Ushering us in his dark paradise is a rising artist, W1ll K – a name that's about to make waves in the local music industry. Recognized for his hot beats and sultry sound, this independent musician will take us into his fiery music.
Listening to his songs, you'll feel his natural charisma. From his sensual tune and ear for beats, his music adds a local flavor to our radar. After releasing his album "The Dark Paradise" on Spotify, he followed it up with his single "Pasaway Paradise," which expresses an addictive tune with a taunting flow and lyrics.
In this issue, we had a quick conversation with him to discuss diversifying his sound, influences, future music, and more. Get to know him and what he has to offer in the Filipino music scene.
W1ll K in entering the music industry and his creative freedom
"What drew me to the industry was me having my love for music at such an early age. Like music became my therapy whenever I'm feeling down – music will make you feel something. My creative process is when writing a song, I would find inspiration, like feelings or something that is happening in my life right now. I will identify that emotion and make a sound that translates that and eventually write lyrics."
His music influence in finding his sound
The music producer expressed how some American musicians influenced him in the music scene. An artist he mentioned was Blackbear for his bold and unique sound. "He mixes different sounds and vibes, and he's very detailed in those emotions and feelings whenever he's writing music in such a way not everyone does. The uniqueness of the sound makes a big difference for me" he continued. He also looks up to American rappers such as J.Cole and Kendrick Lamar, both dominating the global music industry.
His plans to diversify his future music
During his first year of showcasing his craft, he produced music genres that would lose himself from his comfort zone and explore sounds that would challenge him.
“Gumawa ako ng a lot of different genres. So far hindi ko inakala na magclick ang jazz, but I only made one or two jazz songs. So I plan to explore Jazz, Hip-Hop, and Pop." [ I produced a lot of different genres. So far, I didn't expect that the jazz ones would click, but I only made one or two jazz songs. So I plan to explore Jazz, Hip-Hop, and Pop.]
His haven to unwind and make music
"I feel like part of your life; there's a perfect destination. For me, for the past few months it's been my home town – in Mindoro. So I've been kind of soul searching especially when I turned twenty-five, like it made sense for me to stop for a while and not always go on the oftens and just find what I really want to do for a little bit." The young artist said he finds the beach and nature a subject to unwind while making his music. "It definitely helps me clear my head, but when it comes to inspiration in music and creative stuff, it comes to experience mainly and the people I meet and the experiences" he added.
Listen to W1ll K's latest release "Pasaway Paradise" here.
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Photography by Rxandy Capinpin
Styling by Bryan Laroza
Grooming by Lars Cabanacan
Words and Interview by Maryanne Roldan
Art by Joe Andy
Special Thanks to Danica Familara