WENS
Photo Credit: Brooke Barone
Singer/Songwriter WENS pours her heart out into song; the pop artist draws from real-life experiences in creating all of her musical projects, a method that has proven well since she began releasing her music in 2016. “I’ve always loved music and when I found how therapeutic writing could be for me it became somewhat of an addiction,” WENS said. “Every day after school, as soon as I got home, I’d go straight to the piano and just write for hours.” The same mentality has clearly carried on throughout the years; since the artist’s Spotify debut in 2016, she has released three full-length albums at have all gotten significant praise. Her debut song, “Bones”, remains a hit on the platform with over 2.2 million streams. Some of her advice for new artists?: “Don’t get in your own way. It can seem daunting at first and extremely scary to put yourself out there in that way but I promise you that it’s always worth it in the end.”A record deal with Warner Music is seemingly just a start for the young artist. We recently spoke to her about the pandemic, new music, and more!
How did you get into making music?
I started writing really silly songs when I was in the 5th grade. I’ve always loved music and when I found how therapeutic writing could be for me it became somewhat of an addiction. Every day after school as soon as I got home I’d go straight to the piano and just write for hours.
How have you been holding up the pandemic? Has your experience affected the way you make music?
I mean, I know I’m not alone in feeling like this has been the worst year of my life. Sometimes I get really annoyed with myself though for even saying that because I am still very fortunate. I have to remind myself how lucky I am to even continue making art during all this. But obviously, mental health doesn’t let up no matter how hard you try to power through it. To top things off, I went through an insanely difficult breakup that I’m just now starting to get a grip on but it has made me feel twice as lonely and sad. I feel like not only do I miss the way that life was, but I am also dealing with the fact that I no longer have someone in my life who used to be one of the most important people to me. Honestly, just a whole lot of emotions wrapped into one cluster ball of every feeling possible. I have tried to not be so hard on myself though. When inspiration strikes, it really strikes. And when it doesn’t, I’m learning to be okay with that. Some days I have so much to say and others I can’t even muster up the energy to even try to get words out. One positive thing is it has forced me to get better at producing my own stuff or at least trying to which has been pretty cool.
Congrats on the new releases, they're fantastic. What was the inspiration for the two tracks?
Thank you so much I really appreciate that! I was in a long-distance relationship for a while and in the first month of lockdown, we both realized it might be a very long time until we were going to be able to see one another again. Nothing really felt like it was in our control and I wanted to capture that in these songs. I had written, “giant bat” back when we were together and then a couple of weeks into quarantine I wrote “sad sad” while we were pushing off the inevitable. It instantly felt like the perfect conclusion to “giant bat” so I thought it was important they came out together.
The music videos are incredibly unique, the work of Anna Hofmann. What was it like collaborating with the animator on this?
She was incredible! I found her on Instagram one day I was doing a deep dive and immediately messaged her asking to collaborate on something. It’s pretty cool that technology allows us to be able to do that. She lives in Frankfurt, Germany. I felt like the songs were sad enough and they needed visuals to be a little lighthearted and fun. I loved getting to gradually see these animations come to life and I’m so beyond happy with how they turned out.
What do you feel is the biggest thing that has changed about your music over the past four years?
The more life I experience and the more I write about it, the more personal it gets. My songs now feel like little pieces of my heart. It’s as if you’re actually peeking inside my mind with no fantasy bullshit. It’s just real and raw in every way possible. I think my perspective shifts all of the time because I am constantly changing so it’s really cool to be able to hear my growth over the years.
What's the perfect occasion to listen to a WENS track?
Late-night drives. My friends have also told me that they put me on their smoking weed playlists so maybe that too haha. Or if you’re in need of a good cry.
If there was one artist you could open up for, who would it be and why?
Lorde because that would mean I’d get to watch her show every night and I absolutely adore her.
What can we catch you up to on your day off?
Pre pandemic on my days off I would go thrift shopping & go to museums. Lately, I like going for walks, going to the beach, watching movies, and cooking or baking.
What advice do you have for new artists that are hesitant to release their first song?
Don’t get in your own way. It can seem daunting at first and extremely scary to put yourself out there in that way but I promise you that it’s always worth it in the end. Also, remember to remind yourself why you’re doing it in the first place. For me, that means to not fixate on how many people are listening to my music because the number isn’t what really matters.
Who do you owe your biggest thanks to?
For sure my family. Without their support, I don’t think I’d be able to do what I do. My sister was the first person to recognize talent in me super early on when I definitely couldn’t see it and has believed in me since day 1.
Any upcoming projects for fans to get excited about?
My first single off my next project is coming out very very soon. Meanwhile, I am in the process of writing my very first album. 2021 will be filled with lots and lots of new music.
