After their big break in the music landscape from the viral track ‘ur so pretty’ which is one of the ethereal soundtracks for the prominent queer tv show, Heartstopper as well as over 200M streams to date from their songs on the leading music platform, the musical sibling duo Wasia Project returns with their debut album ‘Nocturne’. This album is a collection of well-crafted songs set throughout the night-time scenery.
The Noize Magazine had an opportunity to speak with the duo, Olivia Hardy and Will Gao, on Wasia Project’s darker and bolder side as well as their journey to develop this full-length album.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity,
New Tune for More Emotional Depth
“The last time Wasia Project released music properly was two years ago between the ages of 18 and 20. In your 20s you’re growing a lot at quite a fast rate, so we wanted to make some music that represents us more now,” Olivia said.
“In this age we are more drawn to darker and more intense sounds in which tracks like Bleeding Gold and 2515 were able to do that.”
She added that Bleeding Gold also feels like the biggest leap out of the group’s comfort zone and the most challenging one to make compared to the other tracks, “It’s like getting all the creases ironed out. You need to get this concise and complicated message across, but it was still fun.”
If they have to pick songs to express the essence of ‘Nocturne’, Olivia shared that it is quite difficult to choose from, however, 2515 and Wildfire are songs that best encapsulate the album. As 2515 feels like the beginning of the night to begin the whole journey ahead. Meanwhile the last track like Wildfire portrays the final few hours before the sun rises after a long adventure.
Weaving Together the Melody and Rhythm
On the creative process working with ‘Nocturne’, Olivia is the first one to share that going with the flow as well as treating each idea with the same love and validation are among the greatest lessons she learned. As she tends to set a high standard and put too much pressure when it comes to work despite the early stage of development.
“We’ve both never done an album before and I was very harsh on lots of ideas when they need more time and nurture in order to go into what they need to be.” She added.
For Will, any idea is possible no matter how it turned out, sometimes there are ideas that seem to be great at the beginning and then it might not work out for putting this album together, and sometimes it is the other way around.
“The mindset that anything can happen and anything is open in the creative process is something that I learned from making this album.” He said.
Growing up as a classically trained sibling and continuing to make music by themselves, the rise of AI in the creative industry makes human-made works matter even more, “I think it’s quite a strange place to be right now with the coming of AI. I definitely think it’s quite a danger in the sense of when it comes to the careers and livelihoods of artists and when it comes to authenticity,” Will said.
“One of the scariest things is being able to use other artists’ authenticity to make something without their permission.”
He added that AI is moving at a very fast rate and everyone needs to be aware of and set boundaries with it in order for artists to continue making work and for this industry and this community to keep flourishing.
Difference Makes Perfect
The two work separately in their own ways, Olivia’s in the studio to write songs, while Will wants to stay working at home, but they harmoniously put in efforts to create the unique sound of Wasia Project.
She said that playing live is her preferable way when working on music instead of writing only at the piano unlike Will who thinks of the ideas at the piano or at one specific instrument.
“It all needs to be together because I really love playing live and that experience for me just gets the creativity flowing,” Olivia said, “I need lots of different sounds and it feels more exciting to me when I’m in the studio and there’s a beat or there’s a sound that will inspire me.”
Both of them have different personalities and it might be the reason why the duo work so well together. Olivia added that she is most likely to get lost in her own world, on the other hand, Will is considered as a very sensitive soul and notices everything around him well.
“One thing I learned about each other is that different makes perfect.”
Lastly, when asked about the plan for the Asia tour or any chance for Wasia Project to have a live performance in Bangkok, “We are very excited to one day go to Thailand and perform. We’ve always dreamed of coming to Thailand. It seems like such a beautiful, wonderful culture and country. We love Thai food!”
Both Olivia and Will, who shared the same love for Thai foods, particularly the world famous Tom Yum as well as the mild coconut curry like red and green curries, also sent heartfelt messages for their fans in Thailand, “We want to send our love to all the Thai fans out there. We love and appreciate you.”
Pre-order/Pre-save ‘Nocturne’, out 18th September: https://wasiaproject.ffm.to/nocturne.OYD