Dubbed the "queen of electronic soul", Billie first came to prominence as a guest with S'Express before leading the acclaimed deep house act Electribe 101, her unique voice hitting both the house scene and charts with a strong infusion of soul. Electribe 101 scored a brace of hits including the classic Talking With Myself and the album Electribal Memories, gaining rave reviews worldwide, before Billie departed to continue exploring fusions of electronic music, pop and soul.
After releasing the thoroughly scary Persuasion with Spooky and the monumentally beautiful Four Ambient Tales with The Grid, Billie found herself with a worldwide number 1 in Your Loving Arms on East West Records; now considered one of the all-time classics of dance music. Four more top 30 hits and the album Deadline for My Memories followed. The album explored her vision to create music that draws equally on Kraftwerk and Phil Spector as influences, and allowed Billie to tour extensively.
She realised a dream by travelling to Memphis to work with Ann Peebles, Carla Thomas and members of Aretha Franklin's band on her next album 18 Carat Garbage. Having attempted to capture the original Hi Records sound, Billie returned to Europe to add breaks and electronics to the final mix. She followed this with hit collaborations with DJ Hell and Slam and solo releases such as 2008's Moroder-fest Undisco Me which hit the top spots in the UK and US dance charts.
The Crackdown Project, released in 2010, featuring Billie‘s takes on Cabaret Voltaire‘s landmark Crackdown album, reinforced her unique position as an artist who appeals to both the uber-cool mags like Flux and The Wire as well as the pop mainstream, achieving 'Song of the Day' status at Popjustice. 20,000 downloads in a matter of days, plus overwhelming press and DJ support made this an unexpected success.
2011 began with the solo single Sweet Suburban Disco, Billie’s take on Italo disco, followed by a collaboration with Hard Ton on the Sold Life E.P., taking her back to her house beginnings and Electribe 101 roots.
2011 also saw the arrival of The Opiates – a project with Norwegian musician Robert Solheim. Their unique brand of electronic music combines a rare match of songwriting with cutting-edge beats and bleeps, the press dubbing them‚ The Carpenters of Techno’. The Rainy Days & Remixes E.P., served as a prelude to their eagerly awaited full-length album Hollywood Under The Knife, a celebrated gig at Rough Trade East causing much furore. Each song on the album is about another tortured diva, Hollywood actress, failed star... in search of identity, gender and a life beyond isolation. Turner-prize winner Wolfgang Tillmans, who had twice photographed Billie and selected her as ‘most influential woman’ in i-D Magazine, supplied nine previously unseen images for the cover art and booklet.
The album met with support from DJs, press and blogs alike including a four star review in Metro and many ‘album of the year’ entries in major publications. Eight music videos and a UK tour, including a gig at HMV Oxford Street, played their part in gaining The Opiates a growing fan community. A deluxe double CD remix collection entitled Hollywood Cuts was released in March 2012, with one of the mixes being chosen to soundtrack HMV’s Summer TV campaign.
Spring 2012 saw the release of a series of collaborations including Make Me Feel on Terranova’s Hotel Amour album, and Hyper Lust on Motor’s Man Made Machine – both earning support when released as singles across the Summer.
The limited edition DVD Five Takes (A Song About Andy), featuring five movies inspired by Andy Warhol‘s Screen Tests, was released in September. A song entitled On Borrowed Time is presented in five unique takes, with music by electronic producer and soul singer Waterson. This unique project was greeted with press and online acclaim.
In 2014, Billie released two singles which made a serious impression on dancefloors and club charts, gaining support from the world’s leading DJs. Her David Bowie approved cover of his song After All, followed by Off The Rails with Hercules and Love Affair’s Aerea Negrot continue to get played.
Billie is currently working on her next solo album and a number of exciting to go collaborations. A full-length soul album is to be released soon.
An accomplished producer / mixer, she is now offering to lend her studio skills to other artists.
Billie runs her record label, Disco Activisto, in Berlin and DJs around the world with growing success.
I Try
Billie Ray Martin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I try to hold you
But I know I can’t win
I try to catch you
But you run time and time again yeah
I try to please you
With the things that I say
It sounds like a ball and chain because
Home’s not a place where
You can stay and grow small again no
You’ve got to move on
‘Cause home’s not a place at all
It’s not a place yeah mmm
I try to hold you
But I know I can’t win
I try to find your love
But you hide in a different place again
I try to please you
With the things that I say
But when I speak your name
Just sounds like a ball and chain because
Love is like a song
When it’s done
And the last notes have rung
All that’s left is silence
And that’s when you move on so
No reason for tears
No need for these chains
When one toy is broken
You find another game
And I try yeah
Oh yeah I try
Oh yeah
I try
Ooh baby I try
Yeah
The lyrics of Billie Ray Martin's song "I Try" speak to the challenge of holding onto someone who continually runs away. The singer begins by saying that she tries to hold onto this person, but she knows that she can't win. No matter how hard she tries to catch them, they always run away. Despite her efforts to please them with what she says, uttering their name feels like a ball and chain. The person she loves won't stay put, they keep moving on, and the singer knows that home is not a place you can stay and grow small again.
She tries to find their love, but they hide in a different place every time. Love is like a song, the last notes have rung, and all that's left is silence. It's then that you move on. The singer pleads with the person, reassuring them that there's no reason for tears and no need for chains. If one toy is broken, find another game. She ends by saying that she tries, indicating that she's not giving up on them despite the setbacks.
Line by Line Meaning
I try to hold you
I attempt to physically grasp onto you
But I know I can’t win
But I am aware I cannot succeed in doing so
I try to catch you
I make an effort to capture your attention
But you run time and time again yeah
However, you keep evading me repeatedly
I try to please you
I make an attempt to satisfy you
With the things that I say
By saying certain things
But when I speak your name
However, whenever I say your name
It sounds like a ball and chain because
It produces a negative or burdensome feeling
Home’s not a place where
One can't feel comfortable returning to their starting point
You can stay and grow small again no
Where you can't physically or mentally develop
You’ve got to move on
You must advance and continue to grow
‘Cause home’s not a place at all
Since there isn't an actual location called 'home'
It’s not a place yeah mmm
It isn't a physical place
I try to find your love
I attempt to search for your affection
But you hide in a different place again
But you conceal yourself in a new location
Love is like a song
Romantic love is comparable to music
When it’s done
When it has ended
And the last notes have rung
When the final sounds of the melody die away
All that’s left is silence
What remains is only stillness or emptiness
And that’s when you move on so
That's when you move forward and leave behind the past
No reason for tears
There's no cause for crying
No need for these chains
These restraints are unnecessary
When one toy is broken
When one thing is destroyed or unusable
You find another game
You locate another interest or activity to enjoy
And I try yeah
And I continue to make an effort
Oh yeah I try
Indeed, I make an attempt
Oh yeah
Oh yes
I try
I exert myself
Ooh baby I try
Oh my darling, I endeavor
Contributed by Noah E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Arianna Fornasari
<3
me ne sono innamorata ascoltandola appena uscito l'album... e lo sono tutto'ora :)
Will Larnach-Jones
Beautiful, sad song