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Interview with
WILL DAY

(28th August 2021)

Interview by Dave Bruce

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Queensland based country artist Will Day has released a beautiful new track entitled ‘Simple Then’, featuring fellow powerhouse country artist Brooke Schubert.  ‘Simple Then’ is a song of love and heartbreak.  It tells the story of a couple who fell in love at a young age but as time goes by, they drift apart.  This single is follow up to Will’s recent single ‘Countrified’ that was officially added to iHeartCountry and KIX Country, where the track stayed in the Top 20 for 5 consecutive weeks.

‘Simple Then’ is the third single from Will’s debut album ‘Countrified’ which was released on 23rd July.  This release is in the lead up to a national tour, which will reach every state in the country and will include a performance at major Country Music Festival Savannah in the Round in Queensland in October alongside such artists such as Lee Kernaghan, Troy Cassar- Daly, The Wolfe Brothers, Brad Cox, Casey Barnes, Southbound and more.  With Will’s immense passion of touring means that he is excited to bring his live show to Australian audiences, especially after taking a year off while the world worked through the Covid 19 pandemic.  We have had to cancel part of his tour due to the current restrictions and will be rescheduling for early 2022.

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Have you always wanted to be a musician? When did you start writing music?
I have since I was about 14. That’s when I first started to learn guitar and sing. I wrote my first song around then as well but it wasn’t great. It’s taken me years to really get a hold on my song writing style and it’s something I’m always trying to improve. I think developing your song writing skills is a life-long journey.

Which music did you grow up listening to? How has it influenced your current style?
I grew up listening to a lot of 70’s folk stuff. Cat Stevens, James Taylor, Carole King and the like. Then I went through a bit of an Aussie Rock/Hard Rock phase. In my late teens I started listening to a lot of Keith Urban and other American country artists. From there I never looked back, it was always country music!

How would you describe your sound?
Country Rock vs Singer/Songwriter. My sound is a real blend of the two.

Your new single ‘Simple Then’ has just been released! Describe its origin and evolution.
I co-wrote Simple Then with my producer Jared Adlam. After writing it we thought, hey this would be a great duet! It was then just about finding the right duet partner. We decided to approach Brooke Schubert. I knew of Brooke’s profile and how damn good she was and wasn’t sure if she’d be keen or not. After asking her, she came straight back to us with a big yes! She has such a phenomenal voice and the track very much evolved when she came on board. I think our voices blend really nicely together. Jared, Brooke and I are really proud of how the track turned out.

You are about to start an extensive Australian tour reaching every state and territory.  What are you looking forward to, and what can the fans expect?
There will be a real blend of intimate shows where I’ll break the songs down acoustically in a solo/duo format and some shows where it’ll be in a full country rock format. It really depends on where I can logistically manage to have a full band on the road with me or not. I’ve done thousands of shows as a solo artist though, so either way, people can expect an engaging show. I’m looking forward to finally seeing these songs come to life in a live setting.

Can you tell us a little about your new album ‘Countrified’?
It’s my debut album and although it feels like it’s been a while coming for me, I’m so proud of the result. It’s been a real team effort. My producer Jared Adlam has been amazing in the whole process and was a real pleasure to work with. I worked with some amazing songwriters on the album. In fact, most of the tracks are co-writes. I really enjoy the process of co-writing. The album is a real blend of country rock tracks mixed with a few ballads. I feel it paints the right picture of who I am as an artist at this stage in my career and is a solid representation of that.

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If you could perform with any music artist, Alive or Dead, who would you choose? And why?
Travis Collins 100%! I have always wanted to support Travis or sing with him. I first saw him in 2013 on a stage in Tamworth singing ‘Summer Love’. Always stuck with me how he effectively he connected with a crowd, a fantastic ‘truly country’ Aussie artist.

Why do you think people resonate with your music?
I like to think there is a lot of honesty in my music. A song like ‘Dear Dad’, I can’t get any more real and raw than that. I think people respond well to honesty and authenticity. I also love putting on a sweaty, energetic country rock show. I think people who are familiar with my live show have really come to connect with that element of my music as well.

What’s next for you in the near future?
Hoping to tour the album as much as I can (covid dependent) and will release a couple more singles from it. Ideally, I’d like to see the album release cycle last for 12 months. After that I guess it’s on to the next release!

What are your longer-term aspirations?
For me, it’s all about longevity. I’m not interested in being a ‘fly-by-nighter’. I want to still be around recording, releasing and touring albums in 30 years time. I think building a career takes many years of hard work and touring. I like to think that fans respect that and they will stick with you. I have plans to record several albums and tour the UK and America once the world opens up. I’m looking at hopefully spending some in Nashville in 2023 to do some writing, networking and play some shows.

What is the best thing about performing to a live audience?
It really is my life blood as cliché as that sounds. At the time of writing this I can say I played an actual gig last night! It’s been while due to the COVID climate. It was a real buzz just to play and I realised how much I missed it and connecting with an audience.

Finally, a few questions for some quick answers –
FAVOURITE:
Album – Keith Urban and The Ranch 
Artist – Craig Campbell
Movie – Anything with Denzel Washington!
Place to visit – New Zealand 
Venue to play – Keen to play a footy stadium, also love The Triffid in Brisbane. 
Food –  Pizza 
Drink – Beer 
Person in History –  Nelson Mandela 
Tattoo – (If you don’t have one, what would you get?)  ‘Finally got the guts’

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Follow WILL DAY
Facebook – Website – Instagram – Spotify

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AMNPLIFY – DB

AMNPLIFY – DB