RS: Let's see what we can do about that. OK, you're working on
two albums right now, an Opiates album and a solo album.
Billie Ray Martin:: Yes.
RS: How do they compare?
Billie Ray Martin:: The Opiates album is almost done; I just have to
finish one song. We're getting such great reactions with this project;
the press has been just incredible. It's been a bit like when
Electribe 101 started, and the press was falling over themselves,
describing the sound. This is happening with my Opiates album, so it's
great. Hopefully I'll find a label – that'll be my next thing, now
that it's done. Then my own album, it had to wait because I was busy
doing the other one; and also I'm a little bit lazy with that, to be
honest. My new single, "Standing By The Mirrorball," I have to mix it
now. This is number one on my list, now that I just have to finish
mixing it. Then at least the single is ready. With the album, to be
honest, I've got about eight tracks to do, and I'm still looking for
the right producer, co-producer. That's one other reason I wanted to
wait. I didn't want to do different tracks with different people, and
then come up with really mixed results. I really want one or two
people who I can do the whole album with.
RS: On The Opiates stuff, the sound – is it more dark, ambient,
like an Electribe 101 kind of stuff?
Billie Ray Martin:: It's not ambient but people say it's like
Electribe 101. It makes me think, "Wow, if that's what people think,
then that's a good thing." It's definitely dark, but it's also pop.
There are a couple of songs which are a little more ambient, but
generally it's with beats and the whole thing. Yes, it's dark but it's
also pop, and the stories are very, very sick. It's really "Billie
Ray Martin lets it rip," you know? Like I can do what I want. I sing
all about all the stuff that I really want to sing about, without
worrying whether anyone's going to get it or not. It's great.
RS: Is that why it's being done under the name of The Opiates, as
opposed to being a Billie-Ray Martin album?
Billie Ray Martin:: No, because I met with my co-producer of this
album, with Robert, and knew it wasn't going to be a Billie Ray Martin
thing. I wanted to involve him as much as possible in the whole thing.
And so we decided it would be a project, and gave it a different
name. "The Opiates" I came up with because there's an album called The
Opiates by a guy that actually goes under the name of Anywhen and this
is one of my favorite albums. I wondered, and I thought for two or
three years, that if this name was free and it didn't belong to
anyone, wouldn't that be amazing? Then I did some research and it
didn't belong to anyone, the name I'd dreamed about. So it was more
like, if it wasn't going to be a Billie-Ray Martin pop album, it was
going to be something else, and I wanted it to have a different name.
RS: What are the intended release dates for The Opiates album and
the Billie-Ray Martin album?
Billie Ray Martin:: Good question. The Opiates album – I want to find
the perfect label. We've got a great distributor, Kudos Records in the
UK, and they would gladly help put this out. But before I decide to
go that way I want to see if a major label will pick this up. There's
a couple of potential singles, about three songs on this album, which
to me sound like hit records, and I really want to see if I can aim
high with this, before I do the whole indie-swingy thing. You know,
start at the top, work my way down, and see what happens. So there's
no release date as yet. With the Billie-Ray Martin album, I have no
idea, but the new single, "Standing By The Mirrorball," will be ready
very soon and then hopefully it will come out. I'm going to say promos
at the end of the year, but when people watch my MySpace page, I'm
definitely going to put promos there as soon as it's done, some sneak
previews and stuff like that.
RS: Being such a strong visual performer, what are your plans for
the visual presentation of The Opiates?
Billie Ray Martin:: Unfortunately, with visual presentation you're
looking at budgets, so I haven't gone into it too deeply. But I
really, really have a strong idea about how to do visual backdrops,
like films and things. There's a song about "The Tenant," by Roman
Polanski -- a girl with plastic surgery, and it's giving her all these
ideas. So each song is like a film in itself, and each song is about a
person that has a name and who you can actually visualize. So I really
feel like I want some projections, you know, that I almost fade into
the background. Or maybe I'm projected upon from the front, and then I
want visuals and stuff. But, you know, it's early days with all that,
and whichever way I can perform it I will do it, to get it out there.
Then hopefully the budget will come to do something a little more
elaborate.
RS: That relates also to the videos, too – if the budget comes,
then the video will come?
Billie Ray Martin:: True, yes.
RS: Any plans for coming to the States any time soon?
Billie Ray Martin:: I would love to. When you haven't got a big, big,
big, big commercial hit record, you don't really do tours because,
again, budgets aren't there. I was in the States last year; I did a
lot of DJing at great clubs, like DJs Are Not Rock Stars, and a Larry
Tee club. I DJed at a lot of great clubs. I know I'm coming over next
year. This year I'd love to come, but it all depends on what happens
with my new single, I guess.
