How Love Island star Wes Nelson found a new home in music - and Idris Elba is a big fan

He became one of Love Island’s most popular residents when he joined the show in 2018, and now boasts 1.6 million followers on Instagram and 420,000 on TikTok.

But for Wes Nelson, music is now his focus. He’s turned down hundreds and thousands of pounds in prospective brand and TV deals, but it seems his decision is working out well – his debut single, released this week, instantly attracted notable fans such as Anthony Joshua, Derek Chisora and Idris Elba.

“I’ve done a lot in 22 years,” says the former Muay Thai champion and nuclear system design engineer. “Music is the only thing that’s really resonated - this is the one thing I really want to do. It’s not a passion project or a whim. I’m in this for the long haul.”

The single, See Nobody, was written at the beginning of lockdown after Wes split from his girlfriend. Setting up a makeshift studio in his friend’s spare bedroom, Wes taught himself how to use music recording and production program Logic and spent the following weeks writing and producing songs. See Nobody is the very first track that Wes recorded and it came out fast, in less than two hours.

“It’s about committing to your ambitions and going clear, making your way through the hustle and bustle and coming out on top,” says Wes of the track. “I’ve left everything behind to make music and I’m happy to do that.”

But Wes was aware that the move to music could be met with scepticism. He said: “I knew what the stigma would be and I knew some people would think ‘Oh he’s trying to cross over, he’s just trying to capitalise on it, fair enough, but the music is going to be rubbish’. I want the music to do the talking.