Will Joseph Cook
words by Troy Davis
Get excited Honey Punch-ers! I talked with UK babe Will Joseph Cook about his brand new EP, his favorite music, and his iconic collection of music videos. Check it out below, and take a listen to his newest tunes!
Hi Will. First off, congrats on your new EP! How exciting is it to be getting this new music out?
Helloo, its awesome! Putting new music and videos out is definitely my element, makes me feel really positive.
You just released your debut record back in April, and you're ALREADY gracing us with some new tunes. What made you want to jump back into recording so fast?
Well I had finished writing Sweet Dreamer back in December last year, so for me the gap between making new music felt a lot Lover than 6 months. Also the songs on the EP felt relevant to me right now and I didn't want to lose that by holding it back.
I think my first exposure to your music (and I'm betting this is the case for a lot of your fans) was from your super cute video for "Girls Like Me". Can you talk a little bit about what inspired the song, and how it was working on the video? (Specifically talking about your drag performance haha)
It was quite an intense first video to take on. The costume changes were so rapid! Lyrically the song is about the confusion 'on a break' era of a relationship and all the up and downs I felt through that. I think with the video I just really wanted to make something fun and provocative, something that took a new slant on the title.
You recently got a KILLER remix by another one of our faves, HONNE. How did you end up working with James and Andrew?
We're actually both on the same label, signed by our mutual friend and a&r Jordan Whitmore. We had met a few times at some after parties and festivals. They're super talented artists and producers so when the opportunity came around I was very keen.
You've have a serious knack for writing hooks. What kind of artists did you grow up listening to, that you feel influenced your songwriting?
When I was very young a lot of British pop was played in the house, bands like Blur, Supergrass and The Cure. Then when I was about 12 I started buying my own records like Vampire Weekend, Darwin Deez, MGMT, Friendly Fires and Phoenix.
"Holly Wood" is a definite standout from the new record. Can you talk a little about the song?
Writing it was really interesting, all the sections were written at different points in time and only all came together this September. I've had the verse chords and lyrics for over a year, the pre chorus since spring and the chorus came to me in august. It's about being at a party and finding the one person there who really understands you and what you want from life.
Any plans to tour on the horizon? We'd love to see you State-side
I just finished my last UK tour of the year, which was amazing. I am so game for playing some shows in the US, I guess I'm just waiting for the right time and opportunity.