Can Musicians Avoid Commercial Pressure And Still Make A Living? WILLS Is Trying

Will Johnson has seen some things.

"A couple years ago I got approached by these, like, Silicon Valley dudes," the musician says,"and they basically were like, 'Yo. We have created a formula to make a for-sure No. 1 hit.' Literally."

Johnson, who releases music under the name WILLS, did not get involved with those Silicon Valley dudes. They approached him because he was already a successful songwriter with a publishing deal that had him co-writing with Grammy-winning names. That's his voice on the song "Pika," from Flume's Skin, which won best dance/electronic album in 2017.

WILLS' publishing situation was a good one. But, he says, "I've never worked with a producer who's just, like, a black dude. All of those co-writes are always like, 'I'm asking you to lend your voice, your vocals, to this beat that I made. And I'm, like, some white dude from the Internet that you've never met.' "

You've heard it before: Do you what you love and