Willie J Healey has today announced the release of a fiercely positive new single, ‘Woke Up Smiling‘ (as premiered by Steve Lamacq) the final track to be released, and a big highlight, of his eagerly anticipated forthcoming LP, Bunny, which lands at the end of the month.
Following a celebratory weekend set at Finsbury Park in support of Jamie T and now touring Europe with the iconic Arctic Monkeys, Willie has a 2023 headline UK tour beginning this November, including his biggest London show to date at Brixton’s iconic Electric venue.
These November headline shows offer fans the first chance to see Willie perform tracks from his forthcoming LP Bunny; including recent fan favourites and 6-music playlisted tracks ‘Dreams’, ‘Thank You (featuring Jamie T)’, and ‘Little Sister‘. A full performance of a recent live show in support of Arctic Monkeys in France is available to view now, here.
The euphoric ‘Woke Up Smiling’ shimmers, and is another uniquely brilliant fusion of Philly soul, rock and R&B, taking its sonic cues from boundary breaking Fresh-era Sly and The Family Stone whilst fusing Willie’s love of Beck, Outkast and the more unusual influence of David Bowie’s relatively undiscovered The Gouster – an album of the Thin White Duke at his funkiest.
Willie says “The whole era is something that I love. Long before making ‘Twin Heavy’, I had always listened to funk, soul and R&B, but for some reason it never translated into my own music. Really my inspiration was just the feel of things.’’
He goes on to say about ‘Woke Up Smiling’ specifically “I wrote this during a glorious period of my life. I was living in a studio flat in Bristol, it had these huge sash windows which let huge amounts of morning sun in. I’d make coffee and sit with my guitar & cat, I’m pretty sure my cat helped me write that song.”
Following the breakout release of his Neil Young-meets-The Beatles-meets Elvis Costello charms of 2020 album ‘Twin Heavy’, Willie J Healey has garnered a reputation for being your favourite artists’ favourite artist.
Alex Turner, Joe Talbot of IDLES, Jamie T, Florence Welch and Orlando Weeks are among those who have hailed Willie J Healey as a unique talent. Having completed a run of support dates with Florence + The Machine this past January, Willie is set to perform as special guest on dates this summer with Jamie T at his Finsbury Park show and Arctic Monkeys throughout Europe.
Produced by Loren Humphrey (Florence + The Machine, Arctic Monkeys, Lana Del Rey), and showcasing his most accomplished and ambitious work to date; Bunny is set for release on August 25th via Yala! Records and is available to pre-order now on standard black vinyl and very limited-edition pink gatefold vinyl here.
A transparent vinyl edition will be available via key indie stores and HMV, while a Rough Trade edition features exclusive alternate artwork.
A brand-new Yala! Records T-shirt has now also been added to the store and is available with all album pre-order.
Very limited tickets are available to see Willie perform tracks from Bunny in a unique stripped back setting during week of release as part of his instore dates. See here for more information.
2023 headline tour dates below. Go to williejhealey.com for further details.
November – UK Headline Tour Dates
9th Chalk, Brighton
10th O2 Academy, Oxford
11th Hangar 34, Liverpool
12th Whelan’s, Dublin
14th Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
15th The Cluny, Newcastle
16th St Lukes, Glasgow
17th The Mash House, Edinburgh
18th Band On The Wall, Manchester
20th Rescue Rooms, Nottingham
21st Castle & Falcon, Birmingham
22nd SWX, Bristol
23rd Electric Brixton, London
July
4th Luxexpo Open Air Luxembourg – Arctic Monkeys support
5th Musilac Festival, France – Arctic Monkeys support
10th WiZink Center Madrid, Spain – Arctic Monkeys support
11th WiZink Center Madrid, Spain – Arctic Monkeys support
13th Festival de Nimes Nimes, France – Arctic Monkeys support
15th I-Days Milano Milan, Italy – Arctic Monkeys support
16th Rock in Roma Rome, Italy – Arctic Monkeys support
18th Release Athens Festival Athens, Greece – Arctic Monkeys support
19th Release Athens Festival Athens, Greece – Arctic Monkeys support
August
5th Haldern Pop Festival, Germany
10th Musicfestwochen, Switzerland
Willie J Healey – Bunny via YALA! Records pre-order here
Tracklist:
1. Woke Up Smiling
2. Dreams
3. Tiger Woods
4. Thank You – featuring Jamie T
5. Bumble Bee
6. Black Camero
7. Sure Feels Good
8. Chrome
9. Late Night Driving
10. Little Sister
11. Morning Teeth
12. Reprise
13. Blue Bird