by Danny White
In the same week as that announcement, Will was crowned ‘Artist of the Year’ at the Webby Awards. His acceptance speech was just five-words long: ‘Now we know we can’.
So, what did Will hope an Obama victory would bring with it? Another Obama slogan was ‘Change we can believe in’. As for Will, the change that he said he wanted Obama to bring to America, should he be elected, included: ‘Education, America’s finance, getting our dollar back to where it should be, stopping the war, health and international policies.’ As his political clout increased, somewhat surreally, Will even appeared as a hologram on CNN News to discuss the election.
As a result of the frenzy of expectation that had been built around him, Barack Obama entered the White House with considerable pressure on his relatively young shoulders. A significant number of his most vocal supporters would subsequently feel disappointment during the President’s first term. Will would have some issues with President Obama, too, but his pride at having played such an influential part in the election of the President of what many still consider the planet’s most powerful country was, rightly, undiminished. Will received generous thanks from Obama, who told him his video had made a significant difference to the campaign. ‘The President has thanked me tons of times since,’ Will said. ‘He told me I reached a demographic that had been, up to that point, invisible.’
In his journey on the political carousel, Will has striven to remain sincere. Mindful of how empty and insincere are the political or social gestures of many stars, he has tried to eschew such vanity. ‘If I go out and say, “Yes We Can! We can, Obama! I support Obama!” And then I’m out, going, “Woohoo, I’m not even living in America, I’m in Spain!” How is that supporting? Because I go to a freaking fundraiser and give him some money sometimes?’
Will has stated that he wishes more people would notice how little control we have over what happens in the world. ‘We’re not in control,’ he told the Independent. ‘We have no control over the outcome of anything. Like the planet and global warming, we don’t control that. If politicians want a war, we don’t control that. Acts of terrorism, we can’t control them.’ In another moment of cynicism, he said: ‘Politics are about preserving relationships at the end of the day, and it has nothing to do with the greater good for humanity. It’s just all about business.’
The final word on his association with Obama to date can only be a brief recounting of a highly embarrassing moment Will had while performing at the President’s inauguration. Of all the memories of the experience that Will expected to take away with him on the day, the one he had not bargained for was that he would break wind in front of the President. ‘I’d been eating all sorts of rubbish and my insides were in a mess,’ he explained to the Daily Mail. ‘I wasn’t healthy like I am now. I was playing on stage and I just couldn’t help myself.’ The audacity of wind, indeed. Nowadays, he does indeed eat carefully and healthily, including the hellish-tasting yet supremely effective ‘superfood’ of kale juice. (He might not be entirely out of the woods, though, as kale is notorious for producing supremely blustery conditions down south.)
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Meanwhile, his stature as a producer for other artists was soaring. Having taken production duties on releases from The Black Eyed Peas and his own solo ventures, Will had learned a great deal about the craft. His technical knowledge and ability, together with his mesmeric persona, combined to make him quite a prospect. Over the years, Will has worked with several of the music industry’s biggest names, including some he personally has admired for several years. His talent, stature and energy have combined to make him an attractive prospect for other artists. From 2004, his name appeared on the production credits of material by a wide variety of artists, including Carlos Santana, the Pussycat Dolls, Ricky Martin and Earth, Wind & Fire. He also worked for Diddy, Nas and Justin Timberlake during these restless years.
To date, the pinnacle of such experiences came in 2006, when he was invited to work with Michael Jackson. He spent a large part of the year working with Jackson in Ireland. For Will, to work with ‘the biggest inspiration’ of his life, the man who ‘defined me, and my dreams’ was a blissful honour. It hardly felt like work at all.
This was not the first time his career had crossed paths with Jackson’s, but never before had it done so on such a scale. He could have looked back to when he first walked into the offices of Epic Records in the 1990s. At that time, even to be in the same building as the label that owned Jackson’s music seemed to be honour enough. So, when he was first told that Michael Jackson was on the phone, wanting to speak about their working together, Will assumed it was somebody playing a practical joke. Now, working alongside Jackson in the studio day after day, ‘felt like a dream’ to Will. For Jackson said he chose Will to work with because he felt he was making ‘wonderful, innovative, positive, great music’ and therefore was curious to see ‘how the chemistry would work’.
It made for a surreal experience for Will at times: ‘You’re there in Ireland. It’s green hills. It’s Michael Jackson. You’re in the cottage making beats, dance beats. He’s like dancing and sh*t.’ His nerves could be forgiven. Naturally, there were many such moments of eccentricity. One morning, Jackson suggested Will ride a horse out to the fields. ‘Why don’t you go pick some apples?’ Jackson asked him. ‘Take the horses, they’re lovely, they’re wonderful. They know exactly where the juicy apples are!’
Will took up the challenge and, for the first time in his life, got on a horse. Jackson had advised Will that if he noticed the horse trying to grab an apple that he should ‘grab it before he does – because that will be the juiciest apple’. Will decided that the best policy would be to share the juicy apples with the horse: each time the horse went to grab one with its mouth, Will would let it have that one, and take a neighbouring apple himself. This seemed the best compromise with a beast that had the potential to throw him off.
Work continued on the album in surroundings that Jackson had become very fond of. He had found Ireland a haven from the media frenzy that perpetually surrounded him and he had worked at the studio in County Westmeath before. And it certainly suited Will to work with Jackson in serene surroundings.
The tracks they were working on were supposed to form a comeback album for Jackson. It was to be a dance album, full of the life that was, unbeknown to them both, soon to leave Jackson for good. The material they were working on was, said Will later, of a high standard. ‘It was going to be out of this world,’ he told the Mirror. ‘It’s something Michael has never done before – a dance music album. I was very proud of it.’ Will noted, with somewhat amused approval, how serious Jackson was about his work. ‘But he was very protective and kept it under lock and key. After we made it I had to hand back every demo. He was a perfectionist and didn’t want anyone to hear it until it was ready.’
Will also noticed Jackson’s perfectionism when the singer visited him at his house. There, he watched as Jackson spent three hours fine-tuning his voice, just in order to sing for five minutes. Will was impressed. ‘He’s laying and his feet are up on the chair, he’s kicking his feet,’ he said. ‘I’m like, dude, Michael Jackson’s laying on my floor. Michael Jackson’s laying on my floor. He’s testing his voice and three hours has passed.’ Will was astonished but approving. Jackson told him: ‘I just love, you know, this is all we have is flesh and bones. That’s it. It’s just flesh. That’s all we got. I want to protect it and take care of it, because this is my voice. This is my thing.’
Will emerged from his association with Jackson replete with several cracking anecdotes, which he has related with aplomb. One involved some contact he had with the King of Pop while they were both staying in Las Vegas. Jackson phoned Will to let him know he was in town. Will mentioned that The Black Eyed Peas were playing a concert that evening, and invited Jackson along. Initially, Jackson was excited, but when Will told him the band’s stage time was 9 p.m., Jackson said: ‘Oh, rats, I can’t. I’ve got to put the kids to sleep.�
� Will was charmed and amused by Jackson’s use of the word ‘rats’.
He issued Jackson with another invitation, telling him he was also due to appear onstage with Prince later in the evening, and asking if he would like to watch. ‘Oh really? I’d love to. Call Prince and see if it’s cool,’ replied Jackson. Will could hardly believe what was happening, as he phoned Prince’s team to ask them whether it was OK if Michael Jackson watched him perform alongside Prince. Naturally, the answer was affirmative.
He ended up running late for the performance, and worried he might miss it all together. He could hardly believe the day he was having. ‘So, I’m late, I’m late,’ he told CraveOnline. ‘I’m in the cab, like aw, man, what a time to be f*ckin’ late. I’m always late and I’m late for Michael Jackson to see me perform with Prince. So I hop off the cab and I’m running in Las Vegas.’ As he ran down the road, towards the Palms venue, people recognized him – almost. ‘I’m running and people are like, “Wyclef!” I’m like, “F*ck you”, right? Then I run and I get to the place and I perform for Prince and I walk off stage and Michael’s there. He’s like, “That was awesome!”’ A proud, and bizarre, moment for sure. ‘Yeah, but that was a great experience to have Mike see me perform with Prince. It was nuts. That’s great, cool.’
On 25 June 2009, Michael Jackson died. Will was shocked and devastated when he learned the news while in Paris. The band had just performed and were letting their hair down at the VIP Room nightclub, a short distance from the Champs-Elysées. Will was DJing and, in a less busy moment, picked up his phone to check for messages. To his horror, one of the messages he found told him that Jackson had died. Given that there had been rumours in the past of Jackson dying, he hoped this would turn out to be another hoax. Sadly, after checking with Quincy Jones, he discovered that this time the superstar really had passed away.
At this stage, Will could have lived by the motto of ‘the show must go on’. Instead, he brought the ‘show’ to a crashing conclusion. He cut dead the music and announced over the microphone the news he had just had confirmed to him. The festive atmosphere disappeared in an instant, and tears were shed – some of them from Will’s eyes.
Will had spoken to Jackson just four days before, he later revealed. ‘He called me to wish me happy Father’s Day even though I don’t have any children. He said, “I just wanted to call and say have a good day anyway.” I told him, “OK, I will grab my crotch and wish myself happy Father’s Day for all my unborn children.” He laughed and said, “You’re so funny.”’
In fact, Jackson’s gesture touched Will deeply. He realized that, for fatherless Will, Father’s Day could be an emotional challenge. The call was Jackson’s thoughtful way of reaching out. Will had attempted to contact him around the same time, but found that Jackson was forever busy. His last contact, albeit indirectly, with Jackson had been just days before his death, when, while Will was djing at a club in Wandsworth, south-west London, one of Jackson’s choreographers approached him. ‘He came over and told me Michael wanted to get the Peas to open his gigs at the O2,’ said Will in Billboard magazine. ‘Man, that would have been so amazing. Imagine us together on stage. Awesome.’ Instead, fate intervened. ‘It’s so sad,’ said Will, reflecting on Jackson’s death. ‘He was my friend and the biggest inspiration of my life. I’m going to miss him.’
Before long, he felt he had to go to war on behalf of his friend and inspiration. In 2010, a posthumous album of Jackson tracks was released. Will was utterly horrified. He first spoke out in August, as publicity for the album, Michael, began. ‘How you gonna release Michael Jackson when Michael Jackson ain’t here to bless it?’ he asked, rhetorically, in the NME. After the album’s producer said that he was following Jackson’s ‘notes and plans’, the row rolled on.
Several parties made conflicting claims to understand and be serving Jackson’s wishes. The man himself was unable to clear matters up, so Will did his best to honour his friend’s wishes. As part of this process, he related a conversation the two had about a leaked song. ‘A couple of months before Michael died he called me on the phone really upset,’ he said. ‘[Jackson said] “Hey, it’s Michael, somebody leaked one of these songs.” And I said, “What song, Mike?” And he said, “Some song called ‘Hold My Hand’.” I swear to God, I had this conversation with him.’ Having been hit by leaked tracks himself, Will could empathize with Jackson’s feelings.
As for Michael, Will was forthright in his assessment of its release. ‘Whoever put it out and is profiting off of it, I want to see how cold they are,’ he told the Sun. ‘To say that what [Jackson] contributed during his life wasn’t enough. He just wasn’t any ordinary artist. He was a hands-on person. To me it’s disrespectful. Michael Jackson songs are finished when Michael says they’re finished.’ Akon, the artist who collaborated with Jackson on the song that became the posthumous single ‘Hold My Hand’, hit back, saying: ‘I think that’s probably Will’s opinion. Me personally, I think that’s keeping his legacy alive. I don’t see anything disrespectful about it. He got his people taking care of it. We all did records that we actually worked on together on the album. These records would have come out whether he was alive or dead, so I think this actually helps to keep his legacy alive. I honestly disagree with that.’
Will remained robust in his position, saying he would only change his mind about posthumous releases if Jackson’s mother were to contact him and say the plans had her blessing. Until such a point, any releases of unfinished Jackson material would only be made, said Will, by ‘freaking parasites!’.
Putting the tragedy of Jackson’s death and the subsequent controversy to one side, it had been an immense experience for Will to work with him. Nothing could change that. So much more could have come of their working relationship, had Jackson not died. Will says he was on the brink of setting up a duet between Jackson and Cheryl Cole. ‘I told Michael Cheryl was the hottest thing in the UK and he was keen to meet her,’ he told the People. ‘I was gonna write them a song.’
For Will, Jackson will never be bettered commercially. ‘He holds the highest amount of records that you could sell – no one’s ever going to sell that amount of records,’ he said. ‘Why? Because there are no more record stores. So you’re never going to beat his records. Never, ever, ever in the history of records in life.’ His deep respect for Jackson partially explains why Will refused to accept any expenses from Jackson for the time he spent working with him in the studio. The remainder of the explanation is that Will had grown appalled by the tales of ‘hangers-on’ taking advantage of Jackson and his wealth.
‘A week before the trip, he was like, “My manager is gonna call you to make sure all the travel stuff [is taken care of]”,’ Will told Starpulse. ‘[He asked me] “Do you fly commercial or private?” I was like, “Don’t worry about my flights; I’ll pay for my flights ... So many people have taken advantage of you in the past ... it will be my honour to take myself there and let’s just make music to make music. You don’t pay for my flight, I won’t charge you my fees and if we make good music then the song will make [me] money.” He’s had a history of people just taking advantage of his success and camping out in the studio and charging him outrageous rates.’
The exploitation continues to this day: in March 2012, Jackson’s entire back catalogue, including the tracks he collaborated on with Will, were stolen from Sony by online hackers. It was a posthumous reminder of the sort of trends that Jackson had talked to Will about when, remembered Will, Jackson told him ‘how cruel people can be’. Will has also spoken of how cruel he felt the media was to Jackson. While Will has never made a clear statement on his feelings over the sexual-abuse allegations that haunted Jackson, he has spoken of the unfair level of ‘scrutiny’ his friend and idol had to face during his life.
One is left with a sense of lost opportunity. Jackson came across as an increasingly spent force in the latter years of his life. Both creatively and personally he seemed to be in the depths of the doldrums. Yet t
here was no doubting his talent and potential. A key element he lacked in his life was the presence of a sincere, gifted and enthusiastic backer. He did get one, in the form of Will, but sadly it was too late. One can only speculate as to what the two men could have created together had there been more time.
‘Something needs to put a jolt back in the music industry,’ said Will, interviewed in Access Hollywood alongside Jackson in 2006. ‘The only person that can put that jolt back in it, that monstrosity of entertainment and music is the one that created it.’ By that, he meant Jackson. During the same interview, Jackson was asked whether he wanted his comeback to be a gradual, tentative affair, or something bigger than that. The King of Pop seemed uncertain how to answer, his lack of confidence clearly on show. ‘I can answer that as a fan,’ said Will, intervening. ‘Big’. In retrospective it’s a chilling moment, underlining what Will could have offered the wayward superstar.
How to sum up what an icon Jackson had been to Will? In an emotional video blog in 2012, he put into context what Jackson had meant to him, as he grew up. ‘When you’re in the ghetto surrounded by crime and violence,’ said Will his eyes welling up as he searched for the right words. ‘You gave me escape. I escaped from all the drama around me, listening to your music. Thank you, Michael Jackson. Thank you for your dedication, thank you for your music, thank you for the dreams. I used to wanna dance like you. I used to draw pictures of you.’ Describing Jackson as ‘the king of the industry’, he declared that ‘there will never be another artist who will impact the industry the way you have’.
Will has, though, worked with other musical icons, including pop princess Britney Spears, on her seventh album, Femme Fatale. ‘I just came from the studio right now,’ he told Associated Press, following one of their sessions. ‘It’s a monster. It’s mean, pretty, edgy, next level. But the beat just ... It’s that beat. She’s singing fresh over it. It’s something that today needs.’