We recently connected with Chris Wills and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Chris , thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

The most meaningful project of mine that I’ve worked on so far is my short film and EP release called “Seasons.” My now partner and I started dating along the filming of the film. We went to 4 different locations in 4 different states, each location very special to us, and followed the seasons. It took us a year to shoot and I wrote the final song, also called “Seasons,” at the end of the process. Still hoping for that 4th song to come.

I ended up writing it by accident after a difficult flight. Happy to be alive walking through the airport terminal I started humming this song randomly and the whole project came together.

The other major part of the project is that the final song on EP solidified a change in me. You can hear it in the production as well and how it’s different than the rest of the EP. I went through a lot of personal challenges over a couple year period and this project helped me get to a new place and I’m grateful for it.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m making spiritual folk rock for people who love music and love themselves. Focusing first on the connection with myself and my audience, I spent the last 8 years deliberately working on my craft as a songwriter. I’m inspired by Jason Isbell, Rufus Wainwright, and The Boss (Bruce, duh), and lyrically I’m exploring new territory as a ‘sensitive man’ trying to navigate life as a Musician-slash-house painter.

I’ve been collaborating with producers Colyer (Ethel Cain) and Louie Diller (Marina, HOLYCHILD). This year I’ve released my EP, Seasons, along with an accompanying short film, and toured with a bunch of artists.

Words don’t do music justice, you have to hear it. My suggestion is this: go outside, put your phone on airplane mode, and listen to Seasons while you’re walking on a new path. I feel like I’m doing a lot of world building as an artist and somehow, that’s the world I’m creating. It’s felt in my live show, it’s felt in the visuals and it’s felt in the songs.

I’m decidedly independent and have been featured in Luna Collective, Flood Magazine, American Songwriter and too many to mention here.

There’s an arsenal of songs I’ll be releasing in 2024 and I’m planning a US and UK tour. When I’m not making music I love hanging out with my three dogs and playing basketball (woo!).

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

A lesson I had to unlearn is that there’s a correct way to do anything. More specifically, as a musician, the road is so unclear. You can read a million autobiographies, listen to hundreds of interviews, you can take in advice from hundreds of people and call it research. But ultimately your path is going to be different from everyone else’s. You can conjure up images of how you think it’s going to go, but don’t bother. It’s most likely going to be like nothing you imagined. I’ve learned that I can do what I can do. I can take care of my spiritual well being, get better at my instrument, get better at putting on a good show, I can plan and reach for goals, but past that, I have no clue how it’s going to go. But hey, don’t listen to me!

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Sure, as working artists, our financial futures can be a bit cloudy, work comes and goes, and the cliche that the highs are high and the lows are soul crushingly low, turned out to be true in my experience. And sure, maybe the powers that be want us artists to feel so grateful that we simply get to make art so we don’t expect to get paid. Regardless, there’s nothing else I’d rather be or get to do. I get to process the world around me, my feelings and emotions, through song and music. I have something to work on everyday, something to get better at. The Rolling Stones just put out a new record and they’re 80! What a way to live! I get to travel, sing songs to rooms full of people, and sometimes to rooms full of no one! I’ve met so many of my friends through music, have learned so much about life through it, it’s truly a marvelous and mysterious thing.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillsmusic/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChrisWillsMusic
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xz7Q-byGddA
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/track/7JphKXgSLV7AjmaSkeCWGa?si=4fa3dacc96c14b42

Image Credits
Elizabeth Nistico