Willie J Healey

Born and raised in Carterton in West Oxfordshire, this English singer-songwriter crafts playful yet organic indie rock that feels simultaneously impulsive and considered, revealing a clear kinship with offbeat 1970s figures such as Neil Young and Marc Bolan. In its most relaxed moments the music aligns with Mac DeMarco’s easygoing slacker style, yet Healey’s dynamic range supplies sufficient drive and edge to set him apart from the Canadian. Columbia Records issued his first album, People and Their Dogs, in 2017; although it failed to achieve notable sales, the record attracted a small following and prompted him to conclude that a smaller imprint would better suit his singular artistic habits. He therefore joined Yala Records, the modest outfit co-owned by the Maccabees’ Felix White, which put out the spontaneous, Elliott Smith-inspired 666 Kill EP the next year. The same label later released his inventive second album, Twin Heavy, in 2020.

While attending Carterton Community College, Healey gave classmates the impression that boxing would become his profession. From ages ten to sixteen he poured countless hours into the sport, confining his self-taught guitar practice to domestic settings. At that stage the idea of performing live still seemed distant, and he was content to strum Oasis covers alongside his father each Christmas. When a careers adviser challenged his eagerness to pursue sports studies at university in Manchester, he chose instead to enroll in a music diploma at nearby Oxford & Cherwell Valley College. Upon finishing the course he spent a brief period laboring for his father’s plastering firm, simultaneously developing greater assurance in a musical future. Emulating Young, he began driving to open-mike nights and Spring Offensive support slots with his equipment stowed in a converted hearse.

The Boatshed, a site that grew from blog into label, issued Healey’s first EP, HD Malibu, in 2015. Two subsequent pop-leaning singles, “Dude Like Him” and “Saturday Night Feeling,” highlighted his melodic flair and drew Columbia’s interest; the label signed him and put out the original recordings of “Pipedreams” and “Would You Be” in 2016. The Hey Big Moon EP arrived shortly afterward, by which time local players Chris Barker on drums and Mike Monaghan on guitar had become central members of his live band. This reflected Healey’s broader creative method, whereby an uncommon appreciation for his immediate environment shaped both his songwriting and his choice of collaborators. By early 2017 he was headlining venues, and after the summer release of his debut LP he appeared at the Truck and Reading festivals. A year later he joined Yala and supported Gaz Coombes on nationwide dates. In 2019 he launched a two-week U.K. headline tour that closed with the Hello Good Morning EP; Twin Heavy followed the next summer, its songs largely composed on a friend’s baritone guitar.