Diandra Interviews Billy Raffoul: In The Name of Love
I am going to be honest. I LOVE Billy Raffoul’s voice, and you will see that in my review of A Few More Hours at YYZ, his newest EP to be released April 3. His new album feels richer and maturer like, a man that is embracing his rise to fame is attached to Love: the very virtue that feeds our soul and thus our music. It is a precious and pristine record, and I got to interview the talented song-writer, who sings about love, to discover what he thinks about it.
Diandra: Singing to love, describe your first crush and what song from your upcoming EP most represents how it made you feel?
Billy Raffoul: There’s actually a song on this EP to my first love and partner. It’s called Kingston, ON. It is full of random memories throughout our relationship. The meaning of things can be totally transformed for you when love is involved. The simplest things take up so much more space in your mind and memory when they are tied to someone you love.
Diandra: With so many love songs, define the value of romance to you, and a moment in your life when you felt its worth?
Billy Raffoul: Romance to me is ongoing. It’s not one moment or even many moments. It is constant.
Me:
Diandra: With the world going through such a crisis, describe how music has helped you believe in yourself?
Billy Raffoul: Music has definitely given me so much to do and helped me express myself during this tough time.
Diandra: You have said mental health struggles carry a lot of meaning for you and your family. Do you feel that creatives inherently struggle with clarity?
Billy Raffoul: I think mental health struggles are everywhere, within a lot of families but are just not talked about so often. I feel that creativity is an advantage. It allows you to talk about these issues in an expressive way.
Diandra: What is the most heartfelt thing you have done or seen done “In The Name of Love”?
Billy Raffoul: My great grandparents left Lebanon in the 50s for Canada. To give their children a chance at a better life. I obviously wasn’t there to see it, but my grandparents tell the story and it was a great act of love.
Billy Raffoul – Swimming In the Deep End (Official Audio)
Diandra: What is the sweetest lyric, you feel, you have written in this EP?
Billy Raffoul: I don’t know about sweetest, but the opening verse of the EP is one of my favourites.
Diandra: With your father raising you with The Beatles, what are 3 Beatles songs that you feel most encompass his personality and why?
Billy Raffoul: Hard Day’s Night
Blackbird
Helter Skelter
Diandra: You have said that your song are stories you hope people connect with. What are some stories you have connected with that you hope to transfer into a song?
Billy Raffoul: I am constantly writing about my family and their stories. My mother and father both have so many inspiring stories I’d like to write more about.
Diandra: What is the most random thing that has inspired a song for you? Which song did it inspire?
Billy Raffoul: I wrote a song about one of the Harry Potter Movies, the 7th one I believe, but the song is not out yet. I write about movies a lot but I thought that was the most random one for sure.
Billy Raffoul – “Without Falling in Love” (Official Video)
Diandra: What is your favorite childhood memory with music?
Billy Raffoul: I often reference seeing my father open up for Bon Jovi in an arena as one of my fondest musical memories. Another would be playing Pretty Woman by Roy Orbison in front of my school for my 8th grade teacher, Ms. Mccormick, on the day she retired. I was nervous as hell.
Diandra: You have said that you would love to try other sound and styles. What are the styles and even song themes you would life to experiment with?
Billy Raffoul: Garage rock was a big part of my music intake growing up, and something I haven’t really touched on in my own music. I haven’t done a live record with a band yet. I plan on doing that at some point. Just getting into a big space with some friends and recording the entire band live in one take.
For More Information On Billy Raffoul And To Buy A Few More Hours at YYZ, his newest EP to be released April 3. Click Here
