Will Joseph Cook makes music that puts a smile on your face. The indie-pop dreamer's third album, Every Single Thing, is an exercise in joy: a collection of shameless love songs, a bubbly and exuberant reminder to appreciate the present.
"I felt like, from a cultural perspective, not as many people write about love in a positive way or from a happiness perspective anymore," Cook says. "Most sincere, biographical writing these days is about a breakup or the pursuit of love, whereas I just wanted to celebrate the moment I was in instead of looking forward or backward. I wanted to find out what a sincere love song sounds like in 2021 and share my feelings. In that respect, all the songs are real. They're all based on my life."
Aside from being in love and releasing a new album, Cook has plenty of reasons to celebrate this moment. In the past 24 months, his life has changed exponentially. Following the release of his second album, 2020's upbeat yet thoughtful Something To Feel Good About, one of his songs, the shimmering and breezy "Be Around Me," went viral on TikTok. It wasn't just a viral event, though: for weeks, the cutesy bridge of "Be Around Me" was inescapable, becoming one of the platform's most popular sounds with over a million videos made to it. "A good chunk of the 200 most popular videos were also viewed millions of times," Cook says, still in disbelief. "So how many times has it been heard? It's kind of magical in that way. Also, I had no control over it. Even though I deleted it, it's part of the Internet. It's in the DNA of TikTok. It's not mine anymore."
Such an explosive reaction to his music was a validation for Cook, who says he felt a bit of self-doubt about his place in music before "Be Around Me" exploded. Why? Because despite his young age, the 24-year-old is already a bit of a veteran of the music industry. Born and raised in Tunbridge Wells in southeast England, Cook has been involved with music since he was a teenager, performing locally and uploading music to YouTube and Soundcloud. His songs about the turbulent and colorful life of a teenager caught the attention of managers, and before he knew it, he had signed a record deal with a major label at the age of 17.
His debut album, the critically acclaimed Sweet Dreamer, was a demonstration of Cook's artistic intentions: It was written entirely by him and exemplified the many strings of his musical bow. It was also a success, and Cook built a loyal fan base. But as talks began about a follow-up, he realized he was having something of an identity crisis. "All my friends had gone off to college or were traveling," he says. "I had had other life experiences, but less personal ones to write about. Rather than take up his label's offer to make another record, Cook decided to go out and live a little. "It was a difficult time for me, and a lot changed during that time: Family members died, relationships changed, and I left the label.