I'm sure a few names come to mind when you hear the surname 'Williams' in country music, but one artist who should definitely be on your radar is Sam Williams! I had the chance to sit down with Sam to chat his time in the UK, how he found his style, and what it's like coming from such a legacy - enjoy!
Ciara’s Country (CC): I am delighted to be joined by a rising star within the country music scene, someone who comes from a long line of country royalty and is making his own name in the genre – Sam Williams! Sam, thank you so much for joining me today.
Sam Williams (SW): Thank you Ciara!
CC: We're speaking at the 10th anniversary of C2C Country 2 Country - how are you enjoying yourself so far?
SW: I'm very much enjoying it. Nashville is really a small town, and you may support someone from afar but never even meet them, and then you run into them at C2C! You get to see your peers perform and hear them share songs. It's really amazing.
CC: This isn’t your first time in the UK, is that right?
SW: That’s right, I was here with Cam and Marty Stewart, but this is my first time at C2C!
CC: Are you doing anything particularly British while you're here this time?
SW: Lots of walking! I might try to bum a cigarette from somebody (laughs). I’ve been drinking the local beers instead of drinking American, enjoying Indian food and stuff that I wouldn't usually eat at home.
CC: Do you have a favourite dish?
SW: I'm a fried rice guy. Last night I was up at 12:30 eating fried rice from Uber Eats.
CC: That tells me a lot about you (laughs). And what have you been up to whilst you’ve been at C2C?
SW: So much! I really want to go outside to the Town Square and buy some jackets and hats and stuff.
CC: I was admiring your outfit today! A stunning sparkly silver snakeskin-style jacket, awesome boots, and of course a Stetson. How did you find your style?
SW: I would say it's from my mom. It has a country flair to it, but I like sparkles too. It's very Dolly Parton, Jimmy Dickens, that old country style. I think it's important to nod your head to that whilst still looking to the future too.
CC: And you definitely do that in your music too – blending old country with a very modern sound. Did you always know that you were going to get into music?
SW: There was so much pressure from the rest of my family - not from them, but because of what they'd done, so I was like ‘there's no way I want to do that, I don't want to try to live up to their legacy’. I was always very adamant. But in the back of my mind, I always knew that I wanted to give it a try. I didn't know exactly how to start, so I just moved to Nashville for school, ended up leaving it, and then just started writing songs every day. Fast forward seven years later, and now I'm here!
CC: What's been a highlight over those seven years?
SW: A big highlight was when I started to really find my voice and have other people champion my voice. It was really validating for me. Getting to record my first album without distractions and be able to make a body of work that was uniquely mine was also really important to me. And getting to come here is really cool! It's definitely the highlight of my year so far.
CC: You’re here supporting your debut album Glasshouse Children, which is not only the title of your album, but also one of the songs too. Where did that name come from?
SW: That title has a couple of different meanings. It's an entendre about being able to look in at someone without them being able to see out or get out. There's also a saying that ‘glasshouse children throw stones’, and to me that’s about how we reflect our pain from our past on to those around us.
I thought it was a beautiful title that just came to me, and that I could really paint a picture with my songs with that. Once I finished the song, I was like ‘that's it, that's the album title’. It was just so unique and something I never really envisioned, but at the same time, it all made sense to me.
Still more to come from my interview with Sam! Stay tuned to @CiarasCountry to be the first to know when Part 2 is posted - thanks for reading!
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