Billie Marten on Muses, Healing, Self-Love, and Her Newest Album ‘Drop Cherries’
British singer-songwriter Billie Marten has been in the public eye ever since a Youtube video of her blew up at the early age of twelve. With themes of social commentary, modernity, human relationships, and mental health, Billie Marten’s songs possess a depth and honesty that pulls the audience in. With the recent release of her fourth record, Drop Cherries, on April 7th, the artist is ready to share a sonic journey of her psyche with her audience. Encouraging listeners to love themselves before anyone else provides a positive message that can help listeners on the road of healing. Unpublished had the opportunity to sit down with Billie Marten in an exclusive press conference to talk about everything from the creation of Drop Cherries, her stage name, and muses, to healing, processing emotions, and true self-love.
Billie was asked to describe her own music and what she wants people to feel when listening to it, to which the singer responded that there is a wide variety of words to describe her music. She continued to express that a recent description she heard was “ethereal grunge” which she found to be “delightful”... She found that sometimes the descriptions she hears allude to her music being weak, which is something she is attempting to strive away from as being a woman in music can come with many incorrect assumptions from people. In a sense, these descriptions put her in a box and decide her narrative for her, instead of letting the music speak for itself and be whatever it wants to be. Despite the descriptions and assumptions, Billie continues to stay true to herself and create the music that she loves.
When asked about deciding on going by a stage name instead of her actual name, the artist described that it can create a sense of separation between her music and her personal life. The singer also explained that going by a stage name created fewer issues when it comes to pronunciation and mistakes surrounding her real name. Going by a stage name allows her to create a character that embodies what she wishes to share. Billie joyfully explained that her stage name is also an ode to her dad, whose favorite artist is John Martyn. By changing one letter, she was able to pay an homage, keep her musical influences with her, while staying true to herself and her craft.
The singer was asked about having a muse or where she finds her muse to which she responded: “I think muses can take all forms. I often had muses before I decided to tackle the subject of love. It was something I actively wanted to wait to talk about because I knew that my experiences weren’t necessarily the best ones or the right ones. A lot of that is kind of depicted in previous albums but I think I wanted more control in many ways on this album, and in doing that my muse was something that only I had experienced, but it also became a very communal feeling. So instead of talking about socio-political stuff or things around me, I realize that I was getting quite complainy and kind of stuck in a creative rut so it was a blessing to talk about someone else for a while. That was a relief.”
The singer expressed her process for each album, explaining that the newest album was made entirely on tape. While the second album was also made on tape, it was a full track machine, which creates a difference between the two processes. It was very minimal with around four things going on at once. She explained that she took inspiration from Elliott Smith and listened to Roman Candle quite a bit when creating the album, which sparked her creativity and love for music.
While discussing the shift from indulging in sadness on previous albums to then processing the experiences and creating a narrative, the singer honestly stated that, “I think I was still kind of lying on the last album in terms of processing what I was feeling and getting over that sadness and depictions of myself. I was very much still in that self-loathing era and battling with self-trust, and the narrative here is much more stable. It is more of a linear album and it doesn't draw away from the core too much. It’s a reminder that you are good and you can do things despite what you may feel, so it’s a real joy to get to have this new tone.” The new album appears to leave the singer more true to herself. It serves as a time of healing rather than a time of self-loathing, which creates an intriguing shift that takes listeners on a journey of being able to accept and love yourself. She mentions that this album is for anyone who did not believe love existed, because she didn’t either. It is for anyone who was born with a certain nihilism or cynicism, and for them to learn to enjoy living. While discussing the album, it is clear that her art is immensely important to her, and that she is certain that every sound is essential to each piece of her work.
