Country Star Sam Williams Discusses His Gay Identity for the First Time

Country star Sam Williams is sharing more about his sexuality with hopes that his story and struggles will help other small-town folks find themselves feeling alone.

As reported by People, Williams talked about the inspiration behind his music video for "Titled Crown" in an upcoming episode of Apple Music's "Proud Radio with Hunter Kelly." The video chronicles his upbringing as Hank Williams Jr.'s son, and the moment he kisses another man – his boyfriend – on camera for the first time.

Williams explained that he originally planned to reference his sexuality in a video for his song "Snow Angels," but it never happened. Then director duo Alexa and Stephen Kinigopoulos felt like it was important to include romance in the storyline for the "Tilted Crown."

"At first I kind of thought that, 'I'm tackling something else with this.' And I thought that maybe that's for another project," he said. "But again, I felt like I was promoting invisibility, like I wasn't being visible and wasn't being myself. And I just thought it was the perfect opportunity to just show who I was."

Williams explained that he uses "he/him" pronouns and also shared that he identifies as "gay."

"I mean, people at my label know and people in my personal life know, but this is the first time that I've ever been, besides a show or two, that I've ever been this public about it," Williams said. "And it is scary, but it feels good."

Growing up in the small town of Paris, Tennessee, Williams called the process of hiding his sexuality "exhausting."

"I I think that... if I was a kid, and I was younger, and I saw somebody like myself doing an interview like this and just saying that, 'This is who I am and I'm proud to be who I am,' that it would have been impactful for me," he explained. "So I think at the end of the day, that's one of the most important reasons why I'm being so open."

The full episode will be available at 5 p.m. ET, or anytime on-demand at apple.co/_ProudRadio on Apple Music Country, this Sunday, Oct. 30.

Until then, watch the music video for "Tilted Crown" below.