Today we’d like to introduce you to Billy Mick.
Hi Billy, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I am a gay singer/songwriter, singing songs about life, love, individuality and equality! I grew up in Jacksonville, Florida and moved to Orlando immediately following high school graduation. I’ve worked at theme parks and local theaters in various roles, including singer, dancer, and show director. In 2018, my husband and I traveled to Manchester, England and attended their Pride events. I was so inspired by the overwhelming sense of love, community and acceptance that I immediately went back to my hotel room at the Velvet and wrote “Flesh and Bone,” which would later become my first single. I just knew, after seeing so many diverse and talented performers on their musical stages, that the time was right to share my music with the world.
I released my first studio album, “Just B.,” last June during quarantine. Some of the songs were written many years ago, but all tell of my story growing up, searching for love, and becoming comfortable with who I am as a person. I worked on several videos for the album prior to and even during lockdown. And I could not be more proud of the work I put into it all.
I had the opportunity to perform live at Miss GayDays and Space Coast Pride in 2019 and last year, I participated in several national and international virtual Pride events. Most recently, I released my second album, “Leveling Up,” exclusively on Bandcamp.com – and this one is all about my journey and growth since returning from Manchester in 2018. I’m already working on my 3rd album and just wrapped shooting the video for “Leveling Up,” which is releasing at the end of June.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I mean, quarantine was a challenge, lol! What’s nice about working in Theme Parks and Theaters is that any challenge will be solved and the show will go on! When we went into lockdown, I was just releasing my single “Imitation of Life.” When it came time for the music video, my husband came up with a great idea to have our friends and family lip-sync the song while living their best lives in quarantine! Everyone had a great time participating and being creative – the video turned out to be a lot of fun!
Also, with quarantine, there was the problem of not being able to perform live. Luckily, people started figuring out how to put on virtual events. I jumped on every virtual show I could to show my support and flex my performance muscles. We created some amazing backdrops in our closet for each one, too! And because of quarantine, I ended up getting to perform for Prides all over the world! It was really cool!
But, I’d have to say the biggest struggle is trying to get my music out to the masses. I’ve made some great connections, especially in Canada and the U.K., but it’s a tough business to break into. I’m not one to throw in the towel, so I continue to look for avenues that will take me and my music to the next level.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I have been writing songs since I was very young. I played acoustic guitar at my elementary school and I lived for my Casio keyboards! I would sit down to my keyboard and put some pre-mixed arrangements together and just start singing. Actually, my songs “Angel” and “No Love Will Ever Do” off my first album were originally written when I was about ten years old. Of course my writing has greatly improved since I was ten. Now I sing about my life and my experiences; when you’re ten you don’t have a lot of those experiences to reference.
Something I have gotten some attention for recently are my jackets. When I started performing my own music, I knew I wanted bling and fringe but still keep things a bit Rock n’Roll. So the first jacket I made was the white one I wore for the cover of my first album, “Just B.” I made it to perform in for Inspire Orlando, which was this amazing showcase of talented Orlando Artists at The Venue. I talked to my photographer friend, Patrick Buckley with PB&J Studios, and he came up with great ideas for the shoot.
After that, I was offered the chance to perform at Miss GayDays and I made a red jacket with plenty of bling and fringe. After that, I knew I was onto something, so every time I have an idea for a jacket, I just go for it!
I am really proud of how far I have come over the last couple of years with myself as a singer/songwriter and as a performer. I think it took me a bit to fully realize where I wanted to go with my music, but I’m there now!
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
I honestly could not do any of this without three people. First and foremost, my husband, Brian! He is literally my everything. He films all of my music videos. We collaborate on everything; he takes care of my website, works with our video editor to get the videos edited. He is just amazing! Second person would have to be Dan Reynolds with SoundSeer! He is my sound engineer/collaborator/producer and the person that makes my songs always sound amazing! I build the songs in Logic, send Dan the individual tracks, I go to his place and we record. When we record, I’ll sing the song through and then Dan will say “sing something like this” or he will give me harmony to sing. Pretty soon after I have a trackback and my mind is always blown! We recorded the second album over this last year and already have three recorded for the next album.
Third-person is Chad Raucci! Chad edits all of our videos and he is a genius! Brian and Chad work out of Frame.io. Brian uploads all of the clips and Chad, within hours, sends us a first blush, which is always fabulous. Then Brian will go through the footage to make sure all the shots he wanted are good. Then I take a look at it for final approval, of course. I tend to not have any notes for them. I am made much better by these three gentlemen and I am so grateful for it!
Contact Info:
- Email: BillyMickMusic@gmail.com
- Website: https://www.billymick.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/billymickmusic/?r=nametag
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BillyMickMusic/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/BillyMickMusic1
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnDhp85VTy9LqPc5KsxsLng?view_as=subscriber
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/billy-mick
Image Credits
The photo of me in the white jacket sitting on a suitcase was taken by Patrick Buckley from PBandJ Studios http://pbandjstudios.com The one of me smiling with the sunglasses (rainbow shirt and sunflower jacket) was taken by Jose Cabranes of JCabranes Photography https://jcabranesphotography.pixieset.com
