NASHVILLE, TN (CelebrityAccess) – Nashville-based artist and (microbiologist) Stephen Wilson Jr. has signed with Big Loud Records, releasing his debut album, bon aqua.
The seven-song EP includes six previously unreleased songs and a new single, “American Gothic,” performed and co-written with labelmate Hailey Whitters.
In addition to his deal with Big Loud, Wilson also announced he has signed management deals with ALJ Management (Alicia Jones) and Range Media Partners (Jordy Dettmer).
Wilson is currently touring in support of Whitters and will tour with The Lone Below beginning in April.
As a songwriter, Wilson has written or co-written tracks from Tim McGraw, Old Dominion, Brothers Osbourne, Caitlyn Smith, Mackenzie Porter, and Sixpence None the Richer.
As for the name of the EP, Wilson said, “As a microbiologist, I used to test water for pharmaceutical companies, and everything from shampoo to aspirin to pet food to anything you can think of requires water. Not just any water … good water. I was in charge of making sure the water was good. In and around bon aqua, TN, is coincidentally where I wrote and conceived most of this EP and filmed most of the videos and visual aspects. Hence the name. It is known for its good water, and it only made sense for it to all start there.”
Wilson added, “Fellow cornfield kid, Hailey [Whitters] and I met some years ago writing songs, and she had this beautiful idea inspired by her favorite GRANT WOOD painting to showcase parts of the American cultural fabric using nostalgia and the same duality that the painting seems to represent. We ran with it and sang it from the top of our lungs.”
Whitters said, “The first time I heard Stephen. was at The Basement a few years back, and he absolutely blew me away. His writing, his songs, and his live show is next level. He’s one of a kind, and this genre is so much for the better with him in it.”
