Having already established himself with a wealth of bold and electrifying anthems these last few years, self-proclaimed "elder emo" WALWIN is back to his best once again on the euphoric new single 'Famous'.
Capturing more of that warm and invigorating pop-rock energy he has showcased in the past, 'Famous' makes for a rousing return to form for the artist at the helm. With its broad and driven textures perfectly elevating his vibrant vocals throughout, he is returning to the fold with one of his most impactful efforts to date here.
So with the new single available to stream now, we sat down with him to find out more about his origins and what has inspired him most over the years.
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What was the first instrument you fell in love with?
Guitar! Started playing when I was 12 because I saw Nickelback rocking out on top of a building in that Spiderman movie.
What kind of music did you love when you were younger?
The early, early years were purely Michael Jackson. Then growing up in the 90s in the UK obviously meant a ton of S Club 7 and Boyzone. It was only until I started watching wrestling when I was around 10 that I discovered Limp Bizkit and all the gnarly Nu Metal vibes of that era.
What was the first album you remember owning?
The first album I bought with my own money was Hybrid Theory by Linkin Park and to this day I am beyond pleased with that choice.
What is the one song you wished you could have written yourself?
Say Anything have a song called Eloise that’s literally like a WALWIN origin story. That song and that album in particular totally changed how I approach songwriting. Especially when it comes to lyrics and putting your personality across vocally.
Do you have any habits or rituals you go through when trying to write new music?
It has to be around 4am and my brain has to be a little wired/hyper. Other than that, I just let the vibes flow and just let everything flow naturally. Also a lot of my lyric writing gets done on the tube when I’m on my way out somewhere - so maybe there’s something in that too.
Who are your favourite artists you have found yourself listening to at the moment?
The 1975, Hot Mulligan, Darla Jade, Bad Omens and Sleep Token have all been on heavy rotation the past few months.
If you could open a show for anyone in the world, who would it be?
I think I’ve seen Paramore live more than any other band and the crowd is always at a 10/10. Opening up for them in some crazy arena would be the wildest!
What do you find is the most rewarding part about being a musician?
It’s a cliché, but people connecting to my music on a deeper level will never get old. I’ve had people tell me Thorns has gotten them through divorces and breakups and Stop Living & Don’t Dream has taken them right back to being a kid and hearing emo for the first time. Moments like that will never be lost on me.
And what is the most frustrating part?
Stressing over the literal ‘music’ part and figuring out what’s actually important. I have four mixes of my new song Famous where the snare drum is slightly different on each version. Sometimes it’s hard to figure out when stuff like that is actually important and when it’s not. A lot of musicians spend hours/days tweaking things that no one is ever going to notice - and BOY can it get frustrating!
And what is the best piece of advice you have received as a musician?
I was on tour with Wheatus in 2016 and I asked the singer Brendan if it was frustrating when casual fans would scream for Teenage Dirtbag all the time and wouldn’t really know any of their other catalogue. He told me that a lot of bands don’t even have that 1 song that people love and connect with, and that you should be super thankful for having something like that. I really took that on board and don’t take any of my older songs for granted, because somewhere out there is an artist that’s still struggling to get that 1 banger that people vibe with.
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WALWIN's new single 'Famous' is available to stream now. Check it out in the player below.