photo courtesy of Wxmell
“Cyberpunk sadness.” “Golden hour.” “Sad hardstyle lifting.” These are just a few of the titles of an eclectic group of playlists that feature the artist wsteaway’s music. How can one artist’s work seep into so many different categories? Wsteaway is somewhat of a chameleon, working around the constructs of genre to continually surprise listeners while also developing an unmistakable, unique sound. I sat down with 21-year-old singer-songwriter and producer Tea Wise, otherwise known as wsteaway, to dig into their inspiration for creating music and latest endeavors to grow their blossoming career.
Wsteaway has only begun releasing music this past year and so far, their tracks could not be more different from each other. From the lofi, soothing feel of “Losing Sleep” to the gritty, angsty “Tired, done, over it. It’s Whatever Now” — plus the collaboration with Krishnu on “HAN SOLO ” that crackles with energy — wsteaway has flexed their songwriting chops and shown that they can’t be put in a box. Wsteaway’s music has clearly caught on, as the artist has already amassed 70K monthly listeners, with their most recent single “Losing Sleep” being streamed over 800,000 times on Spotify. The catalyst for this sudden success? A class project.
“I was taking a ‘Streaming Economy and the Music Industry’ class, and the project was either to release a song or find an artist that was releasing a song and show the progress of it — and so I was like ‘Ok, I’ll just release one of my own songs!’” The assignment gave them the final push they needed to share their music publicly. “I’m really grateful, because ever since I started putting out music I’ve had so much more opportunity to work with other artists and meet more creatives — and it’s been super fun.”
A fun fact about the artist: they’re a bit spiritual, another factor that contributed to their first release. “I really wanted to drop [Lonely] on 2/22/22 because my birthday is on April 22nd and I had this spiritual reading that 2022 was going to be my year, and that 22 was my number, and I was like ‘Oh my God, angel numbers!’ I was like, you know what, I might as well just do this.”
While they may have only started releasing music recently, they’re certainly not new to creating music. Their earliest memory of making music was in orchestra. “I remember in middle school, my friends and I made this composition using the rain as inspiration, with these cute little triplet and staccato bits and we would tap on our violas and violins to add sound effects.”
Wsteaway continued to write music all throughout high school and began studying the music industry and cinematic arts at University of Southern California, delving deeper into the world of music and examining it from all angles. Their current knowledge and inspiration comes from a wide variety of places. “My parents always played hip hop and R&B, and I went through an emo phase in middle school where I would listen to Pierce the Veil and My Chemical Romance and now I’m all into hyperpop and EDM. So I think the mix of the orchestra background with all sorts of different genres and artists has really influenced me.” Listening closely to their discography, it’s easy to recognize that this creator has spent time immersed in a variety of genres, as they seamlessly blend the flavors of hyperpop and R&B instrumentation with the lyrics and intensity of emo and hip hop.
Wsteaway’s music has another prominent feature: DIY. Wsteaway produces their own music, something that can be both an obstacle and an opportunity. Much of their music has a gritty, filmy sound, which is half on purpose and half by default. “I’m not great at producing… With “Tired, done, over it….” I wanted it to sound like you’re sitting in a small venue and the mixer didn’t really know what they were doing but the music still sounds good anyways — that was my goal for that song. I’m kind of using the fact that I don’t have the full abilities of production to my advantage to make sounds that seem like they’re supposed to be rough, in a way.” And it works, adding another layer to their music.
Similar to their approach to producing, wsteaway sees their identity as both a hurdle and a path to success. “I used to do artist management, and in so many meetings I would be the only nonbinary, AFAB person in the room and it’s like … I remember when I first started working with professionals I felt afraid to speak my mind, because I was worried I wouldn’t be taken seriously, or like my input wouldn’t be as valued as others’ in the room, and so I really want to just push towards having the confidence to speak my mind.”
“I write, record and produce my own tracks — they’re 100% me — which is significant because there’s not a lot of female or nonbinary producers and singer-songwriters, so it’s actually cool to be a part of that small percentage in the industry sometimes.” Their advice to others experiencing similar struggles is “because there are so few people in that community doing this, it actually makes it easier to carve a path in your own way in the industry. Have confidence in yourself.”
This is something wsteaway is trying to do themselves with their debut album, “indigo forever,” a project in collaboration with hyperpop producer Wxmell to be released in February. Wsteaway is stepping up their game, serving up a host of new tracks that continue to forge a path and display the grit and confidence they’ve been building. The single, “oh ur in my city? ok and?” is set to precede “indigo forever” in early February, and I can tell you you’re in for a treat. The bouncy piece features sour and piercing lyrics that bring a whole new hyperpop dimension to the classic diss track, shattering listener expectations once again.
At the end of our discussion, wsteaway proudly showed off their “shitposting” arm of 18 (and counting!) tattoos, dedicated to random designs that have little to do with each other yet make up a diverse and delightfully quirky mural. I’m always one for a metaphor, so I couldn’t help but think that wsteaway’s burgeoning career, like their shitposting arm, will be a kaleidoscope of vibrant, unique pieces. You can catch up with wsteaway on Instagram (@wste.away), listen to their music on Spotify and of course, stay tuned for the release of “indigo forever” in February 2023.
I love this. So proud of you, Tea!
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