by OLIVIA DEJESUS
With his new single “Cake,” which received over 10,000 views on social media, junior new media production major Pete Doughty, also known as P-Will, is a rising artist to look out for.
Consistently dropping new music, Doughty has a total of 23 songs on SoundCloud and several music videos on his record label’s Youtube channel: NewWorld Hustle Productions (NWH). After being signed to NWH last September, he was able to release his new music on major platforms including Spotify, iTunes and SoundCloud. With each new release, Doughty is gaining more attention and support.
“Every single time I release a new song, people tell me, ‘This is your best song, this is the one,’” Doughty said.
“Cake,” released on Jan. 31, has already received high praise from local rap fans. Doughty wrote the song with his fellow friend and artist, SB, during a trip she made to Tampa. The two met in their sophomore year of high school and bonded over their passion for music. They watched out for each other throughout high school and even held their first concert at their community center as a part of their senior project.
“SB came to me with this beat and told me that she knew we could both kill it. So that’s exactly what we did.” Together, Doughty and SB wrote the song in one day, and they shot a music video for the song a few days after that.
The music video was shot in several locations in downtown Tampa, featuring shots in front of UT and the riverwalk.
“I had the time of my life shooting that video. It felt good to be with Pete because I hadn’t seen him in months and he’s one of my best friends,” SB said. A little over a month later, their work is paying off. “Cake” has already received 10,000 streams on all music platforms, making the track one of his and SB’s most popular tracks.
Doughty performs weekly at various venues in Tampa, such as Club Skye, Pegasus Lounge, Celebrity’s and Molly Malone’s.
“Performing is always an amazing opportunity to show people about your passion. I never pass up an opportunity to share my music with the world,” Doughty said.
One of his favorite places to perform is Crowbar in Ybor City because he has built relationships with other artists. One such artist is Doughty’s close friend and fellow NWH signee Profit Knowledge.
Doughty and Profit Knowledge, who often perform side-by-side on stage, were introduced after being signed to NWH around the same time last year.
“We consider each other family. I see Profit as the older brother I never had,” Doughty said. Already, the two have worked together on numerous songs, including their newest release, “Make It.” Profit also made an appearance in the “Cake” music video, and frequently shows his support on Instagram by posting pictures of Doughty’s newest tracks. “The best part about working with him is that he is honest and he has a good heart,” Profit Knowledge said. Currently the two are working on a new mixtape.
Starting at a young age, Doughty has had a deep affinity for music. His family initially encouraged him to pursue his musical dreams, and in the second grade, he started taking piano lessons. He played for about three years, but it wasn’t until he started playing guitar that he really got into music. After five years playing lead guitar in a rock band, he realized that he was more interested in hip hop. This was when he started working on his own hip hop music.
In high school, Doughty started teaching himself how to use GarageBand in order to independently record and mix all of his music. Everyday after school, he would meet with his friends and fellow artists SB and Na$ty Nick to record music at SB’s house. Some artists who have inspired him are Quavo, Young Thug, PnB Rock and his main influence, Travis Scott. With his newfound passion, Doughty started putting his music on SoundCloud and began cultivating a fanbase. Along with being a self-taught sound engineer, Doughty also gained experience through several electronic music courses at UT.
Eventually, his hard work and dedication paid off. After seven years of working towards his goal, Doughty finally signed to NWH.
One of Doughty’s main goals right now is to stay focused. With a full time job, school and his music career to balance, it is easy to become overwhelmed. However, he is willing to sacrifice his free time in order to make a name for himself. The next step for him is performing more and touring so he can build his fanbase internationally. He encourages young artists to be unique.
“Know that there are going to be people around every corner doubting you; even your friends will doubt you,” Doughty said. “Prove them wrong.”
For those interested in listening to Doughty’s new music, it can be found on SoundCloud, iTunes, Spotify and his record label’s YouTube channel. Also, Doughty recently released aw YouTube video called, “P-Will: The Process of Making a Song,” for a closer look at what goes on behind the scenes.
Olivia DeJesus can be reached at Olivia.dejesus@spartans.ut.edu