GEMZ is a new dreamy synthpop project that Palm Springs, CA based singer-songwriter Jen Wood alongside former Seattle electronic musician Ted Chen (now based in Sebastopol, CA) conceptualized that has nods to the nostalgic pulsating electronic echoes of The Postal Service for which Jen lent vocals.
“Younger” is the duo’s first proper single release and Ted says even though the initial ideas came pretty quickly, the process to final production took time to mature, shift and evolve: “in many ways mirroring our own lives, and in that way, it has been a beautiful and honest reflection of GEMZ.”
Originating as a voice memo that she stored with other song ideas back in 2017, “Younger” was kept untouched in “The Vault” until 2022 when she re-invited Ted to peruse her ideas for potential material. “When I listened to Jen’s voice memo of ‘Younger’ for the first time [in 2017], I could practically hear its final production,” he lauds. “The lyrics and melody inspired such a vivid image and energy in my mind. I wanted to evoke a space that felt like an infinite loop, with sounds and textures appearing in and out from the edges – like, what would happen if you were listening to this song while time traveling.” After picking back up on the song in 2022, it finally began to take shape and Jen’s excitement grew, saying she was “blown away” and “beyond delighted” with the “magical ideas” he added to her little gem of a song. “This was a slow process of Ted and me building this song out, bit by bit, with thoughtfulness, love, and attention towards cultivating the sincerest, most epic, energetic signature. Taking our time to grow this song was a beautiful process and I really hope that people who hear it will truly enjoy the experience.”
As a solo artist, Jen has put out nine indie releases between 1993 and 2014, while taking a short diversion in 2003 to join The Postal Service as guest vocalist on its debut album Give Up (she dueted with Ben Gibbard on “Nothing Better” and provided backing vocals on “Such Great Heights”) and also performed with them at select live shows.
Ted Chen has been a part of a range of Seattle-based indie projects including an electro-pop band he started with his sister called CMYK (a.k.a. The Long Ranger) from 2004 – 2010 who became a go-to opener for many of their indie music heroes that toured through the city like The Go! Team, Jamie Lidell, Digitalism, Tegan and Sara, and Ghostland Observatory, to name a few. In 2004, he was signed to Delicious Label with indie rock band The Stereo Future.
What first got you into music?
Jen Wood: It was my family… They were classical musicians, but the chill hippy 1970’s kind of classical cool cats. So, I have been fully immersed in music since the day I arrived here on this planet! I grew up in the orchestra pit and apparently as a toddler I waddled around on stage trying to conduct the orchestra. My family listened to everything from Classical to The Beatles to Motown and Folk. Music was a big part of my upbringing, but I actually didn’t truly get into playing or learning an instrument until I was around 12 years old.
Ted Chen: Honestly, Bon Jovi’s “Livin on a Prayer”? My parents signed me up for piano and violin when I was six. I was crap at the violin, but I stuck with the piano and ended up being a pretty mediocre student for several years when I discovered the electric guitar and became a mediocre guitar student for several more years. The first time I realized I might be able to do something with this music thing was around 15 or 16 when I heard Dave Brubeck’s “Take Five ” on an old Infiniti commercial and tapped it out with the solo by memory on piano. It was in the wrong key, but I remember having so much fun doing it!
When did you start writing music?
Jen Wood: I was 14 when I wrote my first song, called Erika and it ended up being a Tattle Tale song. Which was my first band that I started with Madigan Shive (Bonfire Madigan) when I was 15.
Who inspired you to make music?
Jen Wood: I think The Cure was the first band that really inspired me to make my own music. I was around 12 yrs old and started my first band with a couple of friends. At that time, I was just singing and hadn’t learned how to play an instrument yet. To this day The Cure is still one of my all-time top favorite bands ever!! I also was totally obsessed with Jimi Hendrix before I started playing guitar, so I’m sure his music subconsciously inspired me to pick up a guitar … but that didn’t happen until I was 14.
Ted Chen: Kinda embarrassing but the first time I was ever inspired to write an original song was because of a crush. I modeled it after the OG ballad crooners Richard Marx and Bryan Adams (Robinhood?). I can still remember the melody and lyrics (eek).
How would you describe the music that you typically create?
Jen Wood: As of the last few years, it’s typically been anything electronic dreamy dance synth pop.
Ted Chen: Yeah, definitely electronic dreamy dance pop. I’m always chasing after the feeling of when you’re on a dance floor and losing yourself to the beat – a happy / sad cathartic release of things in your life. Like we get to feel all our feelings, but we still get to dance our asses off too!
What do you enjoy most about being an artist?
Jen Wood: Creating songs and singing is both healing and therapeutic for me and for my listeners, simultaneously! That I am being of service in some way to help people.
Ted Chen: Creating anything is pretty awesome – we get to make something when the moment right before there was nothing. How incredible is that?! The cool thing is that all of us have that ability, it’s not just exclusive to artists. But really, I’m so grateful to be able to do this and share it with people.
What is your creative process like?
Jen Wood: I just started improvising and playing on an instrument, either piano, guitar or ukulele and I try to let myself be a channel to have music and words flow through me… The less I think, the better so that I can write in a very open and creative way… From there, once I create the beginning of an idea, I like I will then start to build it out and work on the song arrangement and lyrics. Usually, I feel the impulse to write a song when I’m going through something emotional … Music is the way in which my spirit/mind needs to process it and work through it all. Songwriting is a form of alchemy. There’s a brilliant quote I found from Carl Jung: “The skill and process of learning an instrument (or music production) parallels the process of individuation in many ways. Therefore, when music is used as a medium for inner transformation, it becomes alchemy, and the suffering of the music maker is transmuted into inner gold” — Carl Jung
Ted Chen: It can start from anything, a beat, a sample or acapella, a chord progression on a piano, a synth patch that hits right. Working with Jen, a lot comes from her voice memos and sketches. I start with those and see if there are parts I can deconstruct to create a vibe or loop that captures the energy in the song. And we build from there.
Who would you most like to collaborate with?
Jen Wood:
Billie Eilish
Joji
Frank Ocean
Robert Smith (The Cure)
Fred Agaaaaaain
Rick Rubin
Bon Iver
Phoebe Bridgers
Thom Yorke
Peter Gabriel
Tokimonsta
Robyn
Ted Chen:
Nils Frahm
Brian Eno
Dev Hynes
(everyone on Jen’s list too!)
If you could go open a show for any artist who would it be?
Jen Wood & Ted Chen:
Robyn
Billie Eilish
Frank Ocean
Joji
Everything But The Girl
What is one message you would give to your fans?
Jen Wood: You are not alone. I know this life is so hard and so painful, but we can get through it together with the help of music and our friends. Music is therapy and can heal you. I know what it’s like to be an “outsider” …. To not fit in and feel like an “other”, and I want our fans to know that what makes you “different” and feel like an outsider is actually your special gift, it’s your superpower. Be weird. Weird is cool. Being “normal” isn’t real and makes people so unhappy. Embrace who you truly are! The GEMZ grander plan and mission for what we’re creating is to just help people feel better however we can through the energy of love and light that exists within our songs. We also strongly believe in inclusivity! We want to help create a community which is LGBTQ+ and BIPOC friendly… so we welcome all of you with big open arms!
Ted Chen: Everything Jen said! Being a human is sometimes so hard and sometimes so amazing and sometimes both at once! We’re here for all of it and we hope to share our experiences with you in a way that resonates and empowers you to feel ALL the things and dance while doing it!
What would you be doing right now if it weren’t for your music career?
Jen Wood: Well, I’m actually a full time music teacher + artist coach, and I run my own virtual online teaching business. I have students all across the U.S and even one in Japan! I love being a teacher very much.
What is the best advice you’ve been given?
Jen Wood: Before you make a big, important decision, think of YOURSELF 10 times first.
If we were to look at the artists you are listening to, who would be on your playlist?
Jen Wood: I go through phases of what I listen to but lately it’s been:
741 Hz Solfeggio Frequencies
628 Hz Solfeggio Frequencies
Joji
The Weekend
Billie Eilish
Fred Again
Mallrat
Nina Nesbitt
Selena Gomez
Tove Lo
Ted Chen: I got playlists on playlists, so it really depends. I’ve been listening to a lot of neo-psych lately which kinda makes sense because it fits so well with getting lost on the winding country back roads of Sonoma. But I’m always searching and have a few standbys on repeat as well so it kinda varies:
Amen Dunes
Cornelia Marr
Kenny Beats
Mustafa
NEIL FRANCES
Overmono
Portraits Of Tracy
Slowdive
SZA
Teebs
What are your musical plans for the next 12 months or so?
Jen Wood: An EP is on its way soon and we’re working on a full length album! I also think an album release party show will be in our future as well.
Ted Chen: Definitely planning to share more songs this year! We have a few in the works already but the process has been pretty freeing because we’re creating without a specific plan and letting the energy direct us and shape the songs as we go.
What is the most useless talent you have?
Ted Chen: I used to possess this supernatural skill to be able to find names in a phone book or directory. Just give me a name and I would open to the right page like 80% of the time and was able to find the name super quickly if I wasn’t on the right page. I can’t remember the last time I saw a phonebook so I would say this is pretty useless nowadays.
Jen Wood: I am a pretty good warble whistler! Apparently my mom’s side of the family could all whistle really well hahah!
You are a new addition to a crayon box. What colour would you be and why?
Ted Chen: One of those fun and obnoxious rainbow crayons that changes colors as you use it because I have a lot of ideas and get inspired by so many things all the time. So you might meet me one day and then the next, my opinions and interests might have completely changed.
Jen Wood: Silver Glitter! Because it reminds me of the stars, stardust and the galaxies.
What was the last TV series you watched on TV?
Ted Chen: We’ve been holding off but my wife and I finally got around to finishing the last season of Ted Lasso.
Jen Wood: Selling Sunset and Love Is Blind… terribly addicting shows! And an animé, My Happy Marriage.
If you were a member of the Spice Girls, what would your spice handle be?
Ted Chen: Would Taiwanese Five Spice Pork with Rice work?
What makes you nostalgic?
Ted Chen: So many things! For sure anything Japan-related reminds me of touring and recording there with my old band, The Stereo Future. It was a long LONG time ago but I have many fond memories there and had no idea how precious and amazing of an experience it was at the time. We used to go to this neighborhood bar that was placed in the middle of a quiet residential neighborhood 3 or 4 turns down a side street. I forget the name but we called it Candle Bar because the owner would gift these homemade candles to the regulars. Over the course of the next month it became our hang after recording sessions or in between legs of our tour. My Japanese was pretty shit but it was amazing how a bottle of shochu could bridge a language gap with complete strangers. I remember on our last night in town the owner gave each of us a candle and we were so stoked and honored.
If you could learn any language fluently what would it be?
Ted Chen: I was born in Taiwan but moved to the US when I was three. From a young age I was forced to attend Chinese school on Sundays. When all my other friends were riding bikes or playing video games, I was trapped in a stuffy Southern Baptist church classroom with no AC memorizing Chinese characters and practicing my grammar by reciting Taoist proverbs. I remember hating those classes as a kid, but looking back I wish I would have paid more attention. I know enough Mandarin to fumble my way around Taiwan and order a decent meal, but all of my extended family is back there and wish I could connect with them more.
Jen Wood: Spanish! I live in California and I think everyone here should really be as fluent as possible. My second choice would be Italian. Honestly I love languages and wish I could be fluent in several!
What’s your favourite children’s story?
Jen Wood: Pippi Longstocking. The Rainbow Goblins. Dr. Seuss.
If you were talking to a younger version of you, what advice would you give yourself?
Ted Chen: Be so SO grateful for the people you meet and all the encounters along the way, you have no idea how amazing this all is 😀
“The title and lyrics of ‘Younger’ are a metaphor for healing,” says Palm Springs, CA based singer-songwriter Jen Wood. “By healing and undoing damage, you are returning to your younger inner child,” she adds. Alongside former Seattle electronic musician Ted Chen (now based in Sebastopol, CA), GEMZ is a new dreamy synthpop project the two conceptualized that has nods to the nostalgic pulsating electronic echoes of The Postal Service for which she lent vocals. “Younger” is the duo’s first proper single release and Chen says even though the initial ideas came pretty quickly, the process to final production took time to mature, shift and evolve: “in many ways mirroring our own lives, and in that way, it has been a beautiful and honest reflection of GEMZ.”
Jen Wood’s web/socials: Instagram / Facebook / Bandcamp
Ted Chen’s web/socials: Instagram
