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Sam Williams is tapping into his roots.
On Friday, July 11, the rising country singer — whose grandfather is the late Hank Williams — released the second installation of his trilogy titled Act II: COUNTRYSTAR. On “HONKYTONKIN,” which is the final track of the EP, Williams integrates an element of nostalgia as it features a snippet of his grandfather’s 1948 hit “Honky Tonkin’.”
Speaking with PEOPLE, the “Happy All the Time” singer opened up about his choice to reimagine his grandfather’s hit song.
“In 2023, I released my reimagined version of ‘I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry,’ and I think it’s clear the emotional and empathetic nature I emulate that can remind a listener of my grandpa,” Williams, 28, told PEOPLE. “But a lot of my silliness and humor, and especially my big dreams and the world I like to make in my music, I know roots from him.”
Williams adds, “I felt it was time to have some ownership of my legacy in a way that is nostalgic but belongs to me. I wanted it to be sort of camp and fun and encompass a lot of my pop influences too. I think the original ‘Honky Tonkin” created a lot of good times for a lot of people, and I’ve started to want to do that in my music.”
Alexa Kinigopoulos
Though it came naturally, Williams did have some reservations about recording a song that fans associate with his family.
“My style and image is naturally much contrasted from what the general public would think of when they think Williams,” Williams, who came out as gay in 2022, says, adding that “people attack my sexuality and style a lot from the broader old country base.”
“But at the end of the day I know I have a story and a talent that is solely unique to me, not my dad, or grandpa, or [insert modern country singer here],” adds Williams, also the son of Hank Williams Jr.
With this second installation of his project, Williams says he’s he’s “less afraid” and “more bold” than before. The project follows 2024’s Act I: Scarlet Lonesome.
Spencer Miller
“The best way to wrap up the project to me was to remind people who I am, that I come from something great and am building something grand,” Williams says. “It was fun to make a country honky tonk kind of record but with a more melodic hip hop tone. I’m super happy in that space, and it just happened to be the bow on top of this era.”
Williams previously opened up to PEOPLE about reimagining “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” in 2023. At the time, he confessed that “for the longest time, I was just scared that I could mess up something that’s sacred.”
He also said he’d like to think that his grandfather — who died in 1953 — would be proud of the person he is today.
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“I’d like him to tell me that he’s proud of me. I think that’s the most natural thing to say. You seek that from your parents and the people you look up to,” Williams said. “Coming from a family that I didn’t get to meet and everybody seems to know or feel like they know, that approval would be so validating.”
Act II: COUNTRYSTAR is out now.
