Jeremy Zucker and Chelsea Cutler

After starting 2022 with two highly predictable debut albums, 2022 marks a cozy-yet-triumphant return for frequent collaborators & musical pals Jeremy Zucker & Chelsea Cutler and their new EP, 'brent 2'.

When thinking back on the records that softened the blow of the pandemic, Jeremy Zucker's 'love is not dying' and Chelsea Cutler'southward 'How To Be Human' are two of the albums that stand-out the nearly. There'south a reason why and so many fans of Cutler are fans of Zucker and vice versa; both have been praised for the vulnerability and universality throughout the lyrics, something that many (including myself) leaned on during the low moments of 2020. Many discovered the two songwriters after the release of their 2022 EP, 'brent,' falling in love with the ease in which Cutler & Zucker work together and how seamlessly their voices fit with one another.

Over the summer, the duo carved out a week abroad and headed to upstate New York to piece of work on what would exist the follow-up to their acclaimed & much-loved EP, 'brent'. The sequel in the Zucker/Cutler musical universe is 'brent ii', a 5-rails EP touching on themes of love, longing, and learning how to live life in this quarantine-pandemic.

Over Zoom, 1883 caught up with the ii singers, songwriters, and producers and talked all things 'brent ii', what it's like to watch ane another grow as artists, and why they don't see social media as a marker of success.

It'southward been virtually 2 years since the release of 'brent'. How would you describe how you've grown separately equally artists and songwriters and together as collaborators in that time?

Jeremy: Nosotros've grown so much in both ways. Exercise y'all want to explicate first? [Laughs]

Chelsea: Sure! Yeah, I was listening dorsum to our live functioning 'you were skillful to me' from when we performed the first part of 'brent' back in 2022 and I was comparing it to how we sound for the rehearsals for the live stream. Not to toot my own horn or anything but our voices audio so much more mature. I don't know if that's a weird thing to say about myself, but our vocal control sounds then much improve and but how nosotros sing together sounds even richer than it did before. Sonically, I think we've both fabricated a lot of gains as artists. To speak to my artistry, this twelvemonth I've spent a lot of time thinking well-nigh writing songs — not necessarily to write songs to express emotions and experiences I'm having considering I've been very stagnant and not a lot of personal stuff is happening. I've been learning how to hone in and piece of work on songwriting equally an art class rather than a medium of expression. Jeremy, exercise you feel that fashion?

Jeremy: The outset thing yous said with listening to older performances — I cringe when I watch those at present and they have millions of views! That's what gets me so excited nearly Brett II and the live stream. We've both grown then much as artists, songwriters, and performers. Neither Chelsea and I are classically trained vocalists; we simply came up and taught ourselves how to limited that way. In regards to artistry, I haven't heard y'all explicitly say that Chelsea — I didn't know y'all were focusing more on the artistry itself rather than the expression. That'southward something I struggle with because my ego is tied to my music; it near has to be an expression for me. I'thousand trying to get to where Chelsea is and remove my ego from it and just make great music.

I read your statement on Instagram well-nigh 'brent' being something of an accident that only happened. The squeamish thing about both 'brent' projects is that it never feels like you're trying to replicate what you've done before — you say information technology'due south meant to experience like a warm hug and that's exactly what it'southward like. What was information technology like returning to the earth of 'brent' with the mindset that you were coming together to make something rather than stumbling into it?

Jeremy: It was a wild ride considering our mindset going in was only so excited. Brent came then like shooting fish in a barrel without even actually trying, so we looked at ane some other and said "If we were barely trying terminal time, what else could we do when we really endeavour?" and then we went into information technology. Nosotros psyched ourselves upwards a bit; I was trying and then hard at i point where nosotros had to look at each other and tell one another to stop taking ourselves so seriously. Nosotros had to relax and non try to make this groundbreaking project. As soon as we did that, we started writing astonishing songs. It'southward true when they say as soon as you cease trying, the improve you do….. That's my life motto.

Chelsea: Yeah, information technology's not to say nosotros didn't work remarkably hard on it merely I call up when we initially went into information technology we were feeling the pressure. Brent was a really big success for both of united states of america, not so much for Jeremy because he's astonishing but 'you lot were proficient to me' is my biggest song by 100 meg streams. There was a certain amount of pressure level on us that we placed on ourselves. Going into it, I had thoughts similar "Is this going to be as good? Is it going to be as magical?" because nosotros had no expectations when nosotros wrote that track. When we started to permit go and move freely, songs started flowing and coming together.

Aye, putting pressure on yourself is normal when there'south a sure level you lot want to reach and get fifty-fifty further after something similar 'brent' and 'yous were adept to me.'

Chelsea: Yep, we didn't create annihilation that sounds like 'yous were expert to me' and then If eel like the music is its own entity from the get-go Brent project. I'm proud of us for that.

'brent ii' feels like a natural next pace for you both; it feels a lot more mature when listening to it, as well, so even if you were feeling the pressure level, y'all tin can hear the growth you lot've both had in the two years. It has the same essence of 'brent i'.

Jeremy: It'south wild because that's exactly what we set out to do. Every mean solar day when I wake up and call up about the project, I'm like we did it! We did exactly what we wanted to do! And it came out better than we ever thought it would. Information technology'due south weird because equally musicians, we don't have much control. We have the gifts nosotros were born with and we work every day to exist amend and refine our skills, but at the end of the day, creativity comes from the ether. For me, it comes out of nowhere and sometimes it'due south scary to feel like you don't have control over what you're making.

Chelsea: I get that besides, peculiarly the timing of it. It'due south not unfathomable for me to go a month without writing a song and it's non unfathomable for me to write four or v songs in a calendar week. I was nervous when we carved out a specific week only to write because I was worried it was going to be a time where I wasn't inspired. Sometimes you lot can set the weather condition for everything and information technology doesn't come up. Working on writing equally an fine art grade rather than an expression has helped with that.

Besides the current country of the world, how did you both approach writing and recording brent ii differently than when you worked on 'brent i'?

Jeremy: We tried to practise it a bit more professionally and then we plant out quickly information technology works better when we do it in the near basic way, face-to-face and talking it out and playing instruments.

Chelsea: Our writing process was very similar. Having success writing starts with dabbling effectually the piano or guitar until Jeremy hears something he likes and nosotros tweak things effectually. I don't even know why the mode we write is special but it just works well betwixt the two of us.

The vocal I was most taken ashamed past was 'parent vocal', which is a cute ode to your parents. The lyric "I'k so sorry for the things I do/I hope it doesn't hurt your middle, it's true/Go rest your heed 'cause I still need you lot too" was and so touching and I experience similar a lot of kids eventually feel something similar. What was it similar writing and recording that track?

Jeremy: In a typical Chelsea fashion, I leave the room for 20 minutes and past the fourth dimension I come back she has this amazing vocal written. She played the commencement verse and I call up it was the showtime vocal we wrote after a mean solar day or two of having a block. I started tearing upwardly every bit she'southward singing and we wrote the rest of it together.

Chelsea: Information technology comes from a place when you're in your 20s and I just turned 24 and I'thousand hitting my quarter-life crisis.

Jeremy: I'm turning 25! That'south fucked up!

Chelsea: It's this transition catamenia in a person's life because your role equally a child and parent are evolving a chip. It'due south learning how to suit to that. It must be hard for our parents who take children like us, who have careers where you're more exposed in the public center and things happen so fast. My parents are so loving and protective and I know information technology's difficult sometimes for them, and so that's where that vocal was coming from. Roles are changing as we go older.

'brooklyn boy' and 'the stars' were written and sung by you both separately, but the lyric "Practice you remember the stars wish on us?/'Crusade I call up they do" ties them together in a way. Was that intentional?

Jeremy: It was the most random coincidence.

I was wondering if they connected! You wrote them separately just I needed to know if they were meant to take that specific word to tie them together for the EP.

Jeremy: No, non at all. Chelsea wrote hers completely on her own and I wrote mine on my own, too. I didn't fifty-fifty realize the significance of information technology until it came out and people were talking about usa talking virtually stars. [laughs]

Chelsea: I didn't think well-nigh it either until interviews and y'all were explaining the vocalisation memo and I idea what a weird coincidence.

It shows that you were in like mindsets which is cool. You're pulling at similar ideas even when you're working separately in a collaborative project. Are you lot guys ever hesitant to release music that is personal to you?

Chelsea: I wasn't scared to put that out because I very infrequently put out happy dear songs! I'm scared when I'm putting out these really specific horrible songs nearly intermission-ups or mental health struggles. I'm happy to put out a song that's letting people know I'thousand okay!

Yep, I saw on Twitter you posted about letting people know non to be shocked when you release a happy album one day!

Chelsea: I wonder all the time! You lot hear "Oh I like the old Taylor Swift amend" and stuff like that, and so I worry about it. It's crazy to think artists are going to be in the same headspace forever. I'g curious to see how people are going to respond to newer music. I was using songwriting every bit an expressive outlet before whereas at present I'm writing songs for the sake of writing songs. I'm in a actually good headspace and I love being able to explore it as an art form.

Speaking of debut albums: you both released your albums terminal year—Dear Is Not Dying and How To Be Human. When I think well-nigh the music I listened to during the first of lockdown, I recall about those two records. In particular, I remember going on my pandemic walks and listening to 'lakehouse' and the rail 'How To Be Human" on echo. How does information technology feel to be giving people some other trunk of work to assist condolement them after 2020?

Jeremy: The more than music I'thousand proud of that I can release during this time, the happier I am. Information technology's all we can do; we tin't tour or do annihilation like that. This live stream that we're doing is the closest we can get to that right now. The fulfilling office of being an artist for me is being able to have the time to make these songs and the other half is releasing them and seeing what people are saying nearly them. Going on bout and having all these experiences and connecting with fans and seeing their reactions in front of you… nothing else feels amend than that. When yous don't have that other half, information technology becomes hard to keep writing. It feels unfinished until you go and bout the music and experience it with other people.

Chelsea: I really experience disconnected from music and the fans when I'm not touring.

Yeah, and I experience like unless you're on social media all the fourth dimension you don't know how your fans are responding to things.

Chelsea: And that's all intangible. Our brains are non programmed or capable of processing all of what we read on social media. Nosotros must come across thousands of comments and tweets a day.

Jeremy: The style we measure our success online is engagement and numbers and quantity. It's dissimilar when y'all're in person. It'southward all nearly how the room feels and how many people are packed in. What was the look on their faces? How loud were they? How many of them were smiling, how many of them were screaming?

Chelsea: The see and greets, too. Talking to people and hearing their stories! We miss it a lot.

I experience like the two of you could be the music version of Kate and Leo — I recollect you'll be making music together, in some chapters, forever. Where do you promise this collaborative partnership takes you lot in the futurity?

Jeremy: We are already both incredibly successful in our ways, but I would beloved to do a Brent tour. Nosotros each have our own fix and at the end, we perform together.

Chelsea: This very stripped-dorsum beautiful cozy intimate testify. I hope we just keep working together for a long time.

Jeremy: Yeah, that'd be sick.

Listen to 'brent ii' by Jeremy Zucker & Chelsea Cutler now!

Interview past Kelsey Barnes
Photography past Stefan Kohli

brinkleyrect2002.blogspot.com

Source: https://1883magazine.com/jeremy-zucker-and-chelsea-cutler/

Share this post