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Singer/songwriter Julie Williams’ latest EP, Tennessee Moon, is available today, perfectly timed with today’s Hunter’s Moon. It follows recent releases “Reckless Road,” released on the Full Corn Moon and “Just Friends?”, which dropped on the rare Sturgeon Blue Moon. The releases all align with the full moon phases, as outlined by the Farmers’ Almanac.
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. Listen to Tennessee Moon above.
“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.”
Her Tennessee Moon Tour in support of the indie folk project kicked off Oct. 5 and will make a stop on Nov. 7 at Nashville’s Blue Room.
In addition to the new EP and tour, Williams and her song “Southern Curls” will be featured in the upcoming Hulu docuseries “It’s All Country.” Hosted by Luke Bryan, Williams joins a cast of stars including Mickey Guyton, Kane Brown, Wynonna Judd, Sheryl Crow, Lady A and Luke Combs for the series. With never-before-seen performances Bryan and guests will uncover the secrets, hidden inspirations and personal moments that shaped country music. Release date will be announced soon.
No stranger to the road, Williams has built her career there playing over 120 shows in 26 states in the past two years 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.
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.”
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.”
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