Hello and welcome to episode 173 of the ACPG Podcast.
This week Ben is zooming with the delightful Willie J Healey. They talk about his new album Bunny, touring with the Arctic Monkeys and Jamie T, working with Yala records and more.
Thank you to Jay for setting up the interview. And thank you to Willie for his time and rearranging time for a clash in Ben's diary.
We have a special artist in Willie and, as I mention, new album ‘Bunny’ is something of a new dawn for him. Recorded in NYC with producer Loren Humphrey (Florence + The Machine, Arctic Monkeys, Lana Del Rey) he stepped out of his comfort zone, pushed himself to be more honest with what he wanted to do, and ultimately discovered that there was a freedom to be found in embracing that honesty. There is a maturity and warmth to the songs here, whether he’s pondering the cost of ambition (‘Dreams’) or revisiting themes of love (‘Sure Feels Good’), contentment (‘Woke Up Smiling’) and appreciation (‘Thank You’). It’s the sound of Willie at the happiest he’s been in a while, and I think this comes from being able to strike a perfect balance between determination to create what he wants, and knowing when to accept that – whatever style of album he makes – it will always have signposts to the parts of himself that he can’t change.
Sliding into new musical territory, he welcomes hypnotic grooves, gospel harmonies and brass flourishes to support his own organic, understated falsetto. Fusing soul, rock and R&B, ‘Bunny’ is Willie J Healey waking up a dormant side of his musical world and rolling with it.
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ACPG 096: You Me at Six (Max and Chris) Interview
ACPG 095: Stu Whiffen Interview
ACPG 094: Russell Dickerson Interview
ACPG 093: Never Not Nothing Interview
ACPG 092: Cristian Machado
ACPG 091: 2020 Releases with Cornershop and Rews
ACPG 090: 2020 Releases with Diana DeMuth
ACPG 089: 2020 Releases with Sea Girls (Rory Young)
ACPG 088: 2020 Releases with Jamie McCredie & Jo Harrop
ACPG 087: 2020 Releases with Lindsay Ell
ACPG 086: Broken Record Special
ACPG 085: Record Store Day Special
ACPG 084: Season Three Intro with Ben and James
ACPG 083: Season Two Outro with Ben and James
ACPG 082: Dave Keuning (The Killers, Keuning), Interview
ACPG 081: John Newman, Interview
ACPG 080: Steven Page (Barenaked Ladies), Interview
ACPG 079: Keith Armstrong (Kitchenware Records), Interview
ACPG 078: Kevin Brown (Gig Rev), Interview
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