Wasia Project, the alt-pop musical duo formed by siblings Will Gao and Olivia Hardy, have released new single “Whale Call”, a soaring, deeply intimate ballad that meditates on lost love, memory, and the self left behind. The track marks the latest preview of the duo’s highly anticipated debut album, ‘Nocturne’, set for release on September 18th via AWAL Recordings. F
One of the album’s most emotionally arresting moments, “Whale Call” was formed from fragments of a voice memo Olivia recorded when she was just fifteen, particularly the line, “I’ve spent a while / Looking up at the moon”. Written years later in isolation inside a freezing church, the galactic ballad became a real-time processing of a pivotal experience that shaped her. A lament for a lost lover or perhaps a younger, more impressionable version of herself, “Whale Call” slowly unfurls into a hymn-like crescendo, its closing moments soaring skywards like the whale call of its title, releasing emotions long held beneath the surface. The track follows previous album singles “2515” and “Bleeding Gold”, which have already amassed over 3 million combined streams, steadily built anticipation for ‘Nocturne’ while offering a compelling introduction to the album’s expansive, cinematic sonic world.
Wasia Project – “Whale Call” (Official Lyric Video)
“A lament exploring the loneliness of watching someone you care about seem closer to someone else, and trying to reach out or reconnect with them, but simultaneously finding pain in the connection itself. It’s a reflection of sitting in the midst of the two, and the quiet spiral of distance from yourself that both feelings can evoke.”
Coinciding with its release, “Whale Call” also features in Netflix’s new feature film ‘Heartstopper Forever’, directed by Wash Westmoreland and written by Alice Oseman. Starring Joe Locke and Kit Connor alongside Wasia Project’s own Will Gao, the film serves as the feature-length conclusion to Netflix’s acclaimed LGBTQI+ coming-of-age series, ‘Heartstopper’. The placement continues Wasia Project’s longstanding connection with the ‘Heartstopper’ universe, following the inclusion of fan favourites “ur so pretty” and “My Vine” across the hit series.
The track has become a key part of Wasia Project’s live set over the past few months, as the duo’s touring activity continues to deepen their connection with a growing legion of loyal fans. They debuted new music live for the very first time to a rapturous response during a run of sold-out intimate piano shows across Asia, including the Philippines and Hong Kong, with additional dates added due to popular demand. They have also announced their most extensive headline UK and Europe tour to date, commencing in Autumn 2026.
With ‘Nocturne’, Wasia Project chart a new hinterland. Turning coming-of-age angst into catharsis, the debut album unfolds as a 12-track kinetic journey steeped in the lore of the night, moving between twilight introspection and the euphoric embrace of the dancefloor where bodies commune and coexist.
‘Nocturne’ is the voice of youth in flux, both immediate and reflective. It captures the residual haze of the post-COVID years, examining distance, isolation and fractured connection within a disillusioned generation suspended between physical and digital worlds. In response, the duo embrace a darker, grittier and more nocturnal sonic palette, stepping away from the lightness of their earlier work in favour of something more textured, immersive and emotionally charged. Transmuting their classical foundations through the lens of club-adjacent dance music, cinematic piano-pop balladry, modern soul and atmospheric electronica, they arrive at a sound that is at once deeply intimate and expansively cinematic.
Formed in 2019, Wasia Project’s mixed British-Chinese heritage and classical background drive a global approach to pop that cuts across musical traditions and hemispheres. Their reach has expanded rapidly, amassing over 200M streams across their catalogue and peaking at 2.4M monthly Spotify listeners.
The duo’s 2022 debut EP ‘how can I pretend?’ featured their breakout hit “ur so pretty”, and was followed by a series of dewy-eyed standalone singles such as live-favourite “Petals on the Moon”. They gestured at a cooler sonic palette on transitional EP ‘Isotope’, released in 2024 and accompanied by a beautiful short film. Their 2024 UK headline tour sold out within minutes, while their debut US run saw them support two-time GRAMMY Award winner Laufey across 13 dates. That same year, they also supported BRITs Critics’ Choice Award winner Tom Odell across 18 European dates. The duo has also made notable festival appearances at All Points East and Lollapalooza Germany. Widely championed by leading publications including British Vogue, The Guardian, NPR, GQ, DIY, and Rolling Stone, Wasia Project have also graced the covers of NME, BRICKS, Dork, and Notion.
With ‘Nocturne’, Wasia Project continues to dissolve the boundaries between genres and emotional states, crafting music that feels both deeply personal and collectively resonant. The album marks the beginning of a new creative chapter for the duo, where the interplay of stillness and euphoria, solitude and unity, defines their sonic landscape. ‘Nocturne’ is more than just an album, it’s a journey through the complexities of youth, identity, and the ever-shifting space between the digital and the real.
