There’s killing your darlings and then there’s killing a whole album. But that’s exactly what multiplatinum indie pop trio Shaed (pronounced “Shade”) did last year after lead singer Chelsea Lee realized the music she and the band had been writing didn’t feel quite right.
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“We were doing all these writing sessions in between our shows, and I think that it just became this mish-mosh of songs that didn’t really speak to us anymore,” Lee tells the Weekly. “When the pandemic started, we had this opportunity to start fresh … It actually was a really kind of an empowering moment for us.”
Up to that point, the Washington, D.C.-based band had a 2018 breakout hit on its hands with “Trampoline,” a glossy piece of whistling pop art that Apple picked up for a widespread commercial and R&B star Zayn remixed. But instead of chasing the hype train, Shaed set out to create something more tangible. “We really wanted to write an album that encapsulated everything that we were feeling,” Lee says. “We wanted to be real about where we were mentally, emotionally and physically.”
In 2021, the band released High Dive, a pop record anchored by themes of empowerment, acceptance and self care. “We were struggling so much, and we knew everyone around us was struggling as well,” Lee says. “We just wanted to show everyone that we were going through the same things.”
Tracks like “Part Time Psycho” shares the band’s battle with depression and anxiety, while the LGBTQ+ hit “Colorful” explores the beauty of finally coming to terms with who you are and being loved because of it.
Shaed has used these songs to also take a stance in the community. The band recently partnered with mental health organization Teen Line and will donate portions of the album’s proceeds to support it. Meanwhile, it has also created the Colorful Campaign, an LGBTQ+ initiative to benefit charities in the D.C. area. “We just wanted to help in any way that we could,” Lee says.
Shaed plays Life Is Beautiful’s Downtown Stage Sunday at 6:15 p.m.
Life is Beautiful September 17-19, Downtown Las Vegas, official ticket exchange at lifeisbeautiful.lyte.com
