Willy Moon

Last updated

Willy Moon
Willy Moon Midi 2012.jpg
Background information
Birth nameWilliam George Sinclair
Born (1989-06-02) 2 June 1989 (age 34)
Wellington, New Zealand
Genres Alternative, indie pop
Occupation(s)Singer, songwriter, producer
Years active2010–present
Labels Island
Luv Luv Luv Records
Third Man
Website willymoon.com

William George Sinclair [1] (born 2 June 1989), better known by his stage name Willy Moon, is a New Zealand singer, songwriter and producer. He is known for his 2012 single "Yeah Yeah", which appeared on the 2012 Apple iPod advert and peaked at number 26 on the UK Singles Chart. In March 2015, Moon and his wife, Natalia Kills, were fired as judges from The X Factor New Zealand for their harsh and offensive comments towards one of the contestants.

Contents

Early life

Moon was born in Wellington, New Zealand. He left school when he was 16 and left New Zealand when he was 18. He spent time in Berlin before moving to London, United Kingdom. Since 2014, Moon has been living in New York City. [2]

Music career

2010–2013: Willy Moon EP and Here's Willy Moon

In 2010, Moon released his first song "I Wanna Be Your Man" on Myspace, where he was first noticed and subsequently acquired a record deal with Island Records. [3] He released his first two singles through Luv Luv Luv Records.

He received buzz for his off the wall approach to production, being named as a "One to Watch" [4] by The Guardian and one of the "Faces of 2012" [5] by Q magazine. He has also been featured in GQ s "Most Stylish Men", [6] one of Elle's "Bright Young Things" [7] and profiled by Vogue . [8]

His music is described as "a brilliantly odd fusion of 50s rock'n'roll and modern production" [9] using "hip-hop production techniques". [10] Moon's single "Yeah Yeah" was playlisted on BBC Radio 1 in early 2012. He and his band also performed live in session for Huw Stephens for BBC Radio 1 at Maida Vale Studios in May 2012. [11] He also performed on the television show Later... with Jools Holland for the BBC in October 2012. [12]

In July 2012, Moon released the singles "Railroad Track" and "Bang Bang" through Jack White's label Third Man Records. [13] Moon's song "Yeah Yeah" was used in Apple Inc's 2012 iPod lineup TV advertisement, including the 5th-generation Touch, 7th-generation Nano, and 4th-generation Shuffle. [14]

"Yeah Yeah" was also featured on the Sosh Orange [15] 2012 advertisement that ran in France and as part of the Forza Horizon video game soundtrack. At part of his 2012/2013 US tour, Moon performed on the television show The Tonight Show with Jay Leno for NBC. [16] In April 2013, Moon released his debut album, Here's Willy Moon . The album featured "Yeah Yeah", "Railroad Track" and "I Wanna Be Your Man". [17] In August 2013, Rockstar Games included "Railroad Track" in the Grand Theft Auto V soundtrack list. Ubisoft also launched an Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag trailer featuring "Railroad Track".

His tracks continue to be utilised in advertising, "Working for the Company" was used in the "Mr. Selfridge" advert in early 2014, "Yeah Yeah" features in a global Nissan Altima commercial and his cover of "Shakin" was the backing track to the Q1 Sky Atlantic UK television commercial.

2016–present: Cruel Youth

In early 2016, Moon started a band, Cruel Youth, with his wife Kills. [18] The band's first song, "Mr. Watson", was released on Soundcloud in February, followed by "Diamond Days" in April, which was also released on iTunes. Their third single, "Hatefuck", was released in early September, along with the release of their debut EP, +30mg , on 16 September 2016. [19]

Television career

2015: X Factor New Zealand

In 2015, Moon was a judge and mentor on The X Factor New Zealand alongside his wife, Natalia Kills. Both Moon and Kills were fired following the first live screening for bullying and humiliating Joe Irvine, a contestant. Moon compared Irvine to Norman Bates, and Kills accused him of copying Moon's look. The comments led to widespread condemnation on social media, including a petition to have both Kills and Moon fired from the show, which reportedly received over 70,000 signatures within 24 hours. [20] [21] The show's sponsors, franchise owner and fellow judges also voiced public disapproval of the incident. [22]

Personal life

In May 2014, Moon married singer Natalia Kills in New York City. [23] In May 2021, the couple lost their apartment along with all their belongings in a fire. [24]

Discography

Studio albums

TitleAlbum detailsPeak chart positionsSales
NZ
[25] 		BEL (Fl)
[26] 		BEL (Wa)
[27] 		FRA
[28] 		UK
[29]
Here's Willy Moon 313019610475

Extended plays

TitleEP details
Willy Moon
  • Released: December 2012
  • Label: Island
  • Format: Digital download, CD

Singles

YearTitlePeak chart positionsAlbum
NZ
[25] 		FRA
[28] 		GER
[31] 		UK
[29]
2011"I Wanna Be Your Man"————Here's Willy Moon
"She Loves Me"————
2012"Railroad Track"————
"Yeah Yeah"281754226
2013"My Girl"————
"Get Up (What You Need)"————
"—" denotes single that did not chart or was not released.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stan Walker</span> Australian-born New Zealand singer

Stan Walker is an Australian New Zealand singer, actor, and television personality. In 2009, Walker was the winner of the seventh season of Australian Idol. He subsequently signed a recording contract with Sony Music Australia. It was on December 2009, Walker released his debut studio album, Introducing Stan Walker, which included the hit single, "Black Box". The album debuted at number three on the Australian ARIA Albums Chart and was certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). It also appeared on the New Zealand Albums Chart at number two and was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Teddy Sinclair</span> English singer and actress (born 1986)

Natalia Noemi "Teddy" Sinclair is an English singer-songwriter and actress. She has recorded music under various aliases, most famously as Natalia Kills and Verbalicious. She is currently the lead vocalist of the band Cruel Youth, which also releases music under the name The Powder Room.

The X Factor is a New Zealand television reality music competition, originating from the original UK series and based on the Australian The X Factor production format. The show began in 2013 and was open to anyone aged 14 and over. The winner was signed to Sony Music Entertainment New Zealand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Basim (singer)</span> Danish singer

Anis Basim Moujahid, better known as Basim, is a Danish pop singer and songwriter. He is of Moroccan origin. He has released two albums, Alt det jeg ville have sagt in 2008 and Befri dig selv in 2009. Basim represented Denmark in the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 on home ground in Copenhagen, Denmark with the song "Cliche Love Song". The following year he was the Danish spokesperson at Eurovision.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Teddy Sinclair discography</span>

English singer Teddy Sinclair has released two studio albums, one extended play (EP), and ten singles as an artist, as well as eight as a featured artist. She began her musical career by releasing a standalone single, entitled "Don't Play Nice", under the alias of Verbalicious, with label All Around the World. Although the song reached number eleven in the United Kingdom, the label went bankrupt shortly after the song's release. In 2008, Sinclair collaborated with French recording artist M. Pokora in the song "They Talk Shit About Me", as Verse. Sinclair later changed her stage name to Natalia Cappuccini and released the extended play Wommanequin independently.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simone Battle</span> American singer (1989–2014)

Simone Sherise Battle was an American singer, dancer and actress. She was a finalist on The X Factor in 2011 and a member of the girl group G.R.L. from 2012 until her death in 2014. The group was best known for their singles "Vacation", "Ugly Heart" and "Wild Wild Love" with Pitbull. Following her death, the group dedicated their single "Lighthouse" to Battle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rebecca Ferguson discography</span>

Rebecca Ferguson is an English singer from Liverpool. She rose to fame in 2010 when she finished as the runner-up behind Matt Cardle in the seventh series of The X Factor in 2010. Ferguson's discography so far consists of five studio albums, fourteen singles, one extended play and eleven music videos. After two years of both critical and commercial success in the music industry, Ferguson has sold over 1 million albums worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexis Jordan discography</span>

The discography of American singer Alexis Jordan consists of one studio album, six singles and five music videos.

<i>Heres Willy Moon</i> 2013 studio album by Willy Moon

Here's Willy Moon is the only studio album by New Zealand singer, Willy Moon. The album was released in the United States through Interscope Records on 9 April 2013. The album fused various genres together, with elements of rock and roll, indie pop, noise pop and alternative dance. Here's Willy Moon garnered positive reviews from critics and spawned two singles: "Railroad Track" and "Yeah Yeah".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ray Dalton</span> American singer

Raymond Adrien Dalton is an American singer based in Seattle, Washington. He began his career as a gospel and R&B singer. Dalton gained prominence as the featured artist on Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' 2011 song "Can't Hold Us", which gained popularity between 2012 and 2013, eventually topping the charts in multiple countries including the Billboard Hot 100. The song was certified platinum in the U.S. in April 2013. He has won two MTV Video Music Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RY X</span> Australian musician

Ry Cuming, better known by his stage name RY X, is an Australian singer, musician, songwriter, and record producer. He was the first artist signed to the Stockholm-based label Dumont Dumont.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Singe</span> Australian YouTuber and musician (born 1992)

Liam Anthony "William" Singe is an Australian YouTuber, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is most notable for his online videos on YouTube and Facebook.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aram Mp3</span> Armenian singer

Aram Avetiki Sargsyan, better known by his stage name Aram Mp3, is an Armenian singer and comedian. He represented Armenia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 in Copenhagen with the song "Not Alone" and took the 4th place.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sam Martin (singer)</span> American singer-songwriter

Samuel Denison Martin is an American Grammy Award-winning musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. His song "Want to Want Me" holds the record for the most adds in the American contemporary hit radio history.

The second and final series of the New Zealand television reality music competition The X Factor premiered on TV3 in February 2015. Pre-auditions began in October 2014. As well as again being open to singers aged 14 and over, the series was also open to bands, which had to contain no more than five members and have at least two singers. The contestants were split into the show's four traditional categories: Boys, Girls, Over 25s and Groups.

This is a list of New Zealand television events and premieres occurred, or are scheduled to occur, in 2015, the 55th year of continuous operation of television in New Zealand.

Beau Monga is a New Zealand singer/beatboxer from Manurewa, who won the second season of the New Zealand version of The X Factor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Silentó</span> American rapper (born 1998)

Richard Lamar"Ricky" Hawk, better known as Silentó or Prince Silentó, is an American rapper. He is best known for his 2015 debut single "Watch Me ", which charted at number three on the US Billboard Hot 100 when he was 17. He later released a project titled Fresh Outta High School in August 2018 after some delay. He is from Stone Mountain, Georgia.

<i>+30mg</i> 2016 EP by Cruel Youth

+30 mg is the debut extended play (EP) by band Cruel Youth, released on 16 September 2016 by Disgrace Records.

Cruel Youth is a band fronted by Teddy Sinclair, who previously recorded two solo albums under the name Natalia Kills. In 2016, Sinclair started the band with her husband, Willy Moon. The band's first extended play (EP), +30mg, was released on September 16, 2016.

References

  1. ↑ "Songwriter/Composer: SINCLAIR WILLIAM GEORGE". Repertoire.bmi.com. Archived from the original on 28 June 2013. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
  2. ↑ Lester, Paul (11 July 2011). "New Band of the Day – Willy Moon (No 1,059)". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 19 April 2012.
  3. ↑ Smyth, David. "He's got the looks and Willy Moon is set to conquer the charts". The Evening Standard.
  4. ↑ Kappala-Ramsamy, Gemma (27 November 2011). "One to watch: Willy Moon". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 19 April 2012.
  5. ↑ Catchpole, Chris. "New To Q With Chris Catchpole – The Faces of 2012: Willy Moon" . Retrieved 19 April 2012.
  6. ↑ "Willy Moon – Image 10 of 10 – Most stylish men of the week – GQ.COM (UK)". Gq-magazine.co.uk. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
  7. ↑ "Here's Willy Moon | Buy The Debut Album Now". Willymoon.com. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
  8. ↑ "Willy Moon Musician Profile Interview (Vogue.com UK)". Vogue.co.uk. 16 May 2012. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
  9. ↑ Cragg, Michael (10 December 2011). "This Weeks New Singles". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 19 April 2012.
  10. ↑ Kappala-Ramsamy, Gemma (27 November 2011). "One to watch: Willy Moon". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 19 April 2012.
  11. ↑ "BBC – BBC Radio 1 Programmes – Huw Stephens, Willy Moon in session, Honest Jon's Label of Love, Willy Moon – I Wanna Be Your Man in session". BBC. Retrieved 1 June 2012.
  12. ↑ Mir, Jorge (17 October 2012). "Video: Willy Moon – Yeah Yeah (Live On Jools Holland)". Listen Before You Buy. Retrieved 20 October 2012.
  13. ↑ Swank, Ben. "WILLY MOON AND THIRD MAN RECORDS ANNOUNCE NEW SINGLE". Archived from the original on 15 August 2012. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
  14. ↑ Rebecca Armstrong (14 September 2012). "Music: Willy get a boost from Apple? – News – Music". The Independent. London. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
  15. ↑ "Sosh – Vibrez sans engagement". YouTube. 22 August 2012. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
  16. ↑ "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno". NBC. 12 December 2012. Archived from the original on 23 December 2012. Retrieved 16 March 2013.
  17. ↑ "Willy Moon reveals debut album release plans | News". Nme.Com. 18 February 2013. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
  18. ↑ "Buzz Alert! Teddy Sinclair is back with Cruel Youth - new EP out on 09.16 — New York City". Nyc.thedelimagazine.com. 2 September 2016. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  19. ↑ "+30mg by Cruel Youth". iTunes Store (GB). 16 September 2016. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  20. ↑ "X Factor judges Natalia Kills, Willy Moon sacked". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
  21. ↑ "Pressure on TV3 after X Factor judges Willy Moon and Natalia Kills humiliate contestant on live TV". New Zealand Herald . 16 March 2015. Retrieved 16 March 2015.
  22. ↑ Beswick, Angela (16 March 2015). "Natalia Kills, Willy Moon fired from X Factor NZ". TV3. Retrieved 16 March 2015.
  23. ↑ Monks, Steph (14 May 2015). "Natalia Kills and NZ's very own Willy Moon are married!". New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 15 March 2015.
  24. ↑ "Apartment fire: X-Factor judges Willy Moon and Natalia Kills lose everything". New Zealand Herald. 27 May 2021.
  25. 1 2 "Discography Willy Moon". New Zealand Charts Portal. Hung Medien.
  26. ↑ "Discografie Willy Moon". Belgium (Flanders) Charts Portal. Hung Medien.
  27. ↑ "Discographie Willy Moon". Belgium (Wallonia) Charts Portal. Hung Medien.
  28. 1 2 "Discographie Willy Moon". French Charts Portal. Hung Medien.
  29. 1 2 "Willy Moon | full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 30 May 2022.
  30. ↑ Lipshutz, Jason. "Natalia Kills, Willy Moon & The Madness of Their 'X Factor' New Zealand Rant". billboard.com. Billboard magazine. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
  31. ↑ "Discographie Willy Moon". German Charts Portal. Hung Medien.[ dead link ]
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.