The Old Diocesan Issue 12 - Magazine - Page 36
Will Linley (2019K) has been
a regular on our pages, not to
mention the headline act in the
inaugural “Young ODs” feature
in Issue 11. In February, he sent
us voicenotes from Los Angeles,
sharing highlights from a remarkable
past year as a rising international
recording artist.
Last September, Will released
his first full-length album, Don’t
Cry Because It’s Over, which was
followed by a headline tour of Europe,
from Dublin, Glasgow and London
to Berlin, Amsterdam and Paris.
The tour photos (right) were taken
by Sophie Gurwitz, who’s also shot
the likes of Coldplay, Norah Jones
and Sabrina Carpenter in action.
Will also signed a publishing deal
in Nashville, meaning he is now with
Island Records on the record side
and Big Machine on the publishing
side. The former label represents
U2, The Killers and The Weeknd;
the latter’s first artist was Taylor
Swift. Inspiring company.
If you don’t know the difference
between a record deal and
a publishing deal in the music
world, don’t worry – neither did we.
Turns out, the first manages soundrecording production and rights from
an artist’s master recording, while
the second oversees a songwriter’s
rights and royalties. There are few
milestones that signal the arrival
on the global stage of a rising star
more clearly than securing both
US record and publishing deals.
In January, Will took the stage
at the SA20 halftime show at
Newlands – and he returned
home from LA to Cape Town
(via Nashville, once more) to
headline at Kirstenbosch and at
Kfm 94.5’s KDay outdoor music
festival in Stellenbosch in March.
With tours planned across Europe
and America throughout 2026, the
upward trajectory continues.
32 | THE OLD DIOCESAN
Will Linley on tour in Europe, 2025.
PHOTOGRAPHS SOPHIE GURWITZ
GOING GLOBAL
