(Reybee) The California-based dreamy synthpop project known as GEMZ was initially conceptualized by singer-songwriter Jen Wood and electronic musician and producer Ted Chen by way of a shared understanding that sometimes the beauty of life can be found in its extreme contrasts and going through some dark and serious sh*t can also be a catalyst for lightness, joy and celebration - a viewpoint that is the main theme for their debut EP, See The Future (out today via Sonic Ritual Recordings). This musical project, and more specifically, the making of this EP, has become a safespace for the longtime friends to find a sense of healing from past life experiences in a synergetic, musical collaboration.
"To be brutally honest, I've gone through a lot of seriously damaging experiences many times over again and I've somehow managed to come through it all stronger and happier than ever," says Jen about the process behind writing for the EP. Ted mentions that even with this last year being challenging for him how being vulnerable with someone in a creative process has been "incredibly empowering" as it can push one to grow more than they could by themselves, "I really learned to let go of my perfectionism and trust the process," he says. "I also learned that sharing your story can also help to empower others. I realized I could hold space for artists to express vulnerable and personal things."
The EP features five songs including their debut single "Younger" (a song that's a metaphor for the healing power of embracing your younger inner child) and its follow up single "Cycle Stops With Me" (which touches on themes of positively shifting behavioral patterns in various relationships) plus three unreleased tracks ("Karma," "Let It Shine," and "Humans") that are statements of empowerment, all of which tackle the human experience of learning, growing and healing from various life difficulties and past traumas.
Jen says that it was through her own healing process that she learned how much "staying silent and small" is a common survival tactic. "I had become really good at keeping myself small, not shining too bright, staying hidden / quiet, running away and even sabotaging my musical journey due to so much fear and anxiety from my past experiences," she says. "Musically collaborating with Ted has also helped me to reveal aspects of myself and my beliefs about this vast universe that I haven't ever shared through my songs before." She hopes that starting a whole new music journey under the GEMZ moniker will allow her to "free herself" from those old mindsets she was stuck in. "I needed to stop using my name for my music and start something completely brand new, a blank slate, so I could give myself a chance at changing myself for the better, dropping the past and the old stories, rising above it all, and then showing the world that I have changed. And now it's time to get to know the new version of me."
Ted chimes in, saying that he hopes listeners ultimately know that it's okay to have whatever emotions and feelings they are experiencing in life. Saying, "It feels like my past, present, and future are all blending into a state of just being, where I've been able to find a sense of inner perspective." For him, the EP reflects that mindset in many ways, "seeing the future / past / present as all in a state of 'nowness' or 'being.'"
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