William Prince wants it that way

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This article was published 27/09/2023 (802 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

William Prince has dropped two new songs Wednesday as part of a program with Spotify.

The Peguis First Nation country-folk singer-songwriter, who has almost 235,000 monthly listeners on the streaming service, released his version of I Want It That Way, the 1999 Backstreet Boys’ hit, and a new rendition of Young, from his 2023 album Stand in the Joy, on Spotify Singles.

Hearing Prince’s velvety baritone transform I Want it That Way from a ’90s boy-band standard into a track that fits neatly into his catalogue might be jarring for Backstreet Boys fans, but count Prince among those who love the original, which was produced by Swedish hitmaker Max Martin.

“I’m such a Max Martin fan and though it’s impossible to replicate the sound, you can do your best to replicate the feeling of a great song. I Want It That Way is a great song,” Prince says in a Six Shooter Records release.

“Being chosen to have a Spotify Single is a massive compliment and I’m thrilled we got to re-create a song that brings so much joy.”

Prince’s alternate take of Young cranks up the tempo on the original, giving the song a more celebratory mood.

Both tracks were recorded at No Fun Club Studios on Wall Street and produced by Winnipeg’s Boy Golden, a fellow artist with Toronto’s Six Shooter Records label.

More than 300 artists have released songs with the Spotify Singles program since it began in 2017, including country artist Margo Price, pop singer Noah Kahan and classical pianist Lang Lang.