Biography

Like a stone thrown into a calm pond, the effect of a chance encounter ripples throughout a lifetime. If you meet the right person at the right moment, your entire path could be forever altered. Illinois-based singer, songwriter, and producer William Fitzsimmons cherishes the significance of such encounters. Focusing on the wonder, humanity, and beauty of our interactions with one another, he explores this phenomenon’s effect on his own life via his eighth full-length album, Incidental Contact [Nettwerk Music Group].

 “To me, Incidental Contact is a random meeting that can change your life, depending on the choices you make around it,” he explains. “It may seem small at first, but nothing is ever the same afterwards.”

 In this case, he pays homage to his late stepmother, who passed away in November 2022. She entered William’s life 25 years earlier upon marrying his father. In the wake of this loss, William chose to memorialize her and celebrate her memory in the best way he could—by writing and recording what would become Incidental Contact.

 Rather than entirely succumbing to sadness, he made a conscious decision to reflect the light she shined during her time here.

 “She was always very supportive of what I did, but it wasn’t her kind of music,” he observes. “I tend to make pretty depressing shit, so I thought it would be cool to create a record she would actually listen to. She was a wonderful grandmother to my kids, and she facilitated so many things for our family because my parents are blind. Since she’s sighted, she would drive my dad out to visit the grandkids several times a year. She was a funny and loving person who sacrificed for her family. I wanted to remember how awesome she was without it being a sad boy fest.”

Following six months of writing, he retreated to Nashville in order to record with producer and collaborator Marshall Altman. He rekindled the chemistry he and Marshall shared on his 2008 fan favorite, The Sparrow and the Crow. For as much as they tapped into the strengths of their preexisting creative connection, William also expanded the sonic palette, infusing the soundscapes with analog synthesizers and placing more emphasis than ever on the drums. “The drums play a massive role,” he affirms. “I’ve never incorporated synths to this extent either. Marshall was integral to The Sparrow and the Crow, and there was something about the two of us in a room together working. He made sure we kept the feeling.”

Over the last two decades, William has not only pondered, but he’s also processed life as it happened via his songs. He has amassed half-a-billion streams and counting accelerated by “Fortune – Acoustic,” “I Don’t Feel It Anymore (Song of the Sparrow),” “I Kissed A Girl,” and “Beautiful Girl.” Simultaneously, his music has appeared on programming across ABC, NBC, MTV, Lifetime, and The CW, while he has garnered acclaim courtesy of American Songwriter, Billboard, Clash, NPR, NYLON, Rolling Stone, Q, Uncut, and many others. Most recently, he shared Covers, Vol. 2 [2023], and marked the 15th anniversary of The Sparrow and the Crow with Remixed Deluxe Versions of that music along with the companion album Derivatives.

 Now, he delivers his most undeniable and uplifting body of work to date with Incidental Contact.

“If you hear this, I want you to experience the joy of remembering someone in your life who’s gone,” he leaves off. “Whether you listen to one track or the whole thing, I just hope it gives you a bit of happiness.”