In Conversation with Musical Artist Billy Mick
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ailing from Orlando, Florida, openly gay singersongwriter Billy Mick is celebrating life, community, family, and friends in his music. While attending Manchester Pride in 2018 with his husband, Mick was inspired by the overwhelming sense of acceptance he experienced, and after seeing so many diverse and talented performers on the musical stages, he realized it was time to share his own artistry with others. With two studio albums released and a third in the works, Mick has found his voice and he is excited for what the future holds. Mick took some time to talk about his music and current projects with OutClique. Denny Patterson: Thank you for taking some time to chat with me, Billy! Can you begin by telling us how you got your start in music? Billy Mick: I have always been into music. Like, when I was a little kid and everyone else was outside playing, I was in front of a stereo speaker listening to records. I like all kinds of music, and I really kind of started writing music when I was a small child. When I was six or seven years old, I got my first keyboard, and I just wrote some songs. I actually put one of them on my first album, which turned out very well. Then when I moved to Orlando in the early 90s, I tried to jump on the whole boy band wagon. I recorded the
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songs, I did the photos, I did all the things, and everyone was like, you’ll never make it in this industry as an out gay male. So, I kind of stepped away from it for a while, and then in 2019, it felt like the right time to start doing it again. Denny Patterson: How would you describe your musical style and aesthetic? Billy Mick: I’m very eclectic, but my overall aesthetic would be rock‘n’roll. That's my jam. Denny Patterson: Are there any themes you always try to incorporate into your songs? Billy Mick: It's not that I try to, it just ends up that way (laughs). I go to my engineer being like, this is the last preachy one on the album. I swear! I'm very, very much into individuality and equality, and a lot of my themes are kind of hard hitting. I always think of that whenever I’m going to perform. I’m like, okay, what do I want the audience to feel? Do I want them to feel like I'm yelling at them, or should I do something that's a little more lighthearted? But overall, a sense of self-worth, self-value, respect, and appreciating that in others. Denny Patterson: You mentioned a minute ago that people didn’t think you would make it in this industry. Have you encountered any major challenges being an openly gay man in the rock'n'roll genre? Billy Mick: No, I wouldn’t say that I have. Live performance
