ATLANTA, GA—As a child, singer Will Preston would sift through his grandmother’s record collection, envisioning himself on the cover of records from Al Green, Aretha Franklin, The Commodores, to Smokey Robinson. Those seminal moments have inspired his music today, but it wasn’t until college that Preston decided to pursue it seriously.
“Music has always been something that has just been in me. I've always loved to express myself in that way. I didn't understand at a young age that it was something I had a particular gift for. I think most people walk around and they sing or kids make up songs and that was just life for me until people would hear me and they'd say how great they thought it sounded. Or I'd write some lyrics. And think, oh, that's pretty good. So it just took on a different meaning the older I got. And in college is when I really did my very first professional recording.”
Those deep foundations of soul, r&b and rock and roll were furthered through Preston’s love for artists such as Whitney Houston, Usher, and Alicia Keys. He also realized his love for writing, and Preston put two-and-two together and decided to make music. His debut album It’s My Will was released in 2005 via West King Entertainment and Preston went on to gain distribution and licensing deals in the UK, Japan, Germany, Spain, Canada, The Netherlands.
“I just started writing and then I started to actually accumulate my writings. And at that point, I realized that this could be something if I ever put my full force behind it and effort into it. And I just decided to do that one day. It was really random, though. There was no big plan. That really was my love of music and then discovering that I also enjoyed writing. And it just blossomed from there.”
Since then, Powers has released three more records, including 2013’s #reaquaainted, produced by Funkeeboy, and 2020’s Where Do I Begin?. He’s established himself as an R&B independent artist the past 20 years, focusing on tracks about love. On his recently single release, “Of Course I Lied,” Preston takes a new spin on his songwriting and talks about unrequited love and the acknowledgment of a relationship ending and the different sides of it.
“We think of love and always want to think of the great times in love when that love is reciprocated on both sides. And it's something that is wonderful and fascinating, it engulfs you and takes you in and takes a wonderful journey. Those fortunate enough to ride that ride for the rest of their lives are blessed, happy, and wonderful. But that's not always how it goes, so there comes a time for many people that love ends and it falls off the rails. But with this story, I didn't want it to be any single person taking the blame for the relationship, so to speak,” says Preston, “It's just one of those unfortunate sides and aspects of love, but it's real and it's not very typical. Most of my music is about that joy and that happiness. But love is multifaceted.”
While Preston doesn’t necessarily write with his audience in mind, he says the track has connected with fans.
“I always write music that I just feel and it just comes from within. So I'm never sitting down to really think about what people want to hear. This particular one, after I had written it and was ready to release it, I did wonder what the response, or the reaction would be simply because it's a little different. The title is kind of provocative, it's going to make you be like, what is this about? But I have gotten so many people that say I've been in that situation or I know someone in that situation or I've been on one end or the other. Sometimes they say I've been on both ends. I think it's something that people can honestly relate to.”
“Of Course I Lied” has now reached over 23k streams on Spotify. Preston has an upcoming full length project in the works, and hopes that releasing an album will continue to not only build his catalog, but his fanbase.
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