Wasia Project’s new EP Isotope– which drops on August 29- is a full immersion into emotionally driven pop music with touches of jazz and classical while never getting cornered into a specific sound. Intimate singer-songwriter moments, moody electronic beats, and swells of strings are all along for the journey on the duo’s second EP. The last few years have been a time of poignant change for the brother and sister team, both personally and artistically. 

Siblings Olivia Hardy and William Gao are just a tad tired the day after performing in London’s Victoria Park as part of the music festival All Points East. Their jazzy, charming pop music as Wasia Project has been turning heads since they formed the band in 2019, and now the duo is filling out the rest of a hectic year with international performances. 

This year the 19-year-old Olivia and 21-year-old William supported Tom Odell during his UK arena tour in March and April, and then they hopped on tour with Laufey in North America. The whirlwind of the last few years hits while William has also made a name for himself as an actor with a prominent role in the British teen drama series Heartstopper. Despite the commotion of recent success, they’re still chill, open, and ambitious in their vision for Wasia Project. 

Born to an English father and a Chinese mother, the pair grew up in South London listening to an eclectic mix of the old, new, and the very old. They gained an appreciation for the warm sounds of the ’60s and ’70s from their parents, discovered contemporary pop, and built an appreciation for classical musical after years of training. As a child, Olivia spent years playing violin and William played piano. “We’re very blessed to be able to stay that we grew up with such different and contrasting genres,” Willam says, who discovered jazz around the age of 14 from a friend and channeled it directly into Wasia Project.

Even at their young ages, the siblings can reflect on how far they’ve come during the band’s five years. After performing “Misfit Biscuit” at All Points East, William looks at it from a different perspective only four years after the track was released. “It was kind of bewildering,” he says. “I’m not in that situation of how I was feeling when it was written, but I’m kind of looking back at it and kind of soothing that younger version of me or coming from a place of empathy and not feeling it now.”

The anxiety, awkwardness, and constant bombardment of emotions during formative teenage years are usually hidden away in journals or bad poetry, but William and Olivia have it displayed for over a million Spotify listeners. Listening to those earlier reminders of adolescence can be cringy, but they’re also a diary of that time and a reminder of how the siblings have grown over the years. “Every year you change so much. It’s not like you finally found a solid sense of self. In young adulthood, you’re just shapeshifting and trying on different personality outfits and seeing what you like and don’t like,” Olivia states. 

They may have moved on from the feeling in the song, but their young listeners are experiencing many of those emotions right now. When Olivia sees young 14 or 15-year-olds in the audience, she sees parts of herself in them. “When you play it live it does take on a new life of its own,” she remarks. 

Now with more life experiences under their belts, the new EP is a big step forward. Isotope introduces a maturity in songwriting and a bigger, more expansive approach than ever before. Strings, saxophones, and drum machines all find their way onto Isotope. “I think we were very ambitious from the get-go, but I think that ambition was also matched with where we have been in this last year and the growth that we’ve gotten and the experiences we’ve had.” William explains, with Olivia adding that the songs “reflect a bigger chapter of our lives.” 

“In our heads, the intention has always been for it to sound expansive in a way,” Olivia adds, explaining that the access to a studio meant having more instruments and opportunities to conjure the ideas in their heads. They’ve come a long way in the five years since the release of the debut single “Why Don’t U Love Me”- a quiet bedroom pop ballad recorded on GarageBand. 

Olivia’s voice soars on the new EP’s opening track “Is This What Love Is?” as percussion strikes and swells of strings are interlaced throughout the track. “Takes Me Back Home” starts as a subtle piano-driven ballad and then builds into a longing crescendo of strings. The pair experimental with a moodier side for the interlude “Isotope” and end the EP with the beautifully dramatic “Tell Me Lies.”

The siblings are always looking towards what’s next, and the short film accompanying Isotope is a new venture and foundational step for building the visual identity of Wasia Project. Filmed in LA while on tour, the siblings envisioned the short film as a visual journey about a wandering character explored in the EP. They’re assured in their vision, and their visual references included the moody, nighttime neon colors of Wong Kar-Wai films and Paris, Texas. “When it came to the film, we wanted something within the concept of Isotope. And with it being a concept project, we wanted something to kind of… just capture the universe of this character,” William explains, adding that “when you listen to the record and watch it, you really get a sense of this character.”

In the next few years, they hope to make a full-length album. “We really want to roll our sleeves up and dig into the process,” says Olivia, emphasizing the mindset of liking that they’re making in the present instead of worrying about what other people think. They also want to play in bigger venues- with the ability to incorporate dramatic lighting and fully immerse the audience. “Coming from an acting space, theatre and spectacle can really elevate art,” William explains. With a stunning new EP and confidence in their vision as they venture into early adulthood, Olivia Hardy and William Gao will be elevating their art in no time.