A.A. Williams.


Describing her music (with tongue in cheek) as "death gospel," A.A. Williams appeared practically out of nowhere in 2019 to become one of the most talked about new artists in rock, performing deeply atmospheric and darkly beautiful songs with the smokey whisper of her voice and her impressive skill as a guitarist, pianist, and cellist. A classically trained musician with a taste for "all things heavy," Williams encompasses post-rock, folk, goth, metal, and classical influences in her music, performed with dynamics that give the music gravity even when it's whisper quiet. Williams' unique sound was introduced to the world on her self-titled debut EP in 2019, and she gained strength and ambition on her first full-length effort, 2020's Forever Blue.
A resident of London, England, A.A. Williams first took up music as a child when she needed a creative outlet after being told she was too tall for ballet class. She began studying piano when she was six years old, and since the same teacher also gave lessons in cello, she learned to play that as well. While she grew up immersed in classical music and listened to mainstream pop for fun, in her mid-teens she picked up a CD by Deftones, and she quickly developed a taste for heavy metal and its many subgenres. In 2014, Williams found an electric guitar in the street with a note reading, "Please take me, needs work." With the help of a friend, she got the guitar back in working order and taught herself to play. As she gained confidence with the instrument, she began writing songs that were dark, dreamlike, and reflected her belief that heavy doesn't necessarily mean loud.
After recording a set of demos, Williams submitted them to the adventurous independent metal label Holy Roar. To her surprise, the label offered to release them as is, but she opted to re-record most of the material, and Holy Roar issued her self-titled debut EP in early 2019. The EP immediately gained attention in the music press, and in April she made her live performing debut at the 2019 Roadburn Festival in the Netherlands as part of a Holy Roar showcase. Williams' show generated plenty of positive press, and she soon found herself sharing stages with a number of important artists, including Cult of Luna, Russian Circles, Explosions in the Sky, Amenra, and the Sisters of Mercy. She was also booked for the 2019 ArcTanGent Festival in Bristol, England, and the Japanese experimental group Mono invited Williams to record a single with them, "Exit in Darkness" b/w "Winter Light."
With her star on the rise, Williams signed with Bella Union Records. Her debut full-length album, Forever Blue, appeared in July 2020, and featured guest appearances from Johannes Persson and Fredrik Kihlberg of Cult of Luna and Tom Fleming of Wild Beasts.
(Artist Biography by Mark Deming)


 A.A. WILLIAMS:  Album 'Forever Blue',
 released on Friday 3rd July 2020