"My new production work for Jeff Satur," Tilly Birds' Billy Chuchat's social accounts read on the 20th of January.
I immediately replied with "WHAT???" and he said, "Hahaha, I thought you knew." 'Ghost' had been released the day before, and I found myself listening to it repeatedly. I thought it was refreshingly light despite Jeff's heartwrenching lyrics, and was curious about the production that went into it.
My new production work for @jeffsatur
— BILLbilly01 (@BILLbilly01) January 20, 2024
Go watch it!https://t.co/ruznXQFL9E
Produced by BILLbilly01
Written by Jeff Satur
Composed by Jeff Satur
Arranged by BILLbilly01
All Instruments Recorded by BILLbilly01
Vocals Edited by Henry Watkins
Mixed and Mastered by Henry Watkins pic.twitter.com/oQiBn5WPDX
When this information presented itself, we decided to ask Billy if he could talk to us about his production work under his moniker BILLbilly01. Aside from Jeff, the award-winning producer has worked with fellow Thai artists HYBS, SILVY, Dept, and Violette Wautier, as well as rock band COCKTAIL. Tapping into his visual side, he has also directed a number of his band's music videos.
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Ahead of his return to Manila with the rest of Tilly Birds this month, the dancer-turned-musician shares more about his musical journey, what advice the Thai multi-instrumenalist would give aspiring producers, and the artists he'd love to produce for.
Hi, Billy! How have you been so far? You were on a short break for a while. What was that like?
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I’m currently doing great! I actually just went through surgery. It was a pretty rough time but the worst is behind me and I’m feeling awesome. So in some way, this break is really about me finding solitude and reconnecting with myself. Plus, I also get to spend time with people that I love.
Many people know you as the guitarist of Tilly Birds, but you’ve also gone behind the boards to produce for other musicians. Let’s start at the beginning. How did you start making music?
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When I was 15, I was really into dancing. I started making music because I wanted to make a song for myself to dance to. While being a dancer, I was thinking about what could be more original than coming up with my own choreography, then for some weird reason, I found [that] music was the answer. Ever since, I think I’ve always had my own sense of rhythm, dynamic, and groove. I like to think about how people would move to what I produce. It fascinates me every time I see that effect live as well, like when I perform with Tilly Birds and people groove to the songs. It feels amazing every time.
When and how did you realise you wanted to make a career out of music?
So along the timeline of my musical journey, just like my friend Third, I was a film student. During my college years, I was a pretty dedicated YouTuber who was searching for something that would stand out visually and sonically. To be honest, that was one of the reasons I ended up studying film. Ultimately, after graduating and finishing my short film thesis, I just knew that I loved music more and I wanted to do that for as long as I could.
How did you end up working with the likes of HYBS and Jeff Satur? Tell us more about working on these tracks – HYBS’ first remix and Jeff Satur’s latest single, ‘Ghost’.
Well, (James) Alyn is one of my best friends and we have so much in common. I have produced several songs for him, and on the other hand, he was featured in one of my originals as well. One day, I texted him asking whether he and Karn (Kasidej) would be interested in me remixing one of their songs and they both agreed to the idea. Then, 'Ride (BILLbilly01 Remix)' was born, and eventually, The Cold Cuts album as well. My remix was the first one! I had such a great time with the boys while filming the video and they surely know how to make steaks!
For Jeff, Warner Music Thailand contacted me to produce for him in 2022 by sending me his demos. I fell in love with his voice and also his melodies. So we created the song 'Hide' together and released it in May 2022.
Fast forward to the middle of December 2023, Warner contacted me again to produce another song for him because it did not work out with the other producer they had. So I stepped in and finished 'Ghost' on the 1st of January! It was challenging to make and finish the project in less than 2 weeks but I enjoyed it. Jeff was amazing as always.
How is it the same and how is it different when you’re working on your own music versus you’re working on others’ music?
I think the main difference is the amount of input I have for the songs. But sometimes, it depends on the artists and the projects that I work on as well. One could be I have almost all control over the song, whereas the other one, I was just the guy who would be there to help the artist pack and finish the song. For me, it is good to work for other people from time to time so I can get my head out of my own projects that I’m working on. But I don’t do too much. Otherwise, I’ll go crazy!
Why do you use the BILLbilly01 moniker?
It’s my YouTube account name. To be honest, I don’t really like that name. I’m stuck with it because I created that account when I was 13, and then it went off and I’ve kind of embraced the name ever since even though it’s a pretty bad name, at least to me.
What advice would you give young musicians and artists who would like to give music production a try?
Don’t be afraid of it. Learn to do it your way. Right now, there are so many resources for learning your way into it. So many YouTube creators make new quality content about this every day. And all the tools are now better than ever. And lastly, be creative and don’t try to be perfect.
Who are your favourite musicians to listen to? Who are the producers you look up to? How does their music influence your own style of production?
I have so many influences throughout my lifetime of listening to music, but if I have to narrow it down to a group, it would be bands’ music, hence Tilly Birds. But for my producing side, I have a strong connection with people like Timbaland, Kevin Parker, A.G. Cook, Flume, and Clarence Clarity. Many of their songs changed how I look at music at some point and going back to listen to their catalogue always gives me something to learn.
Who would you love to produce for in the future?
It’d be cool to start producing for someone outside of Thailand. I’d die to produce for people like Charli XCX and Caroline Polachek. Right now, I’d love to produce for ena mori!
Tilly Birds are performing at LUVCON 2024 in Manila this month. Find out more here.
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