INTERVIEW: Billy & Louie

1.) We’re super-excited to be speaking today with acclaimed twin singing supernovas Billy & Louie; greetings and salutations you two and thank you for taking time out of a very busy schedule to speak with Vents Magazine! Before we dive into the Q&A mosh-pit, how is 2025 finding you and yours thus far?

Thank you for having us! So far, 2025 has been amazing! We’ve been super busy as always, writing and recording and of course performing. We started the year with our sell-out concert in our home town. That was incredible. It’s always so cool to perform with our amazing band and this time having dancers and choreography and huge lights was very surreal for us. We’ve been booking lots of big shows for the rest of the year and of course working on new music.

2.) Major kudos and accolades on your freshly-minted new single You Are which is set to light up record charts across the ever-lovin’ globe when it drops this April 18! Billy, starting at the tip-top, can you talk about what inspired you and Louie to tackle this Danny Burton, Sandi Thom, and Christian Braid penned gem of a ditty?

Well, as you say, it’s a gem. We were offered the song last year along with several others but ‘You Are’ really stood out. The gritty, bluesy sound resonated with us. When you hear it, you’ll (hopefully) fall in love, like we did, with the retro string section and the powerful bass line and of course, the beautiful lyrics and melody. We’ve said from the start that it sounds fitting for a James Bond title sequence.

We recorded it with Danny which was a great experience. He is really in tune with the direction we want to go in and always up for new ideas and changes.

3.) Louie, who did the producing honors on You Are and what did the in-studio collaboration between artists and producer look like while fashioning and shaping the new tune?

It was entirely produced by Danny. He wrote the majority of the song and thankfully offered to produce it for us. It was a really collaborative process. We recorded it over a couple of days so we had some time to listen to it and think about changes. We are definitely perfectionists which I can imagine must be frustrating. We can’t just do one take, we have to do as many as it takes to get it right. But Danny was very patient with us.

4.) Billy, in your humble opinion what differentiates You Are from the Distinguished Competition on the 2025 music scene?

That’s such a great question! I think we’re seeing fewer duos in music these days, which is a bit of a shame because there’s something really special about that kind of dynamic. I believe that’s one thing that sets us apart in today’s scene. There’s also something uniquely powerful about close harmonies—especially between family members, like us or the Jackson Five. That kind of blend is hard to replicate. We’re really inspired by classic soul, and I like to think that influence gives our music a nostalgic, timeless quality. Songs like ‘You Are’ reflect that, and I hope people feel that lasting soul when they listen.

5.) Louie, You Are feels like a brilliant artistic shift of gears for you and Billy. Was this by design, or did it all come about more organically than that?

That’s a great question. The moment we heard ‘You Are’ it just resonated with us on such a deep level. It felt like it captured everything we wanted to express musically and emotionally at this point in our journey. So while the shift might sound intentional, it actually came about really naturally. It was one of those rare moments where a song finds you, and everything just clicks. My favourite line is ‘you are the sunshine/sunrise’ the melody is so bluesy . Almost typical of Sade in terms of the melody’s shape.

6.) Billy, in the wake of the April 18 release of the new single You Are, can fans look forward to even more music from Billy & Louie as the year marches forward, perhaps in the form of an EP or LP release?

Absolutely! We are always cooking up something. We are working on another track with Danny which is very different but I love the direction it’s moving in. Louie and I have been writing more music in between collaborations. There’s definitely a bigger body of music on the horizon.

7.) Louie, what does the touring/performing dance card look like for you and Billy in the coming weeks and months? A little bird tells us that you have a pretty important gig coming up this April 23…

Yes! We have our debut London concert. We are thrilled to be performing at Piano Smithfield. It’s a cosy, intimate venue that I feel will lend itself well to more of a vocal spectacle. We plan to have a lot of fun challenging our vocals and breaking boundaries. Of course we will be performing ‘You Are’ for the first time as well.

8.) A question for the both of you: Who do you count as some of your inspirations, both in and out of the world of music?

Musically, it’s always Christina Aguilera. Her ability to stay true to her roots, yet challenge herself with new genres and different directions is really inspiring. More recently, we’ve been listening to Sade, Tracey Chapman, George Michael and Pat Benatar. Our music is often shaped by what we listen to.

Away from music, we are inspired by so many things. Nature is a constant inspiration. With the instability and tension of today’s world, nature is a constant thing. This is very much hinted at in ‘You Are’.

9.) Billy, the two of you hail from Swindon in the heart of England. How do those stomping grounds inform you as both an artist and as a person?

Swindon has treated us very well! Our local supporters are amazing! I always try and reciprocate love and support, especially to the young, rising artists in our community. We are surrounded by musical people so inspiration is never difficult to find. I love being close to the country too. Swindon and Wiltshire have some beautiful areas.

10.) Louie, at the end of the day what do you hope listeners walk away with after giving many-a-listen to your beautiful new single You Are?

I hope the ambiguity of the lyrics means people can relate to the song in some way and I hope it inspires people to listen to more soulful music and also support rising, independent artists.