An Interview By David Pierce for Today's Country Magazine

Ty Williams has made a quick impact through new media outlets like Y'allwire with his first video and single "Barn on the Rooftop." However, prior to him diving headfirst into country music he spent time fighting for our country in Operation Iraqi Freedom. With his debut album coming out in 2010 we had the chance to talk with Ty about the single, the success so far, what to expect from the album, his live show, his time spent in the military and much much more.

1. Your current single, "Barn on the Rooftop" is out now. For people that haven't heard the song yet, what can you tell them about it?

It's an up-tempo, positive number, party anthem, and really the way we wrote it was that we wanted a song that said it doesn't matter who you are, or if you come from the city or country, no matter where you are you can party. That's pretty much the premise of the song. The story is about this secret party in the city, but the whole point really was that it didn't matter where you are, you could be yourself and have a good time.

2. Why did you decide that this song was the best one to first represent you to the country music fans?

We always wanted to start with an up-tempo song. We focus on the live show a lot and wanted something that would set the tempo for not only the album but also the tour. When we are out on the road we have a nine-piece band with horn players and everything. At least to us this was the perfect song to set the tone for the rest of the album and what to expect from the tour.

3. You found a tremendous amount of success with the song so far including being the most downloaded song on Play MPE and a #1 video on Y'allwire. Were you expecting that type of success out of the gate and why do you think you've got it that quickly?

I don't have an answer to that question. I think coming into it we knew it would be a long haul and the people that I admired growing up were the Johnny Cash's and Elvis Presley's and even down to the Kingston Trio, and those people won over people one at a time. They went out there and met them in person and that's really what I'm about. I want to get out there and make new friends more than anything and what we will be able to share in common is hopefully people will be entertained by the music. So to have the video go to #1 on Y'allwire and Play MPE was an honor, but I certainly didn't expect it and it was a really nice surprise.

4. We mentioned the internets involvement in getting your music out there. How beneficial are those outlets to independent newcomers like yourself and how do you plan to continue utilizing those?

Everyone of my friends here in town that are also songwriters, producers, and engineers; everyone is trying to find a new way to get their music out there and these are things that have been brought to us by people that have jumped on board and are helping us out. I am happy to be an independent artist and I think it is a great opportunity to showcase not only the singer, but also the songwriter side of me. They give me a lot of freedom to be myself and I have a lot of say as to who I am as an artist. There isn't anyone trying to mold me or anything; they just keep me in between the guidelines.

5. Your self-titled, debut album is due out in 2010. What is the album going to offer listeners that the single doesn't?

It is a diverse album and it changes from one song to the next. We geared it towards the live show again. 8 out of the 10 are up-tempo numbers with only 2 ballads on the album. For me as a fan, I love up-tempo numbers but as a country fan the ballads have always been my favorite. However, when I am at a show I want to be up and clapping and moving to the beat. What you will hear that is different than the single is more in-depth as to whom I am as a person, but every song is written almost as an anthem type song because it's not just me. It's not me throwing my opinions on somebody else, but me trying to be a representation of me and who I am to my fans. To really just give them what they want to, whatever that may be. I am excited to be on the road and doing the radio tour because we get to see the fans and see what they want so we can adapt a bit to that.

6. You worked with producers Shelby Kennedy and James "Bubba" Hudson on the album. What aspects did they bring to the studio that helped you to find you sound the most?

With James Hudson it was the vocals. He gave me the time; I mean we pretty much shut down the studio. After we tracked it with the band and everything they cleared out the studio and were just like "listen, we're gonna have time with just Ty in the vocal booth," and they pretty much gave me free range to do what I wanted to do. After two passes they would be like "alright why don't you try this." They really guided me through my first album because I had never made one before other than some demo sessions.

Shelby Kennedy brought in the horn section which made it pop. It brought some magic to the album that wasn't there before. Kind of a funny story with that; Our very first show that we did in Petersburg, Virginia, we were fortunate enough to get Jason Mraz's horn players and they came out and played the very first show I played in Petersburg so we had horns when I was 18 years old, way back.

As the years went on I moved to Nashville and really focused on myself as a writer and artist and got away from the horn section a bit and Shelby brought the horns back. We were going to try it on a few tracks and see how it worked, and when we did it was like "that's it." I am a big fan of Chicago and Dilbert McClinton, I listen to all those people in Richmond so the horns are a natural fit.

7. Which one song other than the single is a personal favorite of yours from the album and why?

It is tough to pick a favorite, but if I had to pick one it would be "Runaway Baloons." I wrote that song for my daughter and to me it holds a lot of personal value. I had her at a young age and went into the National Guard right after high school. My unit went to Iraq so I was gone for 2 ½ years total and now doing the music and trying to chase down this dream means a lot of time away from home. She is such a cool little girl too. She loves music too and says to me that I have to chase my dream because if I don't do it then she can't and I'm like well don't put any pressure on me or anything. I wrote the song about the war and being away from home but it is translating into everyday life and really is about the working man and woman who have to spend time on the road away from their children to make a living.

8. You are known for an energetic live show. What can people expect to see from your shows that they don't get just from listening to your music?

I'm hyper and I'm starting to wonder if I need to see someone about that. I can't sleep the night before if I have an interview or show or something. I am so excited about this stuff and just the fact that you want to interview me is an achievement on this end because it seems like such a long road to get here. But it is just taking it day by day and enjoying this kind of stuff. I do want to be geared towards a younger audience with the shows so it is up-tempo and fun. I want to end every show with something unexpected happening and leave the audience asking, "what just happened?"

9. A very interesting fact about you is that you served in Operation Iraqi Freedom with the US National Guard. How did those experiences shape you the most and what lessons learned in the military have you applied to your country music career?

That's a good question. The biggest thing the military taught me was that the breaking point that we all have is a lot further than we think. I mean a human can withstand a lot more pain and not just physical but mental. So taking that discipline I learned and knowing that line is a lot further, and I know now where my breaking point is, so going into this we knew it was an uphill climb, one day at a time, one person at a time, and it has really kept me focused. I know what my goals are and I know what I want out of this career; to support my family, make the best music as possible, and not to take over country music but just to be a part of it. I learned that in the military that I am a part of something bigger than myself just like in country music. I want to be a part of it all and it is just an honor to be here.

10. What piece of advice can you offer to someone that is looking to break into the music industry?

As cliché as this sounds just be yourself. I spent a good portion of two years trying to fit a format that I thought people wanted me to be and after those two years all I learned was that we are all so interesting and as soon as you try to change that uniqueness about who you are you lose that magic. So be yourself, keep your head down, stay focused, and listen. That's the biggest thing. Listen to the people around you and surround yourself with good people.

http://www.todayscountrymag.com/tywilliamsinterview.html