“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 singer-songwriter Jen Wood about the process behind writing for GEMZ’s debut EP, See The Future (out October 22 via Sonic Ritual Records). Alongside former Seattle electronic musician and producer Ted Chen, GEMZ is a California-based dreamy synthpop project the two conceptualized that has nods to the nostalgic pulsating electronic echoes of The Postal Service, for which she lent vocals. This musical project, and more specifically, the making of this EP, has also become a space for them to find a sense of healing from past life experiences in a synergetic, musical collaboration.
In addition to the announcement of the EP today, GEMZ has released an optimistic upbeat indie-pop single, “Cycle Stops With Me,” which follows the release of their debut single “Younger” earlier this year and touches on themes of positively shifting behavioral patterns in all relationships – family, friendships, communities, cultural. Ted says that the initial ideas for “Cycle Stops With Me” came quick- “As soon as I heard the voice memo of Jen singing with the ukulele I could immediately hear in my head how I wanted to produce this song – somewhere along the lines of Lykke Li’s ‘Little Bit’ vibes mixed with the angular groove of a Prince backbeat.”
This project known as GEMZ initially originated from a voice memo of “Younger” that Jen had stored with other song ideas back in 2017 and was kept untouched in “The Vault” until 2022 when she re-invited Ted to peruse her ideas for potential material. After picking back up on the song in 2022, the song and project finally began to take shape and Jen’s excitement grew, saying she was “blown away” and “beyond delighted” with the “magical ideas” he added. Their upcoming EP features five songs (including 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.
Ted says that though this past year has been super challenging , he tries his best to maintain the optimistic viewpoint that “great challenges can inspire great change and transformation.” He mentions 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. 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.”
Jen adds that it was through her own healing process that she learned how much “staying silent and small” is sometimes how some people have learned to survive. “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. “Sometimes the beauty of life can be found in its extreme contrasts, and going through some dark and serious shit can also be a catalyst for lightness, joy and celebration.” Adding, “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.’”