Sam Williams shares new song 'Carnival Heart'
SAM WILLIAMS
SHARES NEW SONG
‘CARNIVAL HEART’
OUT NOW VIA SNAKEFARM (UK)
LISTEN HERE
FEATURED IN
SONGBLAZERS: A JOURNEY INTO COUNTRY MUSIC
PRESENTED BY CIRQUE DU SOLEIL & UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP NASHVILLE
Critically acclaimed rising country star Sam Williams shares his new song ‘Carnival Heart’ today.
Sam created this original track for innovative new country-themed show, Songblazers: A Journey Into Country Music, produced and presented by Cirque du Soleil and
Universal Music Group Nashville.
Listen to ‘Carnival Heart (from Cirque du Soleil Songblazers)’ HERE
Written and directed by Amy Tinkham, Songblazers opens in Nashville this July with seven additional US cities following the launch. Check out the full itinerary HERE.
Regarding the alliance with Songblazers, Williams commented, “I love painting a picture and causing curiosity in someone about a character or a story. Getting to be a part of this and collaborate with such world-class entertainers is a blessing. ‘The New Nashville’ is coming, and it can honour the past and point towards the future. I always wanted to be a professional freak!”
Musically, ‘Carnival Heart’ balances tearful nostalgia with triumphant delivery. Co-written by Williams with PJ Harding and Ned Houston, delicate acoustic strumming sets the tone in between the echoes of wailing slide guitar. Meanwhile, Williams’ vocals instantly take hold on vivid verses as he admits, “I cried through the night over childhood photos, is the boy that I was still a part of the man that I am?” As the momentum increases, a promise uplifts the chorus, “If you believe from the start, your carnival heart will sing again.” It uncorks a flood of honest emotions.
About the song, Williams goes on, “I’ve written very sad songs in my time, and I was able to write this from a true place of acceptance and triumph over pain. ‘Carnival Heart’ mirrors a lot of my struggles as well as the journey of trying to find myself over the past several years. It talks about not knowing where your home is and wondering if the old innocent dreamer version of yourself is still there. Life is a crazy and beautifully painful roller coaster, and you have to just ride.”
This song lands in the wake of Williams’ recent stunning duet with Carter Faith ‘’Til I Can Make It On My Own’. Beyond amassing nearly half a million streams thus far, it incited widespread critical applause from the likes of The Tennessean, Whiskey Riff and more. Plus, Billboard touted the song as one of ‘8 Must-Hear Country Songs’ and professed, “These two artists’ voices are like twin flames”.
However, everything just paves the way for more music to come from Sam Williams.
For now, listen to his ‘Carnival Heart’ beat louder than ever.
About Sam Williams
Grandson of country pioneer Hank Williams and the son of outlaw legend Hank Jr., Sam Williams is the latest in a long line of American originals, who sings with his own singular voice and writes in his own singular style, fusing gut-wrenching honesty and plainspoken poetics with raw vulnerability and deep empathy.
In 2021, Williams released his debut album, Glasshouse Children, which was a testament to his brilliant lyricism and soulful vocals, and received rave reviews from Rolling Stone, Music Row, Associated Press and so much more. In October 2022, Williams also unveiled a deluxe edition of the record, which featured ‘Tilted Crown’, a reflective track about navigating his legacy in life. Williams followed up his debut with a string of powerful singles in 2023, along with multiple shows at the Grand Ole Opry and show-stopping performances at Nashville’s CMA Fest and the UK’s Country 2 Country Fest. With more music coming in 2024, Sam continues to prove that he is making a legacy for himself that is completely his own.
