BILLIE MARTEN | INTERVIEW
This Yorkshire solo artist has come a long way from her initial, YouTube cover version-fuelled route to notoriety, as demonstrated on her third and latest album Flora Fauna. Word to the wise, her name’s not really Billie… unlike Billie Ingram Sofokleous, who spoke to her about this and more.
Isabella Sophia Tweddle, though marvellously named, becomes Billie Marten in her pursuit of music. “In normal life, we’d probably be sat having a coffee,” she says to me as we prepare to discuss Flora Fauna: an escape of an album that harnesses joy after the copious amounts of darkness recently.
How did you create your stage name?
No-one’s asked me that! My name was difficult to say and spell. Firstly, it was after John Martyn, a need for simplicity. When I started doing gigs, I found that there would be misspellings, abbreviations and no-one could find me on the internet – I wanted something simple and something important and that was Marten.
Does your stage name help you to have a persona?
I’m not entirely who I am when I’m singing the songs. It’s not a separate persona but it allows me to say things that I couldn’t say in normal life.
Which of your songs do you enjoy performing the most?
It’s normally the most recent; I imagine it’ll be Garden Of Eden as it’s the song that’s gonna kick off the set.
How does this album explore new ground for you?
The ground is incredibly new. To the point where I’m learning a new instrument. I’ve bought a new bass and I’d just play it like a guitar. Lyrically, I wanted to explore how I would write for audiences whereas before I was incredibly hunched, introverted and everything would be directed inwards. I was sending out a quiet whisper. Not looking at the floor, just looking out.
Really focusing on performance made a huge difference. It was incredibly liberating. The whole performance you’re giving, thinking about the language you’re using; whether you’re going to a minor or major key.
Whose music are you listening to at the moment?
KOKO and Domenique Dumont. Instrumentals for cooking or cleaning. I mean, what else have we been doing during the last year? I couldn’t deal with anyone’s words.
You’re touring from September, what are you most looking forward to?
I’m excited about playing with a band. That’s really nice. Seeing people in the flesh – seeing their little awkward faces. I’m excited about the smell of green rooms. The really inexcusable length of rider in the UK – half a packet of crisps and a green banana.
We’ve been watching an insane amount of The Simpsons. We bought each series through lockdown. Obviously we watched them as a kid but there are loads of niche jokes and I find new things each time I watch them. But they’re comforting.
What advice would you give to young musicians?
Say no most of the time. Just because someone tells you it’s gonna be really great it doesn’t mean it is. So, say no.
Is that the same advice you would give to your younger self?
Absolutely. If things or people make you feel weird then don’t work with them.
What would you say your creative process is like?
At the moment it’s very dormant! I think I find it really difficult seasonally – but it’s difficult anyway. My writing tends to be in the wintertime, because we’re indoors most of the time and not a lot to do. I’m a very sporadic writer – I’m not so good at the 9-5 method. I have to have a lot of experiences to then write it and give it back out to the world. Input versus output. It means I can do lots of living.
What music do you listen to when you need cheering up?
That’s lovely! [David Bowie’s] Hunky Dory. Every time. It’s one of the first things I ever heard and it quickly became my favourite album. There’s so many twists and turns that he takes, and they’re all good. Even when he’s trying to be melancholy, it’s so enormous, like Life On Mars – it’s a musical! Absolutely epic. I’d like to think he had no idea what he was doing.
Do you remember where you were when he passed away?
Really tragically, I was still in school – I woke up that morning, went for a run and I think I came straight home and listened to all his albums. A really important stranger.
What drew you to your record label?
I’m now signed with Fiction. We found each other during lockdown. Rather incredibly. I was having our daily conversation on a big walk with Tim Chancellor, our MD… oh no, France are calling me!
The allotted interview time is up so we say our goodbyes, but I managed to get some afterthoughts from Billie Marten not too long after, via email.
What have you found the most difficult thing to adapt to during lockdown?
I think I’m sad that it’ll take a serious amount of time for us all to find human interaction normal now: no touching, holding doors for people, picking up things strangers have dropped, sharing drinks or food or talking to people in queues. The mentality is very much every man for themselves right now, just on a day-to-day basis, and I hope we don’t lose that kindness that we had before.
I will say lockdown for the most part has been absolutely sublime and it definitely made me question my ability to be social for sure. I think we all needed that moment of stillness and reflection to carry on again.
Who would you love to see live now that restrictions have eased?
I’ve actually booked tickets to see Randy Newman come and play the Palladium, which will be absolutely magnificent, if he can get to us, so there we are.
Billie Marten’s new album Flora Fauna is released on Fri 21 May via Fiction. She also tours the UK from Thurs 16 Sept, including at Llwyn Isaf, Wrexham on Fri 8 Oct as part of FOCUS Wales (tickets: £12.50 from here).
Info: www.billiemarten.com
words BILLIE INGRAM SOFOKLEOUS photos KATIE SILVESTER