We had a chat and photoshooting with the duo Weslee who combine pop and alternative R&B, that oozes luscious, soulful vocals layered over a mellow groove.
Photography and interview by Christopher Brown
Who is Weslee? Tell us about how you came together.
We are Emma and Josh, Emma is British living in Los Angeles, and Josh is American living in London… confusing, isn´t it?
You both seem to work so well together musically & sonically, how would you describe your relationship?
We’re best friends, you could even say like siblings. (laughs)
What have been some big “moments” that happened since your first release that you didn’t expect? Any notable achievements and/or obstacles that have lead you to where you are today?
Some cool people have supported our music, Annie Mac has championed us since making our first single “Gassed” hottest record in the world. That was a big moment for us!
“We’re best friends, you could even say like siblings.”
Your logo, artwork, and merch all have such a great fun almost cartoon like aesthetic. Who creates the imagery for the band and what is it inspired by?
My friend and super talented artist Alice Skinner does our artwork. We come up with concepts to create our own kind of WESLEE world.
You’ve just release a new single ‘London Love’, what was the writing / production process?
With “London Love” Emma had the idea of writing a song about London and all the neighborhoods. I can’t remember exactly how it went down, but she brought the idea in and then we just started building the track from there and thought it would be fun to have it be sort of funny and uptempo, which doesn’t really sound like anything else we have done. She also had the idea of doing an instrumental hook, or for lack of better term “drop”, which we had also never done before but felt appropriate.
Josh is based in London, but Emma is in LA. How does this cross continental dynamic effect the music you make?
It can be a challenge sometimes, but also a source of inspiration. When we get together, Emma usually has a bunch of notes of random ideas or dreams that she’s had, that usually starts the writing process. We’ve also sent voice notes back and forth and we have even incorporated those into some of the music that is out today.
What are you looking forward for Weslee in 2019 and beyond?
We’ve got lots of new music planned, and we’re shooting a bunch of videos as well as an upcoming headline show! Oops, are we allowed to say that (lol)
We know you like donuts, but what are your top 3 flavors? “A Go to” donut shop in London and LA?
Best donut shop in the world goes to Peter Pan, Greenpoint, Brooklyn and flavor-wise anything classic. No fancy five dollar donuts for us.
