• ABOUT
    • Contact
    • The Team
    • Editorial Calendar
    • Events
    • FAQ
    • Use & Privacy Policy
  • ADVERTISE
  • ROWFAX
  • THE SPORTS CREDENTIAL
  • JOB LISTINGS
MusicRow.com
  • CALENDARS
    • Album Releases
    • Single Releases
    • Industry Events
  • OBITS
  • CHARTS
    • Radio Chart (Current)
    • Radio Chart (Archives)
    • No. 1 Challenge Coin
    • Songwriter Chart (Current)
    • Songwriter Chart (Archives)
  • REVIEWS
  • MY STORY
  • NEWSLETTER
    • Newsletter (Current)
    • Newsletter (Archives)
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • STORE
  • Search
  • Menu

On The Row: Jessica Willis Fisher Reclaims Her Voice On ‘Brand New Day’

May 3, 2022/in Uncategorized /by Lydia Farthing

Jessica Willis Fisher. Photo: MusicRow‘s Haley Crow

Americana singer-songwriter Jessica Willis Fisher is no stranger to the spotlight. With early beginnings in her family band, The Willis Clan, Fisher began playing music at a young age before serving as the lead singer and fiddle player for the band at the age of 16.

The Willis Clan played the Grand Ole Opry, made TV appearances, competed on America’s Got Talented and won over the hearts of many, but not everything was as rosy as it seemed.

“There were a lot of fun parts about it, but there were also some very unhealthy and toxic things about it as well. That was all that I knew,” Fisher shared in a recent visit with MusicRow. “I have embraced it as part of my story and started being honest about what I’ve been through. My dad was abusive in every way that a person can be, and it got bad enough that I woke up and thought that there has to be something better than this. It was really hard to get out of that situation because it’s your family and your business.”

At the age of 24, Fisher stepped away from music in general for a number of years.

However, now just in time for her 30th birthday, Fisher has returned with the aptly named Brand New Day, her debut, solo album. Produced by Ben Fowler, the ten-song project dives into parts of Fisher’s story and shares the hope that she’s found on the other side, including the record’s title track which drips with optimism.

While the project sees Fisher as the sole writer on eight of its songs, she did enlist the help of Grammy award-winning songwriter Jon Randall on its lead single “Fire Song,” which captures her personal struggle to find freedom over a haunting production.

Jessica Willis Fisher and MusicRow‘s Sherod Robertson. Photo: MusicRow‘s Haley Crow

“I wanted to tell the truth. If I’m going to say something, it needs to be true and it has to be authentic at this point. That was part of the new rules that I made for myself,” Fisher explained. “This song speaks to that dark chapter that I had to get through. The album is called Brand New Day, but that doesn’t mean that it’s a blank slate. Sometimes it gets worse before it gets better, and that’s what this song speaks to.”

From the romance of “Hopelessly, Madly” to the contemplation of “The Lucky One,” Fisher also revives “Slow Me Down,” a ballad about being present in the moment which she previously recorded with her family. Within its tracks, she also finds freedom in the foot-stomping “Gone,” while the project’s emotional centerpiece, “My History,” finds her discovering that there is a way forward through music.

Pictured (L-R): MusicRow‘s LB Cantrell, Haley Crow, and Lydia Farthing; Jessica Willis Fisher; MusicRow‘s Sherod Robertson, Alex Parry, Sarah Skates, and Steven Boero. Photo: Courtesy of MusicRow

“Brand New Day is definitely the right name for [this new chapter] because I really feel like this is a second chance at my life,” Fisher shared. “Music has been a really powerful tool in reclaiming my voice. I can honestly say that I have lived every single word of all of the songs on the record, but [“My History”] is the first one I played coming back from not writing anything for a while.”

In addition to Brand New Day, Fisher also has plans to release her own book recounting her inspirational story. “You can only fit so much into a three minute song, and I think music is sometimes the perfect way to tell a story or reach someone. But there’s also things a book can say that a song can’t,” she noted.

Fisher is gearing up for an eventful year as she makes her AmericanaFest debut this September during its annual Nashville event.

  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Lydia Farthing
Follow me
Lydia Farthing
As Staff Writer, Lydia Farthing helps to generate online content for MusicRow as well as for MusicRow’s annual print issues. As a Nashville local, Lydia has spent her life immersed in the music industry. Prior to MusicRow, she spent time working closely with Provident Music Group's publishing division as well as Aristo Media's digital sector. Lydia graduated from the Music Business program at Middle Tennessee State University in December of 2020.
Lydia Farthing
Follow me
Latest posts by Lydia Farthing (see all)
  • BBR Appoints Katie Kerkhover To VP Of A&R, Sara Knabe To Exit - May 4, 2022
  • CMA Foundation Names 2022 Music Teachers Of Excellence Honorees - May 4, 2022
  • Dolly Parton To Be Inducted Into The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame This November - May 4, 2022
Share this entry
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on LinkedIn
  • Share by Mail
https://musicrow.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Jessica-Willis-Fisher-FT.jpg 1535 1888 Lydia Farthing https://musicrow.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/MusicRow-header-logo-Mar19B.png Lydia Farthing2022-05-03 16:07:042022-05-03 16:07:04On The Row: Jessica Willis Fisher Reclaims Her Voice On 'Brand New Day'

RECENT NEWS

  • Country TV Pioneer Bayron Binkley Passes May 4, 2022
  • Kane Brown & Co-Writers Commemorate A Handful Of Firsts At ‘One Mississippi’ No. 1 Party May 4, 2022
  • Travis Tritt & Chris Janson To Embark On Co-Headlining ‘The Can’t Miss Tour’ This Fall May 4, 2022
  • John Anderson Tribute Album Featuring Eric Church, Luke Combs, More Set For August May 4, 2022
  • Tyler Hubbard Signs With EMI Nashville, Plans Upcoming Solo Project May 4, 2022
  • My Music Row Story: CAA’s Marc Dennis May 4, 2022
  • BBR Appoints Katie Kerkhover To VP Of A&R, Sara Knabe To Exit May 4, 2022
  • Marty Stuart’s ‘Late Night Jam’ Returns With Billy Strings, Emmylou Harris, More May 4, 2022
  • Brantley Gilbert & Jelly Roll Team Up For ‘Son Of The Dirty South Summer Tour 2022’ May 4, 2022
  • CMA Foundation Names 2022 Music Teachers Of Excellence Honorees May 4, 2022
  • Dolly Parton To Be Inducted Into The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame This November May 4, 2022
  • On The Row: Jessica Willis Fisher Reclaims Her Voice On ‘Brand New Day’ May 3, 2022
  • Elvie Shane, Morgan Wade, Breland Announced As Opry NextStage Class Of 2022 Members May 3, 2022
  • BMG Re-Ups Leadership, Jon Loba Adds Publishing Duties To Responsibilities May 3, 2022
  • Ernest Tubb Record Shop To Celebrate 75th Anniversary Tonight With Midnite Jamboree Show May 3, 2022

Like Us on Facebook

Follow Us on Twitter

Tweets by MusicRow
© 2022 Music Row Enterprises, LLC – All rights reserved.
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
Scroll to top