Jeremy Zucker and Chelsea Cutler have redefined the meaning of musical collaboration, and their brent series stands as a testament to their creative synergy. The duo first came together in 2019 to release brent, an EP filled with raw, heartfelt tracks that explore themes of love, loss, and self-discovery. The success of brent and its sequel, brent ii, cemented their status as a powerhouse partnership, with songs like “you were good to me” becoming anthems of emotional vulnerability. Now fresh off their “Brent Forever: The Tour,” Jeremy and Chelsea sat down with ECHO and 1824 to reflect on the evolution of brent, their time on tour, connecting with fans, and what those fans can expect as the duo brings their music to global stages.
Jeremy and Chelsea first met at a fraternity party, long before their creative partnership would take shape. At the time, Jeremy had already released his first two EPs, Beach Island and Breathe, in 2015, while Chelsea was crafting her debut EP, Snow In October, which would arrive in 2017. Both were in the early stages of their independent, DIY careers, unknowingly setting the stage for future collaborations. They released their first collaborated single, “better off,” in 2018.
Over the years, their bond, inside and outside the studio, has only grown stronger, which Chelsea emphasized was crucial in shaping authentic and personal expressions throughout this project.
“A healthy friendship is important for collaboration,” Chelsea said, “We both have to be comfortable enough to be vulnerable in our conversation and songwriting. Making art is inherently vulnerable. It requires comfort and vulnerability to disagree or work through, not that we ever have conflicts, but when you’re working with other people, many opinions and ideas are brought to the table. Having a healthy friendship is important to sort and work through that.”
That collaboration involved incorporating their distinct backgrounds—Jeremy’s indie pop and Americana and Chelsea’s EDM and electronic roots— Jeremy shared his perspective on how that unique blend shaped their collective work, comparing genres to types of cuisine, songs to meals, and influences to ingredients, emphasizing creativity over limitation.
“It’s exciting when you borrow an ingredient from another cuisine,” Jeremy explained, “It’s kind of the same thing that happened with music. We borrowed a lot from Folk and Americana, and I have a more indie pop alternative background, while Chelsea is more indie pop electronic. And there’s a ton of crossover there, but I’ve done some electronic stuff, a lot of folky stuff, and when we’re together, for whatever reason, it leans folk singer-songwriter.” He emphasized how their diverse musical backgrounds allowed them to experiment with new sounds. “But that’s what’s exciting is being able to dip into different spaces and feelings and genres and experimenting with instruments that we have experimented with, if we weren’t working together and if we weren’t challenged by each other’s different musical tastes and upbringing.”
Another factor that reinforces their partnership is their recognition of each other’s strengths. Chelsea wasted no time during the conference in acknowledging Jeremy’s contribution to the production of their projects.“ Jeremy always thinks I’m on Instagram when I’m zoning out on my phone, but I’m sneaking videos of him and trying to capture photos of every plugin he opens. It’s a bit of a covert operation because I’m embarrassed.” she shared. “I want him to think I’m good at production, but I can’t shake the feeling that he’s so much more talented, light years ahead of me. So, I stay sneaky, watching what he does without him ever knowing, trying to pick up every little trick he’s doing. It’s a mix of admiration and self-doubt, but it’s the only way I learn.”
Their latest work, brent iii, highlights the duo’s continued talent, success, and growth. The album’s lead singles, “A-frame” and “black & white,” were born from different moments in their creative process, showcasing their evolving sound. “A-frame” stood out to the duo initially due to its energy and the story behind its creation. The song was written in an A-frame cabin, influencing its big, boomy sound. On the other hand, “black & white” was a last-minute addition to the album, but its rapid development and warm, approachable vibe made it the perfect track to introduce brent iii to fans. Jeremy described the song as the final piece of the puzzle, while “A-frame” was intended to hype up listeners with its punchy sound.
When discussing the album’s structure, Chelsea highlighted the intentionality behind the tracklist. “We felt strongly about starting with “ashes & rust” because of its sonic palette. Jeremy’s talent for creating these immersive textures sets the stage for the album. And “good things” was the perfect closer—it’s about finding beauty in the finite, which ties everything together.”
Jeremy added to their description of love within “ashes & rust,” touching on, “It was written about loving being on tour and being thankful to the fans, but I think it also comes across as a genuine appreciation and love song. I think, like a lot of music, there are a lot of perspectives that you can kind of pull from it, and I think this is no exception in terms of how well people can connect to it.”
Reflecting on their journey from brent to brent iii, Jeremy noted how the theme of maturity stood out as a key element distinguishing brent iii from its predecessors. “Hopefully, we’re more mature now and able to write about more complex and nuanced emotions than we could with the first two projects.” Chelsea added, “The older you get, the more layered your emotions become, and the songs naturally reflect that complexity. Early on, our songs were simpler and powerful in that way, but now they’re honest in a more specific and nuanced way.”
As our conversation ended, Jeremy and Chelsea expressed gratitude for their growth as artists and friends. Each album has become a deeper reflection of their shared experiences, with brent iii exploring new sonic territories while staying true to their roots. Their music’s intimate, reflective nature resonates with fans, and they’re excited to see where their collaboration will take them next.
Follow along with Jeremy and Chelsea on Instagram @chelseacutler and @jeremyzucker