Will Linley secured the Best Pop Album Award for “Don’t Cry Because It’s Over” at the 32nd South African Music Awards.
Linley’s still taking in the moment and is filled with gratitude, with the moment not simply about receiving another accolade.
It was an opportunity to pause and appreciate just how far he has come.
“I feel a lot of gratitude to just be recognised in a space where I feel like there’s a lot of really inspiring things happening in the South African music scene right now,” he said.
“I think to be recognised in the midst of that was a humbling and exciting thing. I think it really was incredibly humbling and it felt so cool being there.
The recognition also allowed him to reconnect with the younger version of himself who once dreamed of making music his career and was grateful to be able to attend the SAMAs in Sun City.
“Sometimes things can feel diluted when you’re suddenly there, and you’re like, ‘Oh, yeah, like, this is cool.’ But actually, if you think about what 10-year-old Will would probably be thinking right now, he would be like, ‘This is so cool.’”
Winning an award at one of the biggest music awards in the country shows Linley is more than a rising star; he is humble, but the singer is reluctant to describe himself as famous.
“I wouldn’t say I’m famous at all. But it is incredibly humbling. And I count myself as one of the luckiest people in the world to be able to get to do what I get to do,” he said.
For Linley, one of the most rewarding parts of increased visibility has been meeting the people who have been listening to his music.
“It’s awesome to put a face to the number or whoever’s been listening to the music. It really is a wonderful thing to meet people and say hello and to say thank you for listening to the music,” he said.
From South Africa to the world
The next chapter of Linley’s career is taking him beyond South Africa.
The musician is preparing to head to North America, where he will open for Canadian singer-songwriter Mico’s Running From A Feeling Tour across more than 20 shows in the United States and Canada.
Linley is filled with excitement, particularly because of his admiration for Mico and the chance to connect with a new audience.
“Mico is such an incredible artist and I am so inspired by everything he does,” Linley said.
For someone who has already described himself as living out his childhood dreams, the prospect of touring North America on a tour bus feels like another surreal milestone.
“We’re playing more than 20 shows around America and into Canada. And I think we’re on a bus and that’s just what dreams are made of. It’s so cool,” he said.
But international expansion is not the only thing keeping Linley busy.
His music has also benefited from the changing relationship between artists and social media, with listeners using his songs as the soundtrack to their own content.
For Linley, watching people interpret his music in their own way is part of what makes the current era exciting.
“Every single day I get to live the dreams that I had as a kid. And that’s just really, you know, you never really want to lose sight of that,” he said.
The childhood foundation behind the music
Linley’s creative journey can be traced back to his upbringing. His parents created an environment where creativity was encouraged and where expressing himself through music never felt like something he needed to be nervous about.
“My parents really instilled a level of play and creative fun as children,” he said.
He believes that freedom ultimately gave him the confidence to create without overthinking every decision.
“Because we were always encouraged to be creative and express ourselves, that has ultimately been instilled in us as I’ve grown up.”
That same instinct for authenticity has continued to shape the way he approaches his career.
When “Off Campus” changed the game
Another major moment came when Linley’s song “Holding The Line” was featured on Prime Video series, “Off Campus”.
Initially, he viewed the opportunity as exciting but had no idea just how significant the series would become.
“I didn’t for one second think the show was going to be as big as it was,” he said.
The placement gave the song a renewed lease on life and introduced it to a wider audience.
“It really catapulted the song and gave it some fresh life. And it was really cool to be a part of such a cultural moment that was so big,” he said.
Navigating an industry that never stops
While the opportunities are exciting, Linley is also aware of the pressure that comes with being an emerging artist in an industry where attention is constantly shifting.
Linley released his album “Don’t Cry Because It’s Over” last year, but he has also continued releasing singles rather than allowing too much time to pass without new music.
For Linley, it is partly about understanding the realities of today’s music industry.
“We’re in an attention age, like an attention economy,” he said.
He recognises that artists at his level cannot always afford to disappear for long periods and expect audiences to remain engaged.
“My desire as a musician is to make music that people love and make music that people listen to. And part of that is holding people’s attention,” he said.
His approach to content is similarly uncomplicated.
Those now-familiar videos of him driving at night and listening to his demos came from a desire to share his music in a way that felt natural.
“I was always driving in my car and listening to my demos and listening to the songs that I’ve written. And so it felt like a very natural thing to do, to just film that process,” he said.
Finding space for pop in South Africa
In 2022, the world was introduced to him. His breakout single “Miss me (when you’re gone)” exploded on TikTok, translating to over 27 million Spotify streams.
He maintained this momentum with the “Kill All My Feelings” EP and magic EP in 2023. The latter yielded “Last Call,” which garnered over 34 million Spotify streams.
Linley’s journey is particularly interesting within the South African music landscape, where dance-driven genres dominate much of the mainstream.
Rather than trying to mould himself to fit the market, however, he believes the answer is to embrace what makes you different.
“I think oftentimes when you aren’t yourself, when you try to play a character, it feels like you’re not being true to who you are,” he said.
Despite making music that he describes as niche within the local market, Linley says the response has been overwhelmingly welcoming.
His advice to aspiring artists is simple: don’t compromise your identity to fit in.
“If you really love making music and you want to make music, then make music that feels true to you. Don’t put on an act. Don’t be anyone that you’re not. And be honest,” he said.
It is advice that feels particularly fitting for an artist whose career continues to grow without him losing sight of why he started making music in the first place.
And there is plenty more on the horizon.
Linley is set to release an EP towards the end of the year, alongside more singles, before returning home for a South African summer tour in December.
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