BACKING YOU: At 13, Singer-Songwriter Willa Amai Steps into the Spotlight – and Shines Bright
Name: Willa Amai
Willa Amai remembers being just three years old and singing to her sister and her parents in “gibberish.” Her lyrics may not have been clear, but, even then, Willa’s gift for music certainly was. Her talents were nurtured with regular piano lessons, and, at age nine, Willa started setting her original poetry to music. Today, the newly minted teenager is represented by We Are Hear, a record label and management company founded by multi-platinum producers Linda Perry and Kerry Brown.
Recently, Willa was selected out of more than 100 artists to create and perform a cover of the Daft Punk song chosen for the QuickBooks 2018 BACKING YOU campaign. Her beautiful melody and rich, resonant vocals have put this talented, inspiring teen in a bright spotlight. Good thing Willa is very much ready to shine.
Willa, you just turned 13. The fact that you have an established creative process is incredibly impressive. Tell us how you approach making music.
I have a little Yamaha keyboard with a furry stool in the corner of my room. I don’t know what it is, but when I sit there, the words and melodies just kind of flow out of me. My manager, Linda, calls it “good juju.”
I will always, without fail, write two verses and the chorus of a song. Then I’ll call my mom into the room and have her to listen. The beauty of our relationship is she will always tell me when she doesn’t like a song, and, of course, she’ll also always tell me when she does! She gives me real advice. Somehow, I’ll write the bridge and then get into the studio.
You have color synesthesia, a neurological condition affecting your perception of sound and color. How does that shape your music?
I think of color synesthesia as having two parts of my brain meshed together, so color is connected to sound, words and letters. For me, every letter has a color. Z is purple, W is pink, X is navy, Y is yellow. When I’m making music, the colors in the song have to be enjoyable for me to hear and to look at.
How did you first connect with Linda Perry at We Are Hear?
My mom’s best friend knows Linda’s wife, and she asked Linda if she’d meet me. I had maybe half a song written, and I played for about a minute. Linda asked me to write five songs and call her in two months. When I met with her again, I’d written six songs. After that, we started working together.
Plenty of artists dream of being picked up by a major record label. What have you learned from working with a small company?
We Are Hear focuses a lot on equity and equality, which is humbling. I’ve learned everyone gets an equal say in what happens. That’s particularly important for me, because legally, I’m not equal yet!
So many things make it hard to get into the music business, especially when you’re only 13 years old. It helps to have a little step stool to be able to see into this industry. Linda gave me the step stool.
We’re like a really tight family, even though we’re not actually related. Our bond has led to trust, honesty – and comedy! We all laugh really hard when we’re together.
If you find yourself in a creative rut, where do you turn?
I talk to my mom. She lets me cry and do whatever I need to do. I have an anxiety disorder, and music is a huge outlet for me. I channel my anger and sadness into my songs, so I kinda freak out when I can’t write. After I have a little breakdown, my mom tells me, “It’s okay. You will write another song.” And then I go write.
How did you feel the first time you heard yourself singing the QuickBooks BACKING YOU anthem on national television?
It was really, really weird! At first it felt like it wasn’t my voice, even though I knew it was! So many people were texting and calling me. I realized, “Oh, you’re seeing this too. Woah!”
The commercial first aired on all the football channels, so later, all the jocks at school were coming up to me and saying, “Wow, Willa that was powerful.”
It was really a great experience for me to be able to hear and take ownership of my voice, especially when I was being heard by so many people, all over the world.
Any predictions for what’s ahead?
A year ago, I could never have imagined myself where I am right now. To be perfectly honest, I can’t tell you where this is all going to go. But at 13, I can truly say I’ve achieved my dream. No one can ever take that away from me. I’m so thankful.
There are so many inspiring small businesses in the world … check out these other stories and videos from the QuickBooks 2018 BACKING YOU campaign.
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BACKING YOU: Optometrist Pauline Leong Runs Her Values-Based Business with 20/20 Vision
BACKING YOU: Graphic Designer Fabienne Wente Ties Together Paper Arts and Cutting-Edge Technology
BACKING YOU: Jimmy Gallagher’s Family Business Spans Five Decades – and Counting
Watch:
BACKING YOU VIDEO: The world's largest workforce works for themselves. We work for them.
BACKING YOU VIDEO: QuickBooks Backs Willa Amai and Others Who Work to Make Her Beautiful Sound
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