From studying Global Environmental Sustainability to creating beautiful indie pop/hip hop tracks, Willy P does it all. Get to know more about him below:

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So your most recent single, “No Ceiling” just released. Tell me the creative direction you went with it.

This is my favorite song I’ve released up to this point. I’m really excited for it to come out. Creative direction wise, I asked my producer to make a beat to a song similar to Hayden James. He sent me this beat, and I put the first thing that came to my head down. We decided we might as well get a feature on it and take out the second verse. I’m really excited about it.

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It’s around the one year anniversary of Moon Child. How do you feel you’ve leveled up in a year as an artist?

Moon Child meant a lot to me because I feel like it was my first album where I showcased more than my rap side. I have eight EPs on SoundCloud that were mostly rap-based. That was the first one where I was really singing. I’ve progressed a lot in my writing. I think a way I’ve progressed the most is my ability to think of writing in a singing fashion rather than rapping. I used to hear a beat and think of rapping rather than singing.

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What made you want to make that switch?

I’ve always listened to indie music, and I personally connected more with it. I feel like when I was younger and couldn’t write down exactly what I felt, I was just trying to make stuff rhyme. I had a harder time staying true to myself, and I tried to fit into a rap persona. Singing and finding a happy medium between rap and indie is a place where I can depict who I am.

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You have a unique sound. Who or what inspires your sound in general?

A lot of artists inspire my sound. Mac Miller is my favorite artist. Dominic Fike is huge for me right now. I listen to a lot of Isaiah Rashad. Of course, bigger artists like Drake are influential.

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Tell me about your music background and what made you pursue it.

I’ve always loved music, and I’ve always been writing music lyrically. I never took music seriously in high school. My friend and I would write raps on the bus and make fake album covers. We would picture ourselves performing in the basement and would jump on the couch like we were stage diving. We would act like Drake or Lil Wayne and then we started making up rap names for ourselves, then write songs but never record them. It’s always been something I love, but I never saw it as a real thing that I’d do until college. Once I got to college, I fell into making music as a joke, then I loved it. Pieces just fell into place because I was given equipment and met people who could help me. I’ve never experienced a high like I do when I make something I love.

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You mix and master music yourself, how important is that as an artist?

It’s super important. It’s a necessity. You could get screwed over by people or it won’t come out how you want. It’s all just a learning process. I’ve had people say they would master my music and it turned out horrible. I’ve had bad experiences with people doing that, and I think it makes things easier doing it yourself. I did all of Moon Child myself. Nobody touched it.

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You’re in Colorado for Environmental Sustainability. How did you get into that and how do you balance it with school?

It’s always been something I’m interested in. Climate Change has always been a topic that I care about more than anything else. Especially politically. I feel like it is something that will inevitably affect everyone. Once I graduated from Boulder, I wanted to keep going to school. I love learning. In Undergrad, it was a lot easier to balance school and music. In grad school, it’s actually a lot harder. I love my degree. I love the program, and it is the perfect degree for me. Eventually, I want to be in both industries. I feel like artists are some of the most influential people in society when they get the right following, and I want to have a positive influence on something I know.

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Where do you see your self in five years with both music and the environmental sustainability?

I think I’m going to be a successful artists in five years, and I’ll have a base. I’ll be involved in a ton of things. I don’t want to disregard my degree once I have my feet set as an artist. I want to have both. Im not sure if I’m signed to a label or have my own, but I see myself finding different ventures that are fulfilling and helping other people.

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What hobbies do you have?

I ski a lot. That’s my biggest hobby. I play basketball. I don’t play video games or watch TV. Most of my free time is making music.

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Listen to Willy P's latest release below:

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