Exclusive Interview with Love Harder, “aka” Will Simms
Love Harder, A.K.A Will Simms is one of the fasted-rising names in dance music right now. Signed to Ultra, he first came to prominence in 2020 with ‘Oblivion’ (with Lost Frequencies) Since then he’s had a string of huge releases and collaborations to his name and shows no sign of slowing. His new single ‘Love You Harder‘ is his first solo original release and seemed like the perfect moment to catch up and share the love…
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
Hello Love Harder and welcome to UFO Network! Of course you weren’t born as Love Harder! Behind the mask is Will Simms, already a successful producer. Why did you want to create Love Harder?
As Will Simms I get to create for other people and love that! But I always wanted to create for myself too. I wanted to do a dance project because really I come from dance/house/hardcore so one day I made ‘Oblivion’ and the name Love Harder came to me instantly! It was the most natural thing ever.
I have always loved Dance music. When I was 11 and living in France I discovered Hardcore/Gabba which was imported from Holland and was becoming massive in Europe. That made me want to be a DJ and rave! Then I moved to Manchester, UK when I was 15 and was exposed to Happy Hardcore and jungle and D&B and I was obsessed!
Then I gradually moved to house and French house and in 1999/2000 I started making UK garage! That was all before I even started my career as a producer/song writer making pop records. So I had to come back to dance which were essentially part of my roots.
Ahah! Thanks and no I didn’t get fed up of collabs! I love collaborating for so many reasons. 1) You have access to more creative energy 2) have more reach as you are sharing fans 3) you make some awesome friends… and there many more. But I think it’s also important to establish myself as a strong artist in my own right too! And you will see many more solo records and collabs in the near future. In fact I have one now with Fedde Le Grand and Amy Grace. It’s called ‘Same Thing’ and it’s a cool song.
Yeah it pretty wild. And I am super grateful. I don’t really know what it is that makes people connect but I only make records I like so maybe people can feel that it’s not contrived or try hard. I just do what I enjoy and leave it to the listeners to decide if it’s worthy of their time and ears. Also getting on solid playlists help a lot so I am thankful for the continued support of DSPs like Spotify, Apple, Deezer etc… You can have an amazing song but if it doesn’t get playlisted, people might not get to hear it…
I love that it give me an infinite playground for creativity. I like starting a beat and feeling how it makes me feel. The magic of hearing chords that make you instantly wanna cry or love or you feel like you are flying! And of course the feeling you get in your gut when the bass is just right and you pull that face! That rrrggggghhhh face…
What do you think you would you be if you weren’t a music producer and why?
Man I used to say I would be a pornstar because let’s face it, who doesn’t want to get paid to have sex with beautiful people! But now I have to say I would want to be a quantum physicist and help unlock the secrets of our universe! And of course a humanist, crusader fighting for equalitarianism…
I get influenced by everything I listen to and I listen to literally everything! I don’t know what the sound will be in 5 years but I know that if doesn’t make me vibrate at a higher frequency then I won’t wanna do it! I imagine we are going to see a new explosion of sub genres and cultures in the very near future and also a complete merging of all genres and cultures! There are no limits on what I can become.
I would go back to around 92 I think and DJ at a rave in Holland called The Last Exam! Where the Hardcore rave scene started! That would make the 12 year old me very happy and incredibly proud!
I have soooo many! The 1st one is to get a Grammy as either a producer/writer or artist! Next I definitely need to play at Tomorrowland and Ultra festivals Also I have to have more number 1s. I have had a few as a producer for other artist but I want a number 1 as the artist! I want to move to LA at least 6 months out of a year. I love it there and need to live this out! I want to go to space! I want to keep travelling the world and experiencing incredible things for the rest of my life! I want everything to be possible and I know that everything is possible!
I can tell you that I am working on a genre with a name I’m trying to coin ? You’ll just have to keep listening ?
