INTERVIEW Willie Weeks

THE BRAIN BEHIND KPOP: PRODUCER WILLIE WEEKS

HELEN RODGERS

Willie Weeks had his first big Kpop break back in 2016 when BTS featured a song he cowrote ‘Wishing on a Star’ on their Japanese album ‘Youth’. Since then, he’s continued producing spectacular Kpop tunes for artists such as Taeyeon, NCT’s Mark and EXO’s Xiumin, and Starship’s rookie boy group Cravity. Willie has now mastered the art of creating an exception title track as he helped produce Monsta X’s ‘Follow’ and ‘Fantasia’.

UnitedKpop sat down with Willie Weeks to find out how to write a hit Kpop song, what his favourite Kpop artists are and how he became a music producer.

HAVE YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO WORK IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY?

I grew up in a family of producers so it’s kind of the only thing I knew I wanted to do. From early on, I was seeing the music I’d produced being performed and being enjoyed by fans which was a big buzz and is the main reason I do what I do.

HOW DID YOU BECOME A MUSIC PRODUCER?

I started producing when I was around 13. I played drums first, I studied drums at college after I left school and, the whole time I was at school, I was producing as well and working with artists.

WHEN DID YOU START LISTENING TO KPOP?

I’ve been listening to Kpop since 2011 and I fell in love with it because of SHINee, EXO and Girls’ Generation. When I first listened to Kpop I was so excited because it has so many elements of the music I grew up listening to like R&B and soul chords. There are so many different styles in each song which means that there’s a lot of freedom to play and have fun. WHICH KPOP ARTISTS DO YOU LISTEN TO THE MOST?

NCT have got such a cool edge and a real quirkiness to them. Their songs always have a bit of madness to them and I love that. I think GOT7 are pretty progressive, too. They have got a fresher sound and are always pushing boundaries. I also recently found out about Victon and their song ‘Mayday’ absolutely blew my mind.

WHAT IS THE BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT YOU’VE HAD DURING YOUR CAREER SO FAR?

Definitely writing ‘Follow’ for Monsta X. It was the first time I had a full-on music video put to one of my songs and the song was trending which was very special. It was a little bit overwhelming to see how far my music had travelled.

WHAT IS YOUR INSPIRATION WHEN YOU WRITE?

I always aim to write a title track – you always want the single – so it’s important to constantly be You need to write something fresh, new and exciting for live performances.

WHAT’S SO SPECIAL ABOUT WORKING IN THE KPOP MUSIC INDUSTRY?

The Korean music scene, along with Japan, is one of the greatest industries in terms of honouring songwriters. They put your name on the TV screen when groups perform live and you get song credits when companies release the tracklist.

HAVE YOU EVER MET A KPOP ARTIST?

The closest I’ve ever been to meeting a Kpop idol is seeing TVXQ! printed on an aeroplane when I landed in Japan.

WHAT IS YOUR DREAM PROJECT TO WORK ON?

I had the opportunity to write for BTS before they really blew up and I’d love to write something for BTS again.