EXCLUSIVE: Willie Jones Talks New Single ‘Down By The Riverside’

Earlier this month, cross-genre performer Willie Jones wowed with the release of his outstanding new single titled ‘Down By The Riverside’ which once again showcased his immense talented for incorporating multiple sonic styles into his stellar country music soundscape.

Here we chat exclusively with Willie Jones to discuss the track further:

Congratulations on the success of your debut album, how have you found the response so far?
Thank you! The response has been great — everybody reacted so positively and have been going out of their way to personally message me how much they’re enjoying the tunes. Everyone has been nothing but supportive. Happy to finally see it out, it’s been a long time coming – no thank you Covid.

How does it feel to be sharing your first full-length record during a global pandemic?
Man, I feel truly blessed to even be able to share this album with the world. I really hope that my music was able to help people get through these tough times and put a smile on their faces.

The album weaves between multiple genre styles, was that always the aim when creating the body of work?
Yeah, I mean, pure country music is always going to be the main genre for me! But by fusing it with different genre styles, I feel like it shines a different kind of light on country music and helps get my emotions and thoughts across better. ‘Right Now’ was a great representation of that and I think people can enjoy the different faces of what country music can be.

With ‘Down By The Riverside’ you’ve kicked off your partnership with Sony, how did that label contract come about?
It actually happened from performing in the U.K. and Europe for the Country to Country Festival. Our UK publicist Kat Bawden introduced my team to an A&R guy named John Cauwood at Sony UK. He felt what I was doing enough to make the intro into the Nashville team. A few months later, we decided that was the best option.

What are you hoping listeners take away from the song?
‘Down By The Riverside’ is about sharing my love for the South and rep where I was raised. It’s what I grew up knowing and loving; it’s where people can find me, Shreveport, stand up!

Long term, what are you hoping to achieve with Sony?
With Sony, so far so great! I’m enjoying every bit of it. The plan is to get to country radio to support a tour so we should be getting to more ears real soon.

Do you have any set goals in mind for this new single?
We already got the first TV performance coming of the song on June 2nd on Jimmy Kimmel. I’m sure people are going to hear the song and go, hmmm, that’s definitely a Willie Jones song so I have to just be happy with that – it represents me 100%.

Looking ahead, what else can we expect from you this year?
More music, more shows, …and more Willie Jones, for sure.

Did you enjoy our exclusive interview with Willie Jones? Let us know your thoughts across social media and in the comments below!