Today, rising Americana star William Prince releases two more singles ahead of the April 14 release of his new album Stand in the Joy. The first is “Goldie Hawn,” a sparkling ode to the divine feminine. As William puts it: “‘Goldie Hawn” is about surrendering to the love of a woman, and seeing within her the beauty, talent, and grace of all great women — the likes of Joni Mitchell, Georgia O’Keefe, and Goldie Hawn.”
Prince also shares the bar band shuffle of “Easier and Harder,” which stylistically and lyrically pays homage to one of his musical heroes. "I wrote this song the morning after John Prine passed away," says Prince, an influence made explicit by the song’s reference to the folk legend’s “In Spite Of Ourselves.” "'Easier and Harder' is about giving love a chance to mature. The lessons we learn when we get past the honeymoon stage. The benefits of not giving up and getting to love someone entirely; not only for their strengths but their shortcomings as well. There’s a comedy to it that I feel gives a peek into what long-term love is like. Live and learn. Give and take.”
Listen to “Easier and Harder” here.
Produced by GRAMMY-winner Dave Cobb (Chris Stapleton, Brandi Carlile),Stand In The Joy is a crystallization of William Prince’s long-evident songwriting talent. Unburdened by grief and regret, Prince celebrates life’s gorgeous little moments in songs that provide earned wisdom and encouragement to embrace love in our day-to-day lives. Buoyed by Cobb’s unobtrusive but warm production, these songs feel lived-in and earnest, providing a subtly powerful backing for Prince’s rich baritone and earnest story-telling.
Prince has already shared two additional tracks from Stand In The Joy. Listen to “When You Miss Someone” and “Tanqueray” here.
2023 is already off to a hot start for Prince: In February he made his Grand Ole Opry debut and performed additional shows in Nashville, New York, and Los Angeles. He also announced an extensive spring tour with The War & Treaty (full dates below) and will be coming to Austin for a series of SXSW performances, including a special performance at Potluck, Luck Reunion’s annual fundraising dinner for Farm Aid (full SXSW schedule below). And next week on March 11, William Prince will return to CBS Saturday for a performance of songs from Stand In The Joy — check your local listings.
In his home country of Canada, Prince is a star: He sold-out his national theater tour (including Toronto’s legendary Massey Hall), opened for Neil Young, and collaborated with Buffy Sainte-Marie as part of a CBC celebration of her profound musical legacy. Internationally, Prince’s profile continues to grow. His 2022 included a bevy of festival performances— including New Orleans Jazz Festival, BottleRocks Napa Valley, and AmericanaFest in Nashville — as well as extensive tours across the US, Europe, and the UK, on his own and with artists like Yola and Katie Pruitt.
William Prince’s music has resonated with so many, appearing everywhere from NPR’s Tiny Desk to the hit television series Yellowstone, and a listen to any of his records quickly reveals why. Prince’s debut Earthy Days won a JUNO Award, and he followed that up with a pair of albums in 2020. The first of those, Reliever, “captures what makes William Prince such a beautiful presence” (NPR Music) and earned him his US television debut performance on CBS Saturday Morning. Prince followed that up with Gospel First Nation, which Rolling Stone called “fantastic” and was named as one of NPR Music’s favorite releases of 2020. On the back of these two 2020 releases, Prince amassed 11 awards, including Folk Alliance International Artist Of The Year for 2021 and a Canadian Folk Music Award for Contemporary Album Of The Year for Reliever.
Watch William Prince’s Tiny Desk Concert for NPR Music here.
WILLIAM PRINCE AT SXSW:
3/15 Six Shooter Showcase at Swan Dive at 1:00AM
3/16 Canada House at Swan Dive at 12:30PM
3/16 Paste showcase at High Noon at 2:00PM
WILLIAM PRINCE TOUR DATES:
4/13 Louisville, KY - Headliners Music Hall *
4/14 St. Louis, MO - Old Rock House *
4/15 Davenport, IA - Raccoon Motel *
4/16 Minneapolis, MN - Fine Line *
4/19 Evanston, IL - Space *
4/20 Grand Rapids, MI - The Stache *
4/21 Detroit, MI - El Club *
4/22 Columbus, OH - A&R Music Bar *
4/23 Cleveland, OH - House of Blues *
4/25 Buffalo, NY - The 9th Ward *
4/28 South Burlington, VT - Higher Ground Ballroom *
4/30 Rockland, ME - The Strand Theatre *
5/02 Hamden, CT - Space Ballroom *
5/03 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom *
5/05 Ardmore, PA - Ardmore Music Hall *
5/06 Washington, DC - Union Stage *
5/09 Charlotte, NC - Visulite Theater *
5/10 Durham, NC - Caroline Theater *
5/11 Knoxville, TN - Bijou Theatre *
5/13 Nashville, TN - Brooklyn Bowl *
* Lovers Game Tour with The War And Treaty
STAND IN THE JOY
When You Miss Someone
Only Thing We Need
Tanqueray
Young
Broken Heart Of Mine
Pasadena
Goldie Hawn
Easier and Harder
Peace Of Mind
Take a Look Around
