Wasia Project’s William Gao and Olivia Hardy on chaos, community and creativity

Brother-sister duo Wasia Project share pivotal moments in music and in life. Being creative partners in their experimental indie-pop band, they are close collaborators and know each other’s work inside out. As only siblings can be, Olivia Hardy and William Gao are unflinchingly honest with one another, both within their band and in their lives outside of it.

With a robust community of fans and collaborators surrounding them, the two Croydon-bred musicians write and shape immersive experiences from the studio, before transplanting them right onto the stage. They nurture a special bond with their fans, an ever-growing number of like-minded people.

The pair’s first EP, 2022’s How Can I Pretend?, was defined by its sweet, upbeat strings and catchy melodies. With forthcoming debut album Nocturne, Hardy relishes the idea of sharing a project that can show a greater scale of what the band can be. “I’ve always wanted to put out an album or do an extended body of work,” she tells Rolling Stone UK. “We’re so lucky to have people who are wanting to hear it. We’re happy and grateful.”

The eagerness that she mentions from fans is undeniable. The pair’s recent sold-out gig at 26 Leake Street in London in May, a week before our interview, makes it all even more tangible. Trialling new tracks ‘Whale Call’ and ‘Vogue’ during the show, it is both a celebration of where they are right now and excitement for what’s ahead.

Gao sees this as an ideal position to be in. “We have this community that we’re lucky to have found; it’s so beautiful and tightknit,” he says. “It takes a bit of pressure off. We can share the music with many people, but having this is special, and we feel assured in the community we’ve built for ourselves.”

That community they speak of transcends both their live and online presence, with the band appearing live on Twich, and Gao a keen streamer himself. He says, “I grew up seeing some of my favourite artists stream events on Instagram. It’s an interesting climate we are in, because you feel this massive sense of connection with people online. That is a big part of the community. It’s quite an informal setting, it’s intimate, but at the same time it’s a larger, broader kind of experience.”

Behind their common values and togetherness as a duo is a deep connection to their songwriting and lyrics. Referencing everything from The Beatles and Phoebe Bridgers to Hans Zimmer and Radiohead, their shared background in classical music and love of jazz is fundamental to the music they make as Wasia Project.

Gao, who’s also a successful actor and star of Netflix hit Heartstopper, spent years singing in choirs, and the pair’s traditional training interacts wonderfully and unusually with their more off-the-wall ideas.

This fusion is deeply rooted in the band. Growing up in a stimulating, hectic household with a Chinese mother and a British father, numerous sources of inspiration were there to be consumed. Their parents were open-minded, creating a home with a sense of freedom, where creativity could flourish. “We were making films, making music, running around,” recalls Gao. “There was this amazing space that came about from being able to do things and follow our instincts.”

Having since moved out of the family home, he says the house still has that same energy. “I was so fortunate to have had that environment growing up, because it’s completely formed our creative ethos, and now, our careers,” he smiles.

Hardy agrees that the energy they grew up surrounded by is unique. “The space feels like a sanctuary,” she says. “Our parents are pretty chaotic as people, and we are as a family. Our mum is a busybody; she has got loads of projects going on, always on the go. She’ll think of something and do it.”

As is expected, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. The duo’s approach is one of bringing together a multitude of ideas, pinned by an overarching concept. The live shows magnify that sensation, as sonic fluidity and cinematic texture melt together.

Nocturne shows off this fusion of worlds in striking ways. The album title refers to what they view as the most treasured “creatively flowing” time, when imagination can go wild after dark. “It’s this massive rollercoaster of emotions through the arc of many nights,” explains Hardy of the album’s concept. “Aesthetically and conceptually, it’s really aligned with what our tastes are leaning towards right now, that darker palette with stunning colours and city lights.” The title and accompanying theme, she says, “paired well with a lot of the music we were coming out with.”

In finding a balance of the sweet melodies they introduced on their debut EP with a new, moody darkness, Nocturne is a striking progression for the band. And despite the difference in feeling, the two modes – soft tones and dark grit – still connect with one another, insists Gao. “We’ve gone from focusing on the sweet side of things to the dark. We flipped that with this album, and the same feelings are there,” he says.

In the countless musical acts formed within families over the years, the temptation is to assume everything is easier, that things automatically work more organically between siblings. But Hardy and Gao see it as more complex than that. Being related means there’s a natural harmony and the communication is honest, but it doesn’t remove the intensity of being in a band together and the emotional and physical toll of working, writing and performing.

Some things happen irrespective of biology. “Being very different people is probably where the most disagreement comes from,” says Hardy. “It’s less about being siblings, and more about being people with different interests. The sibling thing feels like a reinforcement and a bonus. It just flows.”

Taken from the August/September issue of Rolling Stone UK, out now. Order your copy here.