Zella Day

Williams has been working with the 21-year-old indie pop artist since she was a young teen. After she came into his office and played some songs for him, he signed her that day.

Rather than becoming a TV personality to get her name out there like so many other stars, Day went to Nashville to concentrate on her songwriting for a few years.

“What I saw in her at 13 or 14 years of age was a girl that had great charisma and a great voice,” Williams said. “All that she did was hone that craft and mature that voice and then obviously her writing grew as she grew, which is what happens with anybody as they get older and [have] life experiences.”

Day released her debut studio album, Kicker, on Pinetop Records/Hollywood Records last year.

She’s been supporting the LP with headline dates and festival appearances across North America including her first performance at Coachella. She’s got gigs with Fitz And The Tantrums in July and Michael Franti & Spearhead in August. More headline shows are in the works, along with plans to go into the studio.

“If you see her live, that is truly one of her gifts,” Williams said. “Her live show is really, really, good. … You know what I think her biggest thing is? What she did at Coachella she does on a consistent basis. She gives the same show at every level. And a lot of artists say they like to do that, but a lot of them don’t. Her consistency is real, real big.”