Speculation swarmed that William Bowery was a pseudonym because on Swift’s Instagram he was the only name left untagged, Swift is also known for using fake names for song-writing credits. Fans suspected it might be another musician such as Harry Styles, however, today it was revealed on the Disney + Documentary Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions that William Bowery is actually actor and Swift’s long time boyfriend, Joe Alwyn.

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The announcement did not come as a shock to die-hard fans considering there were hints that it could be Alwyn. William is the name of his grandfather who was a successful composer and Bowery Hotel was the place the couple first met, i.e. William Bowery. However, Alwyn’s musicianship was widely unknown.

Alwyn is a pianist and has been credited as writing the piano piece for the track Exile. The song is a duet that features Bon Iver, however it was revealed in the documentary that Alwyn was the original singer.

Alwyn is credited as co-writer on two Folklore tracks, Exile and Betty. Exile has been nominated for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at the 2021 Grammy Awards. Folklore has been nominated for Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album as well. Exile will be Alwyn’s first co-written song to earn him a Grammy nomination.

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On the topic of Alwyn’s musicianship, Swift noted in the documentary that ‘Joe plays piano beautifully and he’s always just playing and making things up and kind of creating things.’ Swift said she had the idea to collaborate with her boyfriend when she heard him singing her song Betty, saying that if it weren’t for quarantine she would never have had the idea.

Swift’s Alwyn reveal and new documentary Folklore: The Long Pond Sessions is available today on Disney + for streaming. Swift’s album Folklore is available on all streaming platforms today.

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CARM released the official music video for Land today via YouTube and other social-media platforms. The video features CARM sitting in nature on a stool and seemingly waiting for something, checking his watch over and over again. A symbol no doubt of the times. Bon Iver’s vocals mixed with CARM’s trumpet duetting all throughout make for a calming and nearly nostalgic sound.

While Vernon and CARM have collaborated before on multiple Bon Iver albums, Vernon has made his debut this year as a feature solo artist on many famous new tracks. Japanese House released the single Dionne in August with a feature from Vernon and Swamp Dogg’s Sleeping Without You is Such a Dragg had the pleasure of working with Bon Iver’s lead singer in January at the beginning of the year.

The most famous collaboration Vernon has participated in during the 2020 year however was his work on Taylor Swift’s newest released album Folklore. The fourth track off Swift’s surprise album, Exile, features Bon Iver in a soulful duet that rose to the top of the charts quickly after it’s release.

Vernon has continued to release new singles with band Bon Iver in 2020 on top of the multiple features on other artist’s singles and albums. Bon Iver’s most recent upbeat track, AUATC, has been widely received since it’s August release however there has been no announcements as to whether there will be an album to follow.

Vernon has played live events during the 2020 calendar year in an attempt to campaign for the democratic party for presidential election in the United States of America. He debuted Bon Iver’s new single Things Behind Things Behind Things during a primary event for Bernie Sanders this April and he continues to encourage voting on all social platforms. After the death of the American supreme court judge Ruth Bader-Ginsburg, Vernon wrote and performed a song in tribute to her called Your Honor as part of the For Wisconsin voting initiative event.

Land is now another feature in the long line of work that Justin Vernon has done throughout the 2020 year. Whether it be political, or in Land‘s case, pushing the music industry forward with high quality instrumentation, Vernon is certainly busy despite the global pandemic and it’s setbacks. Vernon’s the front-man of the famous indie band Bon Iver and they are just as busy with scheduled tour dates to perform their latest singles and 2019 album I,I late in the 2021 calendar.

Bon Iver UK and Ireland Tour Dates:

24/10/2021 – First Direct Arena – Leeds
25/10 – The SSE HYDRO – Glasgow
27/10 – Manchester Arena – Manchester
29/10 – 3Arena – Dublin
01/11 – SSE Arena Wembley – London (SOLD OUT)