Last week, we were treated to the heavenly vocals and dreamy soundscapes of Trusted You, the latest single from The Wanted Gems.
Tinged with a bittersweet quality and carried by the warmth of ukulele strings, the track saw The Wanted Gems — comprised of identical twins Madison and Micaela — ruminate on a dwindling sense of confidence in one’s partner.
So feverish was our reaction to Trusted You that we simply had to catch up with Madison and Micaela for a deep dive into the track, its genesis, and how exactly it came to be.
Below, The Wanted Gems swing by Happy Mag to chat all things music-making, with a welcome shout out to their favourite Australian musicians.
Read the interview below, and scroll down to listen to Trusted You.
HAPPY: What are you up to today?
THE WANTED GEMS: Today, we’ve had a very busy day! Both of us worked from 8 AM to 4 PM and then went straight to Studio B School of Dance here in Alice Springs, NT, to teach our two weekly Ukulele classes.
After that, we stayed back to begin working and planning our next music video with a few of our friends who are dancers/dance teachers. We have an incredibly exciting project coming up in April.
Currently, we’re uploading our song to DistroKid for the release of our next song on March 2nd. It’s been a very busy day indeed! :)
HAPPY: What inspired your move to Australia?
THE WANTED GEMS: Our family moved here for a job opportunity. Originally, we were only supposed to stay for one year, but now it has been 10!
We absolutely love it here and are incredibly thankful to be part of this community.
HAPPY: How are you finding it in Alice Springs? What’s the music scene like there?
THE WANTED GEMS: Alice Springs is fantastic! The people you meet here are all incredibly humble and supportive. Some might not even think Alice has a music scene, but let me tell you, it does!
There are weekly jams at Jump In every Tuesday, open mics at Epilogue Lounge on Thursdays, open talent nights at The Alice Springs Brewery on Wednesdays, and a handful of musicians performing at venues such as Juicy Rump, Water Tank Cafe, and Yayes Café, among others.
We absolutely adore living in such a musical town. Additionally, there are several festivals that take place here, including the Wide Open Spaces Festival, Desert Song Festival, One Frequency Festival, Desert Festival, and many more.
HAPPY: Are there any Australian musicians or bands that you think more Americans should know about?
THE WANTED GEMS: YESSSS! We absolutely love Australian bands/musicians like Noah Dillon, Kingswood, May-A, The Dreggs, Velvet Trip, Budjerah, Ocean Alley, G-Flip, The Rions, and the list could go on and on.
Australian music is just so fantastic, and all of the festivals in Australia are amazing. We aim to be playing at them soon!
HAPPY: Do you find the fact that you are sisters helpful when making music?
THE WANTED GEMS: Having an identical twin is incredibly helpful. Simply having a best friend to follow your passions and dreams with is a blessing.
The fact that we are both so passionate and determined about the same things obviously helps, but having both of us working at it makes things even easier. We are truly thankful to have each other through both the hard times and the good times.
HAPPY: How do you ensure that you’re playing to each of your strengths when making music?
THE WANTED GEMS: When collaborating and writing songs together, we are very truthful about what works and what doesn’t. Once we understand each other’s vision or expression, the puzzle pieces just come together seamlessly.
Given that we’ve been growing up together for the past 21 years, we can obviously relate to each other a lot and understand what the other has been through.
HAPPY: There’s a bittersweet quality to Trusted You. How did you strike the balance between optimism and a little sadness?
THE WANTED GEMS: This song was written about 4 years ago, in a time of a first relationship. This song was actually written in a loving way and in a feeling of finally trusting someone and loving them and letting them in.
Now, 4 years later, it carries a different sentiment—a feeling of misplaced trust. However, we believe that this evolution is what adds to the beauty of the song, as it can resonate with anyone, regardless of where they are in their relationship or life journey.
HAPPY: How did you achieve that dreamy sound that courses through Trusted You?
THE WANTED GEMS: The help of our nifty ukulele, harmonies and our producers Noah Shilkin and Ethan French. This song has almost an old dreamy Hollywood vibe to it originally and we wanted to keep that going throughout.
HAPPY: Anything else exciting on the horizon that you can tease for us?
THE WANTED GEMS: On March 2nd, the day we open up for The Dreggs in Darwin at Mayberry’s, we will be dropping our 3rd single called ‘Scarf’ and performing it live for the first time. Get ready for some Pop-rock!
HAPPY: What makes you happy?
THE WANTED GEMS: Making music and performing our original songs to an audience is probably what brings us the most happiness! We love to show others that we are out here chasing our dreams, hoping to inspire them to chase their dreams, whatever they may be.
