FROM THE ROAD: BILLIANNE at SXSW
INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW
OUR “FROM THE ROAD” SERIES TAKES A VIBRANT TURN WITH A CANADIAN SINGER-SONGWRITER BILLIANNE, who captured her recent SXSW experience through the unique lens of a Lomography Simple Use camera. Billianne's images offer a fascinating glimpse into the heart of the festival, reflecting the non-stop energy and creative immersion she encountered. As she describes it, "SXSW was incredible! There was never a dull moment. I kept relating it to being on an arts school campus." The photos showcase the "chaos" and excitement of those four days, from the performances to the late-night adventures.
Adding to this momentum is the release of Billianne's single, "Future Emma. This track, which follows her previous success with "Enough" and her performance on Kelly Clarkson, further establishes her as an artist to watch. “Future Emma" touches on "problems and life altering situations that most people aren't dealing with in their early 20s," showcasing Billianne's ability to tackle meaningful themes in her music.
Read below to learn all about Billianne’s SXSW experience, the creative process behind "Future Emma," and her artistic aspirations for the future.
LUNA: Looking back at some of the pics from SXSW and reflecting, what was your SXSW experience like this year?
BILLIANNE: SXSW was incredible! There was never a dull moment. I kept relating it to being on an arts school campus. I’ve never been on one but that is the energy I got from Austin during SXSW. It felt a bit like we lived 10 lives in 4 days and you can see that in the chaos of the pics.
LUNA: Can you share a favorite memory from your time in Austin?
BILLIANNE: My favourite memory was probably getting burgers after a the Germany showcase show. We found out that day that the Rolling Stone wrote about our set the day prior so we felt famous and cool. Always nice to celebrate with a warm night walk to go get some yummy food.
LUNA: "Future Emma" is described as a cathartic and cinematic track about dealing with significant life changes at a young age. Can you elaborate on the inspiration behind this track?
BILLIANNE: Yeah! Future Emma is about longing for certainty and also for every day simple problems to become the largest problems in your life! It was based on some really hard life circumstances my friend was going through and is just the feeling of “you shouldn’t have to deal with this stuff at such a young age”.
LUNA: The title "Future Emma" suggests looking towards hope. How does this theme of hope manifest in the lyrics and the soaring musicality of the song?
BILLIANNE: The lyrics are very hopeful! I love the statement “before you know, you’re gonna know” it’s a little reminder that time passes and everything reveals itself and settles in eventually. And yeah the instrumental has a cinematic arch to it! It may sound silly but, we always bring up the moment of someone hitting a home run and seeing all the faces in the stands in slow motion watch the ball then looking back down to the runner.. it pairs so well with the songs outro. Many times my collaborators Duncan Hood and Nick Ferraro would act out this visual in slow-mo in whatever living room we happened to be in while working on the song. Made me laugh and made me love the song more. To me, by the end of the song (when that distorted vocal comes in) it’s almost spring and the light is showing, the home run is happening!
LUNA: How do you feel your vocal performance on "Future Emma" showcases your growth as an artist?
BILLIANNE: Out of all the songs in my musical hard drives and catalogs, I think I’m most proud of my voice on this song! And proud of how I’ve grown in finding new sounds to my voice, or rather, letting what I knew I could do soar on this song. I remember when I first started releasing music I was hesitant to decide on a “genre” or a “box” to go in, I felt I’d be locked in. Little did I know I’d be able to explore so much so early and find so many facets of my sound. I also grew in my decision making, it’s a huge part of this job and this song required a lot of that! I’m just overall proud of this song for what it is but like you mentioned proud for how it showcases my growth and what my voice has to offer.
LUNA: Following the success of "Enough" and your performance on Kelly Clarkson, how does "Future Emma" fit into the overall sonic landscape you're crafting for your upcoming debut LP?
BILLIANNE: This context of the album is still a little bit of a secret right now so I don’t want to give away too much! To me Enough is a ballad and maybe has a life on its own. It’s all still taking shape at this point but we’re so close and Future Emma is a pillar of a few sounds you’ll find on the album. I’m very excited about all of them and we’ve found fun ways to tie it all together which I’ll reveal soon!!
LUNA: You'll be performing at The Great Escape festival soon. How do you approach a festival vs playing a normal club/venue show?
BILLIANNE: Festivals I approach with a larger band usually (at least at this point in my career)! Happy to say I’m bringing my band over, so we can do songs like Future Emma and take up lots of space. Festivals also bring fun because you get to watch a lot of performances so I’m always excited to do them and find new artists! And eat and hang out with the band all day!
LUNA: With your debut album on the horizon in 2025, what intentions do you have for this spring season?
BILLIANNE: This spring we are finishing that album! In the final stages and it’s really nerve wracking! I keep forgetting about how many songs of mine people have never heard and then I get excited and then I get nervous. My intentions also always include some home time, and seeing lots of shows and staying inspired through it all. But first is getting back on the road again touring with Amber Run in the UK in May! Can’t wait for the rest of this year!
