An American Music Award, a Grammy nomination, Billy Gilman has had a successful career as a country music singer, and guess what, he's only 13.

Read on as TeenMusic.com interviews Billy and asks him about his life as a musician and his new album, Dare to Dream

Hi Billy, I heard you had an orthodontists appointment this morning>

Billy: Yeah, I had my braces tightened and it's not very fun, they really do hurt.

Can you tell me about your tour?

Billy: I'm going on tour with Jessica Andrews and it's going to be really fun because we're going to 16 major cities, four months on the road so it's going to be a lot.

Jessica will be performing with you that whole time?

Billy: Yes. it's a co-headlining type of thing.

Do you hang out with her on tour?

Billy: Oh yeah. We'll play video games, it's a laid-back tour but it will go really quickly and it will go professionally.

Do you like touring, Billy?

Billy: I love touring, it's fun. I get my own tour bus. Sometimes if I'm lucky I get out on a plane.

What songs do you like performing the most?

Billy: That's the hard thing because every song I do is so cool and fun to sing. Probably You Don't You Won't is my favorite to sing because it's a real rocking song.

I thought you might say that. You Don't You Won't is a great song.

Billy: Thank you.

Is your new album Dare to Dream a progression for you as a singer?

Billy: With Dare to Dream we wanted to make an album that was as good or better than One Voice and I think we did it. I worked really hard and am proud of it. I got the privilege to do all these different songs for all the different ages of fans that I've combined over the years.

Billy, you're a country artist and I'm wondering if you ever get criticized for not singing songs that have a more 'traditional' country sound?

Billy: Well, let's face it, country isn't country anymore. Take Shania Twain; she's a little country, a little pop. I lvoe country music and someday in the future I would love to do a tribute album and cover all the hard country songs like Crazy and all the Tammy Wynette songs, but I also want to make my own music. I want to be Billy Gilman.

What type of music do you listen to?

Billy: I listen to everything. I was just listening to Michael Junior, that opera singer, that 14-year-old singer and he's amazing. His voice is amazing. I listen to everything from Asleep at the Wheel to Britney Spears.

Another talented young singer is Charlotte Church. I know that you've sung with her, what was that like?

Billy: She is amazing. That's all I can say. Getting to work with her was incredibly because she has such a strong, belting voice and I have such a country voice so it was cool to see how the song came out and it came out great.

What was that song called?

Billy: She recorded it with me on her Christmas album. It's called Dream a Dream. It was really fun because I ended up going to London for the first time. That was cool.

Billy, your level of success and your age reminds me of Haley Joel Osment, the movie actor. Do you identify with him?

Billy: I haven't met him yet but it would be really cool because people think I look like him. I would love to do some acting myself sometime in the future but right now I still want to build my singing career.

I've read that you seriously started working towards a country music career when you were only seven years old. How could you be so sure of what you wanted to do at that young age?

Billy: Singing to me is like breathing. I love to sing and that's what I want to do for the rest of my life. I knew that when I was seven. I love to express myself through my songs and so when I was eight I really, really wanted to conquer my dream.

Do you feel that you have done that?

Billy: I do. Never in a million years would I have imagined having a career like this. I want to thank all my fans out there who are supporting me.

You're 13 now. Do you ever give thought to a different career when you're older?

Billy: I do want to do another career if this doesn't work out. I want to be a music manager. I would also love to build my own recording studio and be the top executive for that studio and help other artists fulfill their dreams. I'd like to give back.

Do you like singing in recording studios?

Billy: I love studios but I don't like to sing in front of people when I'm recording. I get so nervous.

But then you get on stage and sing in front of thousands of people. Why is that different than singing in the studio?

Billy: Singing on stage and recording are two totally different jobs. In the studio you have to be on the ball, on pitch, on key, every tempo has to be exactly right, and that's really hard. But when you're on stage it's fun and you're laid-back, if you mess up a note it's no big deal, but in the recording studio you have to do it over and voer again until you get it right.

Let's talk about your awards. One, you received a Grammy nomination last year, and my question is, are you glad you didn't win that award at 12 years old?

Billy: I am, because being nominated with Johnny Cash and Tim McGraw was incredible and I have so many years to go. I'm gald Johnny Cash won because he's a legend.

What was going through your head as they announced the winner?

Billy: I was so scared. I was petrified. My whole face turned completely white. I got so scared, I really did. The same thing happened at the American Music Awards.

Except that you won the American Music Award.

Billy: Exactly. And boy, when I got up there I said everything wrong. I was thanking people from kindgergarten because I was so nervous and wnated to get it over with. When I'm talking onstage I get stage fright.

Do you pick out the songs that you sing on your albums?

Billy: Yeah. I want good meanigful lines in my songs. I want fast kid songs; I want to do a variety so I'm not doing the same thing over. That's what we look for in songs. My manager, my parents, my vocal coach, we all pick the songs.

Songs like Oklahoma, One Voice amd There's a Hero deal with serious issues.

Billy: Right. That's what I wnated to do when I was coming into the music business. I wanted to bring out some powerful messages. I think we did it with those songs.

Have you met Garth Brooks?

Billy: I have. That's the pinnacle of country music. I mean taht guy has sold 100 million albums! And he's so nice. You'd think he'd be snobby but he's so nice.

People probably say the same thing about meeting you, what do you think about that?

Billy: I'm so privileged at such a young age to do what I love to do. I just want to keep on doing it until it ends.

What are your hobbies outside of music?

Billy: I love to fish, ski, boat, and play ice hockey in the winter, I love to do all the regular kid stuff. I'm just a regular kid. I hear "Oh he sings, he's a girl singer," and I don't want to be known like that. I want to be Billy Gilman.