Oh Wonder

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This article is about the band. For their self-titled album, see Oh Wonder (album).

Oh Wonder
Oh Wonder performing in 2016
Oh Wonder performing in 2016
Background information
OriginLondon, United Kingdom
Genres
Years active2014–present
Labels
Members
  • Josephine Vander West
  • Anthony Vander West
Websiteohwondermusic.com

Oh Wonder are an English, London-based alt-pop duo consisting of Anthony Vander West (né West) and Josephine Vander West (née Vander Gucht). Since releasing their debut album, they have seen international success with their alt-pop singles. Oh Wonder recorded and released one song a month for a year, starting in September 2014.[2] All of the songs were released together as a self-titled debut album on 4 September 2015.[3] On 14 July 2017, the duo released their second album, Ultralife. On 12 February 2020, they released their third album, No One Else Can Wear Your Crown. On 8 October 2021, the now-married duo released their fourth studio album, 22 Break. All four albums were written, recorded, produced, and mixed by the duo and have seen cross-platform success.

The band played sold-out shows in London, Paris, New York, and Los Angeles one week after their debut album release, which marked the beginning of their touring career. They have since played multiple headline shows and festivals in numerous countries.[4]

History[edit]

Formation and early years[edit]

Before Oh Wonder was formed, Vander Gucht was a solo artist, first going by her own name and later under the alias LAYLA. Anthony West was originally part of the groups Tonight Is Goodbye, Futures, and We the Wild.[5] The two first met in High Wycombe on 21 March 2010, when West was in the audience at one of Vander Gucht's solo gigs. A year later, Vander Gucht attended one of West's gigs, talked with him, and they began writing songs and making music together.

The duo released their first two songs under the name Wonder Wonder but changed it to Oh Wonder when they learned of another band with a similar name.[6]

2014–2016: Oh Wonder[edit]

Main article: Oh Wonder (album)

Oh Wonder had an unorthodox approach to releasing their eponymous debut album, Oh Wonder. Over the course of a year, the duo released one new single each month, beginning 1 September 2014,[7] having written, produced, and mixed each song in their home studio in London.[8] These monthly installations culminated in the 2015 release of that first album, which also included two previously unreleased songs. The record reached number 26 on the UK Albums Chart, number 16 on the Canadian Albums Chart,[citation needed] and number 80 on the US Billboard 200.[9][10]

Oh Wonder has sold over one million copies worldwide (the first-ever album to do so on an independent label) and has been certified Gold in the UK, Canada, Singapore, China, Taiwan, and Denmark, and Platinum in Russia and the Philippines.[citation needed]

Oh Wonder gave their debut live performance for BBC Radio 1 at Maida Vale Studios, after receiving avid support from BBC Introducing and DJs Huw Stephens and Greg James.[11] The band's first TV performance was on Conan, which aired in the US on 20 January 2016. They performed their single "Lose It".[12]

Since their debut album release, Oh Wonder has toured internationally in the United Kingdom, France, Belgium, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Netherlands, Russia, Australia, Canada, and the United States. Their performance in Manila was their first show in Asia.[13] They also toured as the opening act on the final installment of the Badlands Tour with Halsey from 21 July to 12 August 2016.[14] Their 2016 debut festival appearances included Bonnaroo,[15] Firefly,[16] and Lollapalooza[17] music festivals in the United States, in addition to Live Out in Monterrey, WayHome Festival in Oro-Medonte, Canada, and Electric Picnic in Stradbally, Ireland.[18]

2016–2018: Ultralife[edit]

Main article: Ultralife (album)

On 30 March 2017, Oh Wonder announced that they'd finished their second studio album, to be titled Ultralife. The record's lead track, "Ultralife", was released the day after. As with their previous album, the group released new singles every two weeks in the run-up to the album's publication.

The duo embarked on the Ultralife World Tour in 2017, which saw them play a long run of headline shows in 34 countries across Asia, Australia, Europe, and North and South America. They also played three shows with Beck on his 2018 North America Tour.[citation needed]

2019–2020: No One Else Can Wear Your Crown and Home Tapes[edit]

Main article: No One Else Can Wear Your Crown

On 5 September 2019, Oh Wonder released "Hallelujah", the first single from their upcoming album, followed by "Better Now" on 25 October and "I Wish I Never Met You" on 14 November. The same day, they announced via Twitter that the album, titled No One Else Can Wear Your Crown,[19] would be released on 7 November. This was followed by the singles "This Christmas", "Happy", and "In and Out of Love". As part of the press coverage around their third album, Vander Gucht and West revealed they were in a relationship and had been for the past seven years.[20]

The pair were to embark on a tour to support No One Else Can Wear Your Crown throughout Europe and North America in March 2020; however, the latter part of the tour, including the entirety of the North American segment, was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[21]

Whilst subject to the 2020 UK "stay at home" restrictions related to the novel coronavirus, Oh Wonder released a series of new tracks on an EP titled Home Tapes.[22][23][24]

2021: 22 Break[edit]

On 22 September 2021, Oh Wonder announced their fourth studio album, 22 Break, and released the eponymous title track. Described by the duo as "maybe the first break-up album in history written and recorded with the person you're breaking up with", the album documents their near-split in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic and their time away from touring.[25] The record was released to critical acclaim on 8 October 2021, alongside a visual film featuring music from the album.

2022: 22 Make[edit]

On 7 October 2022, Oh Wonder released a sequel album to 22 Break as a celebration of their relationship.[26]

NOLA Coffee[edit]

Oh Wonder run a coffee shop named NOLA Coffee, located in the London district of Peckham. "NOLA is an embodiment of all their favourite experiences of cafes around the world distilled into one beautiful space".[27]

Discography[edit]

Studio albums[edit]

List of studio albums, with selected chart positions, details and certifications
Title Album details Peak chart positions Certifications
UK
[28] 		AUS
[29] 		BEL
(Fl)
[30] 		BEL
(Wa)
[31] 		CAN
[32] 		IRE
[33] 		NLD
[34] 		SWI
[35] 		US
[36]
Oh Wonder 26 — 55 135 19 54 50 87 80
Ultralife
  • Released: 14 July 2017[39]
  • Label: Island, Republic
  • Format: CD, digital download, vinyl
 8 37 28 115 17 38 48 62 76
No One Else Can Wear Your Crown
  • Released: 7 February 2020[40]
  • Label: Island
  • Format: CD, digital download, vinyl, streaming
 8 — 84 — — — 86 — —
22 Break
  • Released: 8 October 2021[41]
  • Label: Island
  • Format: CD, digital download, vinyl, streaming
 51 — — — — — — — —
22 Make
  • Released: 7 October 2022[42]
  • Label: Island
  • Format: CD, digital download, vinyl, streaming
 — — 123 — — — — — —

EP[edit]

  • Home Tapes (2020)

Singles[edit]

As lead artist[edit]

List of singles as a lead artist, with selected chart positions, showing year released and album name
Title Year Peak chart positions Certifications Album
BEL
(Fl)
Tip
[30] 		US
Rock
[43]
"Body Gold" 2014 — — Oh Wonder
"Shark" — —
"Dazzle" — —
"All We Do" — —
"The Rain" — —
"Lose It" 2015 — 45
"Technicolour Beat" — —
"Midnight Moon" — —
"Livewire" — —
"White Blood" — —
"Landslide" 103 —
"Drive" 6 —
"Heart Hope" — —
"Without You" 34 —
"Plans" — —
"Ultralife" 2017 47 36 Ultralife
"Lifetimes" — 48
"My Friends" — —
"Heavy" — —
"High on Humans" — —
"Solo" — —
"All About You" — —
"Bigger Than Love" — —
"Heart Strings" — —
"Slip Away" — —
"Overgrown" — —
"Waste" — —
"Hallelujah"[45] 2019 42 — No One Else Can Wear Your Crown
"Better Now"[46] — —
"I Wish I Never Met You"[47] — —
"This Christmas"[48] — — Non-album single
"Happy"[49] 2020 46 — No One Else Can Wear Your Crown
"In and Out of Love" — —
"Lonely Star"[50] — — Home Tapes
"Keep on Dancing"[51] — —
"I Like It When You Love Me"[52] — —
"Magnificent" 2022 — — 22 Make[42]
"—" denotes singles that did not chart or were not released

As featured artist[edit]

List of singles as a featured artist, with selected chart positions, showing year released and album name
Title Year Peak chart positions Certifications Album
UK
[53] 		AUS
[54] 		CAN
[55] 		NZ Heat.
[56] 		US
[57] 		US
Dance
[58] 		US R&B/HH
[59]
"The Way Life Goes"
(Lil Uzi Vert featuring Oh Wonder or also Nicki Minaj) 		2017 87 85 48 4 24 — 13 Luv Is Rage 2
"Superlove"[61]
(Whethan featuring Oh Wonder) 		2018 — — — — — 48 — Non-album single
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Featured appearances[edit]

Year Title Album
2020 "How Would I Know"
(Kygo and Oh Wonder) 		Golden Hour

Songwriting and production credits[edit]

Title Year Artist Album Contributed
Member(s) 		Songwriter Producer
Primary Secondary Additional Vocal
"Fly" 2015 Meadowlark Postcards Anthony West checkY
"Wide Eyes" checkY
"Hello Hello" 2016 Lewis Watson Midnight Anthony West
Josephine Vander Gucht 		checkY checkY
"Deep the Water" checkY checkY
"Forever" checkY checkY
"Give Me Life" checkY checkY
"Slumber" checkY checkY
"Slow Fade" 2019 Ruth B TBA checkY checkY
"Personal Best" Maisie Peters It's Your Bed Babe,
It's Your Funeral EP 		checkY checkY
"Nothing Like You"
(with Droeloe featuring Hana) 		Gryffin Gravity checkY

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Caroline International Truly Global Label Services : Oh Wonder". Caroline International. Archived from the original on 17 August 2015. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
  2. ^ Donelson, Marcy. "Oh Wonder | Biography & History | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
  3. ^ Ryang, James (3 September 2015). "Discovery: Oh Wonder". Interview Magazine. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
  4. ^ "Oh Wonder on Instagram: "Last show done ☑️ high fives and endless love to everyone that made it to one of the 318 shows that we've played across 45 countries.…"". Instagram. Archived from the original on 24 December 2021. Retrieved 7 October 2018.
  5. ^ Hixon, Shalene. "Band Spotlight: Oh Wonder". Cal Times. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  6. ^ "New Noise: Oh Wonder | Wonderland Magazine". Wonderland. 3 March 2015. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
  7. ^ ""Oh Wonder" album brings up wonderous emotions". 2 February 2016. Retrieved 21 August 2016.
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  12. ^ "Conan O'Brien Presents: Team Coco – Timeline | Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
  13. ^ "GoodVybes makes big waves on its first music fest salvo". entertainment.inquirer.net. 29 February 2016. Retrieved 21 August 2016.
  14. ^ Sherman, Maria. "Halsey Announces Summer Tour with Bad Suns, Oh Wonder". Fuse. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
  15. ^ "Q&A: Oh Wonder Cool Down Bonnaroo | SPIN". 14 June 2016. Retrieved 21 August 2016.
  16. ^ "Oh Wonder's Firefly Set was a Glittery, Muddy Singalong". Fuse. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
  17. ^ Fortune, Drew (2 August 2016). "SPIN At Lollapalooza 2016: Portraits Of Frank Turner, Bastille, Dua Lipa, And More | SPIN". Retrieved 27 August 2016.
  18. ^ "Meet Our New Fave Duo, Oh Wonder!". 26 July 2016. Archived from the original on 27 August 2016. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
  19. ^ Wonder, Oh (14 November 2019). "OW3 is finally here! Our new album NO ONE ELSE CAN WEAR YOUR CROWN is coming out February 7th We've also announced the first instalment of our World Tour! Pre-sale ticket access is now open for UK/Europe! We cannot wait for you to hear these new songs". @OhWonderMusic. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
  20. ^ Corr, Alan (14 February 2020). "Love is in the air as Oh Wonder release new album". RTÉ.ie.
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  22. ^ "Oh Wonder Present New 'Home Tapes' Project To Fans | mxdwn.co.uk". Retrieved 18 May 2020.
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  24. ^ Sue, David (5 April 2020). "Oh Wonder unveil 'Home Tapes' self-isolation project". New Sounds. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
  25. ^ "Oh Wonder announce surprise 'break-up' album '22 Break', share title track". 22 September 2021.
  26. ^ "Oh Wonder's New Album, '22 Make' Is Out Now". udiscovermusic.com. 11 October 2022. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  27. ^ "about us – NOLA". NOLA Coffee. October 2022.
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  31. ^ "Discografie Oh Wonder". Belgium (Wallonia) Charts Portal. Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 December 2016.
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  41. ^ "22 Break by Oh Wonder". Apple Music. 8 October 2021. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
  42. ^ a b Ackroyd, Stephen (10 March 2022). "'22 Make' – check out new track 'Magnificent'". Dork. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
  43. ^ "Oh Wonder - Chart history: Hot Rock Songs". Billboard. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  44. ^ a b "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2022 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
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  46. ^ "Better Now – Single by Oh Wonder". Apple Music. 25 October 2019. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  47. ^ "Oh Wonder – I Wish I Never Met You". Spotify. 14 November 2019. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  48. ^ "This Christmas – Single by Oh Wonder". Apple Music. 29 November 2019. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  49. ^ "Oh Wonder – Happy". Spotify. 3 January 2020. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  50. ^ "Lonely Star – Single by Oh Wonder". Apple Music. 3 April 2020. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  51. ^ "Keep On Dancing – Single by Oh Wonder". Apple Music. 17 April 2020. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  52. ^ "I Like It When You Love Me – Single by Oh Wonder". Apple Music. 1 May 2020. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
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  55. ^ "Lil Uzi Vert – Chart History: Canadian Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
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  58. ^ "Oh Wonder – Chart History: Dance/Electronic Songs". Billboard. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  59. ^ "Lil Uzi Vert Chart History: Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  60. ^ "American album and songs certifications – Oh Wonder: Recording Industry Association of America". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  61. ^ Bein, Kat (15 June 2018). "Whethan Makes 'Superlove' With Oh Wonder, Announces 2018 Tour: Listen". Billboard. Archived from the original on 17 June 2018. Retrieved 17 June 2018.

External links[edit]

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