Billy Gilman: From the Heart

Big-voiced modern country music sensation Billy Gilman started singing when he was only three. He was performing in front of thousands by age 11 and sold over a million records at age 12 with his debut disc "One Voice". He admits that when he first started he was more like "stick boy" on stage but quickly warmed up to his appreciative audiences and made the whirlwind talk show circuit with appearances on Oprah and Larry King.

It was King who noticed a hopeful similarity in Billy's music and the award-winning poems of Mattie J.T. Stepanek, a 13-year-old boy most of whose family is stricken with Muscular Dystrophy. The result of the boys' collaboration is Billy's new album "Music Through Heartsongs" on which a great collection of songwriters, including Billy, set Mattie's inspiring poems to music. We spoke with Billy by phone from his home in Rhode Island.

While we were talking with him, Billy was told that Mattie, who had taken a turn for the worse and was in intensive care, was better and might be able to join his buddy for interviews in May.

Billy: Oh great! He's amazing. Doesn't matter if you are eight or eighty, you learn a lesson from him. He has a horrible disease but so much heart. 'How're ya doin', Mattie?", 'I'm fine. How are you?' He never dwells on what he is facing.

TeenMusic: Coming from Rhode Island, how did you get into country music?

Billy: That's all I knew when I was younger. My grandparents were big groupies on country music. Then, when I met Angela (his manager) when I was eight, she introduced me to a whole other type of music like the Big Band and Broadway showtunes. So I've loved that even since I was seven and a half, or eight. I just have love for all types of music now.

TeenMusic: What are the similarities between your songs and Mattie's poetry?

Billy: It's amazing. For people who don't know about Mattie, he's a young boy and I'm singing his poetry. He has an incurable disease and writes about and appreciates the simple things in life. He just so happens to have a disease that could kill him tomorrow.

TeenMusic: Had you read the poetry?

Billy: I hadn't but I knew of him. He'd been on t.v., on Oprah, Good Morning America. I didn't know about his poetry until the Larry King show. Angela called me up and said wouldn't it be great if we could put these poems to music? I was like okay. I was very excited but a little timid. I didn't know how poems were going to sound put to music. It's not an ordinary thing. I was a little skeptical but let's see what happens. Later on that week she called my manager in Nashville, Scott and he was already up on Mattie's books.

TeenMusic: How did you pick which poems?

Billy: Nashville got the [song]writers together and said 'go buy the books and see which one speaks to you.' [at this point, Angela elaborates]. Mattie had a couple of selections he would love to have put to music. He wanted "I Am" because that's Mattie. It just sums up what he's about and what he believes.

TeenMusic: Billy, what is your favorite track on the new album?

Billy: I love the two I wrote, of course, that's only natural. They're "About Memories" and "About Watches". I love "About Memories" because it's very big and lush and "Gift of Color" . Each of them has its own individuality so it's hard to choose.

TeenMusic: Your music usually mixes country and pop. Are you happy with that combo?

Billy: In the studio I just tend to sing all different types of things as opposed to one main genre. For a while, I'm going to stay with all the mixed types but who knows where this project will lead me? There are so many possibilities. Whatever will be will be.

TeenMusic: What is in your CD player now?

Billy: Get ready.. Bon Jovi, Tim McGraw, Streisand and Manilow. That's a big mix from Bon Jovi to Manilow. I just have a big musical background. I'm just mesmerized by good music.

TeenMusic: You're 15 in May. Has your voice changed a lot? Do you worry that it might change again?

Billy: (in very deep voice) Well, I ...it's really changed. I've lost four high notes but I've gained four low notes. I just moved a couple of notches down the piano. I didn't drastically change like an octave or two octaves, thank God. I'd have to start singing "omm pa pa, you know". I don't think it'll change much more but it might drop a couple of notes.

TeenMusic: Who are you dying to do a duet with?

Billy: Any of those people in my CD player. I'll put it that way. [asks my faves of the ones he mentioned.. I say Streisand and Bon Jovi]. I love that big string stuff but I love the rock 'n roll.

TeenMusic: What is the most important lesson you've learned so far in lie and who taught it to you?

Billy: [without hesitation] Mattie. He really has taught me a lesson. Just 'don't sweat the small stuff just take what you have'. Look at him. He's got this life-threatening illness. He's lost three siblings to the disease and his mother has it and is wheel-chair ridden. My voice was cracking and I used to complain so bad. Compared to Mattie's problems..nothing. That's a lesson.

TeenMusic: What are the most important qualities in a girl you would like to date and what are your ideal date activities?

Billy: I'd have to say great personality, fun to be with yet can be serious. I'd go to the movies...toiletpaper people's houses ..no, no don't print that, go to a fun restaurant. Just hang out.

TeenMusic: Are you tutored and, if so, do you think you are missing anything not going to public school?

Billy: I am tutored and like every kid I hate it....just kidding. Even though I quit regular school when I was in sixth grade, I like this better. I go three hours and kids would say 'That's not fair. We have to go six'. But it's even harder because you are one-on-one. You can't make faces at each other or the teacher. You can't throw spitballs. It's a lot tougher than you think.

TeenMusic: Your favorite subject?

Billy: I hate social studies. Every time there's a test I forget. There's so many events. I like science. I like the experiments. Math....NO. I know letters and I know numbers but when they start mixing them together that's when it all goes bad. I like the reading and writing. That's my favorite.

TeenMusic: What in life, do you do really well and what really badly?

Billy: Talking I do very well. Jokes I do pretty well. I like to make people laugh. And bad...picking up after myself clothes wise. It's strewn all over the hotel bed.

TeenMusic: What is your songwriting process?

Billy: I write the music and then write the lyrics to fit in with the timing and the rhyming and melody. On this new record we had to fit the melody with the lyrics and it was hard because it was poetry. It didn't have timing or rhythm but the writers outdid themselves and did really great. When I wrote the two songs for this album, we did two songs in about six hours which isn't bad at all. But after the third hour, I was like 'do whatever you want. I'm tired'. It's fun. You're exploring music, combining music together, experimenting.

TeenMusic: You are now involved with the MDA association. What are your duties?

Billy: When I first met Mattie, February 15th of this year, I was down in Washington at his first annual Heartsongs gala and one of the people from MDA asked me if I would like to be the National Youth Chairperson. I was like 'of course'. It's such a great cause. My responsibilities are to acknowledge the kids that are finding a cure and volunteering their time to help out for summer camp. To inform people of the 43 other MDA diseases and to find a cure. Always searching. We're visiting a lot of clinics everywhere we go.

TeenMusic: Do you have any interest in being in films or t.v.?

Billy: On this record I kind of had to act while I was singing. I had to portray Mattie's life. I'd get depressed sometimes because you can get in that low of singing too many slow songs and especially all those message songs. After the recording was done I walked out of the booth and went, ''Where's my drama series, I could win a Golden Globe or an Emmy'. When you're on t.v. you can cry or laugh and talk about when Jamie died but when you're recording, you have to cry in your throat. (with your voice). It's a lot harder.

TeenMusic: What is your favorite movie and actor or actress?

Billy: My recent favorite is Chicago. The score, the dancing. It's like being at the Broadway show. Angela wanted to stand up and cheer. You are drawn into it. It doesn't get boring. My favorite actress or actor....I'm a comedy person. If I were ever to do a movie it would have to be comedy so I would say Dudley Moore. He was one of the best in Arthur...that was so good.

TeenMusic: What would you do for a career if you weren't singing?

Billy: I would have definitely gone to college. Maybe an entertainment lawyer, I'd probably still be in the music business, a manager or an A&R person. Something involved with the music business.

TeenMusic: Do you have any pets at home?

Billy: Yes I do. I have three cats and one dog. The dog's name, and this is only because I knew my mother was going to call his name out in public.. Whizzer. He's a two year old pug. Then I have a black and white cat named Zoey and I have a fat sucker.. a yellow cat. His name is Taz. We have Oscar, he's a gray cat. That's enough, you know?

TeenMusic: You had a very early success. Are you worried about keeping it going?

Billy: I think every artist worries about that. I was on every show. I was on Rosie, Oprah all in a period of four months. Right after that it was like 'what happened?' You always fear that. You just have to go with the flow and see what happens. Everything goes around in cycles.

TeenMusic: Is there a message you hope to get across with the "Music Through Heartsongs" album?

Billy: Hopefully Mattie will be a peacemaker when he grows up but 'play after every storm' is Mattie's philosophy and his motto. You can hear it in most of the songs. It's so true. He goes through one death experience after another and he does play. He really does. It's incredible for a 13-year-old.

TeenMusic: Is there a message you would like to tell other teens?

Billy: Just follow your dreams. If you want to be a singer go for it. If you don't want to do it, you'll just throw it away if it isn't your passion. So whether you want to be a dancer or a doctor or a singer, just follow your dreams.

Check out Billy's Website

***

Lynn Barker is a Hollywood-based entertainment journalist and produced screenwriter.