Will Tritt

Interview With Will Tritt

SBS:  Welcome to our pages!  Whether you’ve been here with us in some way before, or you’re brand-new to the site, it’s probably best to get an introduction from you so that we get everyone on the same page to start.  Tell us a little bit about the history of your music, and what’s happening with it lately!?!

Will Tritt:  My name’s Will Tritt — I’m a 16-year-old independent artist from Tennessee.  I’ve been releasing music seriously since I was about 14, and over that period of time I’ve grown my audience mostly through YouTube and platforms like Snapchat.  Lately, I’ve been focused on dropping consistent music, growing my YouTube, and getting discovered across various online platforms in general.

SBS:  Let’s talk about the before and after of where you’re currently at.  What’s something about the music that you’re making now that you don’t think you could have done five years ago, and what’s something you think you’ll be able to do with your music five years from now that you can’t do today?  How have you grown as an artist/band, and what steps do you take to continue your artistic evolution?

Will:  Five years ago, I didn’t have the confidence to express what I was really feeling in my music.  I was still figuring out who I was.  Now, I write honestly — I talk about relationships, self-doubt, growth, and mental health — and I’ve built a fanbase that connects with those real emotions.  In five years, I hope to be making a living off music full-time.  I stay growing by studying artists I admire, listening to fan feedback, and constantly challenging myself with new sounds and ideas.

SBS:  If you were to assess the overall health of the independent music scene right now, what would you say?  What are the positives and the negatives about the current state of independent music, and what do you feel like artists & bands can do to contribute to the community & help it grow beyond the music being made?  If you’re not actively looking to listen to the music of other independent artists/bands, is it really all that fair to expect anyone would listen to yours?  How do you help the scene around you grow?

Will:  The independent scene is stronger than ever in terms of accessibility.  You can go viral overnight from your bedroom.  But the downside is that it’s oversaturated, and it can be hard to cut through the noise.  I think we as artists need to support each other more, whether that’s collaborations, reposting someone’s song, or just showing love.  If you want others to listen to your music, you should be listening to theirs too.

SBS:  What do you consider to be the biggest accomplishment or achievement you’ve had with your music to-date?  How do you personally measure your own success – is that something that even can be measured?  Is it awards, accolades, chart position…or is your definition of success based on something entirely different?  Should success, however you define it, be something that artists are continually focused on – or is success something that naturally occurs in the course of doing what you love to do?

Will:  One of my biggest accomplishments so far has been building a YouTube channel that’s at 60000 subscribers completely independently.  I’ve also seen my songs hit tens of thousands of views with zero budget.  But I measure success in growth — both creatively and personally.  If each song I drop is better than the last, if more people connect with the message, then I know I’m doing something right.

SBS:  When you’re working on something brand-new, and something about it just doesn’t feel like it’s coming together the way that you think it should, how do you know when it’s time to give up on it, or how do you know that it’s time to dig in even harder and find a way to make it work?  Are there distinct red flags you can hear when something’s not working?  What are the signs you look for that tell you to stop forcing the material?  What would actually encourage you to keep going with the process instead?

Will:  It’s all about the feeling.  If I keep forcing something and it just doesn’t connect with me emotionally, I step back and let it breathe.  But if I hear a spark — even a melody or one good lyric — I push through.  Sometimes it’s just a matter of switching up the beat or changing the flow to get the right feel for it.  The best songs usually come easy.  The ones I struggle the most with?  They rarely end up being the ones I release.

SBS:  One of the points of general consensus in the art of making music, is that we all get our sound from somewhere…we hear what we like, then more often than not, we take tiny pieces of what we love to find our own voice & approach to go on and make music in our own way.  Essentially, what I’m saying is that it’s absolutely natural to be inspired by other artists/bands, and almost every artist/band ends up having that inspiration show up in their own work in some way, shape, or form.  What the real key is though, is retaining your own organic perspective – you still wanna be original too, right?  So how do you go about doing that?  Are there artists or bands that you know have been an influence on your style & sound?  How were you able to incorporate that influence without becoming too noticeably derivative and still be yourself?  Should we embrace and celebrate our influences more than we do?  It’s almost like we try not to admit influences exist in the pursuit of being original, but it’s like, bruh…if it’s there, we can hear it.  We all borrow something from those that came before us to some extent, don’t we?

Will:  I definitely pull inspiration from artists like Juice WRLD, The Kid LAROI, and even some Indie and Alternative acts.  But I always make sure I’m not copying — I’m telling my story in my voice.  I experiment a lot with songwriting and production to make sure each track sounds like me.  I think we should celebrate our influences, not hide them.  Everyone borrows a little, but originality comes from your truth.

SBS:  Has there ever been a time where you wrote something inside one of your songs…maybe it’s a lyrical line, or maybe it’s a riff of some kind…something that you did, where you surprised yourself?  I like to think we all have a moment or two where we can stand back and be amazed by something we created, and appreciate the fact that maybe, just maybe, we exceeded our own expectations of what we thought we could accomplish – you know what I mean?  Get as specific as you can so the fans out there know what they should be paying attention to when they hear it – what’s your favorite thing that you’ve written on the inside of one of your songs, and why does this particular piece resonate so much to you?

Will:  Yeah, in my song “Little Things,” I wrote the line: “I start to blame myself for your screw-ups.”  That one hit me after I recorded it.  It came out almost without thinking — just raw emotion — and when I heard it back, I realized how deeply I had internalized someone else’s mistakes.  I wasn’t even aware that I felt that way until I wrote it down.  It surprised me because I’m usually the type to brush things off or keep stuff bottled up, but in that moment, the lyric made me face something I hadn’t really admitted to myself.

SBS:  I’ve been having a lot of great debates lately about whether or not everybody that’s making music has the right to be heard…and you’d probably be surprised by how different people seem to feel about this issue.  I know where I stand on it, and I think you can all probably get an idea of what my position would be from this free interview we’re doing here & the way we run things at sleepingbagstudios…but regardless, I’m putting this question out there to you, because I’m interested in YOUR perspective.  Just because you’ve made a song, does that mean people should listen?  If your answer is yes, do your best to explain why you feel that way & why we should make a sincere effort to listen to the music of others.  If your answer is no, explain why you feel that way, but also explain why people should still be listening to your music if that’s the case – what would make your music the exception, and not follow the rule?  Is there any value to an idea that’s not finished, or a song in its demo stages, or maybe something that’s not recorded in a top-shelf studio or with good equipment – somebody still took the time to make that song to the best of their ability with the means they had to create it – should that be listened to, or not?

Will:  Yeah, I think everyone who makes music deserves to be heard.  Not because every song is going to be a hit, or because every artist is super polished, but because music is expression.  When someone creates a song, they’re putting a piece of themselves out there — and that alone is valuable.  Even if it’s not finished, or it’s recorded on a phone in their bedroom, that doesn’t mean it has less meaning.  Some of the most honest stuff comes from people who don’t have access to top-tier studios or gear, but they still have something real to say.  At the same time, I get that not everyone’s going to like everything.  That’s okay.  But I still believe people should give it a chance, especially when someone’s clearly poured their heart into it.  You never know what might resonate with you or inspire you unless you actually listen.  For me personally, I want people to listen to my music because it’s real.  I’m not faking anything, it’s just me being honest about what I feel and go through.  That’s the kind of music I connect with, and I think others do too.  So yeah, I believe anyone who’s brave enough to share their voice deserves at least a moment to be heard.

SBS:  There are ups and downs in the dynamics of almost every album we listen to, with very few exceptions.  Even those exceptions, probably still come down to more of a personal preference about what we enjoy about music and how we personally hear it, rather than anything being completely and totally “perfect” – you know what I mean?  Does an album actually need to have some kind of up/down dynamics in terms of what’s appealing to the masses in order for the best of the best songs in a lineup to be fully appreciated?  Wouldn’t every artist & band avoid the ‘down’ side (less accessible/less popular for example) if they could?  Does the ‘down’ side represent something else perhaps, like the story of an album or journey of an artist?  Is the ‘up’ side of a record as potent or noticeable if it doesn’t have a ‘down’ side to go with it?  Would a completely balanced album somehow be boring if it didn’t have the ups/downs that most have?  Do we HAVE to like every single song on a record for it to be considered complete?  Are the dynamics of an album something anyone can really steer in the direction they want to, or are all artists & bands simply going with the strongest material they have created at the time?

Will:  I don’t think an album has to have ups and downs to be complete — but I do think the dynamics are what make it feel human.  If every song was just straight fire, back-to-back bangers with the same energy, it might actually take away from how powerful each track feels.  Sometimes you need a lower moment, something slower, something more raw to really feel the high points.  That contrast brings everything to life.  The down side of an album isn’t always a bad thing either.  It could be where the story gets deeper, where the artist takes a risk, or just where they’re being vulnerable.  That’s not something to avoid — it’s part of the journey.  I think a lot of the time, artists are just putting out the best music they’ve got at that moment.  Some tracks will hit harder than others, but that doesn’t mean the quieter or less popular ones aren’t just as important.  At the end of the day, you don’t need to like every song for an album to be great.  What matters is the experience it gives you as a whole.  Albums are like a snapshot of where an artist is mentally, emotionally, and creatively.  If everything sounds perfectly balanced or safe, it might actually feel kinda boring.  The imperfections, the risks, the dynamics — that’s what makes it real.

SBS:  I wanna send out a shout-out to YOU from me personally – I appreciate everyone that has taken the time to talk tunes with me throughout the years, and I appreciate the time YOU have taken with this interview too.  Because this one’s a little different in the sense that it’s been sent out to multiple people and is a little more generic in that regard, I have no doubt whatsoever that we probably didn’t get to talk to you about something you wanted to talk about – so let’s fix that!  This final space is what we call the SBS Open Floor – a spot where you can say anything else you want to say to the people out there.  It can be anything at all…your main websites…something else you want them to know about you and/or your music…your favorite bands in the scene right now…the secret 11 herbs and spices to the Colonel’s secret recipe – you get the idea, and it’s probably best you choose something that suits you rather than take any of my suggestions, but feel free to take the SBS Open Floor for a ride.  Whatever it is you want the people to know, now is the prime time for you to tell’em!  Thanks again for everything – keep in touch!

Will:  First off, thanks so much for the shout-out — and to everyone reading this, I really appreciate you taking the time to hear me out and connect over music.  For me, music is more than just songs; it’s how I share my story, my struggles, and my dreams.  I’m glad to have you along for the ride.  If you want to check out what I’m working on, you can find my music on all major platforms under my name, Will Tritt.  Also, I’m super active on YouTube and Instagram where I share behind-the-scenes stuff, new tracks, and just real moments from my life as an artist trying to grow every day.  As for favorite artists right now, I’m really inspired by Juice WRLD and The Kid LAROI — they both bring so much emotion and honesty to their music, and that’s something I strive for too.

And hey, I don’t have the Colonel’s secret recipe, but if I did, I’d probably keep that one to myself!  Thanks again for this chance to share and for the support it means everything.  Keep pushing your own creative journey.  Peace!

Find out more about Will Tritt from his official website at:  https://willtrittmusic.com

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