Will Travis – Shining Star
Will Travis hits all the right notes with his debut single Shining Star. Melbourne, Australia has produced many fine bands, but not quite as many solo artists (ok there was Kylie). Well that might all be about to change as Will Travis steps into the spotlight.
Shining Star is an upbeat, up-tempo acoustic guitar based track, displaying elements of Bluegrass and Country music. There’s wave after wave of positive energy, meaning this should be the hit of the Summer – down under.
Will Travis has a confidence and poise to his song writing that suggests he’ll quickly become the gold standard of melody and rhythm.
Makeit-loud.com caught up with Will recently and began by asking him about his inspiration:
MI-L: What inspired you to start writing songs?
WT: My inspiration to start writing songs came from listening to music from an early age. Artists like Freddie Mercury, Ed Sheeran, Elvis Presley and Simon and Garfunkel all had very meaningful lyrics with melodies that flowed and made me feel something. From a young age, I’d always tap and sing along to the songs I heard, and eventually started making up little melodies in my head and lyrics that were inspired by hip hop rhymes — a sort of poetry. It was when I started playing guitar that I actually started writing my own proper songs, influenced by either other songs or things that had happened in my own life. I found it a way to express myself through the art form of music
MI-L: How long have you been playing the guitar?
WT: I first picked up the guitar when I was about 7 and played it during music lessons at school, but that was a very short-lived period. I then picked up the guitar again about 2 years ago when I stumbled upon an old nylon string guitar that was my dad’s, and started to play every night, teaching myself the basic chords and strumming patterns. A few months later, for Christmas, I got my first electric acoustic steel-string, which opened up new possibilities and techniques and made me get better at playing. After playing guitar for about 8 months, I did my first ever gig at the age of 15 — I threw myself in the deep end by doing a 2-hour set full of songs that I was still finding difficult to play. Somehow I pulled it off!
MI-L: Where was Shining Star recorded?
WT: The song was recorded at Labracadabra Studios in Abbotsford, Melbourne. I met my producer, Julian, through my primary school music teacher, who had encouraged me to continue with my musical endeavours. She’d had a spare ticket to a single launch in Melbourne, which was the first launch I had been to. After the gig, I said g’day to him and had a quick chat, but I didn’t realise he produced music — I thought he was a guitarist. A couple of months later, my old music teacher forwarded a video from one of my gigs to him. After a couple of conversations one thing led to another, we got together to record and the rest is history.
MI-L: Which other artists do you enjoy listening to?
WT: I’ve always enjoyed listening to a lot of different types of music from a young age. I can always remember, when I was a little kid in the car with my dad, he’d ask me “what song is this” or “who sung this song”. I’ve always loved the classics like Queen and The Beatles because of the storytelling and messages conveyed throughout their songs. I also enjoy listening to hip hop and rap, ranging from groups like The Streets to solo artists like Dave and The Notorious B.I.G., as the way they rhyme and tell stories through lyrics is very different to most contemporary singers. I’m also into rock bands like Third Eye Blind and Linkin Park, as they give off a lot of energy throughout their songs, and pop artists such as Ed Sheeran and John Mayer, as they inspire my songwriting skills and guitar playing. I even like listening to classical music such as Mozart and Beethoven, as I find their works are relaxing and show how musicians can communicate through instruments and dynamics, not only lyrics and tempo.
MI-L: Do you see yourself forming a band, or are you happy to be a solo performer?
WT: I see myself staying solo for the time being, as it allows me to focus on my musical capabilities and personal voice/sound. The dream for the near future is to move away from Melbourne for a while after high school, possibly to the UK, and follow music for a few years, write and produce more music in the studio, and try to make a career out of my music.
MI-L: When will you next be performing live?
WT: My next live performance will be at the Hotel Esplanade (The Espy) in St Kilda, Melbourne, an iconic landmark and music venue, on Tuesday the 22nd of September. I also have gigs lined up at the Beaumaris Hotel, Beaumaris and the Naked Racer bar, Moorabbin (well worth a look for the multi-million-dollar motorbike collection that is on site!).
MI-L: What musical plans do you have for the future?
WT: The plans I have for the future are to record and release more music next year, then, when high school is finished, move overseas to the UK to gig/busk and hopefully travel Europe to develop my musical experience. I also aim to release more produced music and potentially be spotted by a label — hopefully leading to signing a contract in the future. I plan to take every opportunity that comes along
MI-L: Tell us more about Shining Star?
WT: My debut single Shining Star was written just under a year before I recorded it, it is one of my most popular songs I play at gigs. It always gets people singing and dancing along to it. It’s a story loosely based off an experience I had at a party, but mainly fictional about messing up something that’s important to yourself and reflecting back on the moments that led to it. Having sat on the song for that long before recording it allowed me to change some of the lyrics and melodies, creating new ideas and phrasing for the song and the overall expressive outcome of it.
Well, here at Makeit-loud.com, we’ve seen a few stars, but Will Travis really is a shining one.
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