It’s a rainy day in mid-November and Oh Wonder is full of energy. The dreary weather hasn’t affected the spirits of the London indie-pop duo consisting of Anthony West and Josephine Vander Gucht, who West tenderheartedly calls “Josie.”

Gearing up for the release of their third album, No One Else Can Wear Your Crown, we’re in the Funhouse, an experimental, interactive series of art installations in downtown Toronto, trying to decide the best spot to do the interview. We wind our way through a maze of colourful walls, observing each room of art as we go. Some rooms have mirrors; others have blazing neon lights. One has books coming out of the walls, and another has jars of creepy critters on display. West pulls out his phone to take a picture—it’s the first time he’s used it in three days and he couldn’t be happier about it. 

They cheerfully climb around corners and duck through a wardrobe with sequined outfits. Rainbow streamers trickle down from the ceiling. We finally settle on a spot and find some chairs, and I notice that West and Vander Gucht are wearing similar vests. As I point it out, West explains, in a very British way, that they weren’t purposely trying to coordinate.

“We have a word for that, that you guys don’t use,” he says gesturing to them. “It’s a gilet.”

Vander Gucht and I start laughing.

They smile and laugh a lot—both of them are warm and bubbly. Positivity seems to radiate off of them, which is fitting considering it’s one of the main themes on No One Else Can Wear Your Crown. The upbeat album takes its name from the opening lyric of the record: “When people try to get you down, remember, I’m here for you. No one else can wear your crown. It’s yours, just yours.”  

Vander Gucht says crowns symbolize self-empowerment, and “a craving just to be in charge of yourself and to respect your own voice, and use your own voice, and be entirely who you want to be.”

This sentiment shines on the album’s euphoric lead single “Hallelujah” which depicts a crown as a metaphor for being in control: “Cause there’s a crown, covered in glitter and gold, I’m gonna wear it, whether you like it or not.” The pulsating track shimmers with hope, bouncing along with a triumphant melody. The one-take music video injects the already electric tune with new life, featuring a kaleidoscopic array of dancers swirling and churning together seamlessly. It’s joyful and exuberant, perfectly demonstrating how the two embody the feeling of empowerment, which West says is on full-display during their shows.

“[It] is an amazing thing that so many artists can relate to the fans, being themselves in one place,” he explains.

The build up to performing live was years in the making, as West and Vander Gucht met back in 2010. The world didn’t discover them until 2014 when they recorded and released one song per month for a year on Soundcloud—which eventually became their self-titled debut album. Their online popularity soared as the songs received thousands of listens and their cloud of anonymity dissipated. Their fan base blossomed, all without a single concert. They didn’t play their first live show together until 2015, the year their debut album dropped. 

Two years later in 2017, rapper Lil Uzi Vert sampled their ethereal, snap-heavy song “Landslide” on his track “The Way Life Goes”–without getting their permission first. The song utilized “Landslide” in its near entirety, featuring the melody, most of the lyrics, and Vander Gucht’s vocals. It became a hit, amassing over 80 million views on Youtube, and went 4x platinum in the U.S. 

However,  many of Lil Uzi’s fans had never heard of Oh Wonder and assumed the entire song was his brainchild. This was potentially because they were not listed as a featured artist until two months after its release. But the band’s initial lack of credit created confusion that came to a head in 2018 at Festival Santa Teresa in Quebec, where both Lil Uzi and Oh Wonder were scheduled to perform.

Vander Gucht and West were playing ahead of Lil Uzi, and they decided to perform “Landslide” towards the end of their set. Most of the audience was waiting to see the rapper, so when they recognized the song they were excited. 

Then, things got ugly. 

According to the band, Lil Uzi was backstage and overheard them performing the track. He became angry, asking why this band was playing his song. After they finished, West says that Lil Uzi was so upset he decided not to perform altogether. 

However, festivalgoers were told a different story. They were informed that the rapper had been unable to enter Canada after failing to pass customs. When news of the cancellation broke, the eager crowd who had been waiting for him all day reached their breaking point.

They started a riot, hurling garbage at the stage before setting it ablaze. 

It was a pretty rock and roll experience for a band who is decidedly quite the opposite. At least they laugh about it now. They’ve stated they’re fond of the remix and they got their deserved credit. Things finally came full circle last year, when they won a prestigious BMI pop award for their songwriting on the track. 

Through all of these ups and downs over the years, they’ve had each other to lean on. Their relationship has evolved from songwriting buddies, to friends, to bandmates and now, to romantic partners. Though they’ve spent years avoiding confirming if they were together, now their not-so-secret secret is out. Many fans had assumed it from the start—they possess a magical synergy that’s only grown stronger as time has progressed. Between them there’s a palpable chemistry that anyone in a room can feel, whether it’s watching them sing together or seeing them joke around and finish each other’s sentences. It makes even more sense given that when they’re not touring, they also live together. Despite being so intertwined in music and in life, they aim to never let anything get in the way of their partnership.

“You have to constantly be aware of the person. Your actions always affect the other person. So whatever you can do to make it easier for each other,” West says.

“Hundred per cent,” Vander Gucht agrees. 

“I almost now feel like we’re a unit. That sounds really intense, but I think it’s the only way I can deal with it —is to not see you as a different person,” she says looking at him.

The visual evidence of their transformation into one entity can be seen in the unique artwork for each of their album covers. On Oh Wonder, their black logo sits on a plain white background. They’d wanted this anonymity, as their tracks were initially created as a portfolio to showcase their songwriting abilities for someone to hire them. 

For their sophomore record Ultralife, half of their faces are visible in black and white. No One Else Can Wear Your Crown has a burst of colour, showing the two pressed together in a full-body shot amidst a sea of bright blue. The increasing exposure on each cover feels symbolic of their progressing fame, though they admit it was unintentional.

“We’re gonna be naked on the fourth one,” Vander Gucht jokes.

Her smile fades when she explains she gets stressed at the thought of being recognized in public. 

“I would hate for an album to get really big and then people would know it’s us.”

While she may be anxious about hyper-visibility, making music has provided them with experiences that outweigh some of those worries. They’ve played shows all over the world, which West says is the best part of the past decade. For Vander Gucht, getting a tour bus meant that they’d made it.

“I kind of freaked out because we’d both been artists since we were 16 and 17, and driven ourselves to shows in our crappy little Ford Fiesta that’s broken and the brake lights don’t work. And you load out the piano which is wrapped in a mattress cover, because you don’t have a proper case. We’ve both spent years doing that,” she says.

“And then I think the first time I saw a tour bus for our North American run, I was just like, I don’t have to drive myself to a show, and I get to sleep on the way, and there’s a kitchen!” she laughs.

“For me that marked the start of something that was bigger than myself.”

It was also the beginning of learning an important lesson: taking the time to connect with every new place they visit.

“I think I was so overwhelmed by being on tour for the first time that I couldn’t go and enjoy the local cities as much as I’d have liked, because I felt such pressure to make sure the performance was the best it can be,” Vander Gucht explains.

“If you don’t go explore where you are, you may as well be playing the same venue every night. It’s a waste,” West adds.

In 2017, they toured nonstop for three months. This year when they embark on a world tour, they are firm about planning breaks on the road. Part of it has to do with creating a healthy balance, but also because last year the couple became a family of three—with the addition of their dog, Margot. 

“I think one of the main reasons that we got a dog was because having that responsibility encourages a little bit more self-care in a quite selfish way, because you can’t be away for six weeks on a tour,” Vander Gucht explains.

“You spend the whole tour being so introspective and it’s all about you and your show, having to look after someone else is so good for us,” she continues. 

Without this sense of reflection and self-love, No One Else Can Wear Your Crown wouldn’t be the collection of uplifting songs that it is. Many of them carry a feeling of stepping into sunshine and embracing everything the world has to offer. There’s an air of effortless elation.

Their glossy pop sound remains earmarked by them singing an octave apart, but this time around it soars with fresh and playful experimentation. Songs like “I Wish I Never Met You” are relentlessly positive even when the theme is the opposite (the tune is a kiss-off to Vander Gucht’s cheating ex-boyfriends).  Other tracks are reminiscent of the piano-driven earworms that landed the band on the map to begin with. 

In a way, the new album is their way of embracing the future while also remembering their roots. 

“When you were 20, the idea of making three albums seems insane and like something only the Rolling Stones do. But now we’ve done it. We’re super proud of everything we’ve done,” West says.