Growing up in a small town, Geneva County, Alabama, our next Swag Spotlight Matt Williams says in a recent interview that music was vital in his household.  His grandfather was always singing, his aunt played piano and from a young age, he learned to play piano and drums.  Growing up on classic rock with his stepdad being a great guitarist, he explains that he didn’t listen to country music until he entered the military when he was 18 years old. He credits Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Sound Garden as his personal preference in music until he heard artists like Jason Aldean, Eric Church and Brantley Gilbert who all found a way to blend rock into the traditional country sound.

Williams’ picked up on songwriting after he returned from his time in the military and just recently released his EP, Back To Me. “Being in the service was fun, some of the best times and worst times of my life,” he tells us. “It really matures you in a way that regular life is not going to. I got thrown into combat, I was sitting on the front lines of a war, when you are getting shot at your whole mindset changes.”

As a United States Army vet, Williams has found that instead of talking to a therapist about the difficult times he faced in the service, he has found music to be a therapy in itself. “I had matured and I have experienced a lot of things in life that a lot of people will never experience, it gave me a different look and approach to writing, putting words on paper to tell a story through song,” he explains.

The EP shows a vulnerable side of a soldier turned singer-songwriter. He is straightforward in his songwriting and the project highlights a raw honesty that is sometimes missing in country music. “Even if something is so bad, I try and figure out a way to tell you what happens and tell you what was bad but make it inspirational and no matter what you can still achieve if you have faith,” Williams says of his approach to writing. Take a listen to his EP below.

He is currently residing with his wife and family in Michigan but travels to Nashville quite often.  He is working to set up a tour that will work to promote the new music.  Be sure to follow Matt Williams on social media – Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

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