WILL LINLEY TALKS ROMCOMS, INSPIRATIONS, AND HIS LOVEY-DOVEY DEBUT ALBUM, ‘DON’T CRY BECAUSE IT’S OVER’

With over 200,000 followers and listeners from around the globe, it’s safe to say that rapidly rising pop sensation Will Linley isn’t just any old voice in 2025’s sea of aspiring stars. After a few years of festival appearances, headline shows and here-and-there releases, Linley is finally taking the next big leap with his upcoming romcom-inspired debut album, Don’t Cry Because It’s Over, a culmination of love, drama, and years of hard graft coming to streaming platforms 5th September. Scroll on for an in-depth recap of this romantic record’s journey, as well as its accompanying UK, European, and South African tours!

Talk to me about your upcoming debut album, Don’t Cry Because It’s Over – your big ideas, the style, the inspirations, the creative process… we want to know everything!

This album has really been a combination of many years of work. I remember about three years ago, I played my very first festival in South Africa called ‘Rocking The Daisies.’ In the back of the van on the way home, I was talking with my friends David, Bubele and Abo about wanting to make an album, and it was in the back of that car that we decided to create a world around romcoms. Now you might be wondering, ‘Will, why would you choose romcoms?’ To that my answer is simple. Who doesn’t love a romcom?! For me, there is so much joy, euphoria, happiness, heartbreak and everything in between that comes with a romcom, and those are some of the pillars that I’ve built my music around over the last few years of my career. So, when defining how we wanted to build the world of this album, it was so clear that this was the direction I wanted to go in. From writing songs that take inspiration from the final scene in ‘How To Lose a Guy in Ten Days,’ to having my music videos pay homage to the bleachers scene in ‘10 Things I Hate About You,’ to the postcards scene in ‘Love, Actually,’ I’ve really done all I can to create a world that my fans can sink their teeth into. I’ve written it with some of my favourite creatives to ensure that every song feels remarkable live. I cannot wait to release this project to the world.

A debut album is a huge milestone. How are you feeling ahead of the release?

I feel really excited but that doesn’t come without a mixture of nerves. For the last four years, I’ve been dreaming of this moment, and to think that it’s finally happening is rather surreal. I feel like I’m gonna need someone to pinch me on Friday morning next week when I wake up. It’s been such a long road to get here but I really am so proud of the project that we’ve put together.

Do you have a favourite song from the record? If so, which one, and why does it stand out to you?

I have many favourites and this is a really tough question to answer, but if I had to pick one for today I would have to say it’s American Dream. This song was so much fun to write and it was everything that I envisioned. I knew exactly what I wanted this song to say, and so when I walked into my session with Mickey and Jules there was such a freedom in the creation because we knew what our true north was. It really feels like the perfect combination of fun mature songwriting and overall romcom energy.

When you put out Cinematic – the first single from this project – you said that you purposefully didn’t promote it on social media so that people could discover it more authentically. Why did this feel like the right move for you?

I just feel like for the last four years I’ve been teasing music for up to 3 months before I release a song, and that’s cool and all, but I really wanted people to feel like this album was gonna be different to anything I’ve done before. And so, to ensure that that release felt different to everything I’d done, I needed to promote it in a different way. I wanted people to discover Cinematic on their own without it being shoved in front of their faces for three months before the song was even out.

And of course, your UK & EU tour starts this autumn. How excited are you to play these new songs in front of the crowds?

Playing live is the reason I do music. There’s something so special about stepping into a room and playing your music for the people who have gifted you the opportunity to do what you love and that is a remarkable and wonderful experience. I love playing live and I will never stop playing live, especially in Europe and in the UK. 

Who are your biggest musical inspirations?

I love Jon Bellion, Chelsea Cutler, Sam Fender, Olivia Dean, Lewis Capaldi and Matty Healy.

And finally, since you clearly love a romcom – what’s your favourite?

Without a doubt, ‘Notting Hill.’