News In The Studio: Willy Moon

To say that we’re a little excited by Willy Moon is an understatement. Ever since he burst on to our collective radar last year, DIY has been enamoured with his sense of style, flair and, to be quite honest, his raw talent.

Having already given us a taste of his musical outpourings with the likes of ‘I Wanna Be Your Man’ and ‘Yeah Yeah’, he’s quickly establishing himself as one of today’s more fascinating and engaging pop stars, so it’s unsurprising that he’s already rising up the ranks on daytime radio.

Blending together musical styles is often a tough challenge, but Moon seems intent on continuing to do so. Whether it was from the laid-bare ‘50s sounds running through his debut track, or the slick mix of rock ‘n’ roll meets hip-hop that we heard with latest single ‘Yeah Yeah’, creating the perfect pastiche of genres is something of huge importance to him when making his full-length.

“I think that, partly due to the way that I work, the album will be a collage of different sounds,” he begins. “That’s what interests me. It’s about building a picture from everything that has inspired me. I’m trying to exist in a post-genre world.”

With every offering we have heard thus far from Willy being dynamic and well-crafted, what is it that we can expect from a full-length?

“I think any debut album is you introducing a character or an artist to the world. You want to be able to present them in as fresh and exciting a way as possible. There’s not as much pressure in terms of expectation. The expectation is for them to be interesting.

“That’s really my focus. I want to make a record that doesn’t sound like anybody else’s record. I don’t want people to hear it and have it sound like a million other people, which is obviously what guitar music is so associated with at the moment. Yeah, a record that grabs people, and pulls them into my world.”

So, how far along in the recording process is he? “Everything that I’m doing at the moment is recording for my record. I have been working on a few songs of which.. for example, the other day, one we just did the horn section for, which was really great. There’s been lots of different things really.”

And how has the process been so far? “It’s really on and off. I do a lot of work at home. Sometimes, I find that I can get a few days to work at it, and get done as much as I possibly can but other times, it might just be a couple of hours here and a couple of hours there. It’s great though because that means that I can work exactly how I want.”

Usually, it wouldn’t be naïve to assume that creative freedom and lack of time constraints would be something to aid an artist, but for Moon, it seems more of a hindrance. “I think it’s really bad!” he laughs. “I think restriction is important. I think it’s good to have restrictions on what you can do and when you can do it. The freedom to do whatever you want, whenever you want is a very bad thing.”

And, as ever, an emphasis on image – an element of the creative process that Moon takes extra pride in – will not be overlooked. “I think that’s something that will grow as I enter into the promotion stage, once I’ve made the record. I think the visuals are essentially a part of the music. It’s through that prism that we listen. Nobody listens to music completely alone. It’s not as though you’re a blind, mute person who can’t read or write and has been living in the forest, who has then had headphones shoved on. It’s all heard within cultural context.”

So, when do we expect we might be able to hear his debut? “My record label want it to be done by July, so that’s what I’m aiming for. I don’t really have a specific date in my mind, but it has to come out this year.”

Willy Moon’s new single ‘Yeah Yeah’ is out now via LuvLuvLuv Records. His debut album is due later this year.

Taken from the June 2012 issue of DIY, available now. For more details click here.