Marlon Williams

Marlon Williams (born December 31, 1990 in Christchurch, New Zealander) is a New Zealand singer-songwriter of Maori descent, currently living in Melbourne, Australia. Discovering music at a young age, Marlon Williams performed in the choir of the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, touring Europe between 2009 and 2010. At 17 years of age, he founded The Unfaithful Ways, with a group of fellow high school classmates and school science teacher, Simon Brouwer and the band attracted considerable success in a short amount of time, playing the Big Day Out festival, and nominated for a New Zealand Music Award in 2011. It was during this year that Marlon Williams met country singer Delaney Davidson and the two formed a duo, releasing three-album series Sad But True: The Secret History of Country Music Songwriting, winning the New Zealand Country Album of the Year in 2013. Soon after, Marlon Williams left to pursue a solo career, moving to Melbourne and releasing his debut self-titled solo album in April 2014 to critical acclaim. His 2018 album Make Way for Love, reached number 1 and certified gold in his home country and peaking at number 8 on the ARIA charts with the album earning him two awards for Best Solo Artist and Album of the Year at the New Zealand Music Awards. Shortly after, Marlon Williams appeared in the hit Hollywood film A Star is Born at the invitation of director Bradley Cooper, before embarking on his world tour, recording Live at Auckland Town Hall, releasing this as a double album in 2019. In 2022, Marlon Williams returned with hit single “Don’t Go Back” from his fourth studio album My Boy, once again securing the top position on the New Zealand Album Charts and peaking at number 10 in Australia. Te Whare Tīwekaweka, his first Māori-language album, arrived in 2025, featuring Lorde on the single "Kāhore He Manu E."