Project Description
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Interview with
BILLON DAILEY
(12th December 2021)
Interview by Dave Bruce
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Billon Dailey is the newest incarnation from singer-songwriter, Dylan Bailey. It took years to come up with such a deeply, profound artist name.
In 2020 Dylan had been working at a church, and was heavily involved. His love for music had always been a big part of his life, but the pressure of writing Christian music and keeping up that appearance of perfection, was snuffing out the creative flame. As the pandemic happened, and he watched his mentor get fired, he came to the realization that life is too short to waste on what you don’t love. Near the end of the year he had spiritual journeys and experiences that helped him reconsider and reflect on his life’s ultimate direction. Punch Me in the Face was born out of the urge to be himself. To write how he thought. It was a way to explore what made him who he is.
2021 had Dylan writing, recording, producing, mixing and mastering an entire album by himself–in a room that was far too small. From start to finish you can hear the earnest honesty in his writing. The start of the album is an explosion of sound that kicks off the beginning of an intense journey. As the album progresses, we go from anxiety, to existential crises, and ultimately landing on hope as the ending track, “Minutes We Don’t See” plays out.
Punch Me in the Face is an album filled with love that wrestles with what it feels like to be confined and afraid to speak out.
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Have you always wanted to be a musician? When did you get the song-writing bug?
Since I was a child, I had loved music and wanted to create it. I started with FL Studio when I was 15, making horrible dance music. It was around 2012 that I began to experiment with actual songwriting and quickly grew to love it. Robin Pecknold (Fleet Foxes) and Kristian Matsson (The Tallest Man on Earth) were pivotal in my discovery of songwriting.
How would you describe your sound? Why do you think people resonate with your music?
With this project, billon dailey, I’ve tapped into my love of folk and pop to create something that’s unique and fun for any listener to experience. I worked hard to be honest with the songs I wrote for this album, and each person that’s listened has been able to connect to a song on it. It’s the greatest feeling for me, as a songwriter.
Which artist’s music and/or performance, past or present, inspires you today?
My biggest inspiration, over the past few years, has been Father John Misty. Josh Tillman’s songwriting, performance and backstory has set the foundation for me as I began working on this project.
Your new album “Punch Me in the Face” has just been released! Describe its origin and evolution.
Punch Me in the Face was born out of a desire to truly express myself as not only an artist, but a person. I had been working at a church and saw my passion for music slowly dwindle in front of my eyes. The illusion of perfection and writing songs that literally repeated and said the same things, was the worst thing for me, as a songwriter. My chords, my lyrics and my direction with writing songs for the church, was an endless loop of repeats. I wrote the title track of the album first, and it was the catalyst to realizing I don’t have to write the same thing repeatedly. I can say whatever I want.
What are the signature tracks on the album, and which is your favorite?
For me, the signature tracks are: Punch Me in the Face, Ghosts at My Door, Crooked Teeth & Minutes We Don’t See. The title track is what began the process of writing this album, Ghosts is what I wrote when I had an entire month of anxiety and panic attacks, Crooked Teeth is a song about the underbelly of church leadership & Minutes We Don’t See is the song that wraps up the entire album with hope about the future and life.
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Any tours or events coming up soon? What are you looking forward to, and what can the fans expect?
As the album releases, I am beginning to look into setting up a small southeast US tour. I’ve only played local venues, so I am excited to step out further!
How has COVID affected you to date? What have you introduced to balance the losses from missed events?
COVID has been a blessing and a curse. The curse being I was unable to play venues/live shows. The blessing was this album. I wouldn’t have written it had the pandemic not happened and the world began to crash around everyone.
If you could perform with any music artist, Alive or Dead, who would you choose? And why?
Performing with Father John Misty is literally on my bucket list. My man-crush for Josh Tillman knows no bounds.
Do you have any long-term aspirations as a music artist?
I want to continue to grow as a songwriter and producer. I am actively writing and producing, because I want my follow-up album to be an even bigger step forward.
What is the best thing about performing to a live audience? What’s been the career highlight so far?
The highlight is having the crowd singing together. When the ebb & flow of hundreds of people are in sync, it’s an absolutely beautiful moment.
Finally, a few questions for some quick answers –
FAVOURITE:
Album – Fear Fun by Father John Misty
Artist – Father John Misty
Movie – Secret Window
Place to visit – North Carolina
Venue to play – Murray Hill Theatre
Food – Egg Sandwich
Drink – Cream Soda
Person in History – Søren Kierkegaard
Tattoo – (If you don’t have one, what would you get?) No tattoos currently, but I am planning to get this:
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Follow BILLON DAILEY
Bandcamp – Facebook – Twitter
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