Artist Interview: Wenzday at Nocturnal Wonderland

Interview By: Chris Savoie

Chris: Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me after your set today. To start off, how was the set?

Wenzday: It was amazing! I am so so happy the energy was insane and I love Nocturnal, I am always excited for this one.

C: What is your favorite festival?

W: Oooh, that is a hard one because all the Insomniac festivals are great for their own reasons. I think maybe EDC because it is the biggest. But Nocturnal has a special place in my heart because it was the first Insomniac festival I played, so I love this one.

C: What upcoming festivals are you most excited for?

W: I have Firefly Festival [the last week of September] which is on the east coast in Delaware. I am so excited for this one because I am DJing, but there are a lot of other acts that I want to see. My Chemical Romance, Halsey and so many, I am so excited for that one.

C: I love that you said My Chemical Romance because I love them too.

W: Haha so do I. I am an emo kid who made it.

C: You have a great mix of house and bass in your music, where did you find your inspiration for music?

W: I did musical theater as a kid growing up. I actually went to school as a vocal performance major and thought I was going to be a singer. Then my brother started producing dubstep under Dack Janiels and it totally captivated me, and I was like nope, I want to do that. So I followed in his footsteps and here I am.

C: What has been your favorite release that you’ve done so far?

W: Hmm, my favorite release I think would be the one that came out on Mau5trap last year, “The One.” That was the first time I really sang on one of my tracks. I did sing on “All The Way Home” on Heartbreak House, but that one really tested my voice more. I struggled with vocal notes and actually had surgery to get them removed so that was the first song I was able to sing on post-surgery. So it was a really cool and cathartic moment for me.

C: What teasers can you give us that you have coming up?

W: Teasers… oooh I have another song coming out this month on Mau5trap that I played today and is on the recap for Hard Summer. If you want a little sneak peak of that one go check out the video.

C: What do you like to do outside of music?

W: I am a big nature girl. I like to camp, hike, basically anything that takes me out of my dungeon of a studio, I like to do. Especially living in LA there’s a lot of cool trails, hikes, you can go to the beach, you can go to the mountains. That’s what I like to do, go into nature, turn my phone off and meditate out there.

C: You mention being a nature girl, do you like to surf or snowboard or anything?

W: I am a terrible surfer and terrible snowboarder but I love stand-up paddle boarding. Most times I kinda just lay on it and float, but I love it. My brother got all the board sports genetics and I am just the worst. If I fall one time I am done so I tell people I am a lodge gal, I will hang out in the lodge or cabana. He got the boarding genetics and I got the vibes.

C: What can you tell our readers about you that you would love for them to know?

W: With the Wenzday project, it is a hyperbole of Taylor. It’s the exaggerated version of me, Taylor. I put a lot of emotion in it and it’s a concept project. Heartbreak House was inspired by Romeo and Juliet. There’s a deeper dive into it with all of my love songs and kind of a narrative about love and being star-crossed lovers. You can obviously take it for the party vibes but it’s really cool when you dive deeper to see all the imagery. All of my music videos connect and all my songs connect. There are always words from the previous song in the next one. It’s my way of getting people to follow along with the story.

C: That is awesome. So it is like one big story?

W: Ya! Even the visuals, it’s all like this one big Romeo and Juliet tale. It is fun and keeps me entertained. My managers call it my manifesto and that I’m adding to the saga. Haha, I have been inspired by Baz Luhrmann and directors who really have so many more meanings to their situations and that is what I want for my music.

C: What is your vision for the Wenzday project?

W: I want to inspire young females. I think there is a void in this scene for women. I not only hope to fill that but to also inspire. I remember coming up as a DJ I didn’t really have any female artists to look up to other than maybe Sam Ronson or someone. Now it’s amazing because there are so many females doing it and there is a blueprint if you are looking to get into electronic music. That is really important to me.

C: What inspires you?

W: Love. Being in love, falling out of love, heartbreak all of the things. I think love is something everyone understands and everyone experiences once and it connects us. And it’s fun!

C: You mention wanting to inspire young female artists. What advice can you give female artists or young females in general?

W: Be the best you can be at your craft. I always say the best DJ is the best sound person. Have all your bases covered. Be able to do everything yourself because inevitably someone will question it so don’t give them a reason to. And do it because you love it and nothing else will matter!

C: Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions. All the best with your Wenzday project!