- 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.