BillyHeads > Articles > 02/22/2002 Atlantic Casino Interview

Most teenage boys look forward to their voices finally changing. For 13-year-old Billy Gilman, whose soaring vocals have made him a country music sensation, that change could have a major impact on his burgeoning career.

Already Gilman has had three hit records - including the Grammy-nominated "One Voice" -

Billy Gilman has had more success in his career by age 13 than most musicians ever have.

performed for two presidents and met several idols, notably Barbra Streisand, Faith Hill and Reba McEntire.

Performing at 9 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 23, at the Trump Taj Mahal, Gilman says he is confident his voice will not let him down.

"We're just going to prepare for the worst and hope for the best," Gilman says about his change in voice. "Hopefully, it will turn out good and I will still have a big range."

Having taken voice lessons since he was eight, he knows not to take his abilities for granted.

"I do vocal exercises before the show," Gilman says. "I can't eat dairy and chocolate before the show. You should see how much I eat after."

His vocal range is one of the factors that Gilman and his advisors will consider as they select material for his fourth Epic album, scheduled for a late-2002 release. A single, not yet recorded, is due in the spring.

Another consideration for Gilman is finding songs appropriate to his life experiences.

"It is very hard for everybody, including myself, to find songs because I'm a kid," says Gilman, both the youngest performer to have a song on Billboard's country singles chart and the youngest solo artist to be nominated for a Grammy. "We have to find the right songs - not too old, not too young. It's tricky."

The Hope Valley, R.I., native seems poised between two worlds. When he's at home, he's like most eighth-graders. He rides his bike to his friends' houses, enjoys going to the latest teen movies and suffers through his schoolwork.

"I make the most of it when I'm home," Gilman says. "When I'm on the road ... we go nonstop, but I love it."

One thing Gilman doesn't miss is attending school - he prefers to be tutored.

"My brother is jealous, I only get to go three hours a day," he says. "It's one-on-one, it's much harder. I have to look (my tutor) in the face and answer the question right, or you're in trouble."

Besides his tutor, Gilman's road entourage includes his vocal coach and a tour manager.

"My vocal coach, my tour manager - they're like my family," Gilman says. "My vocal coach is like my second mother. My mom and everybody in my family trusts her. It's a big responsibility with a kid. She has to have a lot of stamina."

Unlike most touring young performers, Gilman is usually not accompanied by his parents during the school year. Instead, they have elected to stay at home with his 9-year-old brother and join Gilman mostly for the summer portion of each tour.

"My parents are great because - this is true - they are not the showbiz kind of parents," Gilman explains. "I pushed them into the music business. They weren't sure of it. I said, 'C'mon, I love it - it's my life.' They're 100 percent behind me. They're not pushy - not at all."

Having made the rounds of "Oprah," "The Today Show," "The Tonight Show" and the major awards shows, Gilman is already a veteran in the spotlight. Still, certain occasions stick out in his young memory, like when he performed for then-President Clinton during a "Christmas in Washington" TV special.

"It was very, very cool," he recalls. "I couldn't believe I was standing up on stage with a big choir and a big orchestra in front of the president. You should have felt my hands. They were so clammy. I was so nervous. I got to meet him and he was nice to me."

More recently, Gilman sang for current President George W. Bush, post-September 11 at a memorial for fallen officers at Ford's Theater in Washington, D.C.

"He was very nice also," he says. "I got to sing for two presidents, which was amazing."

The boyishly enthusiastic but poised Gilman no doubt has plans to sing for more presidents later in his career.

"I've found my mark and hopefully I can do it for always," he says of his long-term career ambitions. "I love it. It's a passion - it will always be a passion."

WHO: Billy Gilman with Mitzi Dawn
WHEN: 9 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 23
WHERE: Xanadu, Trump Taj Mahal Casino Hotel
HOW MUCH: Tickets are $25 and $35. Call (800) 736-1420 or online at http://www.ticketmaster.com/