CMT Next Women of Country artist Julie Williams, known for her soulful lyrics and authentic storytelling, is continuing to draw in listeners with her deep connection to nature and emotion. Her latest release, “reckless road,” perfectly timed with today’s Full Corn Moon, follows recent release ‘just friends?”, which dropped on the rare Sturgeon Blue Moon last month. Both songs align with the full moon phases, as outlined by the Farmers' Almanac. Fitting as she continues to build momentum to the release of her new EP, Tennessee Moon, available Oct. 17, 2024 on the Hunter's Moon.
Produced by Jonathan Smalt and written by Williams with Melody Walker, the uptempo “reckless road” is the second release from her upcoming EP. Listen to “reckless road” Below and pre-save Tennessee Moon HERE.
“I wrote this song about falling for someone who was always looking over their shoulder. Someone who could never stay still for too long and always had their mind on the highway. I wanted to join them on their journey, but they could never quite let me in,” shares Williams. “The more I tried, the farther they ran. Inspired by the 90s country songs I grew up listening to, I wanted a song that I could blast out the window driving down a two-lane mountain highway with my friends and scream so loud that I'd forget that ex who did me wrong.”
The 90s-country inspired tune finds Williams reflecting on a lover who is constantly running and chasing something they will never find. A dancing banjo, acoustic guitar, pedal steel and classic-country style drums combine for a song that could be found on either country, Americana, or indie folk playlists.
Williams is also set to return to AmericanaFest this week with an Official AmericanaFest Showcase on Sept. 21, as well as participating in A Tribute to the Songs of 1974 on Sept. 20. For more information visit americanamusic.org. Her Tennessee Moon Tour in support of the upcoming indie folk project will trek across the Midwest and East Coast with stops in New York, Columbus, Chicago, Philadelphia, Nashville, and more. Tickets for the tour are available now at thisisjuliewilliams.com.
No stranger to the road, Williams has built her career there playing over 120 shows in 26 states in the past two years and captivated audiences at festivals such as Newport Folk Festival, CMA Fest, Tortuga Music Fest, High Water Festival, Cayamo, and AmericanaFest. She has also shared the stage with acts across genres, including Jason Isbell, Allison Russell, Mt. Joy, Devon Gilfillian, Brittney Spencer and Will Hoge.
Williams carries her mixed-race heritage and queerness as proudly as she carries her music. Raised in Florida, the singer/songwriter has been turning heads in Nashville’s country and Americana music scenes with her compelling mix of storytelling, soft-yet-powerful vocals, and indie folk production. That creative path is on full display with “just friends?” available now. The song, a blend of both classic country storytelling and queer reflection, was the first taste of new music from her new EP. The video for the track, which just made its world premiere in Times Square last week via CMT, is a nostalgic, queer story that captures both the sadness and innocence of what romantic feelings for an old friend might have looked like. Watch the video for “just friends?” HERE, listen to “just friends?” HERE.
Music has always been a part of Williams’ life - honing her singing talent in church and beach bars and belting national anthems before packed stadiums. She grew up listening to everyone and everything from The Chicks and James Taylor to Gladys Knight and Michael Jackson. Even though she was drawn to the storytelling of country music, she never quite found the sound that spoke to everything she was: Black, white, Southern, a woman, hopeful, truthful. So naturally, it was up to Williams to make this sound. “My music is mixed like me,” is how she describes it, “I want to tell the stories that need to be told.”
Tennessee Moon Tour Dates
Oct. 5 Durham, NC Music on Main
Oct. 10 Oxford, MS SarahFest
Oct. 11 Alpharetta, GA Wire & Wood Songwriters Festival
Nov. 7 Nashville, TN Blue Room
Nov. 8 Columbus, OH Natalie’s Grandview
Nov. 9 Chicago, IL Judson & Moore
Nov. 10 Cincinnati, OH Live on Orchard Lane
Nov. 16 New York, NY Cafe Wha?
Nov. 21 Vienna, VA Jammin Java
Nov. 22 Charlottesville, VA Front Porch
Nov. 23 Easton, MD Stoltz Listening Room
Nov. 24 Philadelphia, PA Milkboy
For the latest news and tour dates, visit thisisjuliewilliams.com and follow along on social media @juliewilliamsmusic on Instagram, TikTok and Facebook and @j_w_music on X.
For Tennessee Moon Williams was inspired by some of her favorite singer/songwriters like Boy Genius, Kacey Musgraves, Allison Krauss, Emmylou Harris and Taylor Swift to create a story-driven sonic journey that was both dreamy and moody while seamlessly blending country, 90s folk and indie production elements.
“Tennessee Moon was inspired by a picture that I took of one of my exes as they kayaked at Percy Priest Lake under a stunning Tennessee sunset,” shares Williams. “I watched this person - and our relationship - float farther and farther away from me, just as the sky was fading from orange and red to blue and gray. With that picture, and with this EP, I wanted to capture that wistful feeling - of trying to hold onto a beautiful, golden moment that you know in your heart is not going to last. This EP is an ode to my mid-20s - all the golden days, the dark nights, the flowers, and the dirt.”
The Florida native started sharing those stories, and people listened. A student at Duke University, she was signed to Small Town Records whose alumni include Mike Posner and Delta Rae and sang as a vocalist for the Duke Jazz Ensemble. After graduating with a public policy degree in 2019, she moved to Nashville and found her musical home in the Black country and Americana scene. She was named in Rissi Palmer’s Color Me Country Class of 2021 and she was featured in a “PBS NewsHour” special on Black women in country music. In 2022, Julie joined the Black Opry, a collective of Black artists in country, blues, folk, and Americana music. Julie was named a CMT Equal Access artist in 2023, joining the mTheory backed program to support marginalized voices in country music.
“People want to hear black voices, black stories,” Williams says. “I was nervous about how my songs would be received by Nashville - but people want honesty. They want honest songs about real life, and for the artists they follow to take a stand.”
Tennessee Moon follows her self-titled EP, Julie Williams, with American Songwriter praising her “success through the power of her own voice” and the Tennessean noting she “discovers joy, maturation” on the project.
An activist at heart, Williams launched Green Room Conversations in March 2023, a series of performances and speaking on college campuses to raise awareness of sexual harassment in the music industry and her own experience with sexual violence. Williams hopes to empower the next generation of artists and industry changemakers and has already visited MTSU, University of Texas-Austin, and Duke with more campus visits planned for later this year.
“I’m writing my songs for the girl who cries in the shower as she tries to detangle her hair and is afraid to look in the mirror because she hates what she sees; for the 17-year-old who is just now learning to love herself; for the 20-or 30-something who is just trying to figure it out," shares Williams. "That’s who my songs are for.”
