Zooey Deschanel Was a “Frustrated Songwriter” Before Working with Matt Ward

Who doesn’t adore Zooey Deschanel? (That’s a bit of a rhetorical question, we admit. You’ll be hard-pressed to find someone who dislikes the artist.) And a large portion of her renown has stemmed from her roles in the Christmas movie Elf and the TV series New Girl.

“With acting, I got success really early on,” Deschanel told The Sun in a recent interview. “I was making money at it and I liked being part of a movie or a TV show.”

But despite her success as an actress, Deschanel’s heart was pulling her in a different direction. Deschanel wanted to make it as a singer/songwriter. “I loved musical theatre and I had high-school bands,” she added. “I’d written all these songs and made demos at home but I just left them sitting there. And I didn’t just want to be a singer. I love collaborating on music, I love singing harmonies, I love writing backup parts.”

Thankfully, Deschanel found her niche in the music world with singer/songwriter and guitarist Matt Ward. Together, they release music as the indie/pop duo She & Him.

“Before I met Matt, I was an extremely frustrated songwriter,” Deschanel revealed. “Matt was the exact right person to be my producer. Now I think it would be hard to trust my songs with anybody else. I’d been looking for Matt!”

Having worked together for several years, She & Him are gearing up for their next album release, Melt Away: A Tribute to Brian Wilson, a tribute album to the Beach Boys founding member, on July 22.

“Zooey and Matt did such mind-blowing versions of our songs,” Wilson said in a statement about the forthcoming album. “The harmonies are beautiful and right on. I love this record!”

Check out Melt Away: A Tribute to Brian Wilson HERE and the already-released track, “Don’t Worry Baby,” HERE.

Photo: Elliot Lee Hazel / Oriel PR