You might have seen our past interviews, usually hilarious, with Will Jay Behlendorf when he was a member of the super-popular boy band IM5 on our YouTube channel. And you might already know about his amicable separation from the band to work on his solo music (they are still friends to this day).
Well, his first single, “@nti-Social Media,” which is a crazy-catchy little tune featuring Will on the ukele, has just hit iTunes. You can go and buy the song here, and then come right back to check out our exclusive interview with Will below the fold, along with some selfies we asked him to take for us today which you won’t see anywhere else!
Hi Will, nice to get another interview with you! Let’s get right to it…your first song as a single artist is “@nti-social Media” Tell us about the message of the song and why you chose this as your first track.
Hi again! So I thought of the idea for @nti-Social Media after hearing the words “social media” one day; I just thought to myself that it was funny that we call it social media when it really makes us anti-social.
The song is about living in the moment as opposed to wanting to tweet or Instagram about it. I chose this as a first song because I wanted my first song to be something people weren’t expecting and I wanted to show that I’m not just going to sing songs about love.
Yet, you have a pretty big social media following. That’s kind of ironic, no?
Haha it is a bit!
Contrary to the song, I am not anti-social media whatsoever; I merely wanted to start a discussion and encourage people to put the phone down every once in a while.
What’s the funniest/weirdest thing you have witnessed on social media (yeah let’s keep it PG-13 though, haha)?
Watching everyone freak out over the color of a dress was quite entertaining. It’s stupid viral trends like this dress that help define what @nti-Social Media is about.
Let’s talk some more about your music. I remember IM5 was signed to Universal, but I don’t think that ended up anywhere yet. Are you signed currently, or are you going to stay indie for the time being?
I am currently an independent artist; I definitely want to partner with a record label in the future, but I want to wait until I feel like it’s the right move.
And what is your sound going to be like moving forward…still pop-oriented or are you looking to inject maybe some hip-hop or EDM?
With my music, the center is definitely still pop; however, my music definitely incorporates more real instruments and has a throwback vibe to it.
Do you have any other songs written, and if so, when can we expect a release?
I have too many songs to count.
That being said, I’m definitely selective over the ones I want to release; with those, there aren’t set release dates, but I’m hoping they get released sooner than later.
Any plans to collab with your pal David Scarzone on any of them?
Absolutely! I actually co-wrote David’s first song with him; we’ve been doing a lot of writing behind the scenes.
Are there any misconceptions about your breakup with IM5 that you would like to clear up, or anything regarding that situation you want to address — which hasn’t been addressed before?
I don’t know if there are any misconceptions, but I would definitely like to stress that I left on good terms and I left solely because I wanted to make the music that I felt passionate about.
If you could go back to any point in time and experience one major event in world history, what would it be and why?
I don’t know if this is considered a major event in world history, but I would love to go back to when The Beatles were popular (in the 60s & 70s).
They’re definitely my main musical inspiration and to be able to see and hear them live would’ve been incredible.
What is one cause or charity you think more teens should get involved with and why?
I think teens (and honestly everyone) should get more involved with VH1’s Save The Music. Having an arts program is so important because it allows the kids who aren’t into sports to express themselves and find something they’re passionate about (aka me).
If you had the chance to do one thing over in your life thus far, what would it be?
I try not to live with regrets, but if I could do one thing over I would say I would’ve been myself when I was in school.
I definitely tried to be someone I wasn’t and I’m learning that as I grow up people actually like me for me.
Tell me something people would be surprised to know about you?
I think something that people would be surprised to know about me is that I rarely sing in the shower!
I guess I want to relax, and my definition of relaxation involves total silence.
What do you have coming up next?
No concrete plans for anything, but I’m definitely writing/recording/releasing new music in the near future and hopefully getting to travel & perform!
Follow Will on his social media channels:
We’ll be adding the song to TWK Radio this week, but in the meantime, watch the brand new video here!:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOWnTqTDHqE