After a life-changing, and life-affirming, three year break, Platinum selling singer/songwriter Billie Myers, best known for her record smashing hit single, Kiss The Rain, has returned with the pulsating and controversial new record, Just Sex. The single, with remixes by Belmares & Preve, Eddie Baez, Tango Blues Entertainment's Jake Benson, and UK powerhouse Wayne G & Porl Young, broke onto the Billboard Dance Club Play charts as the #1 Breakout track and became a Top 10 Billboard Dance hit shortly thereafter.
The provocative single takes direct aim at social and religious conservatives who continue to demonize nontraditional morality. Groups who use the term “family values” to oppose abortion, pornography, pre-marital sex, homosexuality, some aspects of feminism, cohabitation, and depictions of sexuality. Myer’s frank answer to them is to “relax, get over yourself, and be honest”. After all, it’s just sex!
The story of Myers’ discovery by record producer Peter Q. Harris (Will Smith) while dancing in a nightclub has become one of legend in the music industry. As Myers recalls, “I was dancing around being goofy, and Peter came up and said, “If you sing as good as you dance, we should work on some songs together.” Myers’ giggles, “It’s kind of an embarrassing story. Everybody thinks it happened at a strip joint or something, which of course it didn’t!” Billie eventually entered the studio with world-famed record producer Desmond Child (Ricky Martin, Cher, Robbie Williams). While working on some tracks, Doug Morris, then president of Universal Music, dropped by to visit his pal Child. After hearing Myers he quickly offered the flabbergasted singer a recording deal and only a short time later Myers had an infectious hit single, Kiss The Rain, playing on radios across the world.
Possessing both the introspective nature of Tracy Chapman and the unbridled spunk of Chrissie Hynde, Myers excels at weaving poetic narratives around intimate portraits of her life experiences that “leave you intrigued and hungry for more” (vibe).
Myers breakthrough hit single Kiss The Rain stayed on Billboard’s Top 100 for over six months, and reached the top ten worldwide, in addition to going gold in the US and Canada, a feat few artists accomplish. The song’s success set off a lengthy period of worldwide touring for the British singer. Included were stints on Lilith Fair, support slots on tours with Bob Dylan and Savage Garden. In addition, the hard-working Myers completed an eighteen month worldwide tour that took her everywhere from Mexico to Brazil to Japan. Along the way Myers appeared on numerous television shows including: The Tonight Show, The Rosie O’Donnell Show, Good Morning America, VH-1’s Crossroads, The List, and the How to special. It wasn’t long after, that requests for Myers’ vocals came pouring in eventually landing her on several TV soundtracks including: Dawson’s Creek, Melrose Place, The Real World as well as numerous Europeans programs.
After the huge success of Growing Pains Über -songwriter/producer Diane Warren requested that Myers lend her vocals to her latest gem. The song, It All Comes Down to You was featured on the soundtrack and in the movie of the same name. Myers got a taste of Hollywood while shooting the video with the stars of the movie, Freddie Prinze Jr. and Julia Styles. Myers clearly enjoyed her time during the shoot because it wasn’t long before she was acting herself and featured on Wasteland and Purpose.
Vertigo, the highly anticipated follow-up to Growing Pains yielded critical praise. Billboard heralded the album stating, “… armed with a fab new album, Vertigo, and a catchy single (Am I Here Yet?) Myers is poised to once again wreak havoc on the dance floors.” Co-produced by David Tyson (Tina Arena, Amanda Marshall, and Alannah Myles), Vertigo tackled issues that were even more personal to Myers this time around such as racism, sexism and religious dogmatism. Am I Here Yet, reflected Myers’ uncertainty that sudden success brought to the singer. Fans reacted strongly, as did legendary DJ/Producer Junior Vasquez who remixed the single into a dance floor anthem and once again Myers found herself at the top of every DJs play list in addition to the Billboard Dance Charts.
Maintaining her tradition of creative, offbeat, songwriting, Myers penned a song for highly rated Cartoon Network series Sitting Ducks and she’s created several animated projects which are being pitched to the networks and production companies.
