Meet Wasia Project, a genre-shattering duo consisting of multi-talented siblings Olivia Hardy and Will Gao. Following a string of attention-grabbing singles — including Ur So Pretty, used to soundtrack the Netflix hit Heartstopper, in which Gao starred as Tao Xu — the band have now taken a major leap forward with their debut album, Nocturne. Their recent appearance on Jools Holland showcased new music that melds classical and club sounds in a style that feels both weighty and euphoric.
“Connection and disconnection,” Hardy says of the record’s themes. “The liminal space when you’re young of leaving home and figuring out what’s next, first loves and the push and pull with people. It’s intense.”
And yet the album didn’t have an easy gestation when it was recorded last year. Hardy is the ruthless editor of the pair — she calls herself “the killer of dreams” — and wanted the songs to be perfectly constructed, while Gao wished to be more explorative. Things shifted that summer when Gao took a break in Berlin and immersed himself in the dance scene. “I really got into the heavier techno music and found myself feeling the same feelings brought out for me when listening to classical music, but from a completely different sonic palette,” he says.
“I’d been hammering home that the crowd has to sing every word to every song. He would fight back. Then he went to this Oasis gig and was like, ‘I get it’”
Olivia Hardy
Yet Gao also had “a massive Oasis moment” after going to one of the band’s reunion shows last year. “I came into the studio in a bucket hat,” he says. This made him finally take note of Hardy’s point of view.
“I’d been hammering home that we need to make 12 bangers, the crowd has to sing every word to every song. He would just constantly fight back,” Hardy sighs. “Then he went to this Oasis gig and was like, ‘I get it’.”
The young pair — Gao is 23, Hardy 21 — are from South Croydon, and their Chinese mother and English father steered them into classical training. “Our household was very disciplined,” says Gao. “Our mum was quite pushy with us. But then we moved to the nicer end of Croydon and home started to become a really open space for friends.”
The pair soon fell into writing music together. All the while, Gao’s burgeoning acting career was kicking off during what he calls “an amazing transitionary period, four years bouncing between film sets and touring and Olivia bouncing from school. But this album marks a new chapter”.
Given the Oasis connection, what of sibling rivalry? “I mean, we’re very different people, but that very much aids the collaboration,” says Gao. “It’s like two worlds colliding.”
Hardy adds: “We can be brutally honest with each other. Professionally speaking, it’s amazing.”
Wasia Project’s album Nocturne is out on September 18. Heartstopper Forever is released on Netflix on July 17
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