New Zealand-born singer-songwriter Will Swinston says his rise has been part grit, part luck, and a lot of music. Swinston traced the unusual steps that took him from working at a trampoline park to playing major festival stages, rubbing elbows with big stars, and having Kelly Clarkson cover one of his songs.
The Writing Process
A pair of singles illustrates his evolving musical approach. Referring to his single, ‘Find A Way’, Swinston explains, he and his team spent months with a finished instrumental before lyrics and melody landed: “We were sat with that one for like two months before we even put anything on it.” However, in his latest work, “Better Off”, it came together in a single, fluid session. “That was a quick song — we kind of just flowed it all out in a couple hours, and it just, damn near wrote itself,” he said, noting both songs carry a guitar-driven vibe similar to one of his musical inspirations, Kings of Leon.
Swinston illustrated the pros and cons of breaking into the music industry. “Being in this industry is like the highest highs and the lowest lows,” he said. Learning to handle stress and perspective has been essential: zooming out, he told his younger self, reveals how little some early fears ultimately mattered. “You don’t need to worry about so much stuff… everything kind of just happens for a reason.”
Career Turning Points
Moments of validation arrived in unimaginable ways. When Kelly Clarkson covered his song ‘Flames’, Swinston remembers waking from a nap to frantic messages: “My phone was just blowing up… that was the moment where my family… were like, ‘Oh, so this is a real thing.’” And there was the unexpected encounter with Machine Gun Kelly in an Idaho bar, which led to an impromptu backstage listening session after MGK invited him to play his songs — an experience Swinston calls “one of the craziest things that ever happened to me.”
Looking ahead, Swinston says his new material will emphasize live energy: “I really wanted to focus on it being able to just like really rock live… more tempo, more stuff that you can kind of jump to.” If his description were a dish, he joked, the new music would be “a cantaloupe — a little sweet, a little refreshing.”
With a blend of preparation, persistence, and lucky breaks, Will Swinston’s career is still gaining momentum quickly. “I genuinely think I’m one of the luckiest people on the planet,” he said. For now, he’s focused on making music that connects onstage and off, and letting the next chapter unfold.