Instead of struggling through a business degree he did not enjoy, and with the support of his family behind him, Will Linley decided to “run for the fences”. At 20, he chose to pursue a full-time music career. Now, at 21, he is still running and traversing the world’s stages.
Will Linley was able to pursue music as a full-time career after signing his first record deal with BMG in 2021, he says. PHOTO: Amy Cloete
Will Linley’s debut song ‘miss me (when you’re gone)’, released in 2021, currently has close to 18 million streams on Spotify and enabled him to sign his first record deal. By last year, he had opened for OneRepublic at the Sun Bet Arena, in Pretoria, says Will. The crowd was 10 000 people strong.
His music career, however, started long before the release of the song during the Covid-19 pandemic. It starts at home, with his family.
Incremental steps
“He has had a fascination with music throughout his life,” says Joseph Linley, one of Will’s brothers.
His parents encouraged music from a young age and the four Linley brothers all played musical instruments, says Will. As such, there is not a singular moment that triggered his pursuit of the art, it has always been present, he says.
His entrance into the music industry was not instant. Rather, he describes the pursuit as “little stepping stones” that presented themselves throughout his life, and that he had to take one at a time.
He spent a few of his teenage years creating a space for his music production. “I slowly built up my little music studio in my bedroom. It’s nothing special; it’s a microphone, a laptop, and the software that I work on,” he says.
He spent the majority of his time there during the pandemic writing and creating music, recalls Joseph.
Running for the fences
The transition into letting music become your career is daunting, says Will.
He signed his first deal with BMG in 2021, which allowed him to abandon his business degree at Stellenbosch University and pursue music full-time, he explains. “The big thing is realising that when you sign a record deal, it doesn’t mean you’ve made it,” says Will.
The deal did allow him to start “running for the fences”, because the advance enabled him to step out into the music sphere proactively. Will was able to make music his own project that he set out to do.
Performing has become a big part of Will’s life and he sees the responsibility he has. Will currently has 141 000 Instagram followers and 188 000 followers on TikTok.
He hasn’t been able to fully comprehend that people are now looking at him to see what he is doing, says Will. “I have an influence now and I really need to make sure that the person I am and the person that I really want to be shines through, no matter how big or how small I get.”
Will Linley has approximately 758 000 monthly listeners on Spotify, according to the streaming service. PHOTO: Amy Cloete
Head in the clouds
“Anyone who has three older brothers will stay grounded,” says Seth Kallen, Will’s manager.
“It’s about understanding that there are days where you will get ahead of yourself, days when you have to reign it in and pull back,” says Will. “I try my best to not have my head in the clouds.”
What helps him though, is staying connected to his family and building relationships with them because they’re the ones who have been there from the start.
“You can see that Will has grown up around good people who are supportive and challenge him and are behind him 100%,” says Kallen.
“One of the things that I really admire about [Will] is how he’s always wanted to be so true to himself,” says Joseph.
“One of the things that I really admire about [Will] is how he’s always wanted to be so true to himself,” says Joseph Linley, one of local musician Will Linley’s older brothers. Pictured above is Will (left), with Joseph, in an undated photograph. PHOTO: Sourced/Joseph Linley
The art of vulnerability
There are specific anxieties and stressors that Will did not expect before entering the industry. His job is largely centred around how his audience receives his work and what they judge to be good, he explains.
“Music is so subjective,” says Will. He remains focused on producing music that will help his fans escape what they are going through and get through their days. However, you need to reach a point where you create what makes you happy because being so focused on people’s reception of your work can become draining, he says.
Writing about your own life experiences can be “therapeutic [but] sometimes it’s really emotional”, says Will. It can be harder to speak about something that’s happening in the present. “You can go through something that can alter your make-up and how you are feeling, and people will be like… ‘Oh cool, save it. That could be a great song’,” he says.
There is a lot of pressure to “pour your soul and heart out to strangers that you’ve never had a conversation with”, explains Will. “It’s hard to be open and honest, first off, with your family,” he says. Then you have to go on stage and essentially tell the audience about the things going on in your head, your deepest darkest secrets.
Will Linley’s favourite thing about his music career is the ability to interact and connect with his fans, he says. PHOTO: Amy Cloete
“There’s such a joy when you see people, especially those close to you, doing what they love and you see a different side of them come out,” says Joseph. “I love to share that with him.”
“I feel so proud when I see him performing,” says Joseph.
He describes the feeling as surreal because he can’t believe that it’s his brother.
They often had conversations surrounding a potential music career and thinking “imagine if”. But there’s no need for imagination anymore. “He’s opening for OneRepublic, and if nothing else happens, [he’s] lived the dream that we chatted about as kids,” says Joseph.
“Wills, you’ve done it!”