Tuesday, December 5, 2000
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Country music's kid sensation Billy Gilman stopped by to chat about his new
holiday album, "Classic Christmas," featuring a duet with fellow prodigy
Charlotte Church. His newest effort features such yuletide classics as
"Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" and "Silent Night."
Scroll down to read the full transcript... ***************************************************** AOLiveMC15: Welcome to AOL Live, Billy Gilman! Billy Gilman: Thank you so much for having me. I can't wait to get going! AOLiveMC15: We're excited to have you with us live tonight. Billy Gilman: Thank you. AOLiveMC15: Your fans have lined up some great questions for you. Here is our first: Question: When did you first know you wanted to sing professionally? Billy Gilman: When I was eight, my grandmother and mother took me to a vocal trainer. She polished my voice -- she's the woman behind the voice, so to speak. That's when I really wanted to be a professional singer. Question: Hey, Billy! How do you choose the songs that you sing? Billy Gilman: Well, my producers gather up songs that they think would be good for the album. Then they ship them up to me, because I live in Rhode Island and they live in Nashville. The ones that really don't fit my voice or I couldn't understand, I [wouldn't] do. Question: What's your favorite song on "Classic Christmas"? Billy Gilman: That's a tough one! Probably it will be "Walking in a Winter Wonderland." Question: What is your favorite thing about singing? I also wanted to say that you are very talented. Billy Gilman: Thank you! One of the best things about singing is you get to meet a lot of cool people, like Faith Hill and Tim McGraw -- and just meeting all of the wonderful people! Question: Did you enjoy working with Charlotte Church? Billy Gilman: I did. She has an amazing voice for such a young age. To do a duet with her was really cool! Question: Do you have any brothers or sisters? If so, do they sing at all? Billy Gilman: Yes, they do. I have one brother, he's eight and he does not sing. He's more into the sports end of it. Question: Is it difficult making new friends now that you're so famous? Billy Gilman: Not at all. I still have the same friends I had in school. They're really good -- there's no jealousy at all. So, not at all! Question: How are you, Billy? I was wondering if you ever do any concerts at colleges or anything like that. Do you have a lot of fans that age? Billy Gilman: Yes, I do have a lot of fans of all ages. What we're trying to do is put together a tour that little kids can go to too, such as one not on a weekday. We're going to try to do them on weekends, and probably we'll do them at fairs. That will be next year. AOLiveMC15: AOL Kids Only asks: Who is your favorite teen star? From Missy. Billy Gilman: Well, there are so many great artists that are my age and a little older. There's no young people out in the country business, so it would probably be *NSYNC or Aaron Carter. Question: What do you like to do in your spare time? Billy Gilman: I love to fish, ski and have fun with my younger brother and family. Question: Hi, Billy! How are you tonight? What is your favorite sport? -- Oren Billy Gilman: My favorite sport would probably be -- it used to be golf, but not anymore. It would be baseball. Question: Can you tell us about the TNN special tonight? Billy Gilman: Yes! It's an hour long, and it's on TNN. My special guests are Ray Benson from Asleep at the Wheel, Charlotte Church, Jessica Andrews and Michael W. Smith. AOLiveMC15: Sounds like a lot of fun! Billy Gilman: I hope you enjoy it! Question: Do you get to spend much time at home with your family? Doesn't it get lonely traveling around so much? Billy Gilman: I do get lonely, kind of, but I have people who are kids at heart, so I have lots of fun with them. So if we're on the bus and we're not doing anything, I get a little homesick. Other than that, my family travels with me sometimes. This year I have Christmas off, and there are some other times that I can spend with my family. Question: What do your parents think of your singing career? Billy Gilman: They think it's great. When we first started out in December, they were a little nervous if they wanted to do this. But now they're 100 percent behind me! AOLiveMC15: EA Kids asks: What are your holiday plans? Billy Gilman: Spending time with family and getting some neat presents, and just having a good time! Question: Billy, you have accomplished so much in such a short amount of time. How do you stay grounded so that the success does not go to your head? Billy Gilman: Well, I wouldn't want to change for the world. I want to still be a kid at heart and do things that kids do. My family keeps me well grounded, and I just do normal kids' stuff. It's just incredible, and I wouldn't trade it for the world! Question: Do you enjoy singing in front of a lot of people? Billy Gilman: Yeah, it's really, really cool, because it's just really incredible. You're going up onstage and people are listening to you. It's just so neat. Question: How did the Christmas CD come about? What was that like to record? Billy Gilman: It was neat. It was a little confusing singing Christmas songs in July, you know. But we wanted to put out a classic Christmas album, not just normal country. We wanted it to be a variety of music, not just country. Question: How do you find time to go to school? Billy Gilman: I was home for a week this week, and I went to school every day for five hours a day. We've caught up lots, and now we're up to par, and I'm doing homework. Every day when I'm home, I go to my tutor. AOLiveMC15: AOL Music asks: What is your New Year's resolution? Billy Gilman: I've got this big, thick Harry Potter book, so hopefully by New Year's, I'll be able to finish it. That's my New Year's resolution. Question: Hey, Billy! Congrats on going platinum and gold. My next question is, what do you plan on doing in the future? Do you plan to sing for the rest of your life? Thank you for your time! -- Oren Billy Gilman: Well, next year we're coming out with a big tour. That will be really great, to be in different places and see different people. Yes, all I basically want to do for the rest of my life is sing. Question: Who is your inspiration? Billy Gilman: My idol or inspiration would be -- probably when I was three years old, and her name is Pam Tillis, she's a country music singer. Question: Tell us about collaborating with Rosie O'Donnell. Billy Gilman: She was so fun! When I was on her show, gosh, about a couple of months ago, she was just the nicest, warmest person. I'm going back on her show the 13th, and it will be really cool to see my good friend again. Question: Hi, Billy! I love your music. I wanted to know, what was your favorite part of making your TV special? Thanks for your time. Billy Gilman: Thank you so much! Probably my favorite part of making the show would probably be interacting with the audience and just having fun. Ray Benson is the funnest, he's a character. All of the funny stuff was the best. Question: What do you want for Christmas? Billy Gilman: I don't know what I want for Christmas. Basically, I have everything I want -- my very own Christmas show and my singing career. Just being with family really counts the most. Question: Your "Classic Christmas" album proved that you can sing (like an angel) other types of music besides country. Do you have any plans to continue recording other than country songs? Billy Gilman: You never know. I mean, they want to switch one voice over to pop. For right now, I always basically want to sing country music. Question: What advice would you give to other young people wanting to make it big? Billy Gilman: Don't give up, because no dream is too extreme! Question: How have the *adult* members of the music industry treated you? Billy Gilman: They're so great. Tim McGraw, [who's] a big country artist, he said, "Put a gag on that kid until my career is over!" Everyone has treated me nice! AOLiveMC15: From AOL Kids Only: What's it like being so famous? From Lewis. Billy Gilman: It's really, really great, because you get to go all over the world and meet different people. That's the best part of being famous. Question: Hi, Billy! Thanks for joining us here tonight. What's your favorite subject in school? Billy Gilman: Thank you. It's great to be here. Probably my favorite subject would be the spelling end of it, reading, spelling, writing. Math isn't my favorite, but it's getting easier now. Question: Hi, Billy. Thanks for all of your great work. I was wondering if you write any poetry, and if so, will any of those poems be put to music for your future albums? Thanks again! -- Oren Billy Gilman: Well, not yet, I haven't written any poetry. But hopefully sometime in the future, I will. Question: How did you spend your Thanksgiving holiday? Billy Gilman: I was in Dallas, actually. My family postponed Thanksgiving so I could have turkey with them. Question: Did you ever get to take that tour bus ride down the California Coastal Highway? (It's mentioned as something you want to do on your Web site.) Billy Gilman: Exactly! I haven't gotten to do it yet. But I've gotten to do one of my dreams -- I had my own tour bus. But I haven't gone down the California Coastal Highway yet. Question: We all want to know: does Billy have a girlfriend? Billy Gilman: No, I don't have a girlfriend. But maybe sometime in the future. Question: Hey, Billy! I'm one of your biggest fans! Do you know what your next single will be? Billy Gilman: We've already released the third single, and it's off the Christmas album. We're going to be putting the next album together in February. I haven't heard any of the songs yet that they've chosen. I can't wait to hear them and see what they are. Question: Billy, are you hoping to get a Grammy sometime this decade? Billy Gilman:: To win a Grammy is to achieve it all. If I was ever nominated or won a Grammy, it would be a life-altering experience! Question: How much of a say-so do you have in the direction of your music? Does the lack of control bother you at all? Billy Gilman: Not at all. Actually, I have a lot of say in what songs I want to sing and do in the shows. Question: When do you plan on making more public appearances, and in what parts of the country? Billy Gilman: Well, we're doing the tour in the summer, so I will be doing city tours. That will be really fun, and I'll be going to a lot of places. Question: What's your Web site address? Billy Gilman: http://www.billygilman.com. Question: What is your favorite Rhode Island food to eat, and do you miss it when you're on the road traveling? Billy Gilman: My favorite Rhode Island food to eat would probably be... I don't really know. Basically, I eat what I eat on the road, so it's no different. That's a cool question, though! Question: Do you have a computer? And if so, do you go online much? Billy Gilman: Oh yeah, I love to go online, like amazon.com, or other people's Web sites. I love to go on the Internet! Question: Merry Christmas, Billy!!! What kind of input do you give video directors for your videos? Billy Gilman: In that particular place, I don't have a say, because they know what they want with the cameras and all. So I just go their way. Question: Billy, has your voice started to change yet? Does that worry you at all? Billy Gilman: Well, it has changed a little bit, because I've gotten lower. I'm a little nervous, because you never know what might happen. But I do vocal exercises, so hopefully that will smooth out the break in the voice. We'll keep our fingers crossed. AOLiveMC15: We have time for one final question for Billy Gilman tonight: Question: What do you think of the Internet, and specifically being able to talk to your fans in this way? Billy Gilman: It's really cool to communicate, rather than over the phone. I have an Instant Messenger thing, and I talk to my friends that have a computer, so it's really cool! AOLiveMC15: Billy Gilman, thanks so much for joining us in AOL Live tonight! Billy Gilman: Thank you so much, guys. The questions were awesome, and hopefully I'll be able to meet you sometime. AOLiveMC15: Thanks again. We enjoyed it! And thanks to our audience for all their great questions. Good night! Copyright 2000 America Online, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Portions of this transcript may be edited by AOL to correct spelling, punctuation and/or remove any material that violates AOL's Terms of Service. |
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This page last updated: 12/05/00 23:36 © 2000, 2001 by BillyGilmanFanSite.com, All rights reserved Created on Saturday, July 15, 2000 (18:08) |
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