If you’ve ever wondered what it would sound like if George Strait and Roy Orbison raised a bilingual, boot-stompin’ heartbreak poet in the South Texas sun, the answer is William Beckmann.
The 29-year-old country crooner officially made his major label debut today (June 20) with Whiskey Lies & Alibis, a 12-track stunner that’s equal parts honky tonk, heartbreak, and heritage. Laced with pedal steel, lined with grit, and delivered in Beckmann’s rich-as-whiskey baritone, the record is a shot of pure, timeless country — chased by something new.
To celebrate the release, Beckmann kicked things off with a packed album release party in New Braunfels last night (June 19), and he’s continuing the celebration all weekend long across his home state of Texas — including a special set opening for his longtime favorite Gary Allan, an intimate album signing at Josey Records in Dallas, and a headlining show at Billy Bob’s, aka the world’s largest honky tonk. Not to mention, a return to the Grand Ole Opry this coming Wednesday (June 25), proving that his rise is as real as it gets.
Speaking with Celeb Secrets over the phone in between shows, Beckmann described the record like a cocktail — and the metaphor couldn’t be more fitting. “Probably an Old Fashioned,” he says. “It’s a classic thing and that’s what I was trying to go for… something with a vintage throwback feel, but also packaged in a modern way to where it still feels like something that came out in 2025.”
Mission accomplished. Beckmann’s blend of timeless storytelling and contemporary edge makes Whiskey Lies & Alibis one of the most refreshing releases of the year. But behind the smooth delivery is a vulnerable truth — the entire record was born out of real heartbreak.
“I knew I wanted this to be like a breakup album,” Beckmann admits. “That’s honestly what I was going through at the time.”
He channeled that emotional weight into dozens of songs — “somewhere around 60 or 70,” to be exact — before narrowing it down to the best of the best. Among them is “Starting Over Again,” a tender folk-leaning track co-written with Harper O’Neill that Beckmann says might be the most heartfelt song on the record. “She actually had the idea, and it was like she was taking the words right outta my mouth,” he recalls. “We must have written it in all of about 45 minutes… when you write a song that fast and it feels that good, it’s usually a pretty good sign.”
Still, vulnerability doesn’t come without its challenges. “Writing the songs to me is not the difficult part — that’s more therapy,” he explains. “Putting it out there and wearing your heart on your sleeve… that’s the vulnerable side you have to get comfortable with.”
For Beckmann, though, leaning into that honesty is what makes the music resonate. Whether it’s the haunting ballad “Game I Like To Play” or the unapologetically country “Honky Tonk Blue” (written by Chris Stapleton and Brice Long), every track offers a different shade of emotion. “I wanted it to be conceptual in the sense that it was a breakup record,”he shares, “but I also didn’t want it to all sound the same.”
The result is a record that’s sonically diverse but thematically tight. From the acoustic, Dylan-esque soul-searching of “Starting Over Again” to the throwback commercial sheen of “Game I Like To Play” (which Beckmann didn’t write but immediately knew he had to cut), the album feels like a perfectly curated playlist for anyone nursing a bruise on their heart.
And then there’s “Honky Tonk Blue,” which almost didn’t make it onto the album at all. “It actually took several months to get the green light,” Beckmann says of the Stapleton-penned track. “I think Stapleton always really liked that song himself… but finally they let me take it and record it. It’s one of my favorites.”
But we can’t forget “Lonely Over You” — which now has a visual companion — and it’s as hazy, heart-wrenching, and hauntingly beautiful as the song itself. The 70s-inspired music video leans all the way into the song’s bittersweet tone.
Shot on 16mm film at Aduro Studios in Austin and directed by Jordan Thiem and Wes Ellis, the visual finds Beckmann performing in a moody, smoke-filled retro TV studio. There’s a seductive tension in the air as his baritone cuts through the swirling nostalgia — a subtle nod to the song’s Roy Orbison influence that Beckmann touched on in our interview.
The music video taps into that same duality — old-school heartache dressed in fresh storytelling. Wrapped in country swing and loneliness, it captures what Beckmann does best: making heartbreak feel beautiful, even when it stings.
While Whiskey Lies & Alibis marks Beckmann’s major label debut, he’s far from a newcomer. A proud Texan with deep musical roots, Beckmann has built his career the old-school way — playing over 100 shows a year, cutting his teeth on the Texas touring circuit, and learning from the legends who came before him.
“Back in 2018, 2019, I was opening up for Parker McCollum,” he recalls. “Back then he was selling 1,500 tickets, and now he’s doing 20 times that number. That really instilled in me that touring work ethic — and honestly, it’s kind of all I know.”
It’s a path Beckmann is proud of — and one that’s already paying off. “The really cool thing about new music coming out is getting to see fans learn the songs and sing them back to you,” he says. “Sometimes it’s only been out for a week, and the whole crowd already knows it. That’s crazy to me.”
When asked about his goals for the rest of the year, Beckmann keeps it simple: “Just to promote this record,” he tells us. “Try to sell out these shows, keep playing, and keep connecting.”
With Whiskey Lies & Alibis, William Beckmann isn’t just connecting — he’s cementing himself as one of country music’s most authentic new voices. It’s raw. It’s real. And it’s classic country, made for 2025.
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