Life & Work with Justin Williams

Today we’d like to introduce you to Justin Williams.

Hi Justin, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
After six years of my professional career in residential property management and real estate, I decided to pursue a better quality of life for my mental health. Although those years gave me the opportunity to gain real-world experience, it wasn’t as fulfilling as it once was.

In January 2022, I completely changed my path and applied for a management position at the Boot Barn in Brentwood, TN. It didn’t nearly compare in compensation, but that wasn’t my end goal on this newfound journey. I’ve always had a love for Western fashion and culture, so this was my chance to explore a genuine passion of mine. In 2019, I started a brand called “Tennessee Backroad” (TBR) along with a close friend and felt that getting this retail experience would give me the knowledge I needed to dive deeper into my own business.

TBR embodies more of who I am through my itch to always be creative. Sometimes I forget to mention that I’m a singer/songwriter with 4 complete and original projects on all major streaming platforms. The first project dates back to December 2017 and the most recent project entitled “The New Music City” was released in December 2023. Also, in May of 2022, I became a line dancing instructor with the “Urban Cowboy Line Dancing” group out of Nashville, TN. Urban Cowboy is one of the most popular (if not the most) line-dancing groups on social media platforms – best known for random flash mobs on Broadway that would attract the attention of all the tourists.

Ironically enough, I met the owner of this company on a random day at Boot Barn when I was working. Since then, my popularity in the line dancing community and Western culture/fashion lifestyle has skyrocketed with over 260,000 new followers and over 32 million views in less than a year on social media.

I’ve had the opportunity to collaborate with several well-known artists and entertainers in the industry since I decided to do things that brought me joy in real life. Current day, I can look back on the drastic changes I’ve made to become a semi-successful entertainer myself and be happy with the decision I made back in January 2022.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
This lifestyle change has thrown its fair share of curveballs along the way. I think I speak for many creatives when I say I’ve wanted to throw the towel in too many times to count.

One of the most challenging, but important things I’ve learned and continue to practice is patience. You must believe in your vision and trust the process when your plans don’t seem to be moving in the right direction. Stay true to yourself and what you believe is possible.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m the owner of Tennessee Backroad, which is a brand dedicated to providing entertainment and lifestyle. I’ve been a vocal recording artist and songwriter since 2015, along with vocally engineering all of my music.

Being from Tennessee, Pulaski to be more specific, I’ve gained a very loyal support system in the middle Tennessee area with my music. My most recent project “The New Music City” just came out in December 2023. Additionally, I’m a Western fashion stylist for a few special clients in the entertainment industry. I’m also one of the most influential country line dancing instructors on a global level. My most memorable moment would be Shania Twain posting my niece and me line dancing to her song “Man, I Feel Like a Woman” to her verified TikTok account.

Some other fun moments in time would be collaborating with Chase McDaniel, Willie Jones, Lauren Alaina, and Kidd G by adding some fun line-dancing choreography to their music. I’d say what sets me apart from others is my ability to execute my ideas in my authentic way and stay motivated to do so. At times it gets hard to prioritize each project I decide to take on, but I’ve been working on balance a lot lately.

We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you.
I feel lucky to be born and raised in Pulaski, TN. That may sound weird, but it taught me so much about the real world before I was even prepared to know about the real world. I got to experience small-town living, country backroad drives, riding ATVs on farmland, spending hours out in the woods and then hearing my mom call for us to let us know dinner was ready.

Things seemed to be simpler during that time. Being from Pulaski also taught me how cruel the world would be solely based on the color of my skin. For added context, Pulaski is the birthplace of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK). It’s not my intention to paint a bad image, but this is the place that introduced me to true racism/discrimination at an early age.

I can remember being 6 years old and hearing my friends’ parents discuss how I wouldn’t be invited to the birthday party because they didn’t want any black kids in attendance. Or, one day before class started in the 3rd grade, one of my really good friends pointed at “Niger” on the spinning globe and said “That’s where you’re from” followed by hysterical laughter. He then proceeded to tell me it was true because that’s what his parents told him. I say that to say, I feel lucky to be from Pulaski because that encouraged me to be okay with who I am and how I look so early in life.

I still have those same experiences to this day, but it’s something I’ve learned to embrace and use as my superpower. I believe a person sees the way I’m dressed and initially thinks one thing, but after a short conversation, they realize I’m not your average run-of-the-mill type man. I have a loving, educated family and my upbringing to thank for that. It brings me joy to challenge and expand the inherited ways of thinking to narrow-minded individuals.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.tennesseebackroad.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justinlee87/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1019129252
• Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/the-new-music-city/1720883722
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@justinleesounds?lang=en
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRLJt55O2-tYRWh7jXVtabg
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4Tf3jFnlqCpYMeeFkvF1Mz
• Tidal Music: https://tidal.com/artist/5902739