Interview by Zara Leask Baggesen
Following his memorable performance at Woordfees in Stellenbosch on 15 October, singer-songwriter Will Linley sat down with Die Matie to reflect on what felt like a true homecoming. The 24-year-old, who once called this town home, opened up about returning to the place where his musical journey first began, the emotional connection he shares with his fans, and the stories that shaped his debut album.
Firstly, welcome back to Stellies! It was not that long ago that you were sitting in the same lecture halls as us, experiencing the same things as us. How does it feel to be back where it all began?
So good. So good. It’s amazing to be back. I love Stellenbosch so much, it feels like coming home. I spent two years of my life here and made friendships that will stick with me forever. I just love the energy. I love that everyone’s down for a party. Everyone’s here to support. It feels amazing. I really feel like [people of] Stellenbosch take me as their own whenever I come back here, which is amazing.
Does it feel strange to do it in a different capacity? I know you used to do popups and that sort of thing in Stellies.
This was the first time that I’ve done a show this big here, which is kind of crazy. I didn’t expect it to be so full, so I really was so grateful for it because usually I play Daisy Jones Bar, which [can host] 450 [people], which is really cool. But ja, this was absolutely amazing.
I can imagine. As a former student here, is there any message you’d like to share with the students for motivation, especially seeing that you have such a success story with unapologetically following your dreams?
I think I’d say enjoy your time here. Don’t take it for granted. I think the thing that I missed most when I dropped out and left was the friendships and the community that I felt like I was building. For me […], because COVID was my first year, it did take about two years to really feel like, “Oh my gosh, I belong in this space. I’ve got close friends.” And then suddenly at the end of second year I was leaving. And so I think that in that first year of me doing music, I felt like I just missed my friends that I was making in the space. And the memories that you make in res and – I don’t know – wherever you are – on the Rooiplein, at the Neelsie or in a club, or whatever it is – I missed a lot of that.
So I just tell people, enjoy the space. Don’t be afraid to go out and do your own thing, but enjoy what you have because it really is such a gift.
On that, I was actually going to ask, is there any specific place you miss the most?
I miss the res areas […]. I was in Huis Vis [referring to Huis Visser], and being in my dorm area and being with my mates and playing corridor cricket […] – I just miss that vibe of things and being with a bunch of dudes.
I can imagine. I’d like to congratulate you on your debut album. What inspired the overall concept and name, Don’t Cry Because It’s Over?
So, I remember being on a phone call with my creative director India, and we were talking about the album and we knew I wrote a lot about love and we were like, “Okay, cool, that’s interesting, but how do we try and find a title for this?” And I didn’t want the title of the album to be the name of a song. I knew that I wanted it to be… something. And so as we were talking, I was like, “Oh, well, I feel like it just needs to be something simple like ‘don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened’ or whatever.” And then India was like, “Wait, that’s too long, but what if it was just Don’t Cry Because it’s Over?”
And the beautiful thing about that is you look back at love fondly rather than [being] angry at the individual. You actually realise you’ve learned things and you can take things that you’ve learned into new relationships, into new friendships, whatever that is. And […] ultimately love is not something to be feared, but rather to be something that is embraced and held closely.
Speaking of embracing things, I know you used to say that songwriting is a very vulnerable thing for you. How have you managed to harness that and embrace it and have it not be something that you shy away from?
I think that I just realised I was writing all my best stuff when I was being vulnerable. I think that I could happily write a song that’s like, “We are dancing on the edge and we’re having so much fun,” or whatever, but I think that that ultimately wouldn’t say anything. […] For me, one of my favourite songs is “First Love”. For me it holds so much weight because it’s real and it happened and it means something. And I think that […] is [more] exciting and inspiring than just putting out any old song.That, for me, is the important part.
Now that the album is out in the world, how does it feel hearing people interpret songs and resonating with them and then singing that back to you, having had their own experiences that they’re reflecting on, not necessarily your experiences. So how does it feel to have your personal words sung back to you?
Insane.
Must be surreal.
So cool. It’s a real blessing. I think some people are still learning a lot of the new stuff, so we’re still getting [to] that, but it really is a real gift.
Amazing. Also, you’ve mentioned that your album was heavily inspired by a lot of rom-coms. What’s your all-time favourite?
Notting Hill man, come on. How can you not love it?
I feel like you can see elements of that in your album. Little homages towards it.
Thank you.
You’re about to embark on a headline tour. So exciting. Which stop are you most excited to return to?
In South Africa?
Anywhere.
I love playing in Jozi [Johannesburg]. I do love Jozi. I love Cape Town too, but there’s an energy to Jozi which I really enjoy. I don’t count Stellenbosch as Cape Town. Stellenbosch is Stellenbosch. Stellenbosch is a great show regardless of anything else. I’m really excited for London, I must say. I’m really excited for the London stuff. That sold out quite fast, which is really cool. And I’m really excited for Amsterdam too.
London’s very on theme with the fact that Notting Hill is such a big inspiration for your album.
No, exactly.
What does your day typically look like on tour? Walk me through a day in your life.
Well, if we are on tour in Europe, it’s very different to South Africa. [In] South Africa, we’re usually flying to a venue and it’s kind of chaotic […]. Whereas in Europe, we travel with all our gear. So we hop in the van. Usually we’ll play a gig and we’ll load out the part of the venue by 11:00 and then we’ll drive to the hotel or stay a night in a hotel for about four or five hours, depending on how long the next drive is going to be. Then you wake up at 05:00, 06:00, and you load up the van and you drive your 10 hours to the next city and then you load it and you play your show, and so it’s kind of chaotic, but it’s really fun and it’s amazing. I look forward to the day that maybe I’m on a bus and then you can wake up, go get a coffee and enjoy it. But no, we don’t do that. It’s long drives – 10 hours or whatever it is.
No, that’s hectic. So, beyond South Africa, who’s your all-time dream collaborator on a song ?
Ed Sheeran. I’d love to do something with Ed Sheeran. He’s just the best.
That would be amazing. I kind of thought you were going to say Gracie.
Gracie Abrams? That would be cool, I won’t lie.
Okay, so if you could choose one of your songs for Ed Sheeran to feature on, which song would you choose and why?
I’d love to get him to sing on “Last Thing I Do”. I just think it’s such a beautiful song. I’m really proud of that song and I think that it would be an absolute blessing to have him sing on that.
I can definitely see that. Thank you so much. The album’s amazing, the performance was amazing, and thank you for making time for us.
Nice. That was so cool. Thank you.
