WILSN has released her new single, titled “The Way”.
The Melbourne-based soul-pop artist recorded the song at Hive Mind Recording in Brooklyn, NY, a studio known for its specialisation in analogue equipment and capturing a classic soul sound.
The single was co-written with WILSN’s long-time friend and local talent Liam McGorry (Saskwatch, Ex-Olympian, Dorsal Fins) and produced by Stephen Mowat (Tyne-James Organ, Gretta Ray) and Billy Aukstik, co-owner of Hive Mind and an esteemed producer and trumpet player.
“‘The Way’ is about the feeling of having a positive person in your life, after being deprived of it in past relationships and how it lifts you up. Nothing too complex to it really – just an overwhelming feeling of positivity and good vibes,” explains WILSN. “A lot of my last record was dark and sombre and about love going wrong. When I started writing again I wanted to write more songs with more light and a happier tone.”
The music video for “The Way” was filmed in New York, complementing the warm, joyful nature of the song, which serves as the perfect introduction to WILSN’s new era of music (watch above).
WILSN describes the recording process as a highlight, featuring renowned soul musicians who have played with artists such as Sharon Jones and the DapKings, Thee Sacred Souls, Charles Bradley, Jalen Ngonda, Lee Fields, and Antibalas. “We embraced having the band all in the same room together, instruments bleeding into each other’s microphones, far from a perfectionist’s approach, but when you have players this good it is that bleed and spill that can actually glue the whole thing together,” she shares.
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Originally from Geelong, Victoria, WILSN (real name Shannon Busch) moved to Melbourne to study jazz at the Victorian College of the Arts before signing with US publisher Pulse, which prompted a move to America. There, she spent two years working with Grammy Award-winning songwriters honing her craft.
Her debut album, Those Days Are Over, released in 2023, won the AIR Award for Best Independent Soul/RnB Album or EP and was also nominated for the Australian Music Prize.
WILSN has performed alongside Jimmy Barnes and Budjerah, played at Bluesfest two years in a row, and supported The Teskey Brothers on tours in Australia and Europe.
WILSN recently won the 2025 Vanda and Young Global Song Competition with “Give You Love”, a song she co-wrote for Jessica Mauboy and Jason Derulo.
To celebrate the release of “The Way”, WILSN will be playing two free entry shows, bringing a horn section along with her regular live band. Catch her at Melbourne’s Punters Club on Friday, June 13th, followed by Sydney’s Pleasure Club on Saturday, June 21st. More information can be found here.
WILSN’s “The Way” is out now.
