INTERVIEW: AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH WILL LINLEY!

Photo Credit: Andi Elloway

We got to chat with the super talented Will Linley! We spoke about his skyrocketing music career, dream collaborations, and how his career ultimately began! Check out what Will has to say below!

The Vinyl: For those who may not quite be familiar with you, mind introducing yourself and give us a fun fact no one may know about you?
Will Linley: My name is Will Linley and I am the youngest of four boys!

TV: Can you tell us about the first moment you knew you wanted to pursue music? Is there a particular song or artist that inspired you to become a singer yourself?
WL: If I’m honest, I never really knew that doing music was a possible career choice for me and it was only when “Miss Me” started to go viral on TikTok that I began to think that maybe, just maybe, I could pursue this music thing!

TV: How do you describe your sound and style?
WL: Someone described my music as “Happy-Sad” music which I found quite funny. I write about very sad concepts but with very upbeat fun instrumentals!

TV: During the pandemic you began recording/uploading music to SoundCloud. What are some goals you were hoping your music would achieve? And do you think you achieved those goals?
WL: I always find this question funny because I really didn’t have any goals at all! I only put my music out on SoundCloud so that my friends could hear what I had made over the lockdown period, so I guess if we are talking about whether or not I met my goals, I guess we can say I certainly did! One goal on my mind is to play on the stage at the Kirstenbosch gardens in Cape Town.

TV: So being a singer-songwriter, I feel like one thing may be harder than the other, Where does writing lyrics begin for you? What/where/who inspires your material?
WL: Writing songs really scares me so much! I often put a lot of pressure on myself because I want to create something that feels real and authentic to who I am as a person. In order to try and help myself, I try to write from personal experience and ultimately harness inspiration from daily life.

TV: What does your writing/recording sessions look like? What normally comes first? The Music or the lyrics?
WL: It varies from song to song. For “Miss Me,” I had the lyric “I’ll miss me when you’re gone” typed in my notes for a couple of months before I even wrote the song. With some of my other songs I’ve gone into the session with a concept in mind and then once we have some form of instrumental loop, we’ll write the lyrics and work the song from there.

TV: If you got to collaborate with any artist (past or present), who would it be? And what makes you pick that artist.
WL: Dean Lewis, Jon Bellion or Chelsea Cutler! I have been the biggest fan of their music for such a long period of time. They have all influenced my project in a huge way.

TV: So your debut single, “Miss Me (when you’re gone)” got some mega attraction from TikTok, as a young artist what was it like to see that many people resonating with your first song? Especially on one of the biggest social media platforms in the world?
WL: It was really incredible. I felt extremely grateful to have a song that people were resonating with on a large scale. It was a song that I adored, and I was excited that others felt the same! A lot of the time I feel like a deer in the headlights, but I just take it a day at a time. That’s the best way to go about things.

TV: What can you share with us about your upcoming music? Do you have plans for an EP, album and/or tour?
WL: There is more music coming! And I definitely want to hit the road and play some more shows in South Africa. But I can’t say too much right now.

TV: With the new lifestyle we all had to adjust to, how has Covid affected you personally? Did it give you that needed downtime to really sit and reflect on who you want to be as an artist or just time to catch your breath and do things that a busy schedule could have affected?
WL: It really did allow me the time to really hone my craft of songwriting. I still have so much to learn, but the lockdown gave me time to get better in private and not be distracted by the craziness of the hustle and bustle of pre-covid life.

TV: Anything else you would like to include in this interview? Would you like to say anything to your fans?
WL: Life is too short to not chase your dream. Don’t be scared to try, be “delusional” and don’t ever let anyone’s opinion stop you from doing what you love.