The track is featured in Songblazers: A Journey into Country Music Presented by Cirque Du Soleil & UMG
Critically acclaimed rising country star Sam Williams shares his new song “Carnival Heart.” He created the original track for the innovative new country-themed show, Songblazers: A Journey Into Country Music, produced and presented by Cirque du Soleil and Universal Music Group Nashville.
“I love painting a picture and causing curiosity in someone about a character or story,” Williams shares. “Getting to be part of this and collaborate with such world-class entertainers is a blessing. ‘The New Nashville’ is coming, and it can honor the past and point toward the future. I always wanted to be a professional freak!”
Musically, “Carnival Heart” balances tearful nostalgia with triumphant delivery. Co-written by Williams with PJ Harding and Ned Houston, delicate acoustic strumming sets the tone in between the echoes of wailing slide guitar. Meanwhile, Williams’ vocals instantly take hold on vivid verses as he admits, “I cried through the night over childhood photos, is the boy that I was still a part of the man that I am?” As the momentum increases, a promise uplifts the chorus, “If you believe from the start, your carnival heart will sing again.” It uncorks a flood of honest emotions.
“I’ve written very sad songs in my time, and I was able to write this from a true place of acceptance and triumph over pain,” he continues. “‘Carnival Heart’ mirrors a lot of my struggles as well as the journey of trying to find myself over the past several years. It talks about not knowing where your home is and wondering if the old innocent dreamer version of yourself is still there. Life is a crazy and beautifully painful roller coaster, and you have to just ride.”
Written and directed by Amy Tinkham, Songblazers opens in Nashville this July with seven additional cities following the launch.
