ReWill

As a music composer, performer, and producer, senior Will Richardson has inspired many with his passion for music and his humble, compassionate personality in the dorm as a Cilley proctor as well as on the basketball courts.At only 17 years old, senior Will Richardson has composed and produced a hip-hop album called “Welcome Home”, which has received over 1,000 downloads since its release last December. Also known by his stage name “ReWill”, Richardson has performed at many venues in Exeter and his hometown of San Francisco. His music is known across campus for its raw lyrics, catchy rhythms, and impressionable delivery.“Will is one of those kids who everybody wants to know,” senior Savannah Gardner said. “It’s easy to get caught up in what friends or other people say and what they do, but Will is very real and grounded in who he is, and that has helped me a lot as a person.”Senior Sahil Singhvi noticed a “fire” in Richardson. “Will is quiet, but if you listen to him for a little bit you see in the way he acts how much he cares about what he’s doing,” Singhvi said. “You can feel the energy and commitment to what he does. He’s an incredibly interesting, dynamic person.”Richardson’s passion for music began at a young age. He began piano lessons in 2nd grade. His father liked to play guitar and listen to blues and jazz music in the house, genres that now influence Richardson’s music style. It was not until later that Richardson discovered rap music.“Some family member gave me a 2Pac album as a joke, and I started listening to it. I thought it was cool so I started playing around with words and rhythms,” Richardson said.Richardson is well-versed in multiple facets of music. He created beats when he was in 5th grade, learned music theory in 8th grade, and played the guitar in 9th grade. “The more I focused on music theory, the more I could plot out chord progressions and cadences, which made it more fun for me,” Richardson said.Today, Richardson is a dedicated singer and songwriter who produces much of his music in his dorm room with a keycard, guitar, and computer.“I’m always really active thinking about music,” Richardson said. “I’ll do something everyday, whether it’s finding a chord progression or writing a verse, learning more about guitar, music theory, piano and guitar, the only time when fans hear is when I put something out, but it’s very much an ongoing process.”“He's very focused and voracious. He's also very motivated, and loves what he does, so when he gets in the zone, it's hard to dislodge him,” senior Sahil Singhvi said. “He’s a perfectionist. He’ll do 100 takes of the same song.”Singhvi saw Richardson experimenting with sound in the music building. “He started playing chords and he murmured to himself as he found chord progressions that he liked. He was crafting the drum kits and music and thinking of lyrics at the same time. It was amazing,” Singhvi said.Richardson’s first EP, “Welcome Home”, was released last December. The album included songs both lighthearted and emotionally hard-hitting, drawing partly from his personal experiences. The album features upper Sabrina Movitz on vocals.In one of his songs, Richardson raps, “Whoever thought of a heart in the dark that glows, pumps out ink, and spits out bars of gold?”“The concept for the album kept growing as I made it,” Richardson said. “When you hear the phrase ‘welcome home’ it has a welcoming, positive connotation, but I wanted to show the good and bad parts of coming home.”Richardson described the songs “Rise and Shine” and “After Hours” as lighthearted. “Originally I wasn't thinking about having any features on it but the more I worked on it, I thought that a girl's voice would sound good over those chords,” he said. “Overall, the song has good vibes and Sabrina’s chorus definitely makes it more catchy.”Other songs, like The Cure and Raise Your Weapon, are heavier in tone, chronicling themes Richardson has observed in his life. “‘The cure’ talks about abuse, which is prominent in many teenagers’ lives and especially more so in San Francisco,” he said.Raise Your Weapon centers around Richardson’s relationship with his now 6-year-old brother, Jackson, who was born with medical complications when Richardson was in 5th grade. These complications required expensive resources which prevented Richardson’s younger brother from staying with Richardson in the same home. “That was really hard on me as a kid,” Richardson said. “The song Raise Your Weapon focuses on my relationship with Jackson and the situation in general.”“Everyone I’ve talked to say they love to listen to it, that he speaks with a lot of truth,” Movitz said. “He is very passionate and honest, but he also has a lot of fun when rapping. He doesn’t take himself too seriously.”Richardson is active in the music community, having collaborated with many other artists. He performed a concert with hip-hop artist Dammy Adeoti ‘12 last March, drawing a crowd of 200 people. He also started a website with a few friends called Tribe One (tribeonesf.com) that showcases his music, senior Stefan Kohli’s photography and the clothing line Bodega supply. He also co-founded an annual benefit concert for inner-city kids in San Francisco.“Collaborating with other artists is very fun, usually with dammy it was cool. Dammy’s really good at piano and guitar, and he plays cello too—he’s a really good musician and he usually finds some stuff for me to sample, or I would just we kind of played off each other, I’d have these couple lines and he’d rap them over the song, and I’d write a couple, and we’d help push each other in a really positive way,” Richardson said. “The show was sick. Performing at that concert was awesome. I've performed a lot at open mics and talent shows but this was the first show that presented that 'live concert atmosphere.'”“Working with Will was an inspiring experience”, Movitz said. “It is refreshing. He's patient and easygoing but still productive and organized. Going through the recording process was so much fun, but also inspiring; I can sing a song that Will brings to me, but that's only a small part of the magic,” she said.Friends appreciated Richardson’s caring, genuine and down-to-earth personality. “I’m head of the ESSO club Support the Troops, and Will came with me on a trip to greet the troops at the airport,” Gardner said. “It was a very emotional experience for me and Will was there for me. He’s a true student listener--he’s always listened to my rants, and has always been there when I needed to talk about my experience.”Richardson has big ambitions for his future in music. “I'm applying to alot of music schools and plan to continue my pursuits. I try my best to just stick to the art and let the audience and recognition take care of itself but it's hard to keep the two completely separate. There's always the urge to 'rush' the final product in an effort to get on certain blogs. But as much as I can, I just focus on broadening my style as an artist and making good music,” Richardson said.