'More Like Jesus': On Cusp of His 5th Grammy Awards,Zach Williams Opens up About His Powerful Duet with Dolly Parton
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- So, we sit now with yourfifth Grammy nomination,
am I correct?
- Yeah.
- [Efrem] (chuckling) How does that feel?
- Pretty crazy.
We were just talkin' aboutit, actually, yesterday.
Me and my manager wereflyin' out to Florida
to push gill last night and I,
I didn't realize it had beenfive nominations, already.
I was pretty shocked about it,
so it was pretty crazy.
- Tell me about this project,
"There Was Jesus" and to be nominated
with, of all people, thelegendary Dolly Parton?
- Yeah, I mean this isa special song for me.
I mean, this is very much my story
if I think back to the last20 years that it took me
to get to where I am in my life,
and even if I go backfurther than that, you know,
back to my childhood andI think about, you know,
all these moments that I missed in my life
now that I can look back and see that God
was in the middle of every one of 'em,
you know, workin' out the details.
I think it's just a special song
and it was really cool how it came about.
You know, I wrote the songwith a couple other people
and when we got the demo back,I heard this girl's voice
on it that just remindedme of Dolly Parton's.
And she was just singin'a background vocal
and I said well it'd be really cool
if we could get, you know, Dolly Parton
to really sing on this.
And everybody kinda laughed, you know,
like that, you know, big chance
tryin' to get with the song.
We tracked down hermanagement and she agreed
to listen to the song.
And the day that I met her, she told me
she didn't even make it to the chorus
and she knew it was special andshe wanted to be part of it.
And she's just been a championfrom day one for this song.
I mean, she came in and probably worked
three or four hours on her vocal part
and could've easilyjust kinda milled it in
and I would've been completelyhappy with all of that.
But she wanted to getit right and, I mean,
she knew when she nailed it, like,
that was the take.
And you know, I think it's just special.
And then I found out earlier, this week,
that it's Dolly's 50th Grammy nomination.
And I was like, what a cool, you know,
just cool to be in thiswith her in this song.
I was just a special song.
- Indeed it is, indeed it is.
Watching the music video and hearing that
this is your story and I know, you know,
something on a bus was apowerful moment in your story
to see you driving the bus.
Was that intentional? (chuckling)
- I guess, I mean that was,
that was kinda, yeah, alittle bit of behind that
I guess you could say.
- Very nice, very nice.
Before we move on, I also want
to talk about your latestsong "Less Like Me."
- Yeah.- Tell me about that,
what drove that particular single.
- I mean, that was, I think for myself,
I think a lotta times, I know for myself
as a Christian artist, I kinda,
I kinda can beat myselfup tryin' to feel like
I have to be on a pedestal 24/7.
And you know, for a lottapeople that, you know,
are on the outside lookin' in,
they probably think, you know,
we have our lives togetherand everything's perfect,
and I just wanted a songthat felt real to people
and to let them know that, you know,
I struggle probably more than most
and I have my days where I get it right,
but I have probably moredays that I get it wrong.
And you know, my goal every day, though,
is to be more like Jesusand I just wanted somethin'
that kinda made us all stopand think about, you know,
maybe we see somebodystrugglin' and we could
turn our head and walk onby, but what could our day
be a lot different if westopped and helped that person,
or did something kindalike what Jesus would do.
And so I thought movin' into this new year
when everybody was makin' resolutions
and if He's like whatthey wanted to be like,
I thought, what better to be like
than more like Jesus, and so.
That was kind of it and in the video,
it was just a fun video of us
just kinda pickin' up strangers on our way
to a revival and just havin'
just kinda of a big party on the bus
and it was a lotta fun.
- I love it and I think it's rather timely
in light of the year that we have overcome
and even the way we'rebeginning this year.
What's life been like forZach Williams this last year?
- Well last year I spent a lotta time,
I spent a lotta time homewith my family, obviously.
We came off the road in March
and really didn't play muchmusic until later in the year.
We were fortunate enough to get to go out
and play some drive-in theater shows.
But there was about aseven month period there,
where I spent a lotta timeputtin' puzzles together
and playing games with mykids and watchin' movies.
And then we had some friendsthat we spent a lotta time
at the lake with this summer.
So it was honestly kind of a nice change
just to kinda get back andconnect with the wife and kids
after bein' on the roadfor the last few years.
But I think everybodyis ready to get back out
and see our fans, and play some music.
- Hm, speaking of, I mean, youtalk about the drive-in tours
how did that idea come?
I mean, because people are struggling
to be able to figure out howcan I see my favorite artist
and even go to a concert.
- Well, we have a promoterthat we worked with on some
of our shows in thepast, that he just kinda
came up with this ideaand startin' reachin' out
to drive-in theaters across the US.
And I didn't realize that there are
over 500 drive-in theatersacross the country.
- Wow.- Just kinda,
and they're in the middle of nowhere.
I mean, we're playin'shows in places that,
you know, a lotta times,we wouldn't probably
get a chance to play shows.
But I think that's kindawhat makes it cool is
people that normally wouldhave to drive an hour
two hours to come see a show with a,
at an arena or a theater or somethin'
or get to see it in their own home town,
and we're bringin' it to them.
And it's pretty neat, you know?
They've got it figuredout to where, you know,
they can social distanceand make everything work
according to the guidelines.
And we're just blessed tobe able to go out and do it.
- And you're gonna bedoing it again this spring
with Mac Powell and Kane?
- Yeah, we've just announced 25 dates
with Mac Powell and Kane,and we've got about 25 more
that we're about to announce.
So, all together, roughly 50 shows
between the end of Marchand the end of June,
and I don't think we canget there fast enough.
- (laughing) How is this different
than what you're used to?
- Well, it's not as,
it's not glorious, I can tell you that.
It's, you know, there's no green rooms,
there's no, you know, really nice,
I mean, it's kinda roughin' it.
It's almost like a campin' trip.
We pretty much lived on our bus.
We took a bus out that had a shower
and we pretty much wereon that bus all day,
showered on the bus, andgot ready for the shows
because there were days where you might be
45 minutes to an hour from a hotel.
And you kinda, you made it work.
So we played a lotta, a lotta corn hole
and a lotta horseshoes and stuff like that
just to kinda pass the time.
But I mean it was fun, I mean we,
we were just grateful tobe there and be doin' it.
- Is this what youenvisioned for yourself,
as a kid, looking back now?
- No, honestly I didn't.
I mean, I felt like,
I felt like as a kid growin' up there was
somethin' bigger out there for me.
Whenever it was a kid growin' up I thought
it was gonna be sports, andthat's what I, you know,
grew up playin' basketball.
And it wasn't until aninjury that, you know,
kinda ended my basketball career
and that's when I picked up a guitar, and.
But I do remember like, from very early on
and playin' music, feeling like
there's somethin' aboutthis that, you know,
I think could go somewhere one day,
but I didn't realize itwould take me down the paths
it took me down and I didn'trealize it would, you know,
end up where I'm at now.
But I'm just, like I said, man
I'm so grateful to be here,
I'm grateful that God can use broken
and messed up people, anddo somethin' with them.
- (chuckling) I love it.
I love it, indeed.
We're all broken, messed up people.
And thank God He can,
He can make use of us.
I understand that inaddition to your singing
you're sort of a passionatecook, these days, as well?
- Oh yeah, I do love to cook, man.
We, we actually had started athing called a meet 'n greet
that we were doin' beforeCOVID hit, where we were doin'
a 50-person kind of dinnerexperience before my shoes.
And I had a chef that I'dmet out in Napa Valley
a few years ago that wastourin' with us at the time.
And it was a pretty cool thing.
And we've been workin'on a cookbook together
and he's actually gonna come out and cater
for the drive-in tour forthe bands and everything
for try to come make it a little more,
a little more nice, you know,
so something that feels alittle comforts of home.
But yeah, I'm hopin' tobe rollin' out a cookbook
in the future and some things like that.
So I do, I love cookin'.
- Nice, what are some of yourfavorite things to prepare?
- My wife got me a pastamaker for Christmas
and so I've been makin'a bunch of fresh pasta.
And I've gained about eightor 10 pounds, I think.
(Efrem laughing)
That's another story.
But no, I like, man I lovechicken carbonara, chicken parm.
I love a good steak on the grill.
And I've been doin' steaks ina cast-iron pan now, lately.
But I mean, honestly, I just,
I love to find a recipe and then take it
and make it one time,and then kinda, you know,
go from there and see what I can do
to make it a little bit more my own.
So, I'm up to try anything.
- What's been thebiggest surprise for you?
- (sighing) The biggest surprise?
Oh, man.
Honestly, I think justoverall the biggest surprise
was sittin' at home for a year last year.
You know, we were lookin' at last year
to be one of the, you know, honestly,
probably my biggest year.
We had a 40-day tourthat was almost sold out.
And had a couple of bandsthat were blowin' up
on the radio charts, andeverything was lookin' great,
and then you find out you gotta go home
and just wait till youcan go back and play.
I think that was probably, you know,
a biggest surprise and thebiggest blow, you know,
honestly and it sucked the life outta ya.
But I think God, you know,works in those seasons
and it's just like thesong "There Was Jesus,"
I know that He's inthat moment, He's there,
you know, workin' somethin' for the good.
- Beautiful, beautiful.
What can we look forward to?
We know you're going to be back on tour.
What else is coming?
- Well, I did spend sometime over quarantine,
I recorded a Christmas record this year.
So we're gonna be releasinga Christmas album in '21
and lookin' to go out anddo a big Christmas tour.
So yeah, we went down toMuscle Shoals recording studios
in Fame Studios in MuscleShoals and we recorded 10 songs.
And we kinda tried toreimagine if Wilson Pickett
would've taken Christmas songs
and kinda rewritten 'em,what would that sound like.
And I've always lovedthat sound, that music,
and I'm excited about some of the
stuff that we come up with.
- Now, I'm excited,can't wait to hear that.
Who is Zach Williamslistening to these days?
Who's playing in your ear?
- Oh man,
honestly, I've been listening to,
We The Kingdom's got some amazing music.
Crew's song "Child of Love"is one of my favorites
I've heard in a long time.
I'm a, you know, I listento all kinds of music.
I listen to country music when I'm
drivin' down the highway sometimes,
I listen to Christian music.
I'm always listening, I'm a John Mayer fan
so I listen to a lotta John Mayer.
I love pop music, too.
I always look forward tothe Grammys every year
because I always discover some new artist
that I've never heard of and kinda,
kinda revives my music andgives me some new inspiration.
So, but yeah man, I listen to everything.
- How do you prep for theGrammys in a year like this?
- Honestly, I think it'sawesome because I don't
have to go out and buy asuit and get all dressed.
I'm not the, it's so hard for me.
I'm a big guy.
I'm about 6-6, 240, so it ain't easy
to go out and find clothes.
I've always gotta have 'emmade when I go to some event.
So this year I've got a link, you know,
to kinda log into, andI guess if I just wanna
put on shorts and a nicejacket, nobody even knows.
But yeah, I think thisyear's gonna be different.
You know, honestly, I would love to be,
we would love to be outin Los Angeles celebratin'
and hangin' out witheverybody, but it is what it is
and I'm just fortunate tobe a part of it, again,
and blessed that, like Isaid, God's findin' a way
to still use me, so.
- Hm, I'm telling you.
The fifth nomination,we are certainly hoping
you bring it home, again.
Thank you so much for your time.
- I appreciate it.