Photo of Joy Williams performing on 'Late Night with Seth Meyers,' by Lloyd Bishop
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Joy Williams of the former duo The Civil Wars has shared an emotional new cut off her forthcoming solo album, Venus, in the form of "Until the Levee."

Providing some context to the song, which was the second of nearly 80 she wrote for the album, Williams said: “I heard a quote once, I think originally by Eleanor Roosevelt, that said, ‘A woman is like a bag of tea…you never know how strong she is until she’s put in hot water.’ When I was writing ‘Until the Levee,’ I felt like I was swimming in that hot water. Everyone was asking about the abrupt end of the Civil Wars, I was trying to sort out a new rhythm as a new mother, fighting for my marriage which was going through a major overhaul, and reeling over my Dad’s terminal cancer diagnosis. I felt like I was up to my eyeballs in it all. There was a battle within myself ... This was one of the first moments I chose to stand there, determined to get through to the other side.”

Venus is due to release on June 30 via sensibility/Columbia Records and is available now for pre-order.

In the meantime, listen to "Until the Levee" below (via EW) and watch Williams' performance on Late Night with Seth Meyers (Monday night) above as soon as it is available.