On his new single “Fear is a Liar,” he said, “For me, that song title was pitched to me out of the blue by my A&R guy. I held on to that for six months. I was at a place where everything was happening so far. Jonathan Smith, Jason Ingram and I wrote the song in a few hours and we were really happy with the way it came out, since we put a face to the name. We were calling out the devil for who he is, and reminding him that he was a liar, and that he has already been defeated. That was the idea for that song. I wanted something that people would relate to, and find hope in.”
Williams continued, “For anybody who was struggling with fear or going through something, I hope this song gives them hope, to call the devil out.”
Earlier this year, Williams took home the Grammy award for “Contemporary Christian Music Album.” “Oh my God. It is still sinking in. It has been a crazy year, so I haven’t processed it yet,” he said. “It feels like a whirlwind.”
Williams shared that the song “Chain Breaker” is a tune that he will be playing for the rest of his life. “I have a feeling about that,” he admitted.
He also listed Christian songstress Lauren Daigle as his dream female duet choice in the genre. “She has really cool, raspy voice. It would be cool to do sometime together,” he said.
Each day, Williams is motivated by his family. “My wife and kids stay home, while I travel a lot. My wife holds the fort down at home. She’s the rock for our family, so that I can do what I love to do,” he said. “This year we moved from Arkansas to Nashville, and we home-schooled our kids for the first year. She quit her full-time real estate job and decided to be a stay-at-mom. That’s a big motivation for me, and I want to give back to them.”
This spring and summer, Williams is playing shows as part of his headlining tour, and he will be writing songs for a new album that will be released in 2019.
In 2017, Williams won two Dove GMA awards, for “Pop/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year” for “Chain Breaker” and for “New Artist of the Year.” “That was pretty cool. To hear your name was like ‘Oh my Gosh.’ I would have never expected these things to happen,” he said.
Digital transformation of music business
On the impact of technology on the music industry, Williams said, “When they figure out a way for the songwriters and artists to make the money that they deserve on streaming and downloads, it will be better. It is moving that way. I’m old school. I still like to have a CD, and it’s all new to me.”
Williams said, “Literally, I am on my last box of vinyl that I have for this record. Honestly, I didn’t think they would sell the way they did. They are selling pretty good. I have my dad’s old records at my house, so it is fun to listen to those things.”
Chain Breaker is available on iTunes.
To learn more about Grammy winner and Christian singer-songwriter Zach Williams and his music, check out his official website, and Facebook page.
