Will Hyde: Raw Reflection
Indie-pop artist Will Hyde released his new single, “better without me,” an emotional collaboration with singer-songwriter Stephanie Poetri. The single is a raw reflection of the decision of whether to let go or not in a relationship. Beyond music, Hyde is an avid advocate for mental wellness and even created his own video series titled “Really Mental.” To learn more about Will Hyde and his new music, read on.
Where are you based?
Hey! I’m originally from Melbourne, Australia and I’m based in LA, California now.
What inspired you to start making music?
I actually was really into Basketball when I was young but I quickly realized that if I didn’t grow, I wasn’t going to make it to the NBA… It was a sad realization to have to come to but it led me to music! I was DJing when I was 13 years old and I wanted to make the music I was playing at parties.
Congratulations on your new single “better without me” with Stephanie Poetri! What was the inspiration behind this song?
Thank you so much! I really love how it turned out, I’m so happy it’s in the world now. I wrote this song a few years back about feeling like a burden in a relationship. It’s really about figuring out whether you want to stay or leave in a relationship and feeling like you’re letting someone down by being in that state of mind. In reality, sometimes letting go is the biggest act of love and respect you can do if you think it’s best for the long term. There can be multiple truths.
What’s the story behind how your collaboration with Stephanie Poetri came about?
Originally, I worked with Flawed Mangoes (Evan Lo) and Nick Cassidy on the song. Nick sent me an acoustic guitar song he’d made and I sung over it. It was essentially how it is now, though I had also written a second verse which extended my point of view.
Flawed Mangoes is someone I met a while back — it has been amazing to see him do his thing and he is doing incredible. He came on to the song around a year after Nick and I made the original. I felt his electronic production added so much depth and it made the song feel floaty, which aligns really well with the lyrics I felt!
After that, I actually had Stephanie Poetri on my conversation series, Really Mental. We spoke about some topics that definitely touched on themes also within the song. From there, I sent it to them for her thoughts… I was so happy when she resonated with it and wanted to be a part of it. I remember I would message her manager, Jeffrey, every month to check in and see how recording was going. She’s a busy artist as you can imagine, I’m glad I kept checking in, haha.
Where do you find inspiration when it comes to writing and making music? How much does your environment and the people you surround yourself with affect the outcome of your music?
I find a lot of inspiration from my day to day life and experiences. I draw a lot from my own reflections, experiences relationally and also conversations with friends and people I meet. I actually don’t write a high quantity of songs, but when I do, I know what I want to say as a result of taking time to experience life.
I would say that travel, live performances and intimate relationships definitely inform a lot of my writing. The latter would be quite obvious as I feel that intimate relationships help us explore a lot of parts of ourselves that we may not fully know about in other relationships like friendships.
A lot of your music is on the softer and more vulnerable side. Do you ever find it difficult to release music that’s so emotionally raw?
Thanks for saying that. I’ve been trying to find the balance between lighter music and heavier topics as I feel like there’s a time for both! That said, I’m proud of how I’ve been able to express myself through my music.
There are certain songs that feel quite difficult to release — usually those ones are really clear in terms of telling a sequence of events that happened in a relationship. I always take some time to reflect on if I want those ones in the world. Ultimately, I realize that if I’ve experienced it — someone else will have too!
As I’ve become more comfortable and confident in myself, I seem to be more okay with sharing parts of myself with people listening. Sometimes writing words in a song feels easier than a difficult conversation too, which is funny to think about.
What do you hope listeners take away from your music?
I hope that when people listen to the music I make, they can share it with the person they love most and feel truly seen by it. I want people to know that no matter what situation they’re going through, they’re not alone and it will be okay. I believe a song can save a life, and life is worth living!
You ran a mental health conversation series called “Really Mental” with other artists, including LAUV, LANY, JUNNY, Chelsea Cutler, and more. A lot of your music also focuses around themes of mental health. Can you tell us more about this series? Why is this an important topic for you?
Yeah! It was so fun and it might be coming back this year too on radio, which would be awesome.
I started this series during COVID with my friend and it all came from the idea that we all face broadly similar struggles on the path to finding ourselves, even if the circumstances have nuances. I wanted to find out how people in the spotlight were managing their mental health and see if they had it “figured out”. It ended up revealing to me that we all have our struggles that we are working through.
Mental health is really important to me as I went through my own struggles during my teenage years with anxiety and depression. I never heard anyone talk about it, so I just assumed something was deeply flawed within me to be experiencing that. Looking back, I wish there were more artists that spoke about it. I decided to contribute to that in the ways I can — with my music and also through conversation.
You wrote the song “u can still come home” for Carrefour Europe’s 2025 Act for Food campaign. Can you tell us about this campaign and how this song contributed to it?
Yes, I did! It was a real honor to be a part of that, I was doing all night studio sessions to try get the song perfect for the campaign since I was in Australia and they were based in France. I was originally picked as one of three to four people to submit for the campaign they were putting together. I thought the idea was so beautiful — it was about coming back to your version of “home” and eating good quality, healthy food with your loved ones, whoever that is.
I felt like the idea of “home” was a beautiful thing to write to, as that is a subjective word. Home can be many things to many people. The song I made, “u can still come home”, ended up being the soundtrack for the 2025 campaign in Europe and also is continuing into 2026. I’m really grateful for the opportunity and I hope to be a part of more meaningful projects like this in the future.
Everyone should have access to good quality food and I hope that you get to experience that feeling of being at ‘home’, wherever you are. Thank you Carrefour, Bellemeute and Pack for having me!
You also produced the first Team Song for the Australian Olympic Commission and helped ensure that the athletes could have additional revenue streams/create anthems that represent all different backgrounds and athletes. Can you tell us more about this effort and what inspired you to get involved in this?
Definitely — I think the Olympics is a unique time where everyone from all backgrounds gather around to watch the games and support their country. With that in mind, it felt like a great opportunity to create a piece of music that could represent everyone from the Olympic team and also potentially inspire people watching at home.
I set about working with the Australian Olympic Athlete Commission and the AOC to create a team song that could represent Australia in Paris. It was a really fun journey and the creation process from ideation to finish was two years. I worked alongside Samuel Koh and Pack. to make it happen!
In the end, we created a Joint Venture between the AOC/the Athletes and Warner Music Australia. I saw that the song, “Higher”, actually got included in a big film trailer recently, which was cool.
With any creative or ‘different' endeavor, I believe it’s important to have multiple revenue streams. With athletes, it’s the same — they should have the ability to generate revenue from a Team Song that they’ve contributed to. Music and sport are really integrated — picture the NBA and their official soundtracks, there’s a big potential for the Olympics to create their own musical world. Hopefully this is the start of it!
What advice do you have for young musicians that are just starting out?
Hmmm. It’s an interesting question - I’ve broken down my thoughts into three take aways:
1) Create your own luck.
In an industry where the top 1% of musicians are making 67% of the income, there’s this idea of ‘luck’. I really believe that every day, we take steps towards influencing our own futures. With that in mind, let’s empower ourselves as artists to take steps to build momentum. Viral moments are amazing, though strong foundations for a career in music are built over time —I truly believe that picking a platform to focus on and being consistent with a strategy is better than relying on virality to carry you. It’s a controversial opinion in the age of TikTok, but I’m happy with what I’ve been able to work on since adopting that mindset.
2) How can you stand out and have a point of difference?
Just like any amazing business or invention, standing out is really important. There are lots of amazing artists — having great music is just one part of it! From there, finding ways to stand out is critical. That goes for the way you promote, your branding, your style of music etc.
3) Finding your purpose.
During great times and difficult ones, having a purpose to come back to has been a really grounding thing for me personally. I’d recommend having a think about what you want people to take away from your music. Beyond that, the impact you’d like to have with a career in music.
There will be times where things are going really well and also struggle points — both require a north star to run towards and stay on track.
Lastly, enjoy the learnings that you’ll have on the way! Embrace taking risks — no one is watching as much as you think… Good luck! Let’s go.
Are there any upcoming projects you are currently working on that we should be on the lookout for?
I’m currently working on an EP, it’ll release in May! It’s called “when u look into my eyes.”
Outside of that, I will be performing in Thailand and Korea this year. There will be lots of music coming through out the year!
It has been a crazy few years, and we expect at least three more. How have you been staying positive?
Yeah, these last years have reminded me to surrender the idea of control. When big world events are happening, it’s a humbling reminder of how little control we have around us. There is a peace in that though — we have to focus on our day to day and contributing to a better world in the ways we can.
I’ve stayed positive through keeping a list of things that have happened that I’m really thankful for, prayer and also spending time planning what I’d like the next year ahead to look like, along with my plan for the next three years. Having a framework helps me stay focused on what I can control.
What is your motto in life?
Outside of my purpose for my career, my internal MO or motto changes depending on the season/chapter I’m in. For instance, lately I’ve been focused on trying to show up as authentically as I can. What does that mean in practice? I see it as only saying yes to things I want to do and being honest when I’m not comfortable or interested in something.
I’ve been giving myself permission to try new things and I’ve been listening to myself more. I’ve been valuing my opinion more than in the past — that feels like I can be authentic and honest with how I show up in life. I’m really enjoying this chapter of my life!
To learn more about Will Hyde, please check out the links below:
First of all, I’d love to say hi and meet you!
Message me on all platforms @iamwillhyde.
I’d like to mention the app “Calm” - it’s a meditation app which I’ve used at different times throughout the years when I’ve wanted to slow things down/be more present. It really helped with my anxiety.
24/7 Crisis Support - 13 11 14
(America) 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
Mental Health Crisis Hotline Korea
Call: 1577-0199
