Wil

If you love someone, tell them—be fearless!

Wil, the talented new singer, songwriter and recording artist, is currently in New York being introduced by his superstar manager Randy Jackson to the dance music media. His brand-new single “What Are We Waiting For” promises to be a mega hit.

Originally from Singapore, I found Wil to be one of the most fun and animated artists that I’ve ever had the pleasure of speaking with, as
well as being just an all-around nice person and so easy to speak with.

You are very talented singer. When did you begin your singing career?
I started singing when I was 13 years old. I was in school, on stage, and I had this little talent competition that I was in. I went on stage and started to sing, and I realized that it was something I love, the fact that I could connect with people. I said if music allows me to connect with people, and I could make people feel a certain way, and I can empower people with music, I decided I want to do this for the rest of my life.

How old are you?
I’m 27. I was born and raised in Singapore. I discovered my love for music at 13 years old, then I taught myself how to play the piano and guitar. I realized that I love to write songs, so I started writing songs, then I lived around the world. I lived in Melbourne, I lived in Spain, I lived in Los Angeles, and that’s where I met Randy Jackson, my manager. Then he produced my new single, “What Are We Waiting For.”

What languages do you speak, having lived around the world?
I speak English. So in Singapore, the main language that we speak is English. That’s followed by Chinese, so I speak Mandarin as well. Then I lived in Spain for two years, so I can speak a little bit of Spanish.

Some people joke that Asian parents sometimes insist on their children going to college and becoming doctors, lawyers and rocket scientists. How did you get away with a singing career?
I had that experience. You are very correct. The mentality of the Chinese parents is to want their kids to have a good career. My parents wanted me to be a doctor. The entertainment industry in Asia is not as advanced as it is here. It is still growing. So my parents wanted me to finish in the university. But I’ve always been playing music since I was a kid. I never gave up. I remember my father, when I was given a music contract, I had an examination two weeks later. He said not to worry after the examination he would sign the contract. So I was really excited and happy, but after the examination I asked him where the contract was, and he said he didn’t know where it went. My mom told me that he tore it up. He wanted me to study. I think that the importance I got out of education was learning how to learn things. One of the most important things I got from my parents is, [which] they told me after I graduated, that money cannot buy passion. They said since I was so passionate about my singing, after all these years, they told me to go for what I wanted. That was the day that they allowed me to go freely with what I loved.

I love your parents.
I’m very sure they would nod their heads and say thank God somebody finally said that.

How did you hook up with Randy Jackson?
I was in a studio in Los Angeles filming a music video. He was at the other side of the studio in downtown L.A. He was filming a music video for his managed band, North of Nine. So he walked into the studio and spoke with my director, and wanted to know who I was. I saw him, and I was thinking in my heart, oh my God, it’s Randy Jackson. I was so excited, because I’ve seen him on television. He looks a lot better in real life. A lot younger. I thought he was a brother that was only two years older than me. We always joke about that. So he asked me to send him a couple of songs. I said of course. Two weeks later I heard from him. He gave me a call and asked me to have coffee. I was surprised, because I never expected a call from Randy. We got together, and he asked me a couple of questions—for example, he asked what my outlook on life was and what I want to do musically. I told him that music was always a way for me to connect and be empowered. I guess he was silently interviewing me, in a very passive way. He was so authentic. Then he asked me what I thought about him being my manager. I said YES!

That’s like a fairytale story.
Oh my God, I still feel like I’m living in a fairytale.

What’s it actually like working with him?
It’s really nice. At first I was nervous, because he was actually Randy Jackson. I mean, he was on “American Idol.” I was a little bit reluctant and scared, but I asked him what he thought of my idea. He was like, “Yeah, I like that idea, but what about you trying this too?” I felt like a kid, because he makes me feel that my ideas are all right. The most important thing is to be original with your ideas. When I try what he would suggest, it became something that I never thought it would be. It’s really interesting. I am familiar with a lot of Asian music; it is very poetic. Randy showed me how important it is to have, with the Western music, to have the musicality, being someone that was rooted in the rock and pop culture. So it’s like an East and West mix that we have. It’s a great handshake, a great collaboration.

It sounds like a lot of fun.
It’s very fun!

Are you touring?
I am now in New York for Fashion Week. I was quite excited the other day; they invited me to XL. I was like, what’s XL? Everyone said it was very big.

Yes, it is. I’m familiar with it.
I had a great experience there. Everybody was dancing. I feel that nothing is more beautiful than watching someone enjoy themselves. On the dance floor I saw a lot of people just enjoying themselves. I thought it was so beautiful watching people enjoy the moment. Two years ago I performed at Pride in Madrid. It was very memorable for me. As I was leaving the stage, one of the drag queens grabbed my hand and made me feel her boobs. I never felt anything so fake feel so real.

Yes, I can imagine. I do some drag pageants myself.
I’d like to learn things from people, so what is the most interesting thing you’ve ever learned from a drag queen?

Every time I see a drag queen I learn something else. I learn how to paint (put on makeup)—just so many things, and especially how to be dramatic.
Yes, I’ve seen some of the shows, especially in Madrid, and I think they are very creative. It’s another form of expression, just like music. Drag queens have their own way of expressing themselves, in a fashion form. A dramatic form. And that’s a form of art.

I have some non-industry questions for you. If you could pick two celebrities to be your parents who, would you choose?
I would pick Sia, and I would pick Chris Martin from Coldplay.

If you could be a superhero, what would your powers be?
My powers would be to make people feel better.

If we could look into your heart, what would we find?
You would find a lot of love. You would find a lot of raging passion. If you look into my heart you would see a factory of thousands of people burning coal. It’s filled with fire. It’s passionate.

Is there anything else you’d like to say to promote for yourself?
Yes. For everybody out there, I think it is very important to be who you are as a person. I think what I’ve learned from Randy so far, and being in America, is that people have taught me how to communicate. I think that communication is a very important tool; in other words, expression is a very important aspect in life. So if you love someone, tell them, and be fearless, because fear is the #1 form that blocks you from being who you are as a person. So express yourself, be the special, brave, powerful person you are, and everyone will love you for that.

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