Jnr. Williams Announces Debut EP 'Where We Start'

Emerging U.K.-based artist Jnr. Williams will release his debut EP, Where We Start, on March 8 via Arista / Insanity Records. The video for the EP's lead track, "A Prayer," is premiering now at Wonderland.

The video, produced by Iggy LND (Dazed, i-D, Notion, Hunger TV and The Fader), is an emotional portrayal of masculinity. Of the song and collaboration, Williams says, "'A Prayer' came from a relationship I had. It's about someone losing belief in you and trying to convince them to stick with you, find faith and keep believing in you, as one day we can live like rich kids. When collaborating with Iggy, we decided we wanted to tell the story on a different tip, through a father and son's relationship. As men we don't always express how we truly feel, and expressing this through dance felt like an interesting way of dealing with it. Hopefully it's something people can relate to."

Williams was born and raised in East London and comes from an artistically creative family where his siblings were painters, graphic and fashion designers alike. It was R&B that first caught his ear but through his grandmother he found jazz, which began to intrigue him further. Williams studied music at the British Academy of New Music while working at a cinema to pay the bills. Not long after leaving formal education his artistry began to developas a recording artist and songwriter. "I'm a quiet person and introverted so my music is very exposed. For me, the environment I was in growing up and being a black man where we're told not to express emotion was tough. The songs I write expose that and they don't shy away from that expression," he says.

Williams' love for simplicity is why he prefers his voice and songwriting to do the work. "I love voices and how a tone can tell a story," he notes. Contemporary artists such as James Blake, Moses Sumney and The Weeknd have also allowed Williams to open up his imagination and shape his sound, combining his early jazz influences with a contemporary feel. Last year, his cover of Dinah Washington's "What A Difference A Day Makes" was discovered on Soundcloud and played on BBC Radio 1's "Future Sounds with Annie Mac."