| Will Toledo | |
| Birth Name: | William James Barnes |
| Birth Date: | 23 August 1992[1] [2] |
| Past Member Of: | Mr. Yay Okay |
| Website: | https://carseatheadrest.com/ |
William James Barnes[3] (born 23 August, 1992), known professionally as Will Toledo, is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and producer. He is the founder of the indie rock band Car Seat Headrest. He grew up in Leesburg, Virginia, and moved to Seattle, Washington in 2014 to pursue his music career.[4]
See main article: Car Seat Headrest. Toledo started Car Seat Headrest as a solo project shortly after graduating from high school, choosing the name as he would frequently record his vocals in the back seat of his family's car for privacy.[5] He previously released music under other aliases, such as The 63rd Fret and Nervous Young Men.[6] [7] He was also a member of the band Mr. Yay Okay. However, since he struggled to establish an audience through these projects, he chose to try to release more experimental songs anonymously.[8] In Car Seat Headrest, Toledo provides vocals, guitar, piano, and synthesizers. Much of Toledo's songwriting is influenced by depression and mental illness.[9] Toledo is also apart of the music duo 1 Trait Danger with current Car Seat Headrest drummer Andrew Katz, they currently have released three albums together.[10] [11]
Toledo graduated from Loudoun County High School in 2010,[12] and subsequently enrolled at Virginia Commonwealth University. After one lonely semester, Toledo transferred to the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, where he majored in English and minored in religious studies.[13] [14] He graduated from William and Mary in 2014 and moved to Seattle, Washington to pursue Car Seat Headrest professionally. Toledo is gay[15] and is a member of the furry fandom. He is one-fourth Mexican.[16]
Despite struggling with mental unrest, Toledo does not consider himself depressed or mentally ill. He has previously faced autoimmune complications since early adulthood, and developed histamine intolerance after testing positive for COVID-19 while on tour in 2022.[17] He has since used social media to raise awareness for long COVID.[18]
See main article: Car Seat Headrest discography.
| Year | Release | Artist |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | D'Urberville | The Whiting Brothers |
| 2012 | Sleeping in Herndon | Naked Days |
| 2014 | Chai Knees | Naked Days |
| 2015 | Four Ways To Say Goodbye Forever | American Holly |
| 2017 | Gold Connections | Gold Connections |
| 2019 | Midnight | Stef Chura |
| 2021 | My Head Hz | Naked Days |
| How To Drive A Bus | I've Made Too Much Pasta |