Willy Mason

Willy Mason

Willy Mason is an American singer-songwriter from White Plains, in the United States. He is the son of folk singers Jemima James and Michael Mason, and he says both have influenced his music. Mason is associated with rock and indie, and his work also sits within folk, acoustic and alternative settings.

Early life and first bands

Mason moves with his family from New York to West Tisbury, Massachusetts, on Martha’s Vineyard, when he is five. He attends West Tisbury Elementary School and Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School. During that period he plays in local bands including Keep Thinking, Cultivation and Slow Leslie.

Recording career

He later moves to New York City and performs mainly at open mic nights and in small venues. His profile rises after Conor Oberst hears his music backstage at a Bright Eyes show. Oberst signs him to Team Love, his record label, and releases Mason’s debut album, Where the Humans Eat. The album, along with the singles “Oxygen” and “So Long”, charts in the UK in 2005.

Mason follows that with The Ocean Gets Rough in 2007. He later records Carry On over the course of 2011 in south London with producer Dan Carey, whose credits include MIA, Hot Chip and Franz Ferdinand. Mason describes that album as a continuation of the narrative begun on Where the Humans Eat.

Touring and performances

He tours with Radiohead, Death Cab for Cutie, Ben Kweller and Unbusted. He also performs at venues and events including Glastonbury Festival, South by Southwest and the Offshore Ale House.