Villiers has always wanted to tell stories.
The New York native used storytelling through music as a coping mechanism from a very early age. The 36-year-old singer-songwriter discovered country-inspired songwriting and the Nashville storytelling tradition in his 20s. It’s taken him this long to work up the confidence to release his own music.
“It was kind of my first love,” Villiers said of his musical storytelling. “For years, I was building bodies of material that I thought would express something of value in the world. I was so immersed in other things in life that it was hard to find a space to let it live on its own.”
In November, Villiers teamed with Sixpence None the Richer singer Leigh Nashfor a duet on his ultra-personal song “Cry.” Then, on December 13, Villiers dropped a reimagined “Cry” with help from Fear of Tigers, a U.K.-based dreamwave artist who increased the tempo and gave the song a slick, ’80s …