Will B & Wilza – The Year Ahead – Interview

Today, we explore the projects of Wilza and Will B; looking at the dynamic between the two and the journey that each of them is paving. From releasing original compositions and expanding the catalogues across two record labels to diving into exciting collaborations, both the Wilza and Will B projects are poised to make a mark on their respective scenes, earning attention in the Afro House and New Jack Swing-inspired spaces.

In this interview, we gain insight into the ambitions driving the two projects, the creative process, and what the future holds for both Will B and Wilza.

1. Hi! How are you?

Really well, thanks!

2. To begin, what are your main ambitions for 2025?

My main ambitions are as follows:

1. To release original composition music under my Afro House alias – Will B – onto streaming platforms. Until now I have only released Afro House edits which have done well but are not available to stream.
2. To continue to preach the New Jack House gospel to the world under my other alias, Wilza.
3. To increase the number of gigs I am doing and more importantly, improve the quality of those gigs also.
4. To continue to build up the catalogue of releases on my two record labels.
5. To attend ADE again!

Last but certainly not least, to play at a festival. I have yet to do this, and I realise it may not happen this year, but it is an ambition nonetheless.

3. Are you looking to link up with any other Producers this year? Do you have any collaborations already on the horizon?

With my Wilza hat on, I am not really looking to collab now as, in that space, I am solely working on my passion project of bringing New Jack Swing music to the electronic music scene.

With my Will B Afro / Progressive hat on, I have quite a few collabs already finished and a few others in the pipeline.

My next single to be released, called “Shy,” (February 21st) is a collaboration with Kobina Akin – the moniker for Mick Wilson (half of Parks and Wilson). Mick is a highly respected electronic music DJ and producer who has built his reputation to an elite status over the last 30 years.

I have also worked with an amazing producer from South Africa called Rudy Julius. Rudy has produced an absolute beast of a remix for us for “Shy.” Rudy is a graduate of the world-famous Bridges for Music Academy in South Africa and regularly supports Black Coffee whenever he plays in SA.

I have also worked with another remarkable producer called Greg Elenis. We connected through having both created an Afro House edit of Frank Ocean‘s Novacane.’ His remix was so good and after having checked out his other releases it was clear this guy has incredible talent and a real ear for music.

He has produced a top-tier Afro House remix for me on one of my upcoming tracks which should be the follow-up single to “Shy.” On the same track, I have also worked with another producer called EbzAgg. Ebz is a top-tier Producer, DJ, and promoter from East London – he has produced an incredible minimal Afro remix of my track, which I know is going to make waves when it drops.

4. What new techniques or influences do you want to explore in your productions in the coming months?

When I get back into the studio, I want to explore more in the area of sound design and come up with some unique sounds to bring to the table. Some of the best tracks you hear are those where you hear a sound that stands out from everything you have heard before, or alternatively using a sound in a way it hasn’t been used before.

Bringing more originality to my music is certainly one of my main focuses in 2025 and I am quite excited to be in the studio with that focus.

5. How do you plan to connect with your audience on a deeper level this year, both through your releases and live sets?

With more releases now out under both my aliases, when I incorporate them into my sets, many of the audience members will be able to recognize them. Allowing fans to be able to come to my sets and hear me play tracks that they know me for, is big on the horizon for 2025.

This is one of the core ways, as a fan, that I connect with DJs when I go to their sets.

6. Are there any trends or movements within electronic music that you’re looking forward to exploring or contributing to in 2025?

Right now, I’d say no to be honest. Because I run two labels, produce under two aliases, and DJ under two aliases, alongside a full-time job, I often find myself in rabbit holes so deep that I miss out on a lot of the trends or movements.

If I were to pick one, however, Three Step is a hugely popular and ever-growing scene from South Africa. I would love to try collaborating with a few of the key Producers out there and maybe make some magic in that area if I had the chance.

7. With two projects to your name, Wilza, and Will B, how do you navigate the creative process between these two identities? Do you foresee any opportunities for these projects to intersect or influence one another?

This is a great question and to be honest one of the hardest areas I have dealt with.

Firstly, I don’t ever see the two artists intersecting or influencing each other. The only way they could probably intersect is if they were both booked for the same gig (that would be funny lol).

To be honest, a lot of the New Jack House material I am releasing with Wilza was made 2-3 years ago and is just music I have sat on. Will B’s Afro House material has been my focus over the last 2 years but rather than sit on any of my music any longer, I decided to release them simultaneously and the only way to do that was to create an alias.

The New Jack House music has done well, so I think 2025 will see me go back in the studio with a Wilza focus to create some new magic as he hasn’t seen the studio in the last 2 years and has so much more to give!

8. What lessons from your journey so far will you carry into this year as you work toward your goals?

Another great question. I want to try to increase my social media presence which I felt lacked in 2024. I want to try and get my music out faster, which will then allow me to release more music in the space of a year.

I’m aiming to release at least 12 tracks in 2025 across both aliases. I think my key lesson, however, is that this takes time and is a process. I have learned that I am lucky to be doing what I am doing. I am lucky to be doing something I love. I have learned to enjoy that fact and not put the weight of expectation on my shoulders.

Go into every day in the studio or at a gig with a smile on my face because whether it is the local pub or a super club in Ibiza, I am truly living my dream.

9. What’s one thing you’re most excited about in your career as you look ahead to the next 12 months?

I am excited to be releasing some of the vocal collabs I have produced under Will B. I have been working with some of the very best Afro House vocalists, and we have created some incredible music together which I think is going to absolutely make a mark on the scene that cannot be ignored or denied. I’m interested to see how these tracks affect my trajectory and where I will be as an artist 12 months from now.

10. Finally, how do you hope your music will evolve this year, and what impact do you want it to have on your listeners?

As Will B, I expect my music to evolve from being known to only make edits, to move into the space of original composition music. This is where I will really hold my own. Creating not just production beats, but actual songs with top-tier vocalists on top of those beats is a space I was born to be in.

As Wilza, I want to be pushing that awareness and love for the genre which has helped form my outlook on music appreciation, New Jack Swing. I want to walk into clubs and see people dancing again to the New Jack Swing tracks I grew up on, or at least tracks that are heavily influenced by them, and this for me is the best way I know how to do that. Expect to hear more New Jack House bangers in 2025 starting with “I Like” which will be released on Valentine’s Day

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