EXCLUSIVE SONG PREMIERE: "Not A Soldier" Live by Willa Amai
Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter Willa Amai will soon be a name recognized by many. Already, Amai has shared stages with icon Dolly Parton (duet of "Here You Come Again" on the Dumplin' soundtrack) and the talented Brandi Carlile ("Every Time I Hear That Song" at the Great American Music Hall). She has also worked closely with famed songwriter/producer Linda Perry (Christina Aguilera, Pink, Gwen Stefani).
Amai's piano anthem "Not A Soldier" inevitably gets a live version (out today). It's a dark and wondrous cinematic vocal moment for the seventeen-year-old singer, who grew up listening to Regina Spektor albums. Her sound offers moments of 90s rockers like Fiona Apple, Tori Amos, and artists like Birdy, Florence Welch, and Maggie Rogers.
Amai, who plays guitar and ukulele, has been working with Linda Perry since 2016 when she was a pre-teen after being introduced by a family friend. The singer had a bright 2018 covering Daft Punk's "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" and landed the song "Backing You" on an Intuit Quickbooks advertising campaign. The Clio Award-winning spot also won Variety Magazine's Sync of the Year. Amai's soulful, pop-rock single "Trampled Flowers" resonated the following year as she described her first heartbreak. Willa's debut album "I Can Go To Bed Whenever" is slated for a June 2021 release to coincide with the lead track "Too Close". Amai says, "Doing a live version of "Not A Soldier" was so important for the song; just as the song implies, I need to let go, without control". IndieWavves exclusively premieres the live version of "Not A Soldier" and spoke with the musical phenom about her incredible collaborations, the journey with Linda Perry, and how she's just still a teenager.
IndieWavves: Hi Willa, was there something embarrassing early on when you learned how to play music, or were you a success playing piano at five years of age?
Willa Amai: Although I might tell myself I've always been a successful musician, I know that's definitely not the case. At my elementary school talent show, we had a school fair that included a musical-talent show that would last for the whole duration of the fair. At the time, I must have been eight or nine, so at this point, all the parents and faculty at the school knew me as "that girl who played music". So when a couple of kids and I from my grade signed up to play an Imagine Dragons song at the show, the faculty decided to put us last when everyone would be paying attention. The beauty of a school musical-talent show is that there isn't a ton of consideration around music tech. This is all to say I couldn't hear any of my band members while I was singing. So, in front of the whole school body, their parents, and the school's faculty members, I sang an Imagine Dragons song in a completely different key than what my band was playing in.
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IW: How did you cross paths with Linda Perry, and is there something you have observed about her that you admire or are inspired by?
WA: I originally crossed paths with Linda Perry when I was twelve years old. One of my mom's closest friends, Soleil Moon Frye, knew Linda through her wife, Sara Gilbert. Being the kind and generous human being she is, Soleil wanted to connect me with Linda simply to have a little heart-to-heart. I could get a little pep talk about the music industry and a big pat on the back from an incredibly successful woman, and we both would be on our way. But once I played Linda a song I had been working on, she told me to come back in two months with five songs. I came back to her in two months on the dot with six songs. Our relationship started there, and we've become incredibly close musical partners and friends since then. She inspires me in so many ways, but perhaps the most consistent inspiration I get from her is her work ethic. I have never seen anyone work so hard and exhibit so much confidence in what they do. Linda works with ambition and drive that is seemingly superhuman, and I try to emulate that every day.
IW: Is there something in your world that you absolutely cannot live without?
WA: Even though creatives are typically put in the Type B category, I am undoubtedly Type-A. I'm neurotically organized and precise, so there are lots of things I absolutely cannot live without, in all honesty. There are the obvious family, friends, and music, but there are weird, mundane things I truly cannot live without. For example, the Pilot G-2 size 07 pen is at my side at all times. I genuinely cannot write with anything else. I also end up spiraling into anxious oblivion without my planner, which I fill out with meticulous calculation.
IW: What was it like performing with Dolly Parton and then Brandi Carlile, and did you get to have much interaction with these talented women? Did you learn something from them about the industry, about them as people/performers, about yourself?
WA: Dolly Parton and Brandi Carlile were both such incredible human beings to me. Dolly was so nurturing and compassionate, hugging me unconditionally when she saw me and cracking jokes in the booth while we sang together. Brandi was so down-to-earth and sincere, making any compliments she extended to me that much more meaningful. I got to spend genuine time with each of them, and they both encouraged me to be a better musician and a better person. They both helped to solidify the fact in my mind that being successful in the music industry doesn't have to make someone calloused or cruel. They are both proof that someone can experience insane levels of fame and success without losing the beautiful parts of themselves.
IW: What is a cool seventeen-year-old thing in your life that people might be surprised you enjoy?
WA: I love cooking and baking - I take after my parents in that way. On the weekends, I love unwinding while baking a loaf of banana bread or chocolate lava cake. When I have longer breaks from school, I have so much fun finding complicated recipes like crème brûlée or chocolate soufflé and mastering them. I also love playing video games. I've always wanted to score a video game. My favorite video games of all time are Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Katana Zero, and Ghost of Tsushima. I'm also a huge Arsenal fan. I got really into the UK and European soccer when quarantine started, and I've now become a die-hard Arsenal fan. I'm hoping to watch a game at the Emirates at some point soon.
Written by Michael Menachem
Photo by Amanda Demme