Emblem3’s WESLEY Shares Inspiration Behind New Song ‘Wishes’: ‘Family Is Everything’

After wanting to ‘reconnect’ with his family, WESLEY – frontman of Emblem3 – channeled his feelings into ‘Wishes,’ a heartfelt ballad about how he hoped things ‘would have worked out differently.’

If you could have anything in the world, what would you pick? WESLEY (aka Wesley Stromberg) has a few ideas, and he lists them off in “Wishes,” his new song. “I wish that my dad would stop by sometime,” he sings at the start, and oh, boy – it doesn’t get any less heartbreaking from there. “Wishes” showcases Wesley’s intimate songwriting at its peak, and to do so, he bears his soul, listing the past troubles of his family life – while remaining hopeful that things will get better.

“‘Wishes’ is about family,” Wesley tells HollywoodLife. As the son of a Grammy Award-nominated producer, Wesley followed in the family business with his brother Keaton Stromberg. Along with Drew Chadwick, they formed Emblem3 and tasted a bit of success in the second season of the U.S. version of The X Factor. But, creative differences would see Drew depart, leaving Welsey down in the dumps. “I wrote ‘Wishes’ when I was in a pretty lonely place. My band, Emblem3, had just separated for the second time, and I really wished things would have worked out differently, but ultimately, I knew that I missed my family, and just wanted to reconnect with them.”

“Speaking of family,” adds Wesley, “being in a band with my brother took a toll on our relationship. Somewhere along the road, we stopped being brothers having fun, and it became all about work. I wanted to fix that. Make things right. Also, my Dad lives so close, but yet we hardly would see each other because of us both being in the music industry and being so busy. I wished that we would take advantage of the chance we have to spend time together and learn from each other. Family is everything.”

Wesley’s solo career began to take off in 2018 with his debut single, “REMEDY.” Since then, he’s stayed busy by releasing a handful of songs. “WISHES” is actually his third single of 2020, following “HOME” and “PUNCHLINE,” which he released in March and April, respectively. “I’ve been writing nonstop for my album, and I can’t wait to share more,” he told American Songwriter, granting the wish of anyone hoping for a full-length by the end of the year.