Sam Williams Releases New Song 'American Actress' and Teases New Project

Kickstarting a bold creative era, critically acclaimed rising country star Sam Williams unveils a new song entitled “American Actress” available now. It heralds the arrival of his exciting new project, entitled Act I: Scarlet Lonesome, which will be coming soon.

Sam's emotionally charged delivery over a lightly strummed acoustic guitar makes the track feel like a familiar classic country song. The evocative lyrics paint a picture worthy of the big screen as our protagonist wonders aloud, “Who was I when we first started? And who the hell am I now?” You can practically hear the song’s doomed romance fraying in his simultaneously heartfelt and hard-hitting vocals.

About “American Actress,” Sam commented, “We all have several stories. We have the one we used to believe, the one we’re in, the one we tell ourselves, and the one we escape to. Shakespeare said the world is a stage and everyone's an actor, and I think that’s true. Especially when in love, we morph and change ourselves to be liked, to be loved. I think this song has the honesty of my ill-fated loves and the dark allure of a tragic ending. My heartache doesn’t always sound like your general country song sound; it has a bittersweet and painful swing that takes me back.” 

Next up, Sam graces the Good Molecules Reverb Stage at CMA Fest on June 6 in Nashville, TN followed by a performance at the UMG Nashville Takeover at Skydeck on Fifth and Broadway the next day June 7. He’ll then close out the weekend with an intimate performance at Ole Red that Sunday, June 9. These appearances come on the heels of his show-stopping set at the ACM Awards Official After Party earlier this month. 

Last month, he notably unveiled “Carnival Heart'' as the official anthem for the new innovative 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 via Mercury Records Nashville. Written and directed by Amy Tinkham, Songblazers opens in Nashville this July with seven additional cities following the launch. Check out the full itinerary HERE.

He gave audiences an initial taste of the magic on Act I: Scarlet Lonesome by sharing his 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.

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 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. Earlier this year, Sam unveiled a new poignant song “Carnival Heart '' which is the official anthem for the new innovative country-themed show Songblazers: A Journey Into Country Music, produced and presented by Cirque du Soleil and Universal Music Group Nashville. With the release of “American Actress,” Act I: Scarlet Lonesome coming this summer, and much more music on the way, Sam continues to prove that he is making a legacy for himself that is completely his own.

Photo credit: Cedrick Jones

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