A Chat with Billianne (04.09.35)
With a nod of approval from the likes of Taylor Swift, Oprah, P!nk, Michael Bublé, and The Lumineers, singer-songwriter Billianne is already turning heads of high-flyers in the entertainment industry. She enchanted us with her single, ‘Baby Blue’, but today we speak with her about her new album, Modes of Transportation, what music means to her, compliments and more.
OSR: Cliché as anything, but what drew you to music? Why did you opt for a musical career?
Billianne: I think what drew me to music was that I loved singing. It’s actually probably as simple as that. I can’t imagine my life without writing music and singing music.
OSR: What does music mean to you?
Billianne: To me, music is connection, that’s the first thing I think of when I think of music. Some of my earliest and fondest memories of listening to an album are so vibrant because I listened with my siblings. It’s about the connection for me; loving the same song as someone else can begin a friendship.
OSR: You recently released your album, Modes of Transportation. What can you tell us about the album? Is there a backstory or theme?
Billianne: Modes of transportation is the theme of the album. Each song is a place I was in over the course of the last three years. Each song is a step in me becoming who I am today. It’s all about noticing the change in myself every time I leave and come back home again, every time I arrive somewhere new, every time I’m on a new mode of transportation.
OSR: What was the most exciting and the most challenging aspect of creating Modes of Transportation?
Billianne: The most exciting aspect of creating the album was discovering different strengths of my voice. I thought I knew my voice pretty well before going into recording this album, but I quickly realised I didn’t know it really. I knew it in the folk genre, but because this album spans across many genres, it was difficult along the way for me when figuring out how to sing these songs. It was a lot of fun at the end of the day, but it was definitely challenging. I do think all the different genres are what make it exciting to me. So I guess singing in different genres on one album is a double-edged sword in that way.
OSR: I know musicians say they wouldn’t change anything about their EPs or albums, but if you had to, what would you change?
Billianne: The one thing I would change about my album, which may be an annoying non-answer, but it would be that I want to add more songs. I originally wanted the album to be at least 12 songs. We started cutting songs, so there’s a lot of songs left over in various computers that I’d love to release one day. They just didn’t fit this record.
OSR: What do you hope people take from this album, and what does it mean to you?
Billianne: From this album, I hope people find comfort in it. And know that they’re not alone, and being a sentimental person who reminisces about everything. I also want people to understand aspects of me that I haven’t really shared online, like how I grew up an outgoing kid, and turned into a wallflower in high school, and really this whole album process and getting into the music industry has been a re-finding of that outgoing little girl.
OSR: If you were to introduce a new listener to your music, which song would you recommend?
Billianne: A new listener should listen to my song ‘Jessie’s Comet’! I’m so proud of this song and where it landed to me. It’s everything I want to do with music. There are a couple of songs like that on the record, but I think this one’s a really special one and a great place to start.
OSR: What is the best compliment you’ve ever received?
Billianne: I’ve always been told I am a calm person. I used to not like hearing this because I took it as a negative thing, like I wanted to be electric or the life of the party, not calm. Now I realise it’s actually kind of a powerful thing to have – to bring people calmness and peace. I do find it a funny compliment, though, because I am not usually calm in my own head. I’m actually quite anxious in most new situations.
OSR: Gigs can be transformative experiences. What is your most memorable performance to date, and why that show?
Billianne: The most memorable performance so far for me actually was very recently. It was my release show for my album. It was in Toronto in a packed small venue in the city. Filled with my family and my friends and industry folk. Everyone was singing the lyrics back to me really loudly. That was actually my first taste of that. I can’t wait to have more memories like that because that was so cool.
OSR: Along with the album, do you have any plans for the rest of the year?
Billianne: For the rest of the year, I am going on tour. I have a bunch of shows this fall, so that’ll be my main focus. We’re gonna play a lot of these songs for the first time with a live full band arrangement across the US, Canada in the UK and Ireland. I’ll also be trying to find downtime as much as I can. It’s been a very busy time and I really try to savour any quiet moment I can.
OSR: Do you have a message for our readers?
Billianne: Get home safe, wherever you’re going!
Many thanks to Billianne for speaking with us. Find out more about Billianne on her official website, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Spotify.
