Will Sass

Kamille is a genius and one of my songwriting heroes; it’s a pleasure to be working with her. I first had a session with her to record Into the Blue and tweak some lyrics, but Kamille recorded it and took it to a whole different level. We recorded these vocal beds as her voice is so beautiful that I layered it throughout the track. I actually ended up pitching the entire master to highlight the texture and depth of her voice and give the track a deeper feel. I was definitely inspired that day meeting Kamille; being in the room with a double Grammy winner and an artist that has featured on some of my favourite artists’ records, I definitely wanted to be on my A-game. I remember drinking four coffees that day. Maybe that’s why we ended up recording five other records. My foot was tapping in all the videos that were taken in the studio (laughs).

First of all, anyone who has worked with Kamille knows she comes into the session with the best energy. I was so taken aback that someone so talented and acclaimed can be so humble and caring. Something about working with her just clicked. Sometimes you just have that energy with someone, and the ideas just flow. I would literally play something, and Kamille would translate exactly how we were feeling at that time into words. One of the beats that became a track we are releasing in February, I made in a very vulnerable state. I didn’t know where the idea would go, and Kamille helped me turn it into one of my favourite tracks to come. It was one of the most transformative sessions I’ve had. Also, that studio Metropolis feels like you’re in a movie. It’s a warehouse transformed into studios on multiple floors. It’s incredible.

The track I described above is one of the tracks I am most proud of so far. I’m keeping that one a surprise for now, but it’s meant to come out as the first track on my second EP. I make a lot of music, so I make sure to take a lot of time to reflect, develop the ideas, and piece them together in a way that feels like it makes sense. I’m excited about so many releases to come. I feel as a new artist that I’ve been almost backed up, and I’m so eager to release them all.

It’s been incredible. By making these songs, we’re chasing a feeling. Seeing people’s reactions and attaching their own emotions to the songs is a totally different experience than what I could have imagined. Especially playing them live, being a part of someone's night is a beautiful thing that inspires me and ends up feeding back into my production process. I played this one gig, Silo, in Brooklyn, and I played the Into The Blue [Baltra Mix] as my last track, and I felt so in the moment. It was beautiful.

In terms of collaborations, each song is different, but as a newer artist, I tend to pitch a starter idea to a collaborator. If they like it, we get in the room, work on it, and hopefully develop more ideas together! I spend a lot of time getting to know who I’m working with, both inside and outside the studio. As much as I love collaborating, I spend months alone behind the scenes producing these tracks and tweaking everything to my liking. I’m grateful to the artists and songwriters I’ve worked with thus far for believing in me and trusting me with their ideas, and I’m excited to keep expanding that circle. Most of the work I’ve done has been created in London or Los Angeles, but I’m excited to expand my circle of creatives in NY—I really want to keep building that community as I live here.

Alvin is a dear friend/mentor and was super influential to my start as a producer. Before we even thought about working together, we would go for drives around the arts district of Los Angeles and listen to music. He would be like, “This is the music I want to make (playing songs from his playlist),” and a few months later would play me the new batch of tunes he made. It only felt natural for my first track to be with him, and I’m grateful he was up for it and plan to do more with him in the future. It felt like the perfect track to kick off my artist project.

Yes, I make sure to enjoy each one as the listener would. But I feel like these tracks build on each other, and I’m just so eager to release the next one. The Baltra Remix I have been playing live feels really cool in my set. Baltra is also a fellow New Yorker and one of my favourite producer DJs at the moment. Fairweather Friends with Nina Nesbitt I have been working on for quite some time, so it’s been nice to see people’s reactions and that the reception has been good! I also remixed each track myself twice for my EP, which gives different perspectives on the tracks. I’m excited to get all this music out into the world. It’s very freeing for me.

I definitely take time to recharge my batteries. As eager as I am to make music all the time, I definitely take time to go to the gym and crate-dig for records—I love Academy Records in Manhattan and going through the selection at Public Records in Brooklyn—to sample and read books. I plan to expand that collection as I travel more for music. I recently picked up this book called Adventures in Wonderland by Sheryl Garratt about rave culture and the underground house scene in the 80s and 90s in NY, Chicago, and the UK. I also feel like partying helps me feel the music in a club setting, which changes my perspective from just making music and not leaving the studio.

I’m playing Webster Hall on NYE, which I’m super excited and grateful about to ring in the new year. Many more shows, the South by Southwest festival opening in London next year, and others. I’m really focused on releasing a bunch of music. I have four EPs to come out to launch my artist project, so it will definitely be a busy year! And travelling to write more music, I’m currently planning more sessions in London and Sweden for the first time. I’m also growing my community of artists in New York; that’s very important to me as I live here.