, 'There's no way she could want somebody like me.'"
Indeed, Michael did have much on his plate at the time. Not only was he a homeless veteran not looking for a relationship, but he also was dealing with a post-traumatic stress disorder that had developed while serving in Iraq as a soldier in the U.S. Army's 6th Infantry Regiment.
The War and Treaty
It's a condition he still battles to this day.
"There are days when Tanya and I just look each other in the eyes and say, 'Are you OK today?" Michael explains. "Is today the day that I need to be a little bit more extra with you? Do I need to hold your hand, Mike? Do I need to run some cold water on your fingers? These are things that normal bands don't have to think about, but these are things that this band thinks about."
It's a truth that just adds to the beautiful tapestry that is The War and Treaty, a duo who straddles effortlessly between the country and Americana genre and a duo that made history Nov. 9 as they perform The Rolling Stones classic "It's Only Rock 'N' Roll (But I Like It)" alongside Brothers Osborne at the 56th Annual CMA Awards.
Austin Hargrave Tanya and Michael Trotter of The War and Treaty
"Me and Tanya being the first black husband and wife duo to touch the stage of the CMAs — it's really something to where we're like, 'Wow, if we're going to work hard, this is the reason why we're going to do it."
But there are so many other reasons too.
"There's an opportunity here to carve our names amongst the giants like Ashford & Simpson, Johnny Cash and June Carter, Sonny and Cher — the great duos that we've had in history," says Michael. "People want to feel again. That's why we're here. That's why Chris Stapleton is here. That's why Brandi Carlile is here. We possess the power of the ancestry. We can make you feel like Nina Simone, we can make you feel like Ray Charles, we can make you feel like Loretta Lynn. And I think that is very important to have something in your life that reminds you of all those times."
The couple's EP, Blank Page, is available now. Their Lover's Game tour will kick off in March, with tickets going on sale Friday.
