As SHAED nears 2 BILLION streams worldwide, the Multi-Platinum DC trio has released their anthemic new single ‘NO OTHER WAY’ |We Talk Chart success & Ethical Fashion
New York, NY – October 16th, 2020 – As SHAED nears 2 BILLION streams worldwide, the Multi-Platinum DC trio has released their anthemic new single “No Other Way” today via Photo Finish Records (STREAM HERE). Produced by the band and 2x GRAMMY Award-winning producer Ariel Rechtshaid (HAIM, Vampire Weekend, Adele, Carly Rae Jepsen), “No Other Way” is the highly anticipated follow-up to SHAED’s global breakout hit “Trampoline,” and the first song to be shared from their long-awaited debut album, due out on April 16th, 2021.
SHAED – Chelsea Lee, her husband Spencer Ernst, and his twin brother Max Ernst – had big plans for 2020. The band was set to continue building on the momentum of “Trampoline” with international tours and festival dates, but as with many artists, the pandemic changed everything. For the first time in years SHAED had the opportunity to slow down, refocus themselves as artists, and put down their roots at home. Through deep introspection in a vulnerable time, the trio discovered a wealth of strength and creativity that inspired “No Other Way” and paved the way for their forthcoming debut LP.
In late 2018, SHAED was catapulted onto an unstoppable trajectory after the release of their EP Melt coincided with a formidable synch with Apple featuring “Trampoline.” “Trampoline” quickly resonated with audiences globally, embodying the feeling of fearlessness and boundlessness that led it to a multi-week reign at #1 on Alternative Radio while simultaneously climbing to #13 on Billboard’s Hot 100 and #4 at TOP 40. Debut national television performances followed as SHAED appeared on Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve, Good Morning America, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Late Late Show with James Corden, and Late Night with Seth Meyers, all the while continuing to sell out multiple headlining tours and grace festival stages across the world from Lollapalooza to Summer Sonic Japan to Governors Ball to Corona Capital.
In the midst of a whirlwind year, SHAED reached out to pop sensation ZAYN who loved “Trampoline” and lent his vocal to a special version of the track and later teamed up with GRAMMY-nominated DJ/Producer Steve Aoki, who recruited the trio & Sting for his 2020 single “2 In A Million.” The band’s unique alt-pop soundscape has led to features with Billboard, Rolling Stone, Vogue, The New York Times, Interview Magazine, NYLON, USA Today, and The Washington Post and syncs with the NFL, Victoria’s Secret, Grey’s Anatomy (ABC), and most recently EA Sport’s NBA 2K21.
SHAED’s new single “No Other Way” is out today and can be streamed HERE via your preferred DSP. The song impacts at radio this week and the band’s debut LP is due out April 16th, 2021 via Photo Finish Records. Stay tuned to www.shaedband.com for all up-to-date information on new music and keep your eyes peeled for an official music video in the very near future.
Thank you for joining us and congratulations on your success so far from your EP ‘MELT’ as SHAED approach 2 billion streams, for those not yet familiar with your music what can they expect from your upcoming LP?
We had an entire album’s worth of music in February, bits and pieces of writing sessions throughout the years, and when COVID hit we decided to scrap it all and start fresh. We tried to capture all the anxieties and emotions we were feeling, and continue to feel, and put them into a collection of songs. This album is the purest expression of what we’ve experienced throughout this pandemic.
Your New Single “No Other Way” has a proper feel-good vibe! Produced by 2X GRAMMY Award-Winner Ariel Rechtshaid what was it like working with such a talent and how did this collaboration come about?
We loved working with Ariel. He has great instincts. After listening to the song, he suggested raising the tempo of the track, which immediately gave the song more bounce. We were big fans of his work, especially with Vampire Weekend. We skyped with him for about an hour, just shooting the shit, and loved his approach to producing tunes. At the end of the day, we both just wanted to do what’s best for the music, and explore many sounds / feels before choosing which direction to go.
We all know you from the song 'Trampoline', which held a multi-week reign at #1 on Alternative Radio in the States, while simultaneously climbing to #13 on Billboard’s Hot 100 - which also then led to a release of the track featuring ZAYN! We think it’s safe to say your new track is also a banger! What doors have ‘Trampoline’s’ success opened for the band since the hype?
Trampoline is the song that launched us into the next dimension. We will forever be grateful for everything this song has done for us. It has opened so many doors - we’ve been able to travel the world, play venues and festivals we have only dreamed of, work with people we never thought possible.
How has the Covid outbreak and resulting lockdown affected the band e.g. music, mental health, living situation, isolation effects etc?
When the lockdown first began we were a bit paralyzed. There was pressure from all sides to write music after scrapping everything but we were having a difficult time being creative. Anxiety and uncertainty ruled our world in the beginning and after playing hours of Mario cart and eating our weight in cheese balls we had an “ah-ha” moment - we got back in the groove of things again and started trying to write every day. Mentally and emotionally we are still struggling a bit, every day we’re focusing on what we can control. But we are in a way better place than we were in March.
With lyrics like “We could die a million ways, but we’re alive another day” there seems to be an appreciation for life, This particular song was written during the lockdown, do you think it has given you an appreciation of life before Covid? What are you most looking forward to once life gets back to normal?
It is no secret that I (Chelsea) struggle with a paralyzing fear of dying... so we wrote No Other Way to remind ourselves to appreciate every second of life, especially during this extremely uncertain time. We definitely miss the way things were before - going out with friends, seeing movies, hugging grandma, but again we’re thankful that we’re safe and healthy. We’re most looking forward to big family gatherings :)
Chelsea, your new short haircut looks cool, it suits you! A lot of people resorted to cutting their own hair in lockdown is the new look a result of this trend?
Honestly, I’ve been wanting to cut my hair short for years but didn’t think I could pull it off. My mom rocked short hair for a while and she looked so fabulous, I wanted to be just like her. I think I’ve found myself during this pandemic - I am more confident than I’ve ever been and it just felt like the perfect time to snip snip. I am definitely keeping this hair for a longgggggg time. It’s my favourite so far.
Last year you talked about being nervous at first when playing larger gigs, did you get used to playing large gigs? Do you think returning to performing at large venues will take some getting used to after this break, and which atmosphere do you prefer the buzz of a large crowd or the intimacy of a small venue?
Someone once told us that when you stop being nervous, you stop caring about what you’re doing so now we really try to embrace the nervousness we feel before shows. I miss that feeling so much. At this point we’re excited to get back on the road and play live shows, whether they’re in a small venue or big we don't care!!! JUST GET US ON STAGE :)
The dynamic of being in a band consisting of a married couple and identical twin brother is a really interesting one. Could you tell us about this dynamic in the band and give us an example of any interesting occurrences that have happened because of this? e.g people getting them mixed up etc.
We’re essentially a family band at this point. We’ve known each other for many many many many years and have been by each other’s side 99.9% of the time since the day we met. We lived together for 3 years and we just recently moved into separate houses (Max moved to a row house in dc, Chelsea and Spencer moved into the Northern Virginia suburbs) but that doesn't stop us from seeing each other at least 5 days out of the week. We’re so close and comfortable with each other that writing, performing, travelling, etc. just comes naturally.
There is never a dull moment with this trio I will say that - people do often get them mixed up especially now that they have the same haircut, but this was less of an occurrence when Spencer’s hair was down to his shoulders. But no one can ever tell who I (Chelsea) am married to... which is always funny in interviews when they assume I’m married to Max.
did you all dress up as for Halloween?
We did dress up for Halloween! - Spencer was the cookie monster, I was Elmo, and Max was a COVID cowboy :)
The band have said you all love the British boot Dr Martens, which historically was a great choice, but in the UK if not America Dr Martens have recently come under criticism for choosing to export the majority of production from England to China in 2009 to exploit cheap labour costs, which has resulted in a reduction of quality and durability. A viral Tik Tok video about this was recently trending.
The 1960’s Dr Martens boot became popular because they were a cheaper alternative for the working class to the 1881 expensive Slovair Boots, now having an inflated price tag and made in China, they arguably don’t represent the working class or anti-establishment movements, such as Punk, which elevated their brand.
Dr Martens are now essentially the same price as the original 1881 NPC Solovair Boots, which are still handmade in the original Nottingham factory, which are responsible for the iconic boot design, including the sole. Considering the Dr Martens brand have chosen to no longer produce the majority of their shoes in the same ethical way and the fashion industry being the second largest cause of pollution on the planet, do you think you would swap to the NPC Slover Boot, which is the original anyway, is better quality, is still all ethically made in England and are the same price. For this reason, many people have switched.
In addition, what is the band’s outlook on the individual’s responsibility to elicit change by voting with their wallets e.g. making informed, ethical and sustainable fashion choices with climate change being a big issue that is largely not currently being addressed significantly at a corporate or government level?
So for us, we have gravitated towards Dr Martens over the years purely because of comfort - we can wear them when we’re touring, tracking vocals, etc. and still feel human. This is new information to us - we are not so informed when it comes to the fashion world, so thank you for educating us on this. This will definitely inform our decisions in the future to buy this brand.
What’s next for the band? Can we look forward to more music this year? What are your plans for next year?
For now, we will be hunkering down in our homes until told otherwise. We have another single coming out next month called Once Upon a Time and our album will be released early Spring 2021 that we can’t wait to share!
Interview by John Burbidge