"I certainly wasn’t expecting Westerlund’s sound to hark back to the era of ‘50s and ‘60s rock n’ roll, but that’s exactly what you get on this fantastic 12-track odyssey."
PRESS/ REVIEWS
“I CERTAINLY WASN’T EXPECTING WESTERLUND’S SOUND TO HARK BACK TO THE ERA OF ‘50S AND ‘60S ROCK N’ ROLL, BUT THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT YOU GET ON THIS FANTASTIC 12-TRACK ODYSSEY.”
“WITH A SOLID OFFERING THAT’S PACKED FULL OF EMOTION, BEAUTIFUL WORLD IS AN ALBUM WORTH YOUR TIME.” - THORNE STONE
“WESTERLUND’S VOCALS ARE A MARVEL: SOMEHOW THIS ONE-MAN BAND IS ABLE TO APPROXIMATE THE EARLY BEACH BOYS, JAN AND DEAN, THE FOUR SEASONS AND THE REST OF THOSE VOCAL-HEAVY BANDS. ” - ZACHARY RUSH
“THE GOLDEN OLDIES POP OF “DO YOU LIKE ROCK AND ROLL?” IS AS PURE AS THE DRIVEN SNOW; THERE’S NOTHING IRONIC OR PARODIC ABOUT IT.” - GARTH THOMAS
“FEW SONG COLLECTIONS ARE AS COMPLETE AS THIS NOWADAYS; IT’S A DYING BREED IN A WORLD THAT NO LONGER HAS FAITH IN THE ALBUM AS A FORM.” - HEATHER SAVAGE
COLLIN WESTERLUND
Collin Westerlund, born June 11th, 1996 in Baltimore, Maryland, is a Singer/Songwriter/Arranger and Producer.
At 16 years old, Collin was playing in a variety of bands and started writing his own songs. He left home at 17 and worked endlessly doing different jobs ranging from bars, restaurants, hospital work to landscaping to get by. He would spend the few hours he had in between jobs biking to The Crown, an old factory warehouse that was converted into a studio, to play the piano, sing and write songs. His late-night piano playing garnered the attention of local rappers who would occasionally ask him to play piano for a beat.
During that period, he would spend a lot of time wandering around Baltimore city, going between studios, sometimes sleeping in them, while gathering inspiration for that “sound” he wanted to hear but was nonexistent. This went on for awhile until his frustration with the music scene forced him to put aside finding it and to actually create it himself.
In 2021, Collin wrote, arranged and performed everything that would come to be his debut album “Beautiful World”. He released the singles “Here Comes The Rain” and “After All”. That year was a busy year for him in which he worked in construction jobs during the day and bartended in the evenings to make ends meet, so that left him with little time to make the album. The birth of his son, James, gave him a rush of inspiration. He meticulously crafted each song while surviving on 2-3 hours of sleep, resulting in the album being finished in a mere month.
"I asked myself for my children's sake..Do I keep working 80 hours a week to support my family and they'll never see me as happy as I can be? Or do I take a chance and try to do what i've always wanted? There would be less money in it for the latter but at least I would have a smile on my face."
Collin has stated his musical influences are artists such as The Four Seasons, Bacharach & David, Phil Spector, The Beach Boys, ELO, Lennon & McCartney, Jan Barry, Dean Martin, Cole Porter, Rogers and Hammerstein, Gamble & Huff, Motown, Americana Music, old school R&B and various Doo Wop groups. "I really enjoy the way songwriters of the 40's wrote their lyrics, it was very poetic and clever. I want to bring that back in a modern form."
His album "Beautiful World" was finally released when he moved his family to Boise, Idaho. After little motion with his music and working long days with no pay knocking doors, he moved his family to Northwest Arkansas where he now resides. Still creating and aiming higher and higher Collin has two new singles that are about to be released. He is currently working with the Bentonville Jazz Band with plans to perform live shows very soon.
Stay tuned for even greater music and live performances!