Billy Woodward’s newest track “Pearly Gates” is pensive Americana at its finest. Out May 20, the track details the struggles of mental health, comparison and the strength to find another way. “Driven by eleventh hour introspection and that unnerving urge for change, ‘Pearly Gates’ is a sort of rally cry for the soul,” he explains. He shares that this song was inspired by a difficult period of Woodward’s life wherein he worked an “unforgiving job” and found that as a result, his “desires and dreams” were withering away. “My feelings of discontent and the stripping of my artistic self were alarming and increasingly difficult to ignore,” he says. Knowing that this moment lent itself to a “crossroads” in his life, Woodward took a risk and followed his intuition. “Either I continue the route of security in trade for the fire in my heart or I take the riskier path through the weeds and trenches in order to tend to my pilot light.”

With folky instrumentation and alt-country sensibilities, “Pearly Gates” is slow-building, allowing the lyrics to shine atop Woodward’s evocative vocals. Although the lyrics share the darkness of that time for Woodward, there is a silver lining as he ultimately chooses the salvation of his soul above all. In the last line of the song he sings, “I still try to hold onto the hope that one day I will return – fortified with strength I yearn to find.” “That still reminds me of just how low down I felt and how much I was grasping for hope of a future, stronger version of myself,” he says. In this way, Woodward offers a candid portrayal of his own experience while musically walking listeners through how to “nurse” our own “internal fire” in order to find something better. “At its core ‘Pearly Gates’ is a song about being uncompromising when it comes to matters of the heart and soul – always keeping a steady hand on the lantern through the fog that inevitably rolls into life.”

Listeners can stream “Pearly Gates” on all major streaming platforms now. 

About Billy Woodward:

Hailing from the southern shores of Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay, Billy Woodward has forged his path as an artist through his passion for music, animation and art. From performing in the Broadway production of Million Dollar Quartet to working as an Art Director at Rolling Stone Magazine to most recently animating sequences for the film David Crosby: Remember My Name, Billy has always kept his sights on pursuing his deep adoration of Americana aesthetics and sounds. He recorded his debut EP, ‘The Beast In Me’, at Sun Studio in Memphis, TN. A six song sprawl through the weeds of American storytelling the EP is a conceptually laced tale dressed with murder ballads and hopeful soul music all wrapped in a traditional rock and roll packaging. It won Best Roots EP at the 13th Annual Independent Music Awards and was subsequently featured in a full live performance on the PBS show ‘Sun Sessions’. Woodward has since evolved his songwriting and live performance as he has dug deeper into his curiosity for American folk music and storytelling. Advancing his love for the craft of animation has also expanded his toolbox for self expression as can be experienced in his upcoming full-length LP, ‘The Boy From The Bay’, slated for a Summer 2022 release. It follows Woodward’s rough and tumble journey through the trials and tribulations of grief, desperation and redemption. Produced by John Jackson and mixed by Matt Ross-Spang, the record is a collection of styles and themes that have been the backdrop tapestry for Woodward’s life thus far.