R. LUM. R

Words + Photos by Acacia Evans

Reggie Williams, also known as R.LUM.R, was raised listening to icons such as Anita Baker, Shaday, and George Benson. Benson is actually the reason he realized it was possible to sing and play guitar at the same time. Not only is he influenced by jazz and contemporary R&B, but he’s also inspired by bands like Bayside and Coheed and Cambria - Coheed being the band that made him want to pick up a guitar in the first place.

Williams moved to Nashville, TN on December 1, 2015 after feeling that Florida wasn't cutting it for him anymore.

He had been writing and producing for other artists under an alias, not really thinking he was going to be making anymore music for himself at that time. When he sent off what he had been working on to the artist it was intended for, they told Williams he should keep the songs for himself. They thought it sounded the most organic for him.

That didn’t go quite as planned. Williams was receiving calls from people everywhere, asking him if he had a manager, booking agent, label, etc. Everyone wanted a hand in what Williams had to offer. He ended up recording his next singles “Be Honest,” “Nothing New,” and “Tell Me” while signing a record deal. With this deal, he then released his first EP AFTERIMAGE followed by more stripped down editions in his next EP ALTERIMAGE, leaning back more on his classical roots.

The same guy who is getting the great Rolling Stone reviews is also a person who deals with ‘Am I Good enough?’ all the the time.

Williams picked up more and more traction after the release of his single “Frustrated” in 2016 that landed him a Jimmy Kimmel Live performance and a spot on SiriusXM The Heat’s top 35 songs with some of the biggest R&B/Pop artists out there right now. Along with this came a growing popularity in the festival circuit, playing those highly sought-after night slots at festivals like “Bonnaroo” where Rolling Stone named him the “Most Grown-and-Sexy Opening- Night Act.”

He specifically recalls opening up for Alessia Cara at Summerfest in Milwaukee in the summer of 2017. He looked out at the crowd of 6000-7000 people, realizing only one side of the crowd was interested in him while the other half couldn’t have cared less. It occurred to him right then and there that he needed to step up his performance game. He needed to figure out ways to appeal to a full audience when he wasn’t the primary person they were there to see. “You have to learn to play bigger,” said Williams.

Back in August, Williams released two singles, “Right Here” and “I Need To Know,” to speak about communication and identity. There are a lot of crazy things going on in the world right now in terms of social issues and acceptance that easily make a lot of people feel anxious, out of place and unwelcomed. He believes it’s important to create calm for yourself in those times, by consistently practicing empathy and routine. “The same guy who is getting the great Rolling Stone reviews is also a person who deals with ‘Am I Good enough?’ all the the time.”

Williams wants to speak out about the theme of acceptance and awareness for people from all walks of life. Perspective and opinions are something he believes are usually formed by the way someone was raised, and that they are reversible as people grow older.

"Humans should be able to coexist and welcome other cultures without having to participate. I feel like I can draw easy parallels between LGBT issues with fair treatment and being accepted as being black in America. That even has parallels with being a woman. The number one thing we need to learn and a be a part of is empathy,” he said.

Williams is currently working on new music to follow his latest single “With My Words” that dropped October 5th. He’s making a steady effort to be as raw as possible, rather than hide behind metaphors and complexity - something he may have learned during his times of learning classical music. Be sure to catch him on tour with Louis the Child, beginning on November 7th in Toronto.