Laut.de editor Philipp Kause called the album a "great record" and noted: "In a few years the release will be seen as a strong milestone."[1] Andrian Kreye, writing for Süddeutsche Zeitung, wrote that "on her new album Willpower, singer Joy Denalane collapses the space-time of pop. Wonderful."[2]Westdeutscher Rundfunk critic Marc Mühlenbrock found that "Denalane remains true to her great love for the soul of bygone eras, but travels a decade further in the time machine: after the sound of the late 60s, it is now the turn of the late 70s. Her band and her voice also master this sound vision skillfully."[3]
Willpower debuted and peaked at number 33 on the German Albums Chart for the week of October 13, 2023.[4] It became Denalane's lowest-charting album yet as well as her first album to miss the top ten in Germany.[4]