Milwaukee singer-songwriter Hayward Williams has been a staple in the local music scene for a long time. He recently released his ninth album called Might As Well Turn It Up.
Williams is often put into the category of “folk rock,” but with each new record he inches closer and closer to being more of a blues and soul musician. It’s evident in the sound of this new record.
"I keep on putting more of myself into kind of like the soul music kind of genre, and it's kind of rooted in Blues, and one of these times I'll really just go full into soul music because when it comes down to it, for me, all my favorite music is soul music," says Williams. "The genre in and of itself is trying to save your soul, and isn't that what music should be? I can't be Al Green, but man, that would be great."
He adds, "It's me slowly becoming comfortable with the complete idea of letting myself go — on stage, vocally, and with my performance and being free."
Williams says he is continuing to understand his drive to create while balancing the joys and responsibilities of fatherhood, especially after navigating the COVID-19 pandemic.
"I think I've become very honest with myself. I think the desire and the need for me to create is still very strong and I still really need to do it, mostly for my own sanity and my own health. This is what I do and I've focused more on what I love. I love making records and I love making music," he says. "I don't have nearly as much time to play out as I once did. So, I'm just going to focus on that and have that be what defines my career at this point. And I think being honest with myself about that and having that clarity about it has also helped me be a better father."
With help from his father-in-law, Williams constructed an in-house recording studio, which allowed him more flexibility in producing this record. He brought in his preferred key player and drummer to begin the initial stages of making the album, followed by completing the rest of the project at his own pace while being a stay-at-home dad to his three children. For Williams, fatherhood remains one of life's biggest joys.
"It's an amazing, amazing thing. Just profound joy. You know, being with kids and having children and doing all that," he says.
Listen to Hayward Williams perform three tracks from Might As Well Turn It Up:
*This studio session was engineered by WUWM's Jason Rieve
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