Wes Nelson: The Evolution

As he stepped out of the villa to a newfound notability, Wes recognised that this would act as both a blessing and a curse. ‘I knew that to come out as a music artist was going to be a double-edged sword. It was always going to be a struggle to go on a reality show and then be taken seriously as a music artist. I began to release music, let people think whatever they want and let the numbers do the talking. That got me to where I am now…Love Island was a crucial part to building up my confidence for what would follow.’ Now, Wes is proving that his bravery has paid off, with his music career growing bigger with every track he writes.

Along with using his platform to connect with fans old and new, Wes skilfully leveraged his connections across the industry to gather as many new writing opportunities as possible to keep his focus sharp. From working with Clean Bandit to Craig David, Wes tells me that he’s ‘constantly songwriting to sharpen the tools’, with the most recent example being his breakthrough single Barcelona, written in collaboration with production duo heavyweight, Billen Ted which was released in August. ‘I've known the boys for a few years now, and we just have the best banter, which really helps when writing a banger,’ Wes says; ‘it’s a massive thing when you’re doing a collaboration to get along with the artists… the stars aligned on this one, it felt special.’