Joy Williams | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Williams performing, 2011 | |
| Born | Joy Elizabeth Williams (1982-11-14)November 14, 1982 (age 43) West Branch, Michigan, U.S. |
| Occupations | Singer, songwriter |
| Years active | 2000–present |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 3 |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | Contemporary Christian,pop,folk rock |
| Instruments | Vocals, piano, concertina |
| Labels | |
| Formerly of | The Civil Wars |
Musical artist | |
| Website | joywilliams |
Joy Elizabeth Williams (born November 14, 1982)[1] is an American singer-songwriter. The winner of fourGrammy Awards, Williams has released five solo albums and fourEPs since herself-titled debut in 2001. She was half ofThe Civil Wars duo from 2009 until 2014.
Williams was born inWest Branch, Michigan, but raised in a Christian home inMount Hermon inSanta Cruz County, California, where her parents worked in ministry.[2] She attendedValley Christian High School inSan Jose and graduated as the classvaledictorian in 2001.[3]
In addition to singing in church, Williams began writing faith-based pop songs while living in Santa Cruz. At 17, she was signed byReunion Records, a subsidiary ofSony/BMG based inBrentwood, Tennessee.[4]
Williams citesKate Bush,Peter Gabriel,Massive Attack, andPortishead as being her influences.[5]
Between 2001 and 2005, Williams was nominated for 11Dove Awards, and the three records she released on Reunion cumulatively sold more than 250,000 copies.[6] In 2005, she left the label to expand her musical horizons.[7]
Williams traveled to Europe, worked briefly atPaste Magazine and then at a Nashville boutique. In 2006, she signed a publishing deal withWarner/Chappell music, and in 2008 she co-founded an artist development firm, Sensibility Music, as a vehicle for her career development. That same yearOscar Mayer selected her song "It Doesn't Get Better Than This" for a 2008 marketing campaign.[8] Williams subsequently released three EPs through Sensibility Music. The songs "Charmed Life", "Speaking a Dead Language", and "Sunny Day", were featured on the TV showGrey's Anatomy.[4][9]
In 2008, Williams attended a writing camp in Nashville, where she metJohn Paul White. They formed the folk rock duo the Civil Wars in 2009 and released their breakthrough album,Barton Hollow, in 2011. The album was widely praised by critics[10] and went on to sell more than 650,000 copies in the U.S.[11] White and Williams won four Grammy Awards as the Civil Wars.
The duo announced an indefinite hiatus in November 2012, prior to the release of their2013 self-titled album.[6][better source needed][12][13] The duo was officially dissolved in August 2014[14][15] and in March 2015, Williams said her last conversation with White was after their Roundhouse show inLondon in November 2012.[5]
In 2023, they individually participated in are-recording of "Safe & Sound" withTaylor Swift, credited under their individual names.[16]
Late in 2013, Williams collaborated withChris Cornell on the song "Misery Chain", which they performed onLate Show with David Letterman.[17] She also collaborated withMatt Berninger fromThe National on "Hush", the theme song forTurn.[18][19] Williams andHayley Williams (no relation) of the rock bandParamore collaborated on a new version of Paramore's "Hate to See Your Heart Break".[20]
Williams began working on a solo album,Venus, in 2014, ultimately releasing the record the following year.[5][21]
Williams made her acting debut in 2016 in an episode ofRoadies[22] and her recording ofThe Chainsmokers' "Don't Let Me Down" was used for aState Farm commercial in 2017.[23]
In 2018, while pregnant with her second child, Williams recorded fifteen songs in a five-day period;[24] of those fifteen songs, twelve were included on her Kenneth Pattengale-produced album,Front Porch, released on May 3, 2019.
On June 12, 2004, Williams married Nate Yetton. Williams and Yetton have a son born June 30, 2012; and a daughter born August 6, 2018.[25][26] In an interview withPop Matters, Williams stated that she and her husband had "decided to part ways" in early 2019.[27] Williams married Ted Woods in October 2022.[28]Williams gave birth to a son with Woods in December 2023.[29]
| Year | Association | Category | Nominee | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Dove Awards | Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year | Genesis | Nominated | |
| Pop/Contemporary Recorded Song of the Year | "Hide" | Nominated | |||
| 2011 | CMT Music Awards | Duo Video of the Year | "Barton Hollow" | Nominated | |
| Americana Music Association | New/Emerging Artist of the Year | The Civil Wars | Nominated | ||
| Duo/Group of the Year | Nominated | ||||
| Country Music Association Awards | Vocal Duo of the Year | Nominated | |||
| ASCAP Awards | ASCAP Vanguard Award | Won | |||
| 2012 | Grammy Award | Best Folk Album | Barton Hollow | Won | |
| Best Country Duo/Group Performance | "Barton Hollow" | Won | |||
| CMT Music Awards | Video of the Year | "Safe & Sound" (as featuring) | Nominated | ||
| Collaborative Video of the Year | Nominated | ||||
| Duo Video of the Year | "Poison & Wine" | Nominated | |||
| Americana Music Association | Duo/Group of the Year | The Civil Wars | Won | ||
| A2IM Libera Awards | Album of the Year | Barton Hollow | Nominated | ||
| Country Music Association Awards | Vocal Duo of the Year | The Civil Wars | Nominated | ||
| Musical Event of the Year | "Safe & Sound" (as featuring) | Nominated | |||
| 2013 | Grammy Award | Best Country Duo/Group Performance | Nominated | ||
| Best Song Written for Visual Media | Won | ||||
| Golden Globe Award | Best Original Song | Nominated | |||
| 2014 | Grammy Award | Best Country Duo/Group Performance | "From This Valley" | Won | |
| 2019 | Grammy Award | Best Folk Album | Front Porch | Nominated |
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