In today’s music landscape, the size and scope of artists emerging from the internet requires that you stand out in order to succeed. Enter Alternative Hip-Hop vocalist and producer Willie Main, for whom individuality comes naturally. Through extravagant vocals and unique production, Willie Main draws from various influences to invent his own style. While his older music explored the ambience of trap music, his latest sounds embrace the energy of  live instruments and find balance in carefully crafted lyrics of relatable emotion. Now Willie Main is focusing on music full-time, and he’s found a sound of his own to pour his efforts into. 

Willie Main (FKA SWILL) grew up in Chicago, and was first exposed to music through the guitar. He fell in love with performance in 8th grade while playing with a band, and often shared the same stages as Twin Peak’s Clay Frankel. In high school he discovered his talents as a vocalist and began exploring  production on Ableton. His initial releases picked up traction on SoundCloud, but it wasn't until 2-3 years ago that he grew serious about his music. 

Will graduated from the University of Illinois in May, moved back to Chicago and began reconnecting with friends to finish an EP. His collaborative efforts flourished and the EP rapidly transformed into a full-length album titled “Y”, which released in December of 2017.

“Y”  demonstrates clear growth from Will’s earlier music. There are more more instruments and several features, but most importantly a sense of cohesion coming from Will’s ability to collaborate with others and direct his own vision. Colorful guitar and splashy drums  make for electrifying production, and the lyrics tell honest tales of love, acceptance and self-awareness. Relatable and familiar, "Y" feels completely different. Willie Main is a musician with wide ranging appeal to music fans, while maintaining a style that can’t be found elsewhere.

“I see artists blaming others for copying them and stealing their style but that’s not how music works. There’s influences from everybody. If some people sound similar it’s not such a bad thing. But at the same time it is very rewarding having people come up to me and tell me that I have my own thing going on, that I have my own sound.”

Will’s  vocal expressions cut through his organized chaos to provide a groove that makes you move. With authenticity as the method to his madness, Willie Main distinguishes himself with energetic feel-good tracks like ‘Put Your Sustain On’, as well as slower jams like ‘Jade’ and ‘s’light’. As Willie progresses, he wants to focus on making his songwriting even better. By starting his new work with minimal production, he hopes to emphasize a fully written song on the guitar or piano while relying less on post-production. 

Willie is already working on a new EP and he has several collaborations in the works with Chicago artists. After quitting his job in order to focus on music, he is excited to spend time connecting with artists and finding inspiration. Will plans to take on side-work as a studio engineer, meet more musicians, hone his craft, and earn some rent money of course. He also plans to perform significantly more, now that he is back in his hometown  (he’s already shared the bills with many of our favorite upcoming artists, including Duffle Bag Buru, Manwolves, Core Rex, and Futura Bloom, and he’s got a series of shows planned in the coming weeks). With a refreshing sound that is neither too little nor too much, Willie Main is the perfect addition to your daily playlist.

Be sure to catch him at Gman Tavern on February 2nd for the official release show of his album “Y”. It will be his first time performing with a full live band, and there will also be performances from Othersides and Core Rex.