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IT STARTED WITH A KISS  The first time Danny Myers had any inkling that his daughter Billie was making a bid for pop stardom was in a frantic transatlantic phone call.  A
relative was on the line from Canada asking him: "Why is our Billie
on the television?"
The 27 year old still doubles up with laughter at the memory. "I
didn't even tell my Dad what I was doing", she says. "He kind
of flipped out, bless him. And he sulked that I hadn't told him I was on
TV - not that he would have been able to watch it anyway. Nobody, least
of all me, expected to be performing on television. My friends just
think I'm a lucky bugger." When
Billie returned home to Coventry to give her stunned father an
explanation, her debut single Kiss The Rain had gone straight into the
charts at No. 4."He
took me into the kitchen and told me that he knew about the music
business, he knew about pressures, and he didn't want me taking drugs,"
she recalls. "I felt five years old again."Though
its clear she adores her father, Biilie's upbringing was hardly ideal.
her parents split up when Billie was three and she spent several years
with foster families before being reunited with her father. She gets
angry that her childhood is constantly raked over for clues to her
creative life, although the experience clearly informs her music. "I'm
not some sort of cliche screw-up," she insists.On
the day of our meeting Billie's holed up in a dimly-lit hotel room
recovering after scratching the cornea in her eye. She's in blue
pyjamas, her eyes hidden behind dark glasses, and she admits she's been
feeling sorry for herself. But still, she's willing to chat, so we carry
out our conversation in the gloom with her tucked in bed. | Billie,
who's new single, Tell Me, is out now, admits the idea of pop stardom
started as a joke. She originally wanted to be a lawyer but went nursing
before moving to London to sell insurance. then, following a chance
meeting with legendary writer-producer Pete Q Harris in a nightclub, she
started to take the thought of a career in music seriously."It
started of as a laugh, a couple of hours a week trying my hand at
singing. It was a lark. When I signed a publishing deal with EMI I
realised I had to decide whether to take it seriously.
I gave myself a year. The money they gave me was enough to cover the
mortgage for a year and I worked it out to the last penny. Then, just as
the last penny was about to roll away, I got a recording contract with
Universal.I
work a lot harder now than I ever did before - although I think I'm more
of a geek than before. I'm still deadimpressed by everything.
Ironically, I probably had more freedom when I was in insurance. In the
music business, everything is mapped out for you so you're in the right
part of the world at the right time. It's hard, but right now I'm a one
hit wonder although I do have a steely resolve. I'm quietly confident I
won't be disappearing just yet."
Although Billie has been compared with American female songwriters like
Alanis Morisette, Sheryl Crow and meredith Brookes, she is determined to
stress her British roots. "Its
important that I'm successful here - I'm English and I'm proud of that,"
she explains. "This is my home. Being successful here is more
important than being a success in America, although in financial terms,
America's the place. But here is where my family and friends are. I
always get a smile on my face when I get on the plane home."The
video for Tell Me is something her American rivals may have baulked at -
a no holds-barred collage of sexual fanatasies which had her record
company reaching for the smelling salts."It's
a very shy, laid back piece," she laughs. "I had so much fun
doing it. There I am with hair extensions, huge boobs, dressed up as a
dominatrix. It was two days of sheer fun.
I wouldn't necessarily do any of these things in the privacy of my own
bedroom, although I'll do it in front of millions of TV viewers. Hmmm,
that's a bit worrying, isn't it? What will the shrinks say? At least my
Dad hasn't seen it. I'm so glad he hasn't got MTV!" - article by Richard Wallace, A-list, July 17 1998 |
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