Artists who initially find fame through television talent shows as a member of a group do not normally follow the same path as William Singe when they choose to pursue a solo career. Not for him was the recording contract ready to be signed immediately upon his departure from boy band The Collective. Instead, he began recording covers of popular songs in his bedroom and built a fan following through posting his work on Facebook and YouTube.
“I was already working on some stuff in my spare time while I was in The Collective,” explained 25-year-old William, real name Liam Anthony Singe. “I learnt a lot from being in the band and I’m grateful for that. But I recognised the power of social media and felt quite disillusioned with the music industry so I decided to go solo on my own terms. This meant I could do whatever it was that I wanted to do.”
William had originally been a solo artist. Raised in the Forestville suburb of Sydney, he began recording music as a child.
“My dad comes from New Zealand but had settled in Australia. He was a singer, songwriter and guitarist so I took my inspiration from him. We’ve actually performed gigs together at the In Situ restaurant and bar in Manly.”
William auditioned for Australian television’s X Factor in 2011 but did not progress beyond the bootcamp stage. He tried again in 2012 impressing the judges with his version of Justin Bieber’s One Less Lonely Girl which included additional rap lyrics written by William.
After failing to reach the top six of the Under-25 Boys category during super bootcamp, the judges put William together with fellow solo performers Zach Russell, Jayden Sierra, Trent Bell and Julian De Vizio to form The Collective.
The group went on to finish third behind winner Samantha Jade and runner-up Jason Owen. A deal was signed with Sony Music Australia and their self-titled album reached number 11 on the Australian chart.
Seven of the eight tracks were covers of songs by other artists. The only original song, Surrender, was co-written by William. It became by far the band’s biggest hit single peaking at number six on the ARIA chart.
Zach was the first member to quit The Collective. His departure was announced in January, 2014. Thirteen months later, William’s decision to leave effectively ended the group. Shortly afterwards, the remaining three members also opted for solo careers.
While still in The Collective, William had performed guest vocals on fellow X Factor contestant Bella Ferraro’s single, Forgot You. But after leaving The Collective without a record deal, William was stepping into the unknown.
“I started with six covers on my Facebook page and around 20,000 followers. By the end of 2015, I’d posted 50 covers and had about two million followers.”
One Direction singer Liam Payne and rapper T-Pain were among his fans. Both expressed an interest in working with William.
His cover of Fetty Wap’s 679 and The Weeknd’s Earned It attracted enormous praise. But it was William’s version of Drake’s Hotline Bling which hit the jackpot. He transformed the song into an emotional slow jam. The video notched up 25 million views inside a month and topped the Spotify Viral Chart.
Despite all this, it was July, 2016, before William inked a deal with RCA Records. His debut solo single, Rush, was not released until this past February. It met with little chart success.
“My single was based around a sample from Jennifer Paige’s 1998 huge hit, Crush. But most of my followers probably didn’t know the song. My strategy in doing covers was that people already knew the songs but were interested to hear my variation on the original. That didn’t happen with Rush.”
If his first solo single did not live up to expectations, William’s collaboration with English DJ /producer Jonas Blue far surpassed anything but their wildest dreams. Although their song, Mama, has not yet hit number one on any mainstream chart, it has become a top ten hit all over the world. The video has already racked up over 160 million views on YouTube.
“Jonas Blue was another artist who followed my work on social media. After he wrote Mama, he said he just knew I had to be the singer.
“He made contact, I loved the demo, did the vocal and we have a massive worldwide hit. Apart from everything else, Mama was played as background music for a scene in the Rovers Return in Coronation Street. You definitely know you’ve made it if they use your song on Corrie.”
in brief
Lana Del Rey
Singer/songwriter Lana Del Rey rarely features in the upper reaches of the singles chart. Only the 2013 Grammy Award-winning dance remix of Summertime Sadness, created by French DJ /producer Cedric Gervais, has given Lana a place in the top ten on Billboard’s Hot 100.
The track was her third top ten hit in Britain where Lana’s songs do tend to fare better than in her native USA.
Album sales are an entirely different matter. Lana has simultaneously topped the UK chart and the Billboard 200 with her fifth studio album, Lust for Life.
Only her 2010 debut album, Lana Del Ray a.k.a. Lizzy Grant, failed to chart. It was issued without fanfare on the small 5 Points label and caught Lana in the process of changing from her real name, under which she had released a 2008 EP, Kill Kill, to Lana Del Rey.
Since signing her major label deal, 2012’s Born to Die, 2014’s Ultraviolence and now Lust for Life have all topped the UK chart. 2015’s Honeymoon reached number two. The latter, plus Born to Die, stalled at second spot on the Billboard 200 while her other two albums took pole position.
All of Lana’s albums are available to hear in full on YouTube.
Charli XCX
Charli XCX is currently working on her third studio album. There is still no title or release date but she has issued a pair of singles, Boys and After the Afterparty. The album should ideally be released some time in September to coincide with a two-month US concert tour on which she shares the bill with PartyNextDoor and Halsey.
Charli has been warming up for the tour with a number of live performances. One of these was at Chicago’s Lollapalooza music festival where she performed the Spice Girls’ anthem, Wannabe, with future tour mate Halsey. Their rendition can be seen at www.youtube.com/watch?v=lShM-oTvWBo
Many Lollapalooza performances can be watched in full online. Arcade Fire, Tove Lo, Rae Sremmurd and Royal Blood are just a few of the artists whose shows are there to be enjoyed. Charli is another. Her entire set is posted at www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmQXVQkcg-g
Ato Records Free Album
New York’s ATO Records might be an independent label but they are home to high flying artists such as Alabama Shakes, Rodrigo y Gabriela and My Morning Jacket.
Every so often, ATO offers music fans a free download album featuring tracks from some of the label’s latest releases. Such is the case now as ATO are giving away Summer 2017, a collection of tracks from 15 artists such as Chicano Batman, Benjamin Booker, The Bronx and Primus.
The album can be heard and downloaded at www.noisetrade.com/atorecords/ato-summer-sampler-2017
Although there is no charge, you do have to provide your email address and postal code to gain access to the music.
Millions
They might have formed in Brisbane, Australia, in November, 2011, but indie-rock quartet Millions are now very much part of the London music scene.
Two members have a famous father, Squeeze star Glenn Tilbrook, the band’s co-founder, singer, guitarist and co-songwriter. His sons, Ted and Louis, are not quite so prominent in Millions playing guitar and drums respectively. But Ted directs and edits the band’s videos while Louis contributes additional filming.
Their earlier work can be found online at (no www.) millionsmusic.bandcamp.com. A pair of EPs, Cruel and Nine Lives, Six Degrees, are posted here along with their 2014 album, Max Relax.
The band’s latest offering is a four-track EP, Let It Go. Not to be confused with a hugely popular song of the same title from the Frozen movie soundtrack, a video for the EP title-track can be viewed at www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-c9InKmgEc. Four more official promos for singles from two, three, four and five years ago are posted at www.youtube.com/user/millionsmusicau/videos
William started with six covers on his Facebook page and around 20,000 followers. By the end of 2015, he had posted 50 covers and had about two million followers.
