Wasia Project Releases New Single 'Takes Me Back Home'

Wasia Project, the British musical duo formed by siblings Will Gao and Olivia Hardy, are sharing a new single “Takes Me Back Home.” 

Wasia Project says: “‘Takes Me Back Home’ is essentially a love song about feeling safe and at home with another person. It has also come to reflect much more than that, covering deeper feelings of what it means to belong somewhere, and a yearning to connect with others.”

The new single is the second to be revealed off their highly anticipated new EP, Isotope, due August 29 via AWAL, marking a brand new chapter for the duo. ​​As a project predicated on the unique creative chemistry between siblings, it feels apt that Will and Olivia’s second EP is named Isotope. Two distinct branches of the same tree, as Wasia Project they’ve spent the last five years applying their classical training to wide-eyed jazz-pop, racking up tens of millions of streams, and recently securing U.S. support dates with Laufey and a European arena tour with Tom Odell. Now they’re expanding their horizons even further, pairing their genre-bending pop with an impressive audio-visual concept, which will be unveiled in the coming months.

Formed in 2019, Wasia Project’s mixed British-Asian heritage and classical training have inspired them to have a global approach to pop, which dynamically melds styles and influences that cut across genre lines—and even entire hemispheres of musical tradition. In their songs, bedroom DIY combines with classical intellect, and spiky disco melds with freewheeling jazz, in a merging that’s underpinned by the duo’s deep knowledge of distinct musical styles. The resonance of Olivia’s vocals are comparable to Rickie Lee Jones and Joni Mitchell in richness and maturity, and the band’s melodic complexity and achingly heartfelt lyricism channels the spirit of artists like Mitski, Weyes Blood, and Angel Olsen, who they cite as influences on their sound.  Will is also known for his role as Tao Xu in Netflix LGBTQI+ smash hit drama series “Heartstopper” and the breakout hit “ur so pretty,” a yearningly romantic piano-led ballad which melded the duo’s jazz and pop sensibilities to sublime effect, was featured in the pivotal final scene of the second series season finale, which aired early August 2023.

Wasia Project are hotly tipped in the press and radio landscapes, with highlights including a NME cover and print features in British Vogue, Rolling Stone UK, and more. They were Amazon Music and British GQ’s “Ones To Watch for 2024” and have over 100+ radio plays across Radio 1 and Radio 2, including Jo Whiley’s Record of the Week.

ISOTOPE TRACK LIST:

1. Is This What Love Is?

2. Takes Me Back Home

3. Isotope (interlude)

4. Somebody Come Through 

5. To Get Better

6. Tell Me Lies (fin)

WASIA PROJECT LIVE:

July 12—North Sea Jazz Festival—Rotterdam, Netherlands

July 13—Gent Jazz Festival—Ghent, Belgium

July 14—TRNSMT Festival—Glasgow, UK

July 19—Alexandra Palace—London, UK (Tom Odell support)

August 16—Pukkelpop Festival—Belgium

August 17—Winterthurer Festival—Switzerland

August 18—All Points East Festival—London, UK (w/ Mitski)

September 18—Reeperbahn Festival—Hamburg

September 26—Terminal West—Atlanta, GA (NEW SHOW ADDED)

September 28—Columbia, MD—All Things Go Festival

September 30—New York, NY—Irving Plaza, (2nd NIGHT ADDED)

October 1—Philadelphia, PA—The Foundry (SOLD OUT)

October 3—Washington, DC—Atlantis (SOLD OUT)

October 4—New York, NY—Irving Plaza (SOLD OUT)

October 5—Boston, MA—Brighton Music Hall (SOLD OUT)

October 7—Toronto, ON—Velvet Underground (SOLD OUT)

October 9—Chicago, IL —Lincoln Hall (SOLD OUT)

October 10—Minneapolis, MN—7th Street Entry (SOLD OUT)

October 12—Denver, CO—Globe Hall (SOLD OUT)

October 13—Salt Lake City, UT—Soundwell (VENUE UPGRADE)

October 16—Los Angeles, CA—The Fonda (SOLD OUT)

October 18—Los Angeles, CA—The Fonda (2nd NIGHT ADDED)

October 18—San Francisco, CA—Bimbos 365 Club (SOLD OUT)

October 20—San Francisco, CA—The Independent (SOLD OUT)

Photo credit: Alex Waespi

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