Q&A - Billy Got Waves

We had the pleasure of catching up with the unmistakable talent that is Billy Got Waves this week. He performed at Resonate Live back in 2019 alongside Joell and the hip hop star has the 3rd instalment of his Rocket Boy project dropping in May and we caught up with him to talk about his progress, inspirations and more.

You’re latest release ‘Heaven’ is part of a new body of works dropping in May, what can you tell us about the EP and the inspiration behind it? 

The third and final instalment from my Rocket trilogy ‘Rocket Boy 3/3’ brings me to the end of the journey (where my life was at when I recorded this project at the start of lockdown) I found something that I had never fully felt before, which was true love. This feeling of pure love changed me for the better and changed my whole world. In this newfound mental and emotional space I found myself flourishing and becoming a new person. 

How has your sound developed since you started making music at 12 years old?

Well to be honest I didn't actually start taking music seriously up until 2017 when I started rap collective (131 Northside) alongside artists Joell and Woozie, before then it was just a hobby I pursued for myself (I probably have 200-300 songs from back then, all trash but good memories when I listen back 😂) from 2017 till now I have been trying to hone my vocals and find my unique style as well as constantly learning new recording techniques and listening to music from genres across the board.

Rocket Boy Part 3 is the closing chapter of 3 EPs. What was your ideas on releasing the album in 3 parts and how would describe each part in 1 word?

My idea when coming up with the three-part project was to create a body of work that tells a story in linear chapters with each one focusing on a particular area of my past. Also the EP’s each has a self-reflective song about the timeframes taken into account. EP 1 “Angels” EP 2 “Jean-Paul Gaultier” with EP3’s song coming out in May.

To describe each EP in one word: Hell, Purgatory & Heaven.

You’ve worked on a number of collaborative tracks with the likes of Joel, Rav Steelo and Shaqdi, how has those collabs helped you develop as an artist?

I feel like collaboration is key with music in it's entirety and it's a thing I really like to do, whenever I do a feature with another artist or producer I try to bridge the gap between our styles and make something new, which is always a challenge but always fun at the same time!

Your dream collaboration is… 

To collaborate with the king of Scotland (in my eyes) Hudson Mohawake. Ive collaborated with LuckyMe records artists quite a lot throughout my music career and a lot of it was directly because of me hearing Hudson Mohawkes music back in the days.

What are your top tips for any aspiring artists out there on how to break into the scene

Advice that I was given from the Young Fathers at the start of my music career was to aim for the world not just for Scotland when making my music but also to never forget where I'm from. 

Listen to Heaven below & pre-save upcoming release ‘With You’ here.