Meet: Billy Lloyd, 20, Leeds College of Music student.
How long have you been playing?
I've been playing piano since I was 6, so about 14 years now. I've been producing music for about two years.
What genre of music do you play?
I'd say it was dark, electronic music with pop melodies. I write about largely queer themes as well so I guess it could be categorised like that too.
Why did you start playing?
I wasn't given a choice to start learning piano, it was just something that was decided for me by my parents, who are both very musical, though it was the best decision that was ever made for me. I kept going because it's a form of therapy for me, writing for me is the best way to deal with things and the best way I think to affect social change. And playing piano is similar to meditating for me too, so both processes are things I just do.
What’s your most memorable musical moment?
Probably hearing a song I co-wrote and produced being played on Radio 1Xtra as part of their BBC introducing programming. The singer, Zee Musiq, that wrote and sang the song was being interviewed and I was sat on a train to Manchester listening on my phone and I couldn't stop smiling and laughing, I got a lot of strange looks that day.
What’s your dream?
To be able to make a positive impact in the world with my music; to challenge viewpoints, make change, demand what is right.
Who’s your idol and who would you most compare yourself to? (Dead or alive...)
My idol would have to be Bjork, everything she does is so perfectly executed and feels so new and exciting, even her oldest music feels like it was released yesterday! I'm not sure I would dare to compare myself with anyone, although once someone said my track 'Steam' sounded like Enya...
If you could play with anyone, who would it be?
Either Bjork, Patrick Wolf or Sufjan Stevens, all three of them put on such spectacular shows that I think to even be a small part of it would change my life.
If you could play at any festival, which would it be?
Probably Bestival, they work so hard to cultivate a sense of wonder and magic at their festival and I think I could really feed off that in my performance.
Who are your fans?
Just over half of my likes on my facebook page are from Brazil, I'm not quite sure why but I do know that they are the most engaged people on my page, always commenting and sharing things, I'm very thankful for them!
What’s your all time favourite song?
I find it very hard to listen to songs for long periods of time, if I listen to a song that I used to listen to a long time ago, it makes me feel like I'm at that point in my life again, which can be unpleasant. Which I think is a testament to the power of music, but also makes it hard to choose a song that I would consider my all time favourite song. 'Joga' by Bjork is probably up there, but I think I've spoken about her in nearly every answer so far!
