South Africa’s youngest hitmaker, Will Linley has just released his third single “i don’t wanna be yours”. To date, Linley has earned over 12M global streams since his November debut and is quickly building his fanbase around the world.

“‘i don’t wanna be yours’ is about not wanting to get into a relationship with someone because you know it just isn’t going to work out and ultimately wanting to save each other from any hurt that may come in the future,” says Will of his latest bop that reflects his knack for storytelling and songwriting. “It was the first song I ever wrote with my producers David and Bubele. The guitars and groove of the song are quite different from my other tracks but I love the contrast between lyrics and overall feel of the music”, he adds.

Hailing from Cape Town, South Africa, 20-year-old South African songwriter and musician, Will Linley cannot remember a time in his life without music. He grew up singing as a hobby but never imagined that his passion could translate into a career. Once the pandemic hit, Will found himself stuck at home writing music as a way to feel less isolated. He soon found a global connection with fans thanks to TikTok and his raw, relatable and now radio hit lyrics.

Will’s 2021 debut single “miss me (when you’re gone)” has garnered 11.4M+ global streams, over a million YouTube views, 5M+ TikTok views, and has been used over 5K times on the platform. The single was written in October 2021 and inspired by a real-life experience - he started teasing the track on TikTok soon after, quickly gaining traction, initially receiving over 4 million cumulative views with fans sharing their excitement even before its official release in November. Currently, “miss me (when you’re gone” is Top 20 on the South African radio charts. 

His highly-anticipated second single “wrong time,” was written during a Zoom session with songwriter and producer John Samual Gerhart. “The song is about meeting the right girl at the wrong time,” notes Will. “It’s a very personal song and means a lot to me as an artist. I love the up-tempo guitar riffs and it always makes me wanna vibe out!”

Will is gearing up to play a handful of live shows in his home country of South Africa. Tickets are on sale now. For more information, visit https://www.howler.co.za/organisers/9588. 

Author: Andrew Braithwaite

Andrew is the founder and Managing Director of Music Talkers. He's also a keen music enthusiast and plays the guitar.