When William Joseph sat down to write the songs that appear on his new album Beyond, he had a very clear vision of how he wanted the music to sound. “I wanted it to be memorable,” he says. “I wanted it to be moving, inspiring, and thought-provoking.” William and his team, executive producer David Foster and producers Jochem van der Saag and William Ross, have accomplished all that and more on Beyond — a bold, confident collection of instrumentals that showcases the Phoenix native’s artistry as a musician, composer, and performer.

“This album is absolutely me,” says William, whose deft piano playing on Beyond is backed by a band and a 72-piece orchestra. “This record is cinematic — like the soundtrack to an epic film that has yet to be made. And then it goes beyond, and has these high-energy, driving melodies that are not only exciting to listen to, but also to perform live.”

The music — a genre-defying crossover mélange that has been described as “classical pop” — captures a variety of moods, from the dramatic, to the heart-wrenching, to the light and playful, and all performed with the emotional power and polished precision that William has become known for. His growing legion of fans has been devoted to him ever since the 2004 release of William’s debut album Within, which featured a mix of original compositions, inspired rock classics, and impassioned classical pieces.

“Within was a great learning process for me,” William says. “At that point, I had never played with an orchestra before, I had only written for piano. After Within, I saw the possibilities of working with orchestrators and programmers and my whole creative world opened up. I wrote the songs on Beyond knowing that I would have the instrumentation I love. Plus, I’ve grown a lot in the last four years, and I really feel like I’ve figured out what my sound is, and how to take what’s in my head and put it on the album.”

While he was composing, what was in William’s head was often expressed as raw emotion. “Most people, when they sit down to write, have a specific story or experience to write about,” William says. “When I sit down it’s purely about the music. I focus on the emotion and the melody, then go back and think about what this story is telling me.”