Meet Will Swinton: From New Zealand to Los Angeles and Beyond

From New Zealand and now residing within the City of Angels, singer / songwriter Will Swinton is beginning to make a name for himself all over the world.  Now on tour with BabyJake, Will Swinton is destined to leave an indelible impression on all types of music fans. Songs such as Better Days and Leave In The Morning are posting amazing numbers on Spotify, and a brand new single entitled Flames has just been released! All this, and Will Swinton had a chance encounter with the one and only Machine Gun Kelly early on in his career!  Read on to learn more about this absolutely intriguing new artist on the rise…

We’re here with Will Swinton. First of all, where are you based out of, and what is your local music scene like there?
At the moment, I’m based in Los Angeles. Originally from New Zealand and living out here in Los Angeles. I got my visa like five months ago. The music scene is massive over here, like it’s the perfect spot to be. I’ve got a bunch of friends out here and just glad to be out here.

What was it like meeting Machine Gun Kelly and how did that affect you and your career?
At the time, that was just like the craziest thing. Being from New Zealand, it’s so rare that you meet a celebrity. It was kind of like my first time seeing a celebrity. We were actually in Idaho, and we were at this bar just having some beers, and MGK walks in with his entire entourage. And I’m like “Oh, my God!” I was talking with my manager because he was at the bar and I asked him, should I go up and ask for a photo? And my manager said “Absolutely not!” And I’m like, “Ahhhh!” And then 40 minutes go by and we’re still chilling at the bar and he’s just doing his thing. And I got up and ordered another drink, and I hear this, “Yo, you’re from New Zealand, right?” And I’m like, “What?” And I turn around, and it’s MGK going, “Yo, you’re from New Zealand, right?” Usually, it’s very rare that people will actually guess that – I don’t know how he got that. I was like, “Do you know me?” And he was like, “No, I can hear it in your accent. I got a bunch of friends who are from New Zealand, and you sound exactly like them.” I was like kind of in shock – I didn’t really know what to say. And he was like, “So what do you do?” And I’m like, “It’s funny you ask.” I told him I was into music, and I told him what kind of music I make. And I told him who my inspirations were, and he basically was like “I’m intrigued by you.” And he’s like, “I’m playing a show tomorrow. I want you to come backstage and play me your shit.” And I was freaking out at the time. We were drinking a couple of beers – I was real, real excited – and it was crazy.

And then the next day, I ended up going to his show. I thought it was going to be him and his whole entourage backstage. But literally, I walked into the green room, and it was literally just him with these massive speakers. And as soon as I walked in, he said, “Play me the shit that you’re talking about.” And I was so nervous – I didn’t know what to play him – so I played him a bunch of songs. And as I was playing it, he was sitting down – and he gets up from sitting down and he walks over to the speakers. And I’m like, “What’s he doing?” And he starts reaching for the volume, and in head, I’m like, “Oh my gosh, he doesn’t like it. He’s going to turn it down. I’ve been playing too loud. What am I doing?” And he just grabs the knob, and he just blasts it even louder and he goes back and sits down. It was cool!

I remember I had played him one of these songs that wasn’t out at the moment. And he said, “Sometimes as an artist, you hear a song and you’re like, Damn, I wish I wrote that!” And he said that about one of my songs, and honestly, we were just chatting the rest of time before his show, and he was giving me all this advice. He actually invited us out to his show in Cleveland the next week. He sold out this 60,000-person stadium. And we went out to that and got dinner with him and was just chatting with him. It all felt pretty unreal at the time, but it was like super inspiring. And it just goes to show how anything is possible, and everything is up in the air with how it happens in the music industry. There’s like a thousand different ways for things to start moving in the music industry.

What was the inspiration behind your new single Flames?
The song Flames – it’s one of those songs where you could take a meaning and like take the meaning and put it on multiple things. In my head, it was about a relationship with a girl. But something we do in the music video is base it on a relationship between a boy and his father. But with that being said, when I listen to music, I just like to listen to it and put my own story behind it. I want people to go and listen to my music and just come up with a story that suits them. I just want people to take away what literally comes to them as they listen to it. I love that track, and it’s kind of the start to a new project I’m rolling out.

Tell me about the new project that you’re rolling out.
It’s an Ep – it’s called December. It’s just like my favorite body of work. I’m touring on it. I’m going to be playing all of the songs on this tour. And I’m super, super pumped – and have a really good feeling about this music. And I really, really believe in it.

What are you looking forward to the most about the upcoming tour with BabyJake?
It’s funny – BabyJake was actually one of the first shows I went to when I came out to L.A – as a fan. I remember I went – and I messaged him on Instagram and asked him if he would play this one specific song. He played it and he even gave me a shout out – “to this one dude who requested this song.” And I remember I was super pumped when he played it. It’s pretty crazy now to be able to be doing a tour with him. He’s incredible, and I’m super excited for this tour! This is my first time doing that many dates. Like I’ve done tours, but none that are this big – and none in America. And I’m really excited to see my fans out here.

Have you ever played out here locally in the Los Angeles area, and if so, how did it go?
Nah, I haven’t done any shows out here. So, we’re super, super excited. It’s going to be fun!

If you could open for any band either now or from the past, who would it be and why?
I would open up for Abba – just because I would get to go and see an Abba show. I feel like they would have the craziest show ever! So that really wouldn’t be for any reason, but Abba would be crazy – and I love Abba.

If you had a chance to cover an Abba song for an Abba tribute album, what song would you do and why?
They’ve got so many bangers, but I do love this song I Have A Dream. I would probably do that one – and my mum likes that one too – she would probably be stoked with that.

When you look back on your debut single All For You from 2022, what do you think of it now in retrospect?
It’s crazy to think about that. Basically, I had these two songs that I was deciding on putting out – basically two completely different sounds. All For You was kind of like the folkier sounding one. And I remember I was really good friends with this musician out here – Claire Rosinkranz. I remember I showed her a bunch of my music, and All For You was her favorite. And I remember feeling like we need to put this one out. It’s crazy what came from that, because I feel like that set me on this path of doing this sort of folky music. Because I had no idea what kind of music I’d be releasing had I made that other option. I feel like I would have gone down a completely different path. I still love that song.

One of your songs Better Days has 3 million streams on Spotify and Leave In The Morning just hit 2 million. What do those numbers even mean to you – they’re like phenomenal numbers?
It’s super cool. I honestly try not to look at numbers too much at moment. You could just get lost in all that. That was also one of the things MGK was talking to me about – saying no matter what, just don’t look at the numbers. Do what you do! So, I try not to look at that, but I’m super, super grateful for how well it’s doing and how many people connect with those songs. I try not to get caught up in that.

Do you have any acting aspirations at all?
Yeah, it’s something I’ve definitely thought about a little – but it’s not something I’m putting too much time into right now – but maybe in the future it would be something that I would really enjoy.

What do you hope the New Year brings for you and your music?
I’m excited to do lots more touring. I want to go everywhere! I’m trying to do a Japan tour – I’m trying to do everything!

Do you have any messages for your fans out here in the States who are reading this right now?
If they’re reading this right now, I would say come and see this tour! Come and jam out on tour. Come and see a show!

(Interview by Ken Morton)

Will Swinton on Instagram