Billie Marten Press Conference
On March 30th, 1824 hosted a press conference with Billie Marten, a singer-songwriter who released her fourth album, Drop Cherries, on April 7th. Billie shared advice, the story of her stage name and what to expect from her newest album.
As a young singer-songwriter, Billie admits that she was very lucky to have received advice that helped her take creative control over her own music and career, instead of abiding by the music industry’s priority of artist relevance and success. “You know what is good and you must follow that instinct,” Billie starts off by saying. “And I think I’ve hit the boundaries of that instinct a couple of times and weighted myself as I sort of continued.” She goes on by giving advice that is important to musicians, like herself, striving to stay true to their own unique artistic processes. “No one is allowed to change your musical opinion. No one, unless it’s helpful, should be involved in the creative process.”
Billie was asked what words she’s typically heard or seen people use to describe her music. “I think ethereal and whimsical, and I get it. It comes with the tone, I guess, and the lyrical impact there, but it also implies to me that it’s weak, and that’s something that I’m trying to move away from, especially being a woman in music” she admits.
Billie touches on the origins of her stage name, “Billie Marten.” After having her last name, Tweddle, repeatedly mispronounced in her early years of doing gigs, she and her team made the collective decision to come up with a name other than Isabella Tweddle. “Marten came from a very familiar source. My dad’s favorite musician is John Martin, and so is mine. It’s kind of an ode to my dad and John Martin. I just changed one letter and now here we are!”
“The narrative here is much more kind of stable,” Billie says about her album, Drop Cherries, when comparing it to her previous album, Flora Fauna. “I would say that it’s more of a linear album. It doesn’t go far away from the core too much.” Billie goes in-depth about the direction she decided to take with this album. “Any reference to myself as the writer is a universal feeling. And that’s very much telling yourself that you are good and can do things despite what you feel.” She admitted that “It’s a real joy to have this new tone” with a smile.
Billie shares her perspective of working on Drop Cherries and how she never neglected a single detail of her artistry. “This is an album I worked really hard on and every single sound is directly important to me. I think if you’re ever making something it’s crucial to pay attention to the detail, even things that may not interest you. Everything from the artwork to the track listing to the videos is all important and all serves this purpose of making a whole piece.”
Listen to Billie Marten’s album, Drop Cherries, here.
