Matthew Williams

Dr. Matthew Williams is a Lecturer in Music at the University of York’s School of Arts and Creative Technologies, serving as Chair of Undergraduate Admissions and a Future Voices Scholarship Mentor. He holds a PhD from the University of Bristol (thesis: Sacred-Secular, Gospel-Pop Crossovers) and an MA in Music (distinction). His research focuses on semiotics, popular music and religion, African diasporic music, and secularisation. He teaches undergraduate and postgraduate courses on topics like the History of African American Music and Semiotics, while supervising PhD students in related fields. His upcoming monograph, The Gospel Sound in Popular Music (Oxford University Press), explores secularisation and musical meaning-making. He has contributed to academic publications, presented at international conferences, and engaged in public-facing music analysis. Former roles include secondary school teaching and tutoring at the University of Oxford and Bristol.

Research interests emphasize Peircean semiotics applied to music’s meaning, the interplay between sacred and secular in popular genres, and African diasporic musical traditions. He critiques binary notions of secularisation through case studies like Coldplay’s use of gospel choirs and Stormzy’s spiritual themes. Teaching modules span critical listening, musicology, and diasporic musical histories.

Past conference engagements include presentations on gospel-pop crossovers at Baylor University and the University of Ghana, as well as lectures on spirituals and re-enchantment in contemporary music. His work bridges academic and public spheres, exemplified by his Conversation article analyzing Stormzy’s spirituality.