Zach Williams has released a special EP today (Friday, Sept. 14), titled Survivor: Live From Harding Prison. Recorded live earlier this summer from the Nashville-based prison where Williams performed acoustically along with Bethel Music’s “No Longer Slaves,” the project was produced in partnership with local non-profit, Men of Valor.
Each song featured on the six-song project, “Survivor,” “Old Church Choir,” “To The Table,” “No Longer Slaves,” “Fear Is A Liar” and “Chain Breaker,” were filmed with interviews from some of the inmates sharing their personal testimonies. Video footage will release weekly on Williams’ YouTube channel, and a devotional will be available in the coming weeks through YouVersion, written by a pastor with Men of Valor.
The project is something that Williams, who first made his name in 2016 with the record-breaking single “Chain Breaker,” has been wanting to do for years.
“As a songwriter, seeing God use the songs I write and my experiences to show His grace to others is one of the biggest blessings I have ever received,” Zach Williams shares. “A little over five years ago, I visited a prison in Arkansas with my wife and shared the story of what God was doing in our lives. What I experienced that day is something I will never forget. God broke my heart for these men and women. They had, ultimately, just made bad decisions which is something that I completely related to, and for me, that experience gave a whole new meaning to the word ‘grace.’ Ever since then, I have felt a calling to share my music and stories with men and women in prison in the hopes that lives can be changed by the power of the gospel. My prayer is to see chains broken and walls shattered. God has a plan for each and every one of our lives but we have to fully surrender to the Cross before those plans are revealed.”
Williams is performing on the Air1 Positive Hits Tour into October, and will hit the road with labelmate Matt Maher for several dates in late October and early November. He is also slated to appear on The Little Drummer Boy | The Christmas Tour with for King + Country in December. His new single, “Survivor,” goes to radio today.
About the Author
Hollabaugh, a staff writer at MusicRow magazine, has over 20 years of music business experience and has written for publications including American Profile, CMA Close Up, Nashville Arts And Entertainment, The Boot and Country Weekly. She has a Broadcast Journalism and Speech Communication degree from Texas Christian University, (go Horned Frogs), and welcomes your feedback or story ideas at lhollabaugh@musicrow.com.View Author Profile
