One on One with Billy Dorsey
LIRM is at it again sharing with our readers another amazing interview with someone who is going places. Singer/Songwriter Billy Dorsey, who recently won a Dove Award for his work with Lacrea on the project Rehab: The Overdose, recently sat down with us and share his faith, future and what keeps him inspired.
More Billy after the jump:
We pride oursevles on inspiring interviews and Billy is no different. This talented individual is making a name for himself one successful project at a time. Check out the interview and experience it for yourself.
Share with our readers your background such as where you hail from. Etc.
As a military brat, I'm "from" all over the world, as my dad was in the Air Force until he retired during my junior year of high school. I was born in Little Rock, AK but only lived there the first week of my life. The three most influential places in my musical development were Columbus, MS, Shreveport, LA, and Houston, TX, where I now reside. My life was spent in church, and my love for music was cultivated and nurtured by my parents, Apostle Billy L. Dorsey, Sr., and Pastor Patricia Dorsey of Bridge of Hope Worship Center in Bossier City, LA.
Give our readers a glimpse into the young Billy growing up. What are some of your fondest memories?
I was a handful as a kid. I say I was bad, but my dad says I was just being a kid...I'm sure my mom would agree with me. I was one of those children that just saying “no” to was never going to be enough. If I didn’t understand and agree with your logic as to WHY it was a “no,” we were going to have a rough time (lol). I was too smart for my own good.
I lived in my own imagination, and never went far without a book. I knew early on that I had a gift for writing, winning writing competitions and having my picture in the local paper as a kid, and I always had a passion for music, but I also loved basketball. I wanted to either be Fred Hammond, K-Ci of Jodeci, or Michael Jordan, and when I stopped growing at 5'8", the Michael Jordan dream faded pretty quickly. I dedicated myself to becoming the best vocalist and songwriter that I could be.
My fondest memories as a kid were when my dad came home after a year in Shemya, Alaska. The military sent him on a tour of duty to Shemya, and it devastated me, as my dad was and still is my hero. I tried to be tough for him, but I know it was hard on my mom having him gone. My mom and I became even more close over that year, as I felt I needed to step up and protect her while Dad was gone. Seeing my dad walk through that airport terminal at the end of his trip is one of my best memories.
I also cherish the first time I asked my dad for a pair of Air Jordan's when I was about 11 or 12 years old. He went with me to the mall, and I still recall him turning those J's over, seeing the price as his eyes bulged, and escorting me out of the mall and to the store to buy me a lawn mower. My dad said that I could keep whatever money I earned from mowing yards, as long as I kept gas in and took care of the mower, and gave me something much more valuable than a pair of Jordan's; he taught me how to get up and go get whatever I wanted in this world.
I subsequently spent most every Saturday morning after that up early walking around the military base with my mower and weed eater earning money cutting grass to buy my own clothes, candy, whatever I wanted. I love him for that, and hold that memory very close to my heart.
My fondest memories as a kid were when my dad came home after a year in Shemya, Alaska. The military sent him on a tour of duty to Shemya, and it devastated me, as my dad was and still is my hero. I tried to be tough for him, but I know it was hard on my mom having him gone. My mom and I became even more close over that year, as I felt I needed to step up and protect her while Dad was gone. Seeing my dad walk through that airport terminal at the end of his trip is one of my best memories.
I also cherish the first time I asked my dad for a pair of Air Jordan's when I was about 11 or 12 years old. He went with me to the mall, and I still recall him turning those J's over, seeing the price as his eyes bulged, and escorting me out of the mall and to the store to buy me a lawn mower. My dad said that I could keep whatever money I earned from mowing yards, as long as I kept gas in and took care of the mower, and gave me something much more valuable than a pair of Jordan's; he taught me how to get up and go get whatever I wanted in this world.
"I lived in my own imagination, and never went far without
a book."
I subsequently spent most every Saturday morning after that up early walking around the military base with my mower and weed eater earning money cutting grass to buy my own clothes, candy, whatever I wanted. I love him for that, and hold that memory very close to my heart.
Music and songwriting seem to be embedded into who you are. Share with our readers how important it is for one to cultivate their gift.
I view it this way: God gives us the gifts we are born with, but it is up to us to develop those gifts into skills thru repetition, discipline, and hunger for knowledge to expand what we have. My voice and my writing ability were the gifts God chose to impart upon me. Production was a natural progression for me, but I knew early on that I wanted to earn the respect of everyone around me by not just being able to do these things, but by being able to do them to the best of my ability. And from an industry standpoint, there are so many talented individuals out there, and if you're not willing to put in the work to be the best you can be, trust that someone, somewhere, is dedicating themselves to their craft. When you meet that person, if the job has to go to one of the two of you, 10 times out of 10 it will go to them for being more prepared. I don't believe in leaving that to chance.
There are many individuals out there who seem to shun those who work with those in secular music. Being one who has worked with a variety of secular artists, what are your thoughts on this subject?
I'd start that with a scripture...Isaiah 64:6, which says, “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” I take that to mean that none of us are perfect, and all of us have a past filled with sin and iniquity. Who am I to judge someone else because of the type of music they make? My soul is worth no more or less to God than theirs is, and me working with these artists allows me a chance to be a witness to them.
God has used me over the course of my career to witness to one multi platinum artist who was dealing with issues within his marriage that his fame and disobedience to God's Word caused, one extremely successful, international #1 charting singer/songwriter who was molested by his own father, and another artist who was battling cancer and was fearful of what was in store for her but sought to trust God in the midst of her trial. In all three cases, God used the relationship I forged with them by working with them to allow me to earn their trust and be in a position to witness to them, pray with them, share scriptures, and be there to encourage them. I do filter the actual music itself to make sure it doesn't hinder my witness, but I will work with anyone if I believe in their talent and can work alongside them.
I'd start that with a scripture...Isaiah 64:6, which says, “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” I take that to mean that none of us are perfect, and all of us have a past filled with sin and iniquity. Who am I to judge someone else because of the type of music they make? My soul is worth no more or less to God than theirs is, and me working with these artists allows me a chance to be a witness to them.
God has used me over the course of my career to witness to one multi platinum artist who was dealing with issues within his marriage that his fame and disobedience to God's Word caused, one extremely successful, international #1 charting singer/songwriter who was molested by his own father, and another artist who was battling cancer and was fearful of what was in store for her but sought to trust God in the midst of her trial. In all three cases, God used the relationship I forged with them by working with them to allow me to earn their trust and be in a position to witness to them, pray with them, share scriptures, and be there to encourage them. I do filter the actual music itself to make sure it doesn't hinder my witness, but I will work with anyone if I believe in their talent and can work alongside them.
Billy, you are a PK *Preacher's Kid*, many attempt to attach stigmas to those who's parents are in ministry. How do you feel about the stigmas and how should other young PK kids handle that criticism?
Preacher's Kids rebel many times because their parents are extra strict on them, since the preachers often feel that if they can't control their own households, others won't feel that they can effectively lead the church. I get it, but in being so strict, the children can feel that the only way to express themselves is to go all the way in the other direction. I have seen this time and again, and fell victim to the lure of complete freedom myself for a time while I was in college before rededicating myself to Christ. To young PKs, I'd say, when you rebel and act out, you don't only hurt your parents you hurt yourself, and can wind up doing things that will live with you for a lifetime, whether drugs, STDs, or in some cases, children born out of wedlock. Think about your future...in the grand scheme of life, this is just a drop in the ocean...hang in there!
Being on the road and in the studio can be somewhat tiring and stressful. How do you handle the stressful times?
For me, my love for creating music makes the long hours in the studio a labor of love. There is no feeling like that rush when the songs are coming together, when the melody tugs at your heartstrings, when the concept and lyrics are flowing out as though you're channeling the creativity of the Master. When we're working, time doesn't really exist within the walls of the studio. However, being on the road can be difficult when I'm away from my wife and kids for long periods of time. Talking to my family on the phone helps, and web chatting so we can see each other is invaluable as well. I built a studio in my home to be able to be home more, and my wife is supportive when I do have to be away because she believes in what I'm working for.
You list of musical accomplishments is outstanding; share with our readers some of your most vivid memories of working with great artists.
Working with Brian Angel of Day26 is always a blast...we did three songs together with my LifeLine brothers JayTel and Stro for the new Day26 album, and Brian is the funniest, most gregarious person you'll ever meet, as well as being one of the most humble. MTV's Making The Band showed one side of him so I didn't know what to expect when he showed up to the studio, but he was the polar opposite of how he was portrayed on the show. We got incredible music done with insane vocals, and spent most of the sessions laughing and acting crazy in the process. That's my brother now both in and out of music.
Lecrae is one of the most cool, down to earth artists you'll ever meet. Being around him is like being in the eye of the storm...you can see all the madness around you, but where you are is the calmest place you could possibly be. From the few times I've been able to be around he, John "CheeseBeats" Williams, and the Reach Records camp since his album I was blessed to work on, Rehab: The Overdose, topped the charts, I've had the chance to see an artist with a heart focused on ministry and eyes on the prize of a higher calling than just being a “star.” Awards, platinum plaques, etc...all these are the farthest thing from his mind as he creates his art. He wants to reach souls and be a voice for those who have none, and I can see from being around him why God has elevated him the way He has.
You have won numerous awards for your work. Describe the feeling of sitting and hearing your name being nominated and/or called.
At the Dove Awards, when Montell Jordan (the host of the Dove Awards Pre Show, of "This Is How We Do It" fame) was reading off the list of nominees for Rap/Hip Hop Album of the Year, my hands were shaking. This wasn't my first award win, but the Doves for some reason just resonated so much more with me this year. When your name or the name of the project you worked on is announced as the winner, you can't imagine the rush of emotions that come over you. I jumped out of my seat when we won the Dove, and gave glory to God openly for blessing us with victory again. I thought back over all the struggles on the road to success, and how much sweeter the victory was after all it took to get to that point.
What are some of your future musical endeavors and who are some artists you would like to work with?
I'm now working on the follow up to Lecrae's Rehab: The Overdose album, Gravity, which drops this fall. My writing partner JayTel (who also shared in the Dove and Stellar Award wins for Rehab: The Overdose) and I are excited about heading to Denver in the coming weeks to work with Christian rock band Gungor, and I've recently been blessed with the opportunity to work on my own debut album called Marathon, a blend of Christian rock, contemporary Christian, and all of my musical influences, coming later this fall.
I'd love to be able to write with my childhood heroes Fred Hammond and Marvin Sapp (I grew up on Commissioned, and knew every lyric and every riff), and recently launched a new Christian music production company called thebridgelife, which marries the quality standards and professionalism of pop music production with the message and soul of Christian music. Far too often, we throw out sub par material and excuse it away by saying "It's Christian music", as though that makes up for it. I want to see the same quality as the incredible music that the world produces given to the Christian market. God expects our best, and I want to see thebridgelife become synonymous with great Christian music.
"God gives us the gifts we are born with, but it is up to us to develop those gifts into skills thru repetition, discipline, and hunger for knowledge to expand what we have."
What advice would you give to that young boy or girl who is at home daydreaming about being a great producer/performer?
I would say first that I was once that young boy, and everything I've been blessed to do now is what I used to dream of as a kid; traveling the world writing and producing songs, getting to work with incredibly talented people, and having number one records and winning awards. I'd say that if God gave you the talent to be a great producer/performer, never think that you're "good enough" to not have to continue working to better yourself. Study the greats who came before you to learn WHY they were considered great, and incorporate elements of them into your art. Dedicate yourself to your craft. Fall in love with music. Don't let anyone tell you what you can't accomplish, because I firmly believe that anyone who tells you that you can't achieve your dreams is just someone who failed to achieve their own. Stay the course. And finally, do all you can, and then trust God to do what you can't.
We live in a critical world and many judge before truly knowing the person. How do you deal with criticism?
I embrace criticism, especially if it's given in love. I had one person tell me many years ago that my songwriting was "elementary," and that fueled me. I went and obsessively studied the top writers at that time to find out what they were doing that I could learn from to make sure that no one else would ever be able to use that critique against me again. I came out a much better songwriter for it. And the criticism about working with secular artists versus only Christian artists is one I hear often, but rebut in love by saying that Jesus didn't hang out with the “saints”...He hung out with the sinners. He kept company with, labored alongside, and ultimately left his spiritual legacy to those who didn't fit into the mold of what the “church” thought was acceptable company. Who am I to do any less?
How do you give back to the community?
I travel and speak at various schools around Texas about success in the music industry and following ones' dreams, and give my hard-earned advice freely to the youth who desire to have careers in any of the fields in which I've gained expertise. I share the story of my journey from homelessness to award winning, #1 writer/producer in the hopes of motivating others to pursue their own definitions of success.
In three words: Describe Billy Dorsey!
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