Olly Williams Connects With Us On The Emotional Power And Storytelling Behind “Candles Turned to Ash”
- STAFF
- Mar 2
- 6 min read
By: Staff
Olly Williams and his latest release “Candles Turned to Ash” arrive with a quiet intensity that pulls you in before you even realize what is unfolding. There is something cinematic at play here, a sense that this song was not simply written, but lived, reshaped, and carried through multiple emotional chapters before finding its final form.
In speaking with Olly, it quickly becomes clear that “Candles Turned to Ash” and the song’s emotional gravity comes from what is left unsaid as much as what is laid bare. Rather than rushing toward resolution, the track dwells in reflection, tracing the residue of love, loss, regret, and the moments that stay with you long after everything else has burned away.
Beyond the track itself, Olly opens up about the experiences that shaped his writing voice. From performing live and busking to balancing creativity alongside a demanding career, each chapter has left its mark on how he approaches songwriting today. Music here is not just expression, but a process of working things through, a place where reflection turns into clarity.
This interview offers a revealing look into the mindset behind “Candles Turned to Ash” and the path Olly Williams is carving forward. Keep reading to step inside the story, the song, and the moments that shaped them.
Keep scrolling to get into it with Olly Williams.
Here’s how it went:
Begin Interview:
Hello Olly Williams, we’re thrilled to have you here for this interview about your release of Candles Turned to Ash! We've had an amazing time exploring it diving into your creative journey. Now, we’re even more excited to get a deeper look into both your brand and your personal and professional inspirations.
Q. What is “Candles Turned to Ash” really about at its core, and what emotional moment or experience led you to both the story itself and the decision to choose that as the song’s name?
A. The lyrics to the song actually went through three revisions. I wrote the first draft of the song about a crush of mine, shortly after I had missed my chance with her. A few months later, however, I co-directed a theatre production in which one of the characters loses their partner in a tragic accident. Because of this, I redrafted the lyrics to fit the perspective of the character in that play. The lyrics you hear in the final version are a combination of both – I took the best bits from both drafts and blended them together.
Q. The recurring line about candles turning to ash is striking and almost ritualistic. What does that image represent to you emotionally as the song unfolds?
A. While I’m aware that many people associate the writing of lyrics with the use of metaphors, Candles Turned to Ash actually stands in contrast to a lot of my earlier songs, some of which are not metaphorical at all. For example, a song I released in 2021 titled ‘Without a Voice’ was literally written about a year in which I completely lost my singing voice for ten months. There is a double meaning in the metaphor Candles turned to ash, because a candle is both a symbol of romance and a symbol of hope. Having them turn to ash built an image of the unprovoked destruction of all that was once good and true.
Q. What interested you most about exploring the aftermath of this experience rather than the conflict itself?
A. The song came to me in a very spur of the moment way. I envy those who can pick the time at which they can sit down and write a good song about something they’ve experienced. I knew therefore, that once the melody came to me, I had to persevere and get the whole thing completed before I forgot it. There were some random occurrences which helped me come up with the tune. For example, it happened to be raining hard the last time I encountered the person that the song was originally about, which may well have been a catalyst for me creating what is probably the most dramatic of all my songs.
Q. Structurally, the evolving bridges and middle eight keep the listener on edge. What did those shifting sections allow you to express that a simpler structure would not?
A. My favourite songwriter is Roy Orbison, and when it comes to writing songs on the theme of heartbreak, nobody rivals Orbison in my opinion. The structure of Candles Turned To Ash has a very definite starting point and final destination, which was somewhat inspired by the songs Running Scared and In Dreams, both of which broke with tradition even more than Candles Turned to Ash does, in that not a single section is repeated in either of those songs. The many sections express the different phases one goes through when reflecting on having loved and lost – guilt, denial, regret and so on.
Q. There is a strong sense of unfiltered regret in the lyrics. Was this song more about confession, reflection, or closure for you?
A. The great thing about being a songwriter is that when something bad happens to you and you’re able to write a good song about it, there comes a time when you are glad that the painful experience happened because you would not have the song if it didn’t. Candles Turned to Ash is a perfect example of that.
Q. The guitar solo arrives with real force. How do you approach instrumental moments as part of the storytelling rather than just a musical break?
A. Firstly I need to give credit to my best mate and lead guitarist Tom Inkpen, who improvised that solo when we were recording the song in the studio. I wanted a guitar solo to follow the middle eight as it was a great way to keep the listener attuned while they were digesting the intensity of the middle eight – namely the very rhetorical lyrics ‘What’s left for me now? What’s left to see now?’ which I sung over a very unusual chord change. Because the solo is followed by a power chord backing in the outro, it was the perfect way of building the momentum.
Q. Having spent years busking and performing live, how has that shaped the way you write songs?
A. In busking, engagement is key. The harsh reality is that you will encounter a lot of people who couldn’t care less about live music. Therefore I always view a catchy melody as the building block to a good song, anything else, whether that’s a riff, a structural change or a good solo are supplements which can really compliment a song with a strong melody line, but cannot compensate in a song that lacks one.
Q. You balanced writing and releasing music alongside a demanding career in teaching. How did that dual life influence your discipline or perspective as a songwriter?
A. Sometimes the creative spark in you gets ignited when you are pushed to your limit. In the five years I was a teacher, I wrote more songs I plan on releasing that I did before and since, which I think supports the idea that being out of your comfort zone can unlock certain parts of your imagination.
Q. What do you hope stays with listeners emotionally after they have spent time with “Candles Turned to Ash”?
A. I hope that the song will really appeal to a certain type of music fan who is really into emotionally sincere rock ballads. On several platforms, I have cited a love of Elvis, Nick Cave, and Elliott Smith, all of which are fantastic at bringing the most out of a sad song. I hope that I have managed to bring the emotional intensity out of Candles Turned to Ash to its fullest extent and that doing so will resonate with listeners.
Q. We can't thank you enough for sharing these intimate details! So, what's next? Can you give us the inside scoop on your upcoming projects and what fans should be excited about? We'd love the readers to hear the news directly from you!
A. Likewise, thanks so much for interviewing me – It’s been a pleasure discussing my new release with you. I am currently working on a second album, which will follow my debut album, Dubious Accord, which I released in 2024. The second album will be quite different to the first, which was quite rockabilly in nature. Candles Turned to Ash is probably the best example of the sound I am implementing into this new project.
Olly Williams, thank you so much, we appreciate you taking the time to talk to us!
End Interview
We’re happy to have shared Olly Williams’s exciting journey with you and uncovered such inspiring insights about their creative process.
