From growing up in Oxfordshire, training to be a boxer, to learning to play the guitar, Willie J Healey has since become an indie-soul sensation. He’s won over the likes of Arctic Monkeys, Florence + The Machine, and Joe Talbot from Idles, having supported them all on various tours and shows in 2023. Starting with the release of his first album, People and Their Dogs, in 2017, Healey has written three studio albums – with Twin Heavy having been released in 2020, and now his most recent, highly-acclaimed 2023 album, Bunny.
Speaking about his musical journey, Willie J Healey laughingly revealed that growing up, “I found it easier to write my own songs than I did to learn someone else’s. It probably stems from me wanting attention and also being lazy.” His songwriting abilities have since allowed him to widen his skills, making his funky guitar riffs and wide vocal range both beautifully eccentric and distinctive.
Whilst in the past Healey has notably leant into his 1970s influences, on his new album he adds his own contemporary twist on his music, constantly experimenting with new sounds and different genres. Talking specifically about Bunny, Healey explained that he “really leant into the kind of funky soul thing on this album. But in all honesty, I think that’s just for this album. I think that I always seem to flicker in between different types of music I like, and I think that’s maybe a blessing and a curse because maybe I should just stick to one thing, so people know what they get.”
Whilst Willie J Healey is still honing his music style, his willingness to experiment and adapt works in his favour and allows his listeners to stay captivated and entertained by his eclecticism and experimentation.
Willie J Healey went on to speak about how the release of Bunny compared to the release of his previous two albums. Healey recalled that with People and Their Dogs, “it took a while for people to hear it and I was a lot younger, so I think I was putting a lot of pressure on myself.” On Twin Heavy, released in the first summer of lockdown, Healey remembered that it was “still really lovely to get it out and I was obviously really proud to get it out but also strange because I couldn’t play any gigs or do any record store shows and stuff like that, so it was a little bit unusual.”
However, with Bunny, Willie J Healey said it was “the best release I’ve had so far,” and the world is in agreement. With critical acclaim, and approaching a sold-out tour, Healey is branching out to a wider audience.
Willie J Healey is keen to acknowledge his respect for his producer on this album – Loren Humphrey – who has previously produced for Florence + The Machine, Arctic Monkeys, and Lana Del Rey. Humphrey opened up the opportunity for Healey to record his album in New York, facilitating a “very dreamy and full-on” experience for him.
Going on to describe the chaotic nature of the recording process in New York, Willie J Healey explained that due to timing restrictions and funds, they only had 10 days in the studio to record around 15 songs. “You go in and you’re making these decisions that feel huge to you, about music and songs and what you’re going to record,” Healey says. “I think those are the feelings I have when I think about recording, it’s kind of this frantic excitement. It’s like, ‘Sh*t, I’m making big decisions’, and we’re not thinking about them because we don’t have time to. That’s kind of cool.”
Speaking further on his time in New York, Healey explained his inspiration for Bunny. When asked why he settled on this name, he answered rather bluntly, “I just really like the word bunny.” He goes on to tell the real story. “When I recorded the vocals in the studio, there were all these really old Playboy magazines which had been piled up. The thing that’s great about old Playboy magazines is not the models that are in them, it’s the advertising that is really good,” Healey says with a laugh.
He proceeded to explain that “these old adverts were really cool, so we were looking through these magazines and then one day I went into the studio to record my vocals and somebody had pinned all of these magazines up in the vocal booth on the kind of rudest page. So, I was doing my vocals having all these 1970s play bunnies staring at me… but it just cemented the fact that I should call it Bunny.”
Bunny also sees Willie J Healey collaborate with Jamie T for his track ‘Thank You’. Speaking about this collaboration, Healey remarked, “I really admire Jamie as a person and a musician. I mean, I grew up listening to him, and so collaborating with him like that was really dreamy.” He explained how they had been toying with the prospect of making music together for a while, but this particular track came about by accident. “Jamie lent me this drum machine that was a really inspiring element to me which helped me write some of the songs for Bunny, and I wrote this song called ‘Thank You’ and it was a bit of a joke – I mean I say, ‘thank you for the drum machine James’.”
“I wrote this song to him, for him, then as I was doing it, I was like, ‘Actually I really like this’. I sent it to him and he found it cool, and was like ‘I’ll do a verse on it’. It came together really quickly and then it was done.” This accidental track ended up being one of the stand-out tracks on his album, among many others including his sunny road-trip track, ‘Sure Feels Good’ and his funky, feelgood track, ‘Dreams’. With anthemic choruses and bluesy, catchy riffs, this album is one that you’ll be dancing to and listening to on repeat.
Willie J Healey will be starting his tour this November and will be playing Band on The Wall on the 18th November in Manchester. As Healey himself said, “I probably sound like I’m just saying this, but Manchester is always a memorable gig” – so don’t miss out! Get your tickets here.
Words by Roxie Rees
