Zoe Wees on the Therapeutic, 4-Year Process of Putting Together Her Debut Album, Therapy

There's a good reason that German singer-songwriter Zoe Wees' gorgeous breakthrough single, "Control," has been streamed more than two billion times, but it's just one small part of the overarching story revealed on Zoe's new debut album, Therapy.

The album was released last week, with a 20-song tracklist of raw, soul-baring tracks capturing Zoe's authentic journey. In addition to the song that put her on the map,  it features beloved songs, including "Girls Like Us" and "Hold Me Like You Used To," and it's an emotional, cathartic journey from the first note to the last. We had the pleasure of hopping on a Zoom call with Zoe to discuss her personal story and how it informed the writing of Therapy over the last four years. Read our full interview with her below.

Sweety High: What does the album name Therapy mean to you? Why did that title feel like the perfect summation of this group of songs?

Zoe Wees: I think writing it was therapy, and it matches both me and my album just perfectly. I love the simplicity of it.

(Therapy via Capitol Records)

 

SH: What do you feel are the overarching themes of the album? What kind of feel do you hope fans take away from it?

ZW: I hope they feel a little less lonely. I write about stuff like mental health, depression, anxieties, growing up without my dad and loneliness. This is what I'm going through almost every day. It's really authentic—it's me—and I hope people listen to it and feel less lonely, that they feel better, and I hope I can help them with the lyrics.

 

Also read about: After a Year, payton Makes His Return to Music With Fan-Favorite Single 'CONTROL'

 

SH: How would you describe the album's sound? Production-wise, how did you go about bringing these tracks to life?

ZW: I've been working on this album for four years, so some of it is really old songs. I didn't re-record them, so some of them sound really young. My voice changed so much over the past four years. I'm not really into production myself, but I know the producers really well—they're friends of mine—so I know they've done a great job. And I didn't really realize it until somebody told me, but the album as a whole is actually pretty sad—I only have three up-tempo songs on the album. Overall, I love the production and the sound. They make it so special.

 

SH: The album features a whopping 20 tracks! Why did you feel including each and every one of them was the best way to tell your story right now?

ZW: I have so much to say, and I think it's just a waste of time if we wait for the next album. Songs get old, and I don't want to promote a song that is seven years old. I just had to come out with everything I had to say, and I told them we need 20 songs.

 

SH: You mentioned that none of the songs were re-recorded. How do you feel these songs represent your growth over the time they were written? Does it feel like a bit of a time capsule?

ZW:  Yeah, it's so crazy listening to some of these songs I haven't heard in a while. There are three songs on the album that I wrote and recorded four years ago. They're funny to listen to because my voice has changed—it got so much lower and stronger. It's also nice for people who got to know me when I released "Control," because that was three years ago. That's the song they fell in love with. I wanted to keep it as real as possible, and decided that we were going to put it on this album without re-recording it.

 

Also read about: 42 Raw Lyrics From Zoe Wees' Therapy to Use as Your Next Instagram Caption

 

SH: What's your favorite song on the album? 

ZW: My favorite is "Lifeline."

 

SH: Was there anything that surprised you about the process of recording and putting together your debut album?

ZW: I'd never actually experienced pressure before while making music. Any pressure came from promo tours or whatever, but in writing, making and recording music, I always had my space. I could do it whenever I wanted to. But with the album, I had so many people telling me what to record, and that I needed to re-record this and that, and fix this and that. I felt so much pressure, and that's why I wasn't really happy with my vocals on the last songs that I wrote. For the first time in my life, I felt pressure making music and creating stuff that needs space.

 

SH: How did you overcome that?

ZW: I kind of just pushed through, and I'm glad it worked out, but I never want to do it like that again because it was so many emotions.

(Photo credit: Lillie Eiger)

 

For more on our favorite debut albums, click HERE to read our interview with Zach Seabaugh on the release of Mr. Nobody.