Today we’d like to introduce you to Josh Nichols.
Hi Josh, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
A big part of my journey has been using music as a way to express myself, and at first it was very limited. I had unintentionally put myself in the box, where you make music hoping someone will see it and like it. However, it wasn’t working, because what I really wanted to write and sing about felt too taboo. I later came to understand that there’s a lot of relatability with my experiences, especially those from my demographic of queer and neurodivergent folk.
The reason why I wanted to be seen and recognized, as well as expressing myself through music, was because I was experiencing some of the roughest times going through my pubescent years. My parents got divorced, because their marriage was toxic. I was only 14, so it affected me in a way I couldn’t notice till much later on. The divorce and the many other emotional events that happened leading up to my 21st year of life was the reason why music became so integral in my life. I’d go to school and hangout with friends like any other teen, but in my free time alone I was making music in my room. Rhythmically-lacking, wired earbud trash, quality-music, but music nonetheless.
I didn’t realize at the time that all the “bad” music I was making, and all the traumatic experiences I had was preparing me for adulthood and the brand I’ve made, Wren Silas.
I created Wren Silas in the thick of the most emotional experiences I had. It started with a need for a rebranding after transferring to UNT (University of North Texas), then it was a school assignment in a DAW class that made me finally see my progress as a producer. I released the first song under the Wren Silas name, “WOLF”, in July of 2024, but didn’t know where to go from there. What style/genre of music do I make? How conceptual do I wanna be? What aesthetic or tone am I going for?
My second year at UNT I joined the Commercial Music program in its trial year, as 1 of the 15 who got in. This is when I really perfected my craft as a producer, and narrowed in on the brand I’ve been trying to build. In that time as well, I released a collaborative track with the talented EDM duo ‘darkEntity’, where I sung vocals for their song “Forever Tomorrow”. A month or so later, after a trip to the ER, I wrote and released the first song thus far as Wren Silas the character, “ATTIC.”. While this song is part of a bigger conceptual story I’m working on, it is still very personal and real to me.
In April of this year, around the time of “ATTIC.”s release and it’s first radio debut on 88.1 Indie, I was apart of an artist contest to see who’d open for the annual iHeartRadio contest, Wango Tango, hosted in LA. I ended up making it all the way to Quarterfinals by the power of voting, and that’s when I really started to see Wren Silas having the potential to become something bigger than me. It’s also when I started to see my music touch people in a way that the music I was making at 14 didn’t.
Right now, I’m set to graduate from UNT in the spring and am expecting to finish up the album I’ve been working on in the next year. In the meantime, I’m planning to release something soon!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Absolutely not. I mentioned some of the trauma I experienced which lead to Wren Silas being created. However, after the bumpy road getting here… it got bumpier. I had a lot of things I needed to work through (still do) from the traumatic experiences I went through growing up.
With Wren Silas, I began to heal myself, and to understand myself more. However, the more public I got with it, the more I felt loved by people. It sounds kinda weird to say that; but through all of the horrid-ness of my coming-of-age, I ended up developing a fear of abandonment and a distrust for most people. So, the unexpected outpour of support for my music made me happy, but immediately forlorned after. Plus, with the added bonus of trying to keep it together, push forward, compete in artist contests, survive in school, and keep up with my appearance as an artist – I fell apart.
I’ve been really working to manage the stress, and learning to just be me through it all. It’s lead me to make a ton of new connections, getting together with my bandmates (shoutout to Paul, Wren, Ash, and Lily) to start rehearsing for shows again, and becoming more comfortable with unmasking my neurodivergent qualities in public.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I make music in a style that’s a fusion of Indie Pop/Rock and Chillwave, I like to say it’s Indie Nostalgia Pop, and it usually involves me producing on Logic Pro in my bedroom – sometimes recording vocals in there too. I’ll eventually get some instrumentalists, who are friends of mine, to help fill-in some parts that I can’t play, and sometimes I’ll recruit some mixing and mastering help too. However, for the most part I do it all on my own.
With “ATTIC.”, for example, I started producing at my mom’s house in Plano over my spring break last March. I recorded some demo vocals (some made it to the final version) and took it back to Denton, where I finished up the final vocals in my room. I invited my friend Jacob, from Crash Through The Floor, to my apartment to play guitar for the song, and then in about a week or so I mixed and mastered it. It was the quickest process for a song ever, and the best quality song I have put out.
I think what sets me apart though is what I’m trying to do with my music, which is to inspire and heal people with the music. Just like the music that helped inspire me to create Wren Silas.
What makes you happy?
I think my time with family and friends is sacred, and that brings me the most happiness. With my friends, I love cracking jokes with each other while we watch TV or play MarioKart, and with my family I love going out into nature or doing some activity together. I really love my dog, Dak, he’s the cutest (probably cuter than your dog), and he also brings me immense joy whenever I go back home to Plano.
I guess the meaningful and memorable moments are something I hold onto so vividly. To have a lot of those to look back on, and to look forward to is worth more to me than anything material.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.wrensilas.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wren.silas/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-nichols-wren-silas/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Wren-Silas
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/wren-silas
