It’s been a little over half a year since The Civil Wars officially split at the beginning of August in 2014. The Grammy award-winning duo, comprised of Joy Williams and John Paul White, had announced an indefinite hiatus in 2012 until officially calling it quits last fall. Williams, deeply affected by the separation, collaborated with Paramore’s Hayley Williams on the harmonious power ballad “Hate to See Your Heartbreak”.
Since the split Williams has been working diligently on her solo career. Once a popular Christian artist, she progressed into a more universal folk-pop singer-songwriter. In anticipation of her latest album Venus, Williams has finally unveiled the brand new single, “Woman (Oh Mama)”.
Although she has been revered for her calm folk-oriented music, the new track embraces a lively pop sound. It begins with energetic hand-clapping overlaid by vibrant chanting before introducing Williams’ powerful vocals—that instantly take control of the track.
“The entire song is what it’s like to experience the beauty, the spark and strength of what it is to be inside your skin. It’s a song with energy and fire. I wanted to own the complexity and the three dimensional aspect of what it is to be a woman. ‘I am a universe wrapped in skin’…That’s one of my favorite lines from the new album. I’m excited about being a woman. I’m excited to be where I am now, who I am now,” Williams says of the song in a press release.
Listen to “Woman (Oh Mama)” below.