Wasia Project makes their LA debut at the Troubadour

West Hollywood, CA - May 15th, 2024

Hundreds of people eagerly waited along Santa Monica Boulevard, wrapped around the block at 6:20pm on Wednesday, May 15th.  Nearly 500 fans would fill the West Hollywood club, knowing what they were about to experience will give a brief escape from reality. At 9:00pm on the dot, Wasia Project officially began their Los Angeles debut.

Olivia Hardy and Will Gao of Wasia Project make their L.A. debut at the Troubadour. Their name, along with opener Frances Whiitney, dons the iconic marquee on Wednesday, May 15th, 2024.

Made up of siblings Olivia Hardy (vocals) and William Gao (keys), Wasia Project’s indie-pop tunes host a sprinkle of jazz influences, and lyrics containing themes of love, loneliness and everyday subconscious feelings.  The British-East Asian duo had recently wrapped up their first U.S. tour experience, opening up for Laufey on The Goddess Tour, and previously sold out a headlining New York show the week prior. Backed by Tom Pacitti (bass), Luca Wades (drums), and Rachel Mazer (saxophone), Wasia Project has made it clear that the stage is where their music really comes to life.

The crowd erupted the moment Will and Olivia took the stage, starting with the high tempo “Petals on the Moon”.  Will had said in a previous interview with Wonderland Magazine, that the song was created for people to dance at live shows -- they were proven successful. Sections of the crowd jumped and sang together during the pre-chorus: “So take me in your spaceship/Throw me up into new places/Blast me into silence/Let your guidance get me through this.” Olivia spinned around on stage with a radiant smile on her face. 

There was a long moment of applause from the audience once “Petals on the Moon” finished, and it was at this point where you could tell the band was soaking up all of the love. The cheers were almost never ending. Every inch of the floor was filled with gleaming faces, all the barstools and balcony seats were taken, and Will and Olivia had these looks on their faces that were just filled with gratitude and surrealness. Despite being far from home, performing in a new city to fresh eyes, this final show of tour would prove to be worth what they worked towards. 

“U Deserve” continued the set into vibes for the rest of the night, as red lighting assisted the soulful tone. Wasia Project’s discography is carried by Olivia’s wispy, yet silky vocals. She has the ability to put the audience under a trance throughout the set’s hour runtime.  One moment you feel like the only person in the room as Olivia is belting the first chorus of “Burning Eyes R Calling”, until you’re snapped awake by the people around you clapping to the song’s increase in tempo during the second chorus. 

Silence held the room still for “Remember When”, an acoustic turned song featuring just straight piano and vocals, despite the original recording featuring a number of strings encompassing the song. Olivia’s deep, raw vocals wrapped around the venue – “When I called on the angels/Could've sworn that I heard you cry/Oh, my darling, I know/But all things must come and go’”

Of the dozens of Troubadour shows I’ve been to, I have never heard the room as quiet as it was during that song.

The crowd snapped out of its silence the moment Will played the beginning note of “Ur So Pretty”. Its needle drop in Netflix’s popular teen-drama Heartstopper, which Will also stars in, is the duo’s most well known song. And in this moment, it was so clear how monumental it was for fans to go from listening to the song on television, to hearing its mushy, sentimental words acoustically just a few feet away.  Looking around, it wasn’t uncommon to see people wiping tears from their eyes.

The set continued slowly with “My Vine” - a cozy love song enlightened with blue and green lighting, fans pulled out their phone flash in the song's outro. While "My Vine” felt like one was walking through a forest, “Is This What Love Is?” gave the feeling of Alice falling down the hole into another dimension. The switch in tone marked the beginning of the end of the set, with flashing lights and ethereal vocalization, the audience was suddenly shifted into hyperdrive. 

Keeping the fast-paced nature going, Will and Olivia decided to surprise the audience. Accompanied by a drum roll from Luca, Wasia Project announced a brand new EP to be released later this year, titled Isotope.

Will then took the center stage with “Misfit Biscuit”, an upbeat jazzy tune about feeling like you don’t belong. There was unity in the familiar feeling of loneliness. “L.A. sing it with me now!” exclaimed Will.  The use of piano and bass intertwined so well together, creating a satisfying composition of excitement. Followed by a fitting, percussion heavy rendition of Estelle’s “American Boy” the energy from the crowd was ready to be let loose. 

I had the chance to speak to fans before doors opened, and an overwhelming amount of people expressed the song they were most excited for was “Impossible” because of videos they had seen online. While the song starts off slow and familiar, until we get a few tsk’s from Luca paired with emphasized piano bringing up the tempo. Anticipation was being built as Olivia pointed the microphone toward the crowd, then suddenly the room shook with hundreds of voices belting “impossible!” 

Olivia encouraged the crowd to “get low” and while it was funny to watch everyone kind of struggle from above, it was easy to get teary eyed at the song's climax. The floor was shaking, lights of all colors reflected on the disco ball. Will had ditched his piano chair, Olivia was jumping around, smiling with her eyes closed, Luca was drumming in his own world, Tom was headbanging dancing across the stage, and Rachel was the cherry on top, tying everyone in with a freeing sax solo.

It was one of those ‘grateful to be alive’ moments, where exhilaration radiated between everyone, and was impossible to miss. In an age where conversations about “show etiquette” have the ability to make people too insecure to dance, “Impossible” was asking for the crowd to unapologetically feel and express that joy without having to care about what people around them think. There was no one standing still in that room.

There are so few shows that you leave feeling like you’ve witnessed something that will be fondly looked back upon. It is undeniable that Wasia Project will continue to headline bigger venues that hold thousands, not only in their recently announced Fall tour, but in years to come.

But none of that could amount to that Wednesday in the middle of May, when Wasia Project undoubtedly added themselves to the list of iconic Los Angeles debut’s to the Troubadour’s emblematic history.