On a recent Wednesday afternoon in October, singer-songwriter Will Linley sits backstage at the Mercury Lounge on the Lower East Side, an iconic indie venue due to its fostering of upcoming artists, including an impressive roster of beloved musicians such as Chris Martin and Lady Gaga. As we chatted in the teeny tiny room in the basement of the venue, I couldn’t help but notice the stickers of bands who have performed here in the past along the walls. With soundcheck complete, fans lining at the doors, and the hustle and bustle of rush hour underway, The Knockturnal sat down with Will to dive into his songwriting process, inspirations, and community with his fanbase. 
A young Will Linley could have never fathomed that years later, he would one day find himself preparing for his headlining show at the Mercury Lounge in New York City, with dozens of fans queuing at the door. Born and raised in the heart of Cape Town, South Africa, within a supportive household, Will Linley was immersed in an environment that fostered his love for music. With Linley and his brothers often frequently staging impromptu performances at home and watching the late South African musician and singer-songwriter Johnny Clegg, it was during these times that he formed some of his impactful childhood memories, propelling him to pursue music down the line.
Years later, the rising singer-songwriter has achieved some of his wildest dreams: signing a record deal with Island Records, supporting famous music acts on tours such as One Republic as well as featuring on P!NK’s Summer Carnival lineup, and touring his debut EP ‘kill all my feelings‘ worldwide. Garnering an impressive 24 million global streams, his hit single “Last Call” has solidified his place in the hearts of fans spanning across continents.
He undoubtedly fulfilled his commitment. After the show, Will dedicated an entire hour to meet and express gratitude to everyone present. It’s no wonder people are drawn to Will; he exudes charisma both on and off stage. Throughout his performance, he engaged with fans and skillfully fostered an intimate atmosphere for the audience. With a strong stage presence, the crowd erupted with ecstatic cheers and even a few tears of happiness. Fans enthusiastically sang along to every lyric, clearly star-struck by the sight of their favorite artist in front of them.
With unwavering confidence and a playful grin, Linley owned the spotlight, radiating genuine happiness and deep gratitude for his supporters. Keeping his word, he joined the audience for an acoustic rendition of ABBA’s beloved hit “Dancing Queen.” As he mentions in our interview, this song encapsulates his experiences in New York and his sentiments towards the show.
Will and his passion for creating music and performing was evident throughout our conversation.
Read our exclusive conversation with Will below!
Photos Courtesy of Liam Gillin: @liamg516
THE KNOCKTURNAL: Thank you for sitting down with me, Will! So, first off, I wanted to dive into how you grew up in a household that supported your love for music; everyone was very musically inclined. Do you have any core memories of discovering your appreciation for music/songwriting during your childhood?
WILL: The first memory that always comes to mind is putting on concerts for my dad when he would come home from work. We’ve got videos of my brothers and I all gelling our hair into mohawks and singing songs for my dad. And then the other ones were like watching, there’s this South African music legend, a guy called Johnny Clegg, and watching concerts with him as a family was always so special to us.
Over the summer, you released “Tough (The Girls Song)” and “Gracie.” I loved how you created this idea of speaking to a future soulmate. You also recently released “Maybe.” As a songwriter, when it comes to storytelling in song, do you typically start with writing from experiences or creating fictional stories?
WILL: It’s a little bit of both. I think sometimes it can flow easier and show a little bit more of your heart when writing from a real-life experience. Traditionally, I have written from a more real-life experience. There are 1 or 2 songs that have come out: ‘Maybe,’ for example, isn’t a song that’s around a particular situation. It was about making a fun, like 2010-inspired pop song that feels nostalgic, feels awesome, and that people want to sing and dance to, you know? But for me, it’s this little game you play when I have something to say and feel like there’s something in my heart, by all means, that will come right out.
This morning, you announced your second EP, Magic – Congratulations! Even the first post you made about it looks so exciting visually. How long has this EP been in the works, and can you tell us about how it differs from “kill all my feelings”?
WILL: Thank you! This EP has been in the works since the beginning of this year. The big difference between this and the Kill All My Feelings EP was all the songs have been written in person. What’s quite funny about the Kill All My Feelings EP is that everything was written over Zoom. It was over lockdown, it was over the COVID time, and everything was done over Zoom. Whereas this time, it’s been so awesome to be in the rooms with guys and just to be finishing things out, and it really just being a labor of, of love from everybody that’s been involved in the project to really get, you know, the songs to be the best that they can be before anybody hears them. It’s such a scary moment of writing a song, finishing it, and then suddenly going, “Okay, it’s yours. It’s everybody else’s. It’s out of my control.”
Absolutely. I feel like in person, it’s definitely more of a genuine interaction and songwriting session in comparison to Zoom, which is difficult. Diving into more about your songwriting, with so many recent releases, and as a musician, I’m guessing there is constant mixing, rewriting lyrics, and being a perfectionist. As an artist, how do you know that a song is complete?
WILL: I feel like you never feel it’s complete with the creative process. My mom’s a painter; she paints for fun but loves it, and it’s very good. She’s always like, with the creative process, it never feels finished. But at some point, you’re going to have to let it go and allow people to listen to this project that you’ve worked really hard for, you know? I feel like there are points when you can listen to a song and say, this is bang on the money, and it feels so great. But then sometimes you’ll put it out, and then two months later you’ll be like, “Oh, I wish I had done this and this and this.” But that all comes with hindsight. I think the biggest thing is, what do you feel when you’ve when you’ve just written the song? How does that make you feel? When that {song} makes you feel good, you know, you’ve got something awesome, and then all you can do is just let the process happen, and you can try and make the song the best that it can be.
I wanted to know if you could tell me a bit more about the concept for the ‘Maybe’ music video. It’s very different from other music videos that we’ve seen from you. It was filmed under a time crunch, and everyone in the video looked like they were having so much fun. What was it like creating your own music video with full creative control, and how was this experience different from your previous work on other music videos?
WILL: The amount of time we had to shoot it. Luckily enough, the guy who I do a lot of my music videos with, Abo Booi, was actually in LA with us. When we were asked to make a music video, we looked at each other like, “What do we do?” He was like, “I’ve got an idea. It’s going to be great. Just invite as many people as you can. I’m going to go rent a camcorder, and we’re just going to go hit the town, and I’m just going to film whatever happens.” Something about that spontaneity was so freeing and so fun because you’re not stressing about all the nitty-gritty things that come with trying to plan your music video… make sure that this scene happens like this or that. We were just like walking on the street. And then Abo would be like, “What if we did verse one here?” People are playing the song on their phones, and I am lip-syncing, and then we suddenly find ourselves dancing somewhere else. What was really fun was how the music video just evolved.
Photos Courtesy of Liam Gillin: @liamg516
Moving onto a little bit more about your fanbase. They are so loyal and dedicated; you’ve created this strong community for supporting you and being music fans in general. How does it feel to witness the impact of your music firsthand while performing and meeting your fans on tour? Can you share any memorable fan stories or experiences that have stayed with you?
WILL: It’s such a humbling experience. I’m at a loss for words when you try to describe it and distill it into one feeling, one idea, or an explanation of how it feels. The only thing that I can say is I count myself as being one of the luckiest people to be able to do what I do. Being able to engage with the beautiful and incredible people who are listening to the music and are helping form this community is so special. Being able to look at somebody in the eye and say, “Thank you for listening to this music. Thank you for being a part of this family. Thank you for driving and traveling to come and watch the show.” My job is to create awesome experiences for people, whether in a 3:15-second song, a fun music video, or an hour-long show. It’s so special to look at people in the eyes, to interact with people and have chats with people. It’s so special and super humbling.
Especially because music is such a universal language, I feel like so many people can connect with your music, no matter the circumstances. I feel like so many of us have been able to connect with so many of our favorite artists over the years. As a music fan, I always love asking artists how they create setlists for shows. How have you been able to create a setlist for the show that balances out fan-favorite songs from your EP but also attracts potential fans and listeners of your music?
WILL: So the funny part is, is that this show is actually the first show that we are playing e music that is actually out before. What’s been so interesting is that we’ve had the ‘kill all my feelings’ EP. It’s been like, “How do we fill up the set? How do we make it longer? How do we, how do we make it more immersive? How do we make it more fun for people to be a part of and to enjoy?” So {initially} we filled it with covers and filled it with all these different things. This is the first time we are playing all the songs that are out. And now what’s really fun is we can go, “Okay, so how can we create little intimate moments in this space?” Because now their fans are going to hear all the songs that are out. So now it’s about how we create little nuggets of moments in time within this show that are super memorable, just concentrated and focused on this show tonight and this experience with everyone.
Do you have any specific changes in the set aside from, you know, all of your music? Is there anything specific you are excited about, a song you’re really excited to play for the crowd tonight?
WILL: Yes, there’s a cover that I do in the crowd, which is really fun!
If you had to pick a song, it could be yours or any other artist; what song would you say best describes your time in New York and this tour so far?
WILL: Oh! Dancing Queen by ABBA.
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