Meet Will Edgar, a songwriter from Bolton who studies at ACC Manchester. He was also a finalist on ITV’s The Voice Kids, and he’s recently accepted a position in the House Band for New Century Manchester.
Will may only be 16, but he’s already making his mark on the industry. We sat down for a chat with him to find out more about his career so far, what drives him musically, and what his future looks like.
Read on for more.
Hi Will, tell us about yourself!
Hi! I’m Will, a 16-year-old singer/songwriter from Bolton, Manchester. My passion is to share my music through the universal language of music. Outside of college, I am a regular performer for private events, bars and corporate events up and down the UK, both with my original music and cover gigs. I’m currently studying my first year of Vocal Artist Level 3 at Access Creative’s Manchester Oxford Road campus.
From a young age, I was brought up alongside not just music, but instruments as well. Even though my parents didn’t play, I was surrounded by music. This hobby soon turned into a passion. I learned to play many instruments and eventually, I gained a full understanding of what it takes to make music. Because I can play so many instruments, I was able to combine them together and start writing my own music.
As a 16-year-old, being able to make music full-time isn’t very possible and happens for a select few. Therefore, I make do with the time I have, for example, using my music in my education at Access Creative so that I get time to write and practice. Writing my own music has led me to opportunities I never thought I would have, like playing for His Majesty King Charles III and Queen Camilla, Simon Cowell and Pete Waterman, working with world-renowned musicians such as Lea Mullen (George Michael’s percussionist), playing my own music at nationwide festivals and, of course, appearing on ITV’s, The Voice Kids.
What made you want to build a career in music, and how did your musical journey start?
My idea of being a musician has changed many times, starting from wanting to pursue violin, then drums and now mainly guitar and singing. As I learned new instruments, I learned new skills and realised that more than anything, I love being able to control a crowd and hearing my own words being sung back to me.
The violin gave me the ability to read sheet music, listen to other players when performing as a group and also recognise pitch. People underestimate the ability to recognise pitch, but it allowed me to start my musical journey. I then learned to play drums which gave me rhythm and technicality in melody. Then when COVID-19 happened, I had a lot of spare time, so I taught myself to play the piano. I’m glad I did as it’s a massive benefit for understanding theory. I also learned guitar in this period, and that opened doors to where I am now. I also play harmonica, bass, and other percussion and can sing. Music has always been a way to express feelings, whether that’s through somebody else’s music or my own which I started writing when I learned guitar.
How would you describe your music to someone who hasn’t heard it before?
My music contains a lot of influences across traditional songwriting, as well as folk/country/pop/blues and more, which I think makes my music difficult to define. For me, the most important part of a song is the lyrics, as ultimately, you are telling a story – something I like to do with my music. This makes me feel as though there is a purpose to my music, as otherwise, they are just words set to melody.
My music can be very thought-provoking when listened to deeply, however, its aspects make it catchy and live. They make a big impact on the crowd. This makes my music feel more emotive, as it can resonate with anyone when experienced in the right setting. I like recording my songs, but to get to perform them for the rest of my life would be surreal.
I am due to release 2 singles by the end of 2024 and next year, I am hoping to introduce a lot more of my material to my followers. Of the material released so far, I would recommend listening to ‘I Love U?’ as I think it showcases my songwriting in a fictional setting the best – something I don’t do very often anymore. Most of the material I have released is fictional as my tagline was always perspective before experience. As I’ve gotten older this has changed, but the music produced is almost an introduction to the beginning of my songwriting career.
Who are your biggest musical inspirations and why?
As I was saying earlier, my music has influences from a lot of traditional writing and modern topics. Currently, I would compare myself to artists such as Tyler Childers, Sam Barber and The Lumineers because of their ability to write words with meaning, something I aspire to do always. On the performance side, however, I aspire to be with the greatest frontmen of all time such as Dave Grohl, Bruce Springsteen and Michael Jackson. Although musically I may not be similar to these artists, they are entertainers and performers, who I aspire to be like.
You reached the final of The Voice Kids in 2023. How was that whole experience?
The whole experience with The Voice Kids was amazing. Everything on and off stage really made the experience and the story incredible. As a 14-year-old, I was able to play for an estimated 30 million people a night, I was in the hands of some of the industry’s best (Jai Ramage, Jono McNeil, David Tench, Emily Davies), and I was able to showcase my passion in front of a crowd which was amazing.
For me, one of the most enjoyable parts was being able to play with a full live band. Every sound was made by the musicians and playing with them three times was phenomenal.
What do you think you learned from being on The Voice? Has it helped your career?
The Voice Kids has helped me understand more about arranging music and given me insight into the idea of building emotion in a song, rather than it just being a backing track. An example of this is in my version of Simply The Best by Tina Turner in the final. The original song was a fully electric dance tune, but after going through it with the band, we turned it into what felt like a rock song. If it wasn’t for adding and removing instruments to create this dynamic graph, the song would have just been another cover.
In terms of helping my career, I would say The Voice didn’t benefit me that much. I can only think of it as a sneak peek at what everybody is going to see from me in the future. I would like to be known as Will Edgar and The Voice was a perfect warmup for this!
You’ve recently been selected for the House Band over at New Century Manchester, which is really exciting! What does that involve, and how did that come about?
I’m really looking forward to performing at New Century, mainly because I recently found out that it was the first venue in the UK that Jimi Hendrix played at!
The songs that we are playing are timeless classics stretching from Elvis Presley and Queen, to Kenny Rogers and more recently Mumford and Sons. We will of course slip in a Christmas cover or two as well to keep the crowds singing. I was offered the gig through an audition process at college at which I performed my original music and covers, and they chose me!
How has your time been at ACC so far? What kind of things have you been learning?
Access Creative has allowed me to take on opportunities like New Century but also collaborate with other musicians my age. This makes songwriting with other people enjoyable, as they share the same passion for music. It allows me to take on the role of session musician as well. I can work with other artists in the studio and on stage as part of an assignment or just for fun. The Vocal Artist course also allows me to understand my voice more technically, learning about how to maintain my voice and how to treat it.
Do you feel ACC is helping you get set up for your career, and if so, how?
For me, Access Creative hasn’t opened many doors yet, however, that doesn’t mean they won’t come. It has allowed me to network with people all across the industry, including attending events like Beyond The Music Festival, where I was introduced to record labels and promoters. Going into a college where a lot of people are learning music for the first time allows me to help others and gain confidence in teaching other people music. It also solidifies my understanding of the fundamental basics needed to create. Access Creative also gives me the space to be able to write new music in the amazing facilities they have. When everything you need is at hand, writing is a lot easier.
What are you aiming for after college? Where do you hope to be in 10 years?
After college, I hope to be known for my original music. I would like to push it as much as possible and be able to make my own music my “job”, something very few can do. In 10 years time, I can only hope to have built on this, whether that’s bigger gigs or even stadium tours which I crave and work towards.
What advice would you give to somebody who wants to build a career in music?
The advice that I would give to somebody who wants to build a music career is to believe in what you started. For me, I started in the hope of playing in front of big crowds which I have now done, but I will always work towards larger crowds. If you don’t have faith in your idea, it won’t go anywhere, so keep the dream alive and fulfil it.
Want to become a successful vocal artist?
Access Creative College offers a Level 3 Vocal Artist college course in Birmingham, Bristol, London, Manchester and Norwich. On this course you can learn how to:
- Successfully promote music
- Compose your own music
- How to audition for the music industry
- Perform in front of a live audience as a musician
If this sounds like the career your want to pursue, apply online today!
