Singer-Songwriter William Fitzsimmons Returns with “Holding A Place For You” Feat. Bre Kennedy
June 7, 2024 BY Emma Orland
After reemerging with “Amsterdam,” today, one of the most renowned singer-songwriters, William Fitzsimmons, is excited to share more new music. His first taste of original songs in nearly three years. Throughout his career, William has captivated audiences with honest, inward-looking folk music, but in “Holding A Place For You,” he shows us the vast multitudes he’s capable of. It’s not quite a reinvention as much as an expansion. Fitzsimmons recruits labelmate Bre Kennedy to lend haunting harmonies throughout the song. Lush textures burst into a powerful, wall-of-sound finish. Listen to William Fitzsimmons’ “Holding A Place For You” out on all digital retailers (here).
“Like phantom limb syndrome of the soul, we often have the tendency to hold onto the habits and presence of someone else even after they’re gone. We find ourselves setting a place at the table where one is no longer needed,” explains Fitzsimmons. Together, he and Bre Kennedy share a beautifully reflective song on grieving and letting go.
Bre Kennedy adds: “I got to sing a good bit on this stunning album, and when William and Marshall Altman (Producer) asked me to feature on this song, I felt instantly connected to it. “Holding A Place for You” is such a beautifully haunting song about unconditional love and memory, and this song found me when I needed to hear it. I love Williams’ writing and melodies and loved getting to sing on this song.”
LISTEN & SHARE WILLIAM FITZSIMMONS “HOLDING A PLACE FOR YOU” HERE:
Over the course of his career, William Fitzsimmons has made his living writing a specific brand of honest and inward-looking folk songs that fearlessly and candidly examine the evolving self while dexterously communicating his talent for robust melodies and catchy instrumentation. That the subject matter tends to dwell on the darker parts of human existence and relationships is no coincidence.
“I get that question all the time: ‘You ever gonna write some happy music?’” Fitzsimmons says. “There are a million different good answers—to paraphrase Ani DiFranco, ‘When I’m happy I just want to live, I don’t want to write about it’—all that’s true. Personally, my job description when it was handed to me, for whatever reason, was: ‘You need to write about the hard shit.’ It became my responsibility. It might sound a little egotistical, and I don’t mean it to, but it’s just my job. That’s what I do, and I do it well. So, I write ‘sad music’; if that’s how someone wants to categorize it, that’s fine. But if you look a little deeper, I think there’s a lot more going on.”
Beginning with his debut album, Until When We Are Ghosts, he generated hundreds of million streams across fan favorite albums such as Gold In The Shadow [2011], Lions [2014], and Pittsburgh [2015]. He landed significant syncs on ABC, NBC, MTV, Lifetime, and The CW. Notably, NPR once dubbed him “A Songwriter With Vision,“ and he incited the applause of American Songwriter, Billboard, NYLON, Pop Matters, Rolling Stone, Q Magazine, Uncut, and more.
When it comes to his songwriting, nothing in his private life is off limits: he has written about being raised by disabled parents, experiencing two divorces, adopting his two children, and working with the mentally ill as a mental health therapist prior to his music career. His 2018 album, Mission Bell, chronicled his separation from his then-wife caused by her infidelity; when he realized that, despite their attempts to save the marriage, the split was destined to be permanent, he began work on a new album as a response to both the imminent divorce as well as his own turbulent behavioral reaction. In 2021, Fitzsimmons released Ready the Astronaut and No Promises: The Astronaut’s Return as a powerful testament to his own past, and by weaving his story through the familiar tale of Icarus, he illustrates his willingness to accept his life’s highs and lows by paying tribute to the influence they have on the future.
Coming out of the pandemic, Fitzsimmons found himself reflecting on the music of his youth and released a pair of covers albums. You can piece together his life with the songs he chose to record. On being born to blind parents he recalls: “music was this level playing field we could experience together because you don’t need to be able to see to enjoy it.“ He delivers stirring renditions of everyone from Sufjan Stevens to R.E.M., Phoebe Bridgers to Elton John, and even shares a version of Taylor Swift’s “the 1.”
William Fitzsimmons proves himself to be a dynamic songwriter capable of captivating and surprising audiences at every turn. Stay tuned for more!
