Fingertips: Interview with Twilson

Twilson, Image taken by Dubu Linggi

Indie-pop/pop artist Twilson is the project of passionate songwriter, Tom Wilson. Although he only just began his journey into releasing music as of last year, Tom has been performing and writing music since 14 years old, writing well over 450 songs since then, moving to Melbourne to pursue a music career, and learning that “performing live isn’t for the weak” after a particular incident. Twilson is a key pop artist to look out for in Melbourne/Naarm’s music scene, bringing to listeners carefully curated stories and emotionally charged lyrics about his personal experiences in life and love, putting nothing but his all into his work, so you can’t help but also be taken on that journey. This is just the beginning for Twilson, who has plans to continue performing, releasing and working hard to ensure you hear his music and stories. In this interview, we talk about “Fingertips”, Twilson’s newest release and the upcoming duet version, music and lyric videos, the famous “Sex Sells” merch, how he got into songwriting and his long, fun, but also tricky journey in songwriting and performance.

Twilson Performing, Images taken by Lucinda Goodwin

How did you get into songwriting? 

Twilson: My dad used to work at EMI before it became Sony, and, I mean, nothing crazy, he was just the finance guy. But he's super into music, he's got a big vinyl collection, and he's always listening to music, showing me new bands [and] taking me to see new artists. He's always pushed me to go into the creative side, so I feel like that's kind of where it all started. 

You’ve travelled around a lot. Why have you chosen to do music in Melbourne? 

Twilson: So, I lived in Sydney and that's where I was born, and then I moved to Brisbane [when I] was pretty young. Then, just about a year and a bit ago, [I] packed up all my stuff and drove down [to Melbourne] from Brisbane.  

I'd never been to Melbourne before. I've been to Sydney a lot, and I know a few people in Sydney and the music industry is good there, but I think everyone says, oh, but Melbourne's that bit better. So, I was like, okay, well I'm just gonna go to Melbourne. 

Do you get that vibe from being down here? 

Twilson: I think so. Well, I mean, I don't know if you've been to Brisbane, there are really talented people there, but [people] don't get excited like they do [in Melbourne for gigs]. 

You’ve worked with songwriters in LA who work with Britney Spears, Jessie J, and Usher. How'd you do that? 

Twilson: So, basically, with [my] uni, JMC, they do an LA exchange program. And if you get selected to go, they fly you out to LA and you get to meet and work with all these incredible people. We got to work with this producer who basically produced the whole of Green Days’ discography almost, and we got to watch him do it, and he was giving us tips. Same thing with the songwriters who've written for, like, Britney Spears, Usher, Jessie J, Big Time Rush; my personal favourite. 

The cool thing is they're so nice. I still email them today being like, this is a song I've written, what do you think? and literally this songwriter, her name's Kasia Livingston, [will] email back with some feedback. She's got so many great songs out there, she doesn't need to be emailing me, but she still does. 

Did that help inspire a bit more of your songwriting? 

Twilson: Oh, definitely. One of the cool things about it was that we got to work in co-writing environments which I think is really interesting. Once you've gone from writing songs by yourself, [there’s a] whole journey [of] having to work with other people in pressure situations. It's so cool having that experience and learning from them. 

“Wine” single cover art.

“Wine” promotional imagery

Why was “Wine” your first release, after almost 10 years of songwriting? 

Twilson: “Wine” was the first time I showed someone a song that they said they liked. [So], I showed another person [and they were] like, “Oh, this is cool!” Then another person: “This is cool!” My friends are brutally honest, so that was kind of the moment where I was like, oh, I think this is actually a song that I can put out there.  

That was probably like the 300th song I've written as well. So, there's been a lot of practice before [and] a lot of discarded [songs]. I feel like it's kind of one of those things where I've had to really sit down and try really, really hard to get anywhere with it. I envy the people who it comes fast too, but you do it 'cause you love it. 

You’ve mentioned you started performing at 14, and at a performance, someone had thrown a rock at you. What’s kept you performing after that experience? 

Twilson: I have a few of those stories where like, God awful things happen [to me]. I think the funniest thing about that one, was that it was the first time I went on stage thinking I'm gonna kill it. I got on stage, and I was so nervous and all my friends were watching. It was a performance not for the school, but at my school, [and so] there were just some year 8 kids who were chucking rocks at me while I was performing, and rightfully so because it was not good, I don't think. 

Rightfully so???  

Twilson: I think it's just one of those things where you have to endure. If you love it enough, nothing will stop you. I got home that night, and I cried my eyes out 'cause I was like, this sucks, but I also [thought], I need to get better. 

I think it probably wasn't that bad. 

Twilson: Oh, no. I feel like I'm at a point now where I can look back on stuff that I did a few years ago and be like, okay, I've come a long way. You gotta start somewhere.

“Fingertips” single cover art, Image taken by Dubu Linggi

“Fingertips” is your new song. Was it inspired by anything specific? 

Twilson: Oh, yeah. 

I wrote it as [part of], me and my partner at the time would do songwriting competitions with each other, where we would send each other songs. I was like, I'm gonna write two songs today, and I'd only written one, [so] I was like, oh, I'm just gonna make [the other one] up on the spot. So, I basically wrote the entire thing on a Snapchat video. Yeah. Snapchat video. So, I sent it off [and] she was like, “This is really good”. I didn't really think about it a lot; I just knew what I wanted to say, but it came out in a way that I had not really done before. I was like, whoa, maybe that's what I mean. 

There's a duet version coming out in a few weeks and so the song, I feel like, has kind of shifted meaning a little bit over time, especially as I've worked on the lyrics and changed them a little bit.  

The song has kind of shifted meaning from a love song to looking back. I didn't realise at the time that I was writing about, potentially, my subconscious thinking about when it was good, because at that moment, it was kind of falling apart a bit. But you know, I was still trying to relive all the good memories. 

Did the inspiration of what influenced “Fingertips” influence how you wanted audiences to feel with the instrumentals and composition of the song? 

Twilson: For the single version, it's very raw, very stripped back. I think it reflects that at the time, there's not much that goes into reliving those moments. It's really just: it happens, and you feel it, and then you kind of wanna feel in the moment more. It's not a whole big orchestra and stuff because, you know, there's no dramatics that need to be put into it. I think that’s what I want people to feel, I'm telling my story, and I don't want anything really to be interrupting 'cause the lyrics, to me, are the most important thing in that song. And the way I sing it, we spent hours and hours redoing takes to get almost what is me speak-singing basically. 

But the duet version takes a whole different route, because we've added a bridge, we've added strings, we've added massive harmonies. It’s two people's stories coming together [and] it's almost like a battle between the two sides of the relationship, like we both think each other are the problem, we're gonna battle it out. 

Is this kind of what you hope audiences take away from you as an artist: a storyteller? 

Twilson: Yeah, I would love that. I would love people to think that, because a lot of what I write is straight-up things that have just happened [to me]. Everything that I write is how I'm feeling in that moment, and that's why it's usually sad.  

It would be nice to have people feel like they've been told a story, and that they are able to put themself in [that] story as well. 

And there will be a music video for the duet version of “Fingertips”? 

Twilson: Yeah. It's next level. I've never done anything this big before. It's crazy, it cost me about a billion dollars. 

Is there any reason you wanted a music video for this song in particular? 

Twilson: This is the first time I've had any sort of money to throw into it, because my car got stolen not that long ago and I got the payout for that. I was like, you know what? I'm not gonna buy another car. I'm gonna spend all my money on making an EP and a music video for this song that I really, really like, because I want to have something that I'm proud of for years and years [to come]. To show people and be like, this is what I can do. I feel like that's what I try and do with all my work. [Make] a big project that took so much time and effort [and] that I'm really happy with. ‘Cause it's all about being proud of what you do. 

You've also got live performance videos for all the songs you've released. Why is it important to you to have live performance videos? 

Twilson: Well, I think it's cool being able to do a song you've written in a completely different style. We hired out an abandoned building, got a choir, a string orchestra, and a band in there. I feel like it's a whole different art to recreate something that's already been done. And it's fun, and I love doing it. [Like “Out of My Head], that's an indie rock song [and] to do it with a string orchestra brings a whole different vibe to the song. 

You also co-produce a lot of your songs as well. Is it important to you to be a part of the final sound? Do you have an exact vision for how you want your released songs to sound? 

Twilson: So, the way I write songs is: I build [the song] up to a demo, where it's basically finished; it's like 70% of the way there. Then I just call up my producer and I'm like, let's rerecord this to make it sound even cooler, [and] he'll add his own things in there.  

I think [knowing how to put your stuff together] is really important, because you want to feel like you've made something. I know not everyone can do everything, but I think it should be something that you learn if you want to do music, no matter how simple it is. You save so much money [and] you save so much time if you know exactly what you want your song to sound like. 

If you make it yourself, you have less people being like, do this, do that. Which, I mean, is helpful at times, but it's much more helpful once you've already got the sound down and then they're like, we could add this, rather than them coming up with the whole thing. 

“Sex Sells” Merch

You're also wearing the merch, I see. 

Twilson: Shamelessly, always wearing the merch. 

I mean, you always gotta be plugging. So my question was, is the “Sex Sells” merch real? but it's… 

Twilson: In the flesh. 

What was the inspiration behind it? 

Twilson: Do you know what's funny? I was talking to my friend Bri, [who] is running my socials basically, and they told me that I need to get my personality out there more and do the stupid things that I usually do. So, I was like, what's the stupidest thing I can do? I can put a photo of myself and say “Sex Sells” and then spend $500 on buying a bunch of t-shirts. You know what? Why not? You're not gonna wear this and forget what you're wearing. 

What’s upcoming for Twilson? 

Twilson: I feel I've developed into this sound more, so there will be more of this kind of stuff coming out. I really like raw, you know, authentic kind of vocals where you feel like someone's on the verge of tears when they're singing it to you. So, expect more of that.  

And expect more merch like this. Which is, I think like a big contrast. You see me at my lowest moments, and then you see me at my, I don't know, weirdest moments. 

So, a lot more emotionally charged music coming out? 

Twilson: Yeah. There are some songs coming out about a friendship breakup that was really painful for me, and some more about relationship stuff. 

Is there any last thing you want to add? 

Twilson: I'm just gonna keep writing songs. It won't ever stop, so people will hear me in one way or another. 

Check out Twilson’s socials and music to ensure you don’t miss the release of “Fingertips” duet version featuring Diva Bhatia, and the music video, which so much time and effort has gone into so it definitely won’t disappoint. Also be sure to stream all of Twilson’s current releases, especially “Fingertips”, it won’t disappoint.

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ALL CREDITED IMAGES TAKEN BY @dubusaeyo & @lucindagoodwinphotography