Aspiring Farmington Hills singer/songwriter on fast track to fame
Craig “Memery” Wilson is a fast-rising singer/songwriter from Farmington Hills.
Top-level ambition and OMG! talent are proving to make a perfect double-play combination for Farmington Hills native and former Saginaw Valley State University baseball player Craig Wilson.
Splitting his time between Los Angeles and Oakland County (he lives near the border of Novi and Farmington Hills when he’s not staying with his manager in L.A.), the 26-year-old Wilson grew up in a music-loving household.
Known now as Memery (which evolved from his middle name of Emery), Wilson delayed his own performing career until his senior year of high school and freshman year at SVSU to focus on his first love at the time.
“My sister, brother and mom were all in choir, so there was a lot of singing going on in our house,” recounted Wilson. “I’d sing around the house, too. My family encouraged me to join choir, but I wanted to commit most of my free time away from school to baseball.
“I played drums when I was younger and made some beats when I got to high school (he attended Farmington Hills Harrison until his senior year when he transferred to Novi High School following a family move), but it wasn’t until my senior year of high school and my first year at Saginaw Valley that I started to record myself.”
Sky’s the limit
Utilizing the popular platform SoundCloud, Wilson started sharing his music. The positive feedback that started flowing fueled his performance juices.
“My friends started liking it and my baseball teammates at Sag were incredibly supportive,” Wilson said. “So I kept putting out more stuff and I started getting some good traction on Spotify. I enjoyed it, liked the way it felt, so I decided to pursue it more seriously.”
Wilson earned a bachelor’s degree from SVSU in supply chain management in December of 2020, but his career path was starting to be paved by self-written lyrics and musical notes.
“I felt so blessed when I actually started making money off my music on the streaming platforms,” he said. “Eventually, I decided to make this my full-time career.”
When asked what genre he gravitates toward, the singer/songwriter said he’s a huge fan of John Mayer.
“I enjoy music that has a strong message; music that affects people’s emotions,” he said. “And John Mayer’s work has such a powerful presence.”
Dazzling debut
Wilson’s debut live performance in L.A. was met with favorable reviews.
“I performed in a songwriters showcase, singing three song while playing the piano,” he said. “It went really well and I received good feedback.”
Wilson spent approximately nine months of 2022 in southern California, where he has embraced the opportunity to meet several game-changers in the music industry, including one legend.
“One day my manager said George Clinton is coming over to record,” Wilson said. “I was like, ‘Who is George Clinton?’. After I did some research and found out a few of his songs, I was like, ‘Oh, that’s who George Clinton is.’ When I told my dad, he was impressed. I got a picture with him and told him how much my parents loved his music.”
Wilson’s presence is steadily growing in the ultra-competitive music industry. Glowing reviews of his music are popping up on social media.
Spine-tingling experience
One impactful example he learned about has made him especially proud.
“I found out about someone who has this keychain that has Spotify codes for songs inscribed on it,” he said. “And one of the songs inscribed on the key ring is my song ‘Mid-July’. Just hearing about things like this is so uplifting.”
Where would he like to be in five years?
“I just want to be more established,” he said. “I want to be able to support myself 100% with my music, marketing and business structure.”
In other words, he wants his fans to know his lyrics by Memery.
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