The Toronto-based musical group New West was founded in 2017. The band is made up of Kala Wita, Vella, Ben Key, and Noel West, four like-minded songwriters and instrumentalists with illustrious studio production and musical histories.
The four people who make up New West mostly got to know each other through Noel. With Kala Wita, who he met through the Toronto music scene, and his boyhood buddy Ben Key, Noel held separate studio sessions in 2017 with the hope of creating a joint effort. The three of them naturally began their sessions together, but Vella—friend Ben’s and coworker—completed the picture. There was instant chemistry. In order to provide a new distinctive sound to the Toronto music industry, the group changed its name from The.wav to New West in 2018.
All four members of New West write and perform every piece of music the band releases. This trait distinguishes them from other musicians and bands and defines them as a group. Each member contributes as a diverse instrumentalist and lyricist, offering a novel take on group music. The New West sound is influenced by a diverse range of musical genres, although it primarily draws from British bands like Oasis, Coldplay, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, and Toronto musicians like The Weeknd and Daniel Caesar. With an emphasis on songwriting and language, their songs explore themes of self-awareness, heartbreak, infatuation, and nostalgia.