Billie Myers
Encyclopedia
Billie Myers is an English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...

 rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...

 singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...

. She is probably best known for her 1998 transatlantic hit, "Kiss the Rain
Kiss the Rain
"Kiss the Rain" is a song by English recording artist Billie Myers, from her debut album Growing, Pains. It was released in 1997 as the lead single of the album by Universal Records...

".

Biography

Myers was born in Britain to a British mother, and Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...

n father. Before commencing her career in music, Myers was a nurse and insurance agent. She was discovered in a club
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...

 by the record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...

 Peter Harris. Soon after their first meeting, Myers began writing material for her debut album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...

, Growing, Pains
Growing, Pains
Growing, Pains is an album by Billie Myers, released in 1997.-Track listing:#"Kiss the Rain" – 4:32#"A Few Words Too Many" – 4:19#"Tell Me" – 5:05#"You Send Me Flying" – 3:58#"Please Don't Shout" – 3:44#"First Time" – 3:39...

 (1997). The album was produced by Desmond Child
Desmond Child
Desmond Child is an American musician, songwriter, and producer. He is a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame.-Career:...

. The first single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...

 from the album, "Kiss the Rain", became a Top 20 hit
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...

.

Myers was signed to a recording contract
Recording contract
A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...

 with Universal Records
Universal Records
Universal Records was a record label owned by Universal Music Group, and it is now owned by Manny Patino and Michael Jackson, and operated as part of the Universal Motown Republic Group.-History:...

 in 1997, and toured with the Lilith Fair
Lilith Fair
Lilith Fair was a concert tour and travelling music festival, founded by Canadian musician Sarah McLachlan, Nettwerk Music Group's Dan Fraser and Terry McBride, and New York talent agent Marty Diamond. It took place during the summers of 1997 to 1999, and was revived in the summer of 2010. It...

 in 1998, as well as headlining her own tour. Singles from Growing, Pains have appeared on television commercials and in the TV series
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...

, Dawson's Creek
Dawson's Creek
Dawson's Creek is an American teen drama television series which debuted on January 20, 1998, on The WB Television Network and was produced by Sony Pictures Television. The show is set in the fictional seaside town of Capeside, Massachusetts, and in Boston, Massachusetts, during the later seasons...

. Growing, Pains achieved gold record
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...

 status in 1997, and Myers' follow-up album, Vertigo
Vertigo (Billie Myers album)
-Track listing:#"Am I here yet? " – 4:48#"Should I Call You Jesus?" – 5:10#"Vertigo" – 5:40#"Without My Consent" – 3:39#"Room Full Of You" – 6:39#"Flexible" – 4:31#"Where Romeo Never Dies" – 3:57#"Never Let Them See You Cry" – 5:35...

, was issued in 2000.

Her vocal
Human voice
The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal folds for talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, etc. Its frequency ranges from about 60 to 7000 Hz. The human voice is specifically that part of human sound production in which the vocal folds are the primary...

 style is a combination of pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...

, jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...

 and world music.

She has spoken about her bisexuality
Bisexuality
Bisexuality is sexual behavior or an orientation involving physical or romantic attraction to both males and females, especially with regard to men and women. It is one of the three main classifications of sexual orientation, along with a heterosexual and a homosexual orientation, all a part of the...

 and the difficulties "not being gay enough" has caused her in the past.

On 11 October 2009, Myers sang "America the Beautiful
America the Beautiful
"America the Beautiful" is an American patriotic song. The lyrics were written by Katharine Lee Bates and the music composed by church organist and choirmaster Samuel A. Ward....

" before a crowd of some LGBT's and their allies at the National Equality March
National Equality March
The National Equality March was a national political rally that occurred October 11, 2009 in Washington, D.C.. It called for equal protection for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in all matters governed by civil law in all 50 states and the District of Columbia...

 in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

 In introducing the song, she criticized president Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...

 for failing to mention marriage equality and the battle to ban same-sex marriage in Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...

 during his speech the previous night at a Human Rights Campaign dinner.

Growing, Pains (1997)

Myers' debut album, Growing, Pains
Growing, Pains
Growing, Pains is an album by Billie Myers, released in 1997.-Track listing:#"Kiss the Rain" – 4:32#"A Few Words Too Many" – 4:19#"Tell Me" – 5:05#"You Send Me Flying" – 3:58#"Please Don't Shout" – 3:44#"First Time" – 3:39...

, was released in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 on 18 November 1997. It achieved gold status, thanks in large part to the success of its first single. Myers wrote or co-wrote all songs featured on the record, and although she had not written songs prior to creating Growing, Pains, she had regularly written in journals and diaries for years beforehand, which facilitated the songwriting process.

Her first single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...

, "Kiss the Rain" entered the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...

 and eventually reached number 4. In the United States, "Kiss the Rain" reached number 15 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

 and spent 31 weeks on the chart. The American television series Dawson’s Creek (episode #2-02, titled “Crossroads”) featured "Kiss the Rain", and it was also used in promotions for Archer Daniels Midland
Archer Daniels Midland
The Archer Daniels Midland Company is a conglomerate headquartered in Decatur, Illinois. ADM operates more than 270 plants worldwide, where cereal grains and oilseeds are processed into products used in food, beverage, nutraceutical, industrial and animal feed markets worldwide.ADM was named the...

, which were most often seen on both Sunday morning talk shows and ADM's underwriting spot
Underwriting spot
An underwriting spot is an announcement made on public broadcasting outlets, especially in the United States, in exchange for funding. These spots usually mention the name of the sponsor, and can resemble traditional television advertisements in commercial broadcasting...

 for The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer
The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer
PBS NewsHour is an evening television news program broadcast weeknights on the Public Broadcasting Service in the United States. The show is produced by MacNeil/Lehrer Productions, a company co-owned by former anchors Jim Lehrer and Robert MacNeil, and Liberty Media, which owns a 65% stake in the...

.

The dance remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....

 of "Kiss the Rain" was the first number 1 for both Myers and the remix team, Thunderpuss
Thunderpuss
Thunderpuss was the remix/productionteam of music producers Barry Harris and Chris Cox. Harris had previously worked as part of several music groups including Kon Kan, Top Kat, Killer Bunnies and Outta Control and had also released several singles himself...

.

The follow-up single, "Tell Me", reached number 25 on the Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks
Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks
Adult Top 40 is a variation on the United States Billboard charts...

 chart. Myers admitted that once "Kiss the Rain" had retreated from charting position, she felt disappointed because "Tell Me" did not match the success of her first single.

After the release of Growing, Pains and before her second album, Myers scored the title track for the Freddie Prinze, Jr.
Freddie Prinze, Jr.
Freddie James Prinze, Jr. is an American actor. He rose to fame during the late 1990s and early 2000s, after starring in several Hollywood films aimed at teenage audiences, I Know What You Did Last Summer and its sequel, I Still Know What You Did Last Summer , as well as She's All That , Summer...

 film Down to You
Down to You
Down to You is a 2000 romantic comedy film about losing a first love. It was directed by Kris Isacsson. The main characters are Alfred 'Al' Connelly Imogen and Cyrus...

.

Vertigo (2000)

In June 2000, Myers released her second record, Vertigo
Vertigo (Billie Myers album)
-Track listing:#"Am I here yet? " – 4:48#"Should I Call You Jesus?" – 5:10#"Vertigo" – 5:40#"Without My Consent" – 3:39#"Room Full Of You" – 6:39#"Flexible" – 4:31#"Where Romeo Never Dies" – 3:57#"Never Let Them See You Cry" – 5:35...

, which featured the single "Am I Here Yet? (Return to Sender)". The dance remix of "Am I Here Yet?" by DJ
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...

 Junior Vasquez
Junior Vasquez
Junior Vasquez, , is an American club DJ and remixer/producer.-Career:...

 reached number 1 on the dance charts. "Should I Call You Jesus?" was the album's second single and invited controversy because of Myers' frank, honest questions about religion. Myers was satisfied with her sophomore record because she was more assertive in the production process and more direct lyrically. Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...

 called Vertigos collection of songs "a fearless set that intertwines deft pop hooks, wickedly honest lyrics, and vibrant rhythms".

"Just Sex" (2005)

In November 2005, Myers released a single, "Just Sex", with Artemis Records' Star Struck compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...

. One year later, Myers was named the closing act for Los Angeles Gay Pride 2006 and a featured act for New York City Pride 2006. She also appeared at the Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

 North Halsted Market Days
North Halsted Market Days
North Halsted Market Days is an annual two-day festival in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It is the Midwest's largest street festival with annual attendance exceeding 300,000 people over the two day event, takes place in the Boystown section of Lakeview along North Halsted Street from Belmont Avenue to...

 25th Anniversary Festival. The remix of "Just Sex" reached number 8 on the Billboard Dance Chart.

Tea & Sympathy (2009)

Myers' third album, Tea & Sympathy
Tea & Sympathy (Billie Myers album)
Tea & Sympathy is the third album by Billie Myers, released on September 1, 2009.-Track list:# "Lady Jane" - 3:58# "Wonderful" - 4:11# "Send Me An Angel " - 4:31# "I Hope You're Happy Now" - 3:40# "You Wear Heaven" - 4:23...

, was completed early in 2009. The record was released through iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....

 on her own record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...

, Fruit Loop Records, on 1 September 2009. A physical copy of the record was available through Myers' official website on 15 September 2009. The first single, a ballad titled "I Hope You're Happy Now", was released on 7 July 2009. Myers has also begun an "Unscripted" series on her YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....

 channel, that provides her fans
Fan (person)
A Fan, sometimes also called aficionado or supporter, is a person with a liking and enthusiasm for something, such as a band or a sports team. Fans of a particular thing or person constitute its fanbase or fandom...

 with background information on the newest songs.

Albums

  • Growing, Pains
    Growing, Pains
    Growing, Pains is an album by Billie Myers, released in 1997.-Track listing:#"Kiss the Rain" – 4:32#"A Few Words Too Many" – 4:19#"Tell Me" – 5:05#"You Send Me Flying" – 3:58#"Please Don't Shout" – 3:44#"First Time" – 3:39...

     (1997) - UK
    UK Albums Chart
    The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...

     #19, #91 US
  • Vertigo
    Vertigo (Billie Myers album)
    -Track listing:#"Am I here yet? " – 4:48#"Should I Call You Jesus?" – 5:10#"Vertigo" – 5:40#"Without My Consent" – 3:39#"Room Full Of You" – 6:39#"Flexible" – 4:31#"Where Romeo Never Dies" – 3:57#"Never Let Them See You Cry" – 5:35...

     (2000)
  • Tea & Sympathy
    Tea & Sympathy (Billie Myers album)
    Tea & Sympathy is the third album by Billie Myers, released on September 1, 2009.-Track list:# "Lady Jane" - 3:58# "Wonderful" - 4:11# "Send Me An Angel " - 4:31# "I Hope You're Happy Now" - 3:40# "You Wear Heaven" - 4:23...

     (2009)

Singles

| Year | Single | Peak positions | Album
UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...

U.S. Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary
Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks
The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States...

U.S. Billboard Adult Top 40
Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks
Adult Top 40 is a variation on the United States Billboard charts...

U.S. Billboard Top 40 Adult Recurrents
Billboard charts
The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine...

U.S. Billboard Top 40 Mainstream
1998 "Kiss the Rain
Kiss the Rain
"Kiss the Rain" is a song by English recording artist Billie Myers, from her debut album Growing, Pains. It was released in 1997 as the lead single of the album by Universal Records...

"
4 15 - 28 6 1 7 Growing, Pains
Growing, Pains
Growing, Pains is an album by Billie Myers, released in 1997.-Track listing:#"Kiss the Rain" – 4:32#"A Few Words Too Many" – 4:19#"Tell Me" – 5:05#"You Send Me Flying" – 3:58#"Please Don't Shout" – 3:44#"First Time" – 3:39...

1998 "Tell Me" 28 - - - 25 - 34 Growing, Pains
Growing, Pains
Growing, Pains is an album by Billie Myers, released in 1997.-Track listing:#"Kiss the Rain" – 4:32#"A Few Words Too Many" – 4:19#"Tell Me" – 5:05#"You Send Me Flying" – 3:58#"Please Don't Shout" – 3:44#"First Time" – 3:39...

1999 "You Send Me Flying" - - - - - - - Growing, Pains
Growing, Pains
Growing, Pains is an album by Billie Myers, released in 1997.-Track listing:#"Kiss the Rain" – 4:32#"A Few Words Too Many" – 4:19#"Tell Me" – 5:05#"You Send Me Flying" – 3:58#"Please Don't Shout" – 3:44#"First Time" – 3:39...

1999 "It All Comes Down to You" - - - - - - - Down to You soundtrack
2000 "Am I Here Yet? (Return to Sender)" - - - - - - - Vertigo
Vertigo (Billie Myers album)
-Track listing:#"Am I here yet? " – 4:48#"Should I Call You Jesus?" – 5:10#"Vertigo" – 5:40#"Without My Consent" – 3:39#"Room Full Of You" – 6:39#"Flexible" – 4:31#"Where Romeo Never Dies" – 3:57#"Never Let Them See You Cry" – 5:35...

2000 "Should I Call You Jesus?" - - - - - - - Vertigo
Vertigo (Billie Myers album)
-Track listing:#"Am I here yet? " – 4:48#"Should I Call You Jesus?" – 5:10#"Vertigo" – 5:40#"Without My Consent" – 3:39#"Room Full Of You" – 6:39#"Flexible" – 4:31#"Where Romeo Never Dies" – 3:57#"Never Let Them See You Cry" – 5:35...

2005 "Just Sex" - - 8 - - - -
2009 "I Hope You're Happy Now" - - - - - - - Tea & Sympathy
Tea & Sympathy (Billie Myers album)
Tea & Sympathy is the third album by Billie Myers, released on September 1, 2009.-Track list:# "Lady Jane" - 3:58# "Wonderful" - 4:11# "Send Me An Angel " - 4:31# "I Hope You're Happy Now" - 3:40# "You Wear Heaven" - 4:23...

2010 "Wonderful" - - 11 - - - - Tea & Sympathy
Tea & Sympathy (Billie Myers album)
Tea & Sympathy is the third album by Billie Myers, released on September 1, 2009.-Track list:# "Lady Jane" - 3:58# "Wonderful" - 4:11# "Send Me An Angel " - 4:31# "I Hope You're Happy Now" - 3:40# "You Wear Heaven" - 4:23...


External links

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