The first Cool Sounds feature of 2020 has arrived and it's all about everybody's favorite pop king William Hinson! We first interviewed Hinson on here in 2017 and now he's back to talk about his new single, tips for staying sane on tour, what's been inspiring him lately, and a whole lot more. You can read the full thing after the jump!
Welcome back, how’ve things been in your world since your last interview with us in 2017?
Everything has been great! I believe the last time we spoke, I was still in college. I’m out now and am now doing music full time! The last 6-8 months I’ve been touring quite a bit — which is what I’ve always wanted to do.
Tell us everything about your new single “Left Handed” and why peeps should be excited.
I wrote Left-Handed in 2018 while my girlyfriend was studying abroad in Sweden. At that point, I was in this very odd period of my life where I was writing or producing songs basically all day everyday mainly out of boredom and loneliness. I was back at home after graduating college while a lot of my friends were still there and my girlfriend was thousands of miles away. I had tried really hard to write some 80’s pop song that day and was just running into a wall repeatedly. I started scrolling through Instagram (again) and the “You’re all caught up!” notification came up (meaning I had seen every post in the previous two days from the people I follow). The first verse just immediately wrote itself after seeing that: “I’m all caught/I’m dreaming days away.” I had the song for a few months with only the first two verses of the tune and a string arrangement over the bridge that I really liked. I got the idea to write the final verse after I got back from Europe. I wanted to describe what things were like there and where we went from here now that I was back in the states. It’s the first song I’ve ever written in two parts (months apart) like that.
I just love touring. Seriously. It’s the best. I love meeting people and performing at their face. One of my favorite moments was in Washington, DC a few months ago when someone came up to me at the merch booth after my set and told me they had been listening to my song Ireland for over a year. She had come to the gig not knowing that I was playing or even who I was until I started playing Ireland! It was really cool to see how music can spread without you knowing about it.
What is your favorite song to perform?
I really enjoy playing “Why Won’t You Be My Girl?” because it’s just fun. I always try to get the audience to sing along with me, and most of the time they will oblige. But really it’s just a song that I go crazy on and dance like a whacko. It has grown quite a bit in three years.
If you could go open a show for any artist who would it be?
This is a great question. I mean the obvious answer would be Paul McCartney but he doesn’t have openers anymore coz he doesn’t need them. :’) I would have to go with John Mayer or The 1975 just so I could see them play every night.
Any pro tips for staying sane when out on the road?
I think fundamentally you’re gonna go insane at one point on the road (I think that’s kinda the point). I definitely listen to a lot of podcasts as they are great (albeit informative) time-wasters. I also tend to talk on the phone quite a bit. In that way, tour is a great avenue for keeping up with old friends while simultaneously making new ones. :)
Favorite gas station snack?
Hmm. I’ll go with Combos. However on the road I typically make a stop (or two (or three)) by the Chick-Fil-A store.
What’s been inspiring you lately?
I’ve taken a little bit of a break from working on recording music to just sorta live and focus on the live performance/touring stuff. However, I’ve been really into reading biographies for some reason. I’m almost done with an absolutely amazing Beatles biography called Tune In by Mark Lewisohn. It’s inspiring to read about other people’s passions for things.
What music have you been listening to?
I’m totally in love with the new COIN record. I am a big COIN fan anyways but the new album takes my fandom above and beyond. I’ve also recently been super into Bruno Major, Kacey Musgraves, and a Swedish band called Mares.
Anything else you’d like to add?
Thanks for having me back on Cool Sounds and for all the support you guys have doled out for my music in the past few years. I’ve done a lot of really cool work recently with an amazing artist so I definitely want to give a shoutout to Holden Mesk, who is one of the nicest individuals ever and a good friend of Cool Sounds.
Follow William Hinson on Instagram (@williamhinson) | Photos by Isaiah Pate