DAVID ADAMS speaks to David Willersdorf about his latest project…
Singer/songwriter David Willersdorf is a veteran of the Christian music scene in Australia. But next month he heads to the US to undertake what he describes as “pretty much the opportunity of a lifetime”: the chance to collaborate with another industry veteran, Rick Price, in recording a new album – the name of which will be released next month.
“Rick’s going to be producing the project…I’ve done a lot of writing and a lot of things but this is definitely a new season, I guess, as an artist and a songwriter,” he says.
The 42-year-old Queenslander, who has written a substantial back catalogue of songs over the past 25 years including Let Your Presence Fall (Release Your Power), All You Have Given and Greater and seen them recorded by everybody from Dove Award nominee Darlene Zschech, Grammy Award winner TD Jakes and Grammy nominee Vernessa Mitchell as well as Christian music powerhouse Hillsong, says Price has long been among his “songwriting heroes”. “He’s among a number of people who I’ve listened to over the years (and) I’ve really appreciated his gifts and talents…”.
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David Willersdorf (aka The Free) is working on a new album with Rick Price. “I guess this journey has really got me thinking about…the difference between secular and sacred and what that means, and I guess I’ve come to the realisation that anything that God’s doing in someone’s life is sacred…”– David Willersdorf |
Having heard Price, an Australian who hit the big time in the Nineties with albums including Heaven Knows and who is now based in the music hub of Nashville, was working on a new album, Willersdorf took the opportunity to ask if he was interested in producing the albums of others. Price asked to hear some of his music and so a new collaboration was born.
Rick Price aside, the new album will mark something of a change of direction for Willersdorf who is releasing the project under his “new musical identity”, The Free.
“Because ‘David Willersdorf’ is more widely known as a Gospel singer/songwriter, the idea of The Free is for me to be able to share my new mainstream genre of rock and rhythm and blues songs with a new mainstream audience,” he says.
“It also allows me to keep writing and releasing Gospel songs as David Willersdorf. The great thing is that my David Willersdorf audience has shown great support for what I’m doing as The Free.”
While Willersdorf says the songs he’s written for the new album aren’t overtly “faith songs”, he still believes he’s “written them with God”.
“I guess this journey has really got me thinking about…the difference between secular and sacred and what that means, and I guess I’ve come to the realisation that anything that God’s doing in someone’s life is sacred…” he says.
“Just like in all of our life, (our relationship with God) is not just based around a religious experience one day a week; in my life at least, I’m looking to for God to move in every part of my life…He’s just as interested in marriage and love…as He is us being in a church building on a Sunday.”
The new album will be Willersdorf’s fourth, although he also last year released a new single – Way Of The Lord – as a fundraiser for child-focused Christian sponsorship and development agency Compassion which involved something of a who’s who of Australian Christian music.
When it comes to writing songs Willersdorf says he finds inspiration everywhere.
“As a songwriter, I find inspiration in anything. I’ll be out in the surf; I’ll be people watching out at the airport. For me, I keep experiencing things in life and that very often leads to the writing of a song about it whether that’s a really powerful, positive thing or whether that’s a real struggle in life…I think (for) most songwriters, we carry our songwriting everywhere we go.”
He says that looking at the world and trying to be a positive influence are also important factors when it comes to writing new material. “There are a couple of songs which are about giving a voice to the voiceless and doing good with what we have as well.”
And as to what sets a great song apart from just a good song? Willersdorf says that a great song is one which encapsulates something of the common human experience and brings with it a melody that lodges in people’s mind.
“I think those songs are the ones that stand the test of time. I think a lot of the songs that are just well-marketed but that aren’t well-written, don’t tend to be the ones that we’ll sing in say, a year’s time. Whereas the songs that are well-written, we’ll continue to sing…And those are the songs that I want to be writing – based around the great craft of writing. They’ve got something good to say and to say in a very unique and new way.”
You can make a pledge in support of Willersdorf’s latest project by following this link:
