William Prince was born to tell stories — while his main medium is his richly textured singing voice, any Prince performance is also punctuated by his compelling and often personal stage banter. He wears his heart on his sleeve and can’t help but spill his guts to whoever is lucky enough to be sitting in front of him.
But what an exquisitely poignant spiller of guts he is. Since the release of his 2017 debut album Earthly Days, Prince has established himself as one of Canada’s most irresistible singer-songwriters. Inspired by country music’s greatest tear-jerkers and love songs, Prince’s music sounds immediately familiar and completely his; he uses the basics of the genre to build carefully composed songs so intimate they feel like they could be private conversations.
This year Prince released Gospel First Nation, a 10-song homage to the music his father (a preacher and songwriter) and mother loved: gospel songs, hymns, Johnny Cash and Charley Pride. Prince's deep and velvety voice carries the weight of a man who has seen a lot of life. He keeps his songs clean and unfussed to let that voice take the wheel, driving listeners towards the heart of the story, towards that heart on his sleeve.
Biography by Elizabeth Chorney Booth
