WENS is paving the way for a new era of pop music.
Compared to artists like Billie Eilish and Banks, the Southern California native turns an outsider perspective into provocative, poetic and powerful anthems. Kicking off her career in high school, the singer and songwriter independently amassed over 6 million total streams and toured alongside indie darlings, NOW NOW.
After inking a record deal under the newly minted joint venture between R&R and Warner Records, WENS had the chance to show the world who she really is with the release of her debut EP lemoncholy, which she told Celeb Secrets “helped her get through times of growth and discomfort.”
“Lemoncholy is a phase of life years 18-21. I wrote this EP during an incredibly emotionally turbulent period. There were times when I was the saddest I’ve ever been. And there were moments when I had never felt more like myself. Along the way I somewhat realized that’s what it means to gradually come into your own. This transitional period is crucial. All of my friends went to college and I stayed home to pursue my dream and in doing so I really isolated myself,” she says.
“My main goal with lemoncholy was to shed light on the confusion, contradiction and questioning I felt during this phase. I’m still in it actually. When I listen to these songs, I hear a young girl who is so naive and barely scratching the surface of what life actually means. I wanted to focus on all these really intense subjects like social anxiety, pressures of society, loneliness and vulnerability but in the most silly lighthearted way.”
The six-track EP includes previously released tracks “Beauty Queen,” “Rich & Famous” and “Cinderella,” along with the whimsical “Tongue Tied,” which is about meeting a love interest for the first time and having to overcome feelings of anxiety & awkwardness.
“I got to the studio and met the two producers and was instantly word vomiting a whole bunch of random s**t. When I meet new people I either say way too much or can’t get out any words. I kept going into the bathroom to calm myself down and I wrote down in my notes, ‘I’m really bad at first impressions, I never know what to say, cuz I get tongue-tied in the brain.’ I came back into the studio and they had started this weird beat that I felt fit my awkwardness perfectly. I didn’t want the song to feel serious so I flipped the idea on it’s head and made it more about seeing someone you fancy for the first time and wanting to talk to them but not knowing how to. We’ve all been there at some point,” she says.
Celeb Secrets sat down with the budding songstress to learn more about the creative process behind lemoncholy. Keep up with WENS by following her on Instagram at @whateverwens, and let us know what you think of the EP by either leaving a reaction at the bottom of the post or by sending us a tweet at @celebsecrets.
Celeb Secrets: Congratulations on the debut EP! What’s been the biggest difference between putting out an EP rather than a single?
WENS: “Thank you so much! The biggest difference for me is that sharing singles feels like you’re only revealing little pieces of the puzzle, where as once the whole EP is out it feels like the puzzle is complete.”
CS: Can you give us a bit of insight behind the creative process that went into ‘Lemoncholy?’
WENS: “A lot of trial and error. Most of the songs were written a while ago but it took a bit of time to hone in on the sonic elements of them. I wanted the music to feel nostalgic in a modern way.”
CS: What’s your favorite track off the EP and why?
WENS: “It changes depending on the day but usually I go back and forth between ‘After the Party Ends’ & ‘Forest Fire;’ They both just tap into this really honest and open place.”
CS: If there was one thing you wanted fans to take away from listening to ‘Lemoncholy,’ what would it be and why?
WENS: “I would want fans to feel less alone. I hope it can get them through times of growth and discomfort because that’s what it did for me. I also hope it allows them to be vulnerable with themselves and others. That’s a hard thing to do but it’s always worth it.”
CS: What’s a behind the scenes secret from the making of ‘Lemoncholy’ you would like fans to know?
WENS: “The title was an accident. I wrote a song (that didn’t end up on the EP) and went to title it melancholy and I had a slight brain fart and wrote lemoncholy. I stared at the word for a few minutes and was like ‘wow that’s exactly how I’ve been feeling lately’. It instantly made sense to me.”
