JEREMY ZUCKER, CHELSEA CUTLER RELEASE NEW EP
In 2019, Jeremy Zucker and Chelsea Cutler joined forces for the “Brent” EP, a divine pairing of two friends sharing their personal conversations (set to music) with the rest of the world.
The project was anchored by the Certified Platinum single “you were good to me,” which has grabbed hundreds of millions of streams across all platforms. A lot has happened since then, with Zucker releasing his debut album “love is not dying” and Cutler also with her debut album “How To Be Human.”
What hasn’t changed, however, is the undeniable dynamic when both of them enter a room together to make music. With “brent 2,” these two musical wunderkinds return to their mutually safe space, bringing another personal project that is just as beautiful as it is poignant.
“It was really nice to get together again with Chelsea and do another this time around. We worked really hard to make it so much better than the first one,” Jeremy Zucker said in an exclusive Zoom interview with Music Geek.
“Echoing what Jeremy said, it was an amazing experience and we just looked to build on the first project. We are super proud of what of what we were able to do,” Chelsea Cutler added who joined Zucker in the interview.
“Brent 2” is bannered by the single “this is how you fall in love.” The five-song collection hinges on the inimitable collaboration between Zucker and Cutler. Its next single, “emily,” glides over hushed acoustic guitar as their voices entwine on a vivid recollection. “In Paris you asked me, if I was afraid that we’d fall out of love, would that be okay?”
The two then discuss the mutual concern of parents watching their kids grow up on “parent song.” Meanwhile, Zucker’s solo piano-driven “brooklyn boy” elicits a response from Cutler’s glowing “the stars,” ushering the EP to a confessional and cathartic close.
In the middle of the global pandemic, Zucker and Cutler safely traveled to a cabin in upstate New York — as they had when crafting their platinum single, “you were good to me,” and 2019 fan favorite “brent” — to write, record and produce five new songs that continue the brent story.
“It’s not a narrative continuation. It’s a sentimental continuation,” Zucker said.
Here is the rest of the exclusive interview with American singers, songwriters and producers Jeremy Zucker and Chelsea Cutler.
What makes you click as musicians?
Chelsea Cutler: I think we complement each other very well for our writing styles.
Jeremy Zucker: Definitely, I tend to be more of a methodical, logical, slow but hard worker and Chelsea is very creative and spontaneous. Like very spur of the moment. It's really inspiring to be around and it really helps me. We definitely complement each other in that way.
Can you tell us more about “brent 2” EP, from the challenges to the recording process?
CC: I think the biggest challenge with it was when we wrote the first “brent” project, we didn’t have any expectations. It is surprising to us that it did pretty well. Going into writing “brent 2,” we felt a lot of pressure. That really inhibited us, I think to begin with, until we were able to loosen up and just try to have fun.
JZ: We had to look at each other and be ‘okay, we are doing what we love. We need to stop taking this so seriously’ because when we were taking this so seriously, it wasn’t fun. And when it wasn’t fun, it was hard to make music that we really cared about. So, we really just took off, I guess. I was like ‘listen, we are in such a good place right now. We don’t need to be this last EP. And second, I guess, we really relinquished control on the second. We were like ‘we don’t have to try so hard because in the second we wrote some amazing songs.
Was the pandemic a challenge for you?
JZ: Definitely. I was very hard mentally and emotionally especially in the beginning. But making the project and escaping with Chelsea out of the city to make and to write “brent 2” was just a really fun experience in itself. We feel really lucky to be able to experience that. To really just escape life. Got to pretend like we were not in a pandemic. We took the precautions, we quarantined and got tested. But when we were there, it was just us and we didn’t just have to think about the outside world.
The two of you have had successful debut albums and have amassed critical acclaim. What was your reaction for each other’s successes? CC: I think it’s crazy that both of our albums came out almost a year ago. I think we both come such a long way since we put out our debut albums. I feel like we’re both different and more mature artists. JZ: Well, it feels like we’ve had long and successful careers. To already have an established fan bases, to already have records selling a lot and not even have released our debut album is crazy. It was a big moment for both of us. A lot of people, their debut album is their debut.
How much do you think have you grown musically as a singer/songwriter and producer?
CC: I think we’re in different head spaces than we were a year ago. The content that we’re writing about is a little bit more mature. I do think that people don’t stay in the same place emotionally and mentally forever. It is natural for people to grow and evolve. I think the artistry reflects that.
JZ: Everything I do I wanna do it better than the last thing that I did. Especially with ‘brent 2,’ at the time of my debut album, I was the most proud of it. For ‘brent 2,’ I was like, I need this to be better than everything I’ve done before and I feel like we did it.
Jeremy, in my interview with YOU LAST 2019, YOU DEfiNED MUsic to me as a show of emotion. Do you still feel the same? And Chelsea, what is music to you?
JZ: Yeah, 100 percent. I mean I have definitely changed the way I thought about music a lot over the past year or two. But music is 100 percent emotion. It is the soundtrack to life. It is less of a show of emotion but more like an emotion drug. It is something that gets inside of you and makes you feel something.
CC: Music has always been my biggest outlet. It is the easiest and best way for me to be able to express myself and my emotions. So, in as much as it is an outlet to listen to, for me, the real release and joy comes from writing and creating.
What is your message to your Filipino fans?
JZ: We miss you so much. Can’t wait to come and play a show. We will be there as soon as we can. Chelsea hasn’t been there before.
CC: I’ve never been but I can’t wait to go.