Q&A: Get Up Close and Personal with Dance Diva BILLIE RAY MARTIN

Very cool! Dance diva Billie Ray Martin is set to release a new EP ‘Sold Life’ on April 26 – and Mikey got up close and personal with the diva who talks up her forthcoming album, new track ‘Sweet Suburban Disco,’ her foray into DJing, work with Junior Vasquez, forthcoming album with The Opiates, which sounds frickin’ awesome btw, and more:

*****Check out the FREE DOWNLOADS BILLY RAY MARTIN’s Offering at Her Official Site*****

M: Billie, thanks so much for taking the time to speak with me! “Sweet Suburban Disco” is your latest track, and it gives us everything we expect from classic Billie Ray Martin; a throbbing dance track with your signature hypnotic vocals. What’s the meaning behind this glorious track?

BRM: It’s a “noir” version of Saturday Night Fever’s theme, if you will. A woman who, to avoid dealing with the grimness of suburban life’s limitations, dances the nights away. Stopping would mean dying. Whether out of boredom or more severe mental distress remains the question…

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M: Junior Vasquez is a big fan of yours, and has remixed many of your past tracks; 18 Carat Garbage, Space Oasis, and Running Around Town to name a few. What is it about him that makes your working relationship such magic?

BRM: Junior has a great skill to slam a song to the floor, without losing it’s initial spirit. This skill makes his work timeless. It would be magic to see him go back in time right now and try some classic old-school vibes. Not jumping on the retro-bandwagon, but creating something beautiful, song-based and classic. He was one of the people who did that back then; it would be great!

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M: Recently, you’ve also begun taking some time behind the decks as a D.J.!  How different is it getting crowd reaction from behind the turntables as opposed to performing vocally for your audience?

BRM: DJ’ing is an instant high! First there’s the whole adrenaline – fear thing. What if I press the wrong button? Once you’re going, the feedback of the crowd is instant, no complicated judgments, just pure enjoyment! You go home with an achievement, if it went well, so it’s a rounded situation. You go in, you perform, and you go home with a result. Also you don’t have to dress up if you don’t feel like it; a bonus! Singing is more involved; it’s so physical that it becomes a more complicated experience.

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M: Who would you love to work with right now?

BRM: Me and the wonderful producer/writer/singer Colin Waterson are a production team. We’re working on my album songs. I’m most happy with this collaborative situation. Other than that, Beth Ditto (lead singer of “The Gossip”) maybe?

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M: You’ve always received so much love from the NJ/NYC area; the boys of NYC always love to hit the dancefloor to your tracks, and Larry Flick of Sirius OutQ is a huge fan! How are the fans of New Jersey/New York different from fans around the world?

BRM: They show love and are not holding back; I love this. They support and respect the artist and their efforts, they get it!  It’s a rewarding thing to play in front of NYC/New Jersey, but also U.S.A. audiences in general. In terms of my career highlight, which so far is “Your Loving Arms,” NYC feels like the number one home. It broke the song across the U.S.A.

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M: I remember coming out and “Your Loving Arms” was an anthem for myself and many of my friends dipping our toes in the “manpond” so to speak. Any words for the kids just coming out and hearing your music? (Muzo note: Did he just say ‘manpond?’ lol)

BRM: I am not very good at giving meaningful speeches. I try to let the music talk whenever I can. However, Colin and me wrote a song called “Soul Defender,” which is possibly the most direct lyric I’ve ever done. It talks about the kids not giving up in the face of haters. It was written as a response to the suicides in America of gay youths, which saddened me greatly.

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M: What’s next for Billie Ray Martin?

BRM: On April 26, I’ve got a collaboration EP coming out with Hard Ton. It’s going to be mad! It’s called “The Sold Life EP” and has 2 songs and various remixes.  Two months after that, The Opiates album comes out, which is our album under the name The Opiates, with Robert Solheim; it’s a full-length electronica album. It’s a most exciting time for me!