Jessica Willis Fisher Reclaims Her Voice in Bold, Powerful ‘Fire Song’ [Exclusive Premiere]
There have been many moments over the past few months in which Jessica Willis Fisher wondered if she was doing the right thing by coming out of the country music gate with her ultra-powerful “Fire Song.”
“I was just talking about this with my husband this morning,” the singer with the sweet-yet-powerful voice tells Taste of Country in a recent interview about her debut solo single. “I totally believe it was the right move.”
Premiering exclusively on Taste of Country, the lyric video for “Fire Song” gives listeners a glimpse at the powerful woman that has come out of the ashes in recent years, after her famous family, the Willis Clan, found themselves tangled up in a tragic set of circumstances that could have left Fisher just a shell of what she once was.
But instead, she finds herself stronger than ever before.
And you can hear that strength all over “Fire Song.”
“It’s probably the boldest song off the whole record,” explains Fisher of the song she co-wrote alongside Grammy Award-winner Jon Randall. “I was thinking, what is the first thing that I want to say? And, you know, I haven't said anything about what I went through, so in a way, this song addresses it. This song reflects that chapter and how dangerous it was and how scary it was and what was required of me to break through to this new chapter. Getting to this place wasn’t a stroll in the park. It was harrowing, and I think this song reflects that.”
Granted, “Fire Song” is just a piece of the story, as Fisher plans to release her debut solo album, Brand New Day, on April 13.
“The whole album is bold and strong, and kind of had to be,” says Fisher, whose Americana roots paired with her love of bluegrass fit beautifully with one another in her music. "I want to be authentic, and I want to be truthful, and I want to actually accomplish something with deep purpose with my music.”
Fisher stresses that the album has some "lighter, sweeter, more delicate" moments in store for fans.
“This album and these songs feel like a full calendar wheel in a way,” says Fisher, who solely wrote eight out of the ten songs on the upcoming album. “There’s something for every time of one’s life. Wherever you are at, you can find something in there.”
But for now, “Fire Song” is the story Fisher not only wants to tell, but had to tell.
“Right before I left, I was having these nightmares that the house was on fire and I was the only one who could tell, and everybody else was going about their normal lives,” remembers Fisher, whose father was arrested and jailed in 2016 for sexual abuse of her and her siblings. “I was shouting, ‘Wake up! Wake up! We got to get out!’ And I realize now that that was me, trying to say to myself, ‘We have to get out of here!’”
She pauses.
“At the time, it was like there was one part of me saying to the other part of me, ‘We got to get outta here,’” Fisher says quietly. “So now, I am that figure that is starting the fire and is calling out the warning and has escaped...and has survived."