Sam Williams Explains How Country's 'Outlaw Movement' Has Evolved Since His Grandfather Hank Williams (Exclusive)

The "Weatherman" singer stars in 'Rebel Country' alongside Jelly Roll, Lainey Wilson, BRELAND and more

Sam Williams is redefining the meaning of a country music outlaw.

In an exclusive clip from the upcoming documentary Rebel Country, premiering exclusively with PEOPLE on Friday, June 7, Sam opens up about challenging the status quo in country music by embracing his sexuality.

In the opening of the clip, Sam, who's the grandson of legendary country singer Hank Williams, is seen performing his confessional song "Tilted Crown."

"An outlaw in my grandfather's time was a very literal sense of, 'Don't mess with them or they're gonna shoot you,'" the "Weatherman" singer says.

He adds of his father and country singer Hank Williams Jr.: "My dad's generation... an outlaw movement was sex, drugs and rock and roll a little bit and kind of the glamour."

Related: Hank Jr.'s Son Sam Williams Redefines Country Outlaw as He Keeps Going for Late Sister Katie

With a career of his own, Sam has stepped into the outlaw movement with a different approach.

"And now, I just feel like being an outlaw is creating the type of music that is truly trying to represent yourself in music," the "Snow Angels" singer says.

Brooke Eden, a fellow queer country artist, then opened up about how artists like Sam inspired her to come out — in hopes of helping someone too.

"I think that the more and more people like Sam, who are brave enough to be themselves, the more people will realize it doesn't matter who your dad is or who your grandfather is, you're gonna be who you're gonna be," Eden says.

"We're in a new generation of people who believe truly in their heart of hearts that love is love. And I started to realize, maybe I need to come out so that it's easier for someone else to come out," she adds. "And it was kind of this wildfire. And then all of a sudden there was these openly gay country artists that were popping up on the scene."

Sam opened up about his sexuality and kissed another man — his boyfriend — on camera for the first time in his "Tilted Crown" music video in 2022.

Related: Sam Williams Drops New Cover of Grandpa Hank Williams, Hopes to Follow His Footsteps 'My Own Way' (Exclusive)

"At first I kind of thought that, 'I'm tackling something else with this.' And I thought that maybe that's for another project," Sam said during an episode of Apple Music's Proud Radio with Hunter Kelly. "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."

Sam stars in Rebel Country alongside artists like Jelly Roll, Lainey Wilson, BRELAND and more.

Rebel Country, which is premiering at Tribeca Film Festival on June 10, "explores how this diverse band [of artists are] challenging the culture of country music while also acknowledging their connection with Nashville's rebellious roots – those previous iconoclasts who broke the mold" according to the official synopsis.

Adding, "This is an exploration of how art and music reflect the times we live in. With archive footage featuring the original rebels such as Johnny Cash; contributions from musicians, historians, and journalists, and incredible live performances (including Jelly Roll's gig in a prison where he used to be incarcerated)."

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