Ones To Watch: pastels

Genre: Electronic, Lofi, Chill-hop.
For Fans Of: Otaku, Jacques Chillax, a girl and her cat.
Release: “Love Garden” (single), out now. Love Garden (Album), out June 2nd, 2023.
Signed: Nettwerk
Hometown: Melbourne, Australia.

pastels is a Vietnamese-Australian producer and musician based in Melbourne. Born Annie Bui, she grew up in a music-forward environment and started playing the piano and violin at a young age. She later majored in music composition in college, where she discovered her interest in music production during a trip to Los Angeles. From there, pastels was born, and she released her first EP Thoughts on Keys in 2018.

pastels’ music is a blend of lo-fi beats, R&B, and soulful melodies, characterized by dreamy and nostalgic soundscapes. She is known for her ability to create distinct settings for each of her projects, which allows her to excel in world-building through instrumentals. Her latest album Love Garden is a nine-track project that reflects on love and relationships. With most of the project being instrumental, listeners are free to interpret the songs however they feel, with pastels’ main goal being to create a warm, romantic, and luscious garden party atmosphere.

“‘Love Garden’ “is an album reflecting on love and relationships. As most of the project is instrumental, listeners are open to interpret the songs however they vibe with it. Ideally, my main goal is for listeners to feel like they are in a warm, romantic and luscious garden party,” shares pastels.

Listen to pastels’ “Love Garden” below

In addition to her solo work, pastels has collaborated with several artists, including Jessica Domingo, Grammy-nominated French producer Häzel, and Bay Area producer Mr. Hong. She has also made strides in bringing her lo-fi-influenced sound beyond the digital world, performing live at the opening of a popular Korean bingsu ice cream shop Scoopy and creating a radio mix in conjunction with 88rising.

pastels’ music is characterized by her ability to create dreamy and nostalgic soundscapes that transport listeners to different settings and atmospheres. With her distinct style and talent for production, pastels is one of the rising stars in the Australian music scene, and fans can expect more exciting projects from her in the future.

For more information on pastels, visit her website here.