Biology freshman Billy Wallace spends his days studying biology notes, but in his free time, he taps into his country roots to create a sound true to the genre.
For Wallace, country and music came hand and hand from a young age. He grew up in St. Rose, Louisiana, and said that while the area is close to New Orleans, it’s incredibly rural.
For him, country music was a heavy influence growing up, and while he can remember singing in choirs from second grade, country is what always fit.
“Even when I do try to sing other music, it always comes off as country, so it kind of just fell in place,” Wallace said.
In high school, Wallace said he realized he wanted to write his own music.
His EP, “The Way I Am,” started as a senior project. Wallace decided to make an EP, but needed help doing it. He said he googled Andrew Duhon, a New Orleans singer-songwriter who’s been Grammy nominated for his own work.
After meeting with him, Wallace said he utilized Duhon’s music composition skills while he writes the lyrics to his songs.
“Most of my music is just about life and living in Louisiana and life experiences,” Wallace said.
Wallace said his music writing process is unregulated. He will be driving or doing homework, and a lyric will come to him. He’ll stop, record it and come back to it at a later time to create a whole song. He said he doesn’t force the songwriting process and lets things come together slowly.
As for the music aspect, Wallace makes sure to have that definitive country sound.
“Especially today, country is getting a little poppy, and my music sounds a little bit older, and that’s what a lot of people like about it,” Wallace said.
While Duhon produced “The Way I Am” about six months ago, Wallace said he is hoping to release a full, 10-track record sometime in 2015.
“If everything works out the way it should, within the next year having a full album and doing maybe a little tour,” Wallace said.
Recently, Wallace played for a crowd of 300 at the Esplanade mall in Kenner, Louisiana, and on Nov. 22 will be playing at
Skinney’s Restaurant in Kentwood, Louisiana, for a similarly sized crowd.
Wallace said he hopes to book shows in Baton Rouge and New Orleans. He said he knows the venues he’s performing at now are a bit far for University students and would like to bring his performances closer since he knows a lot of people in the area.
“[That’s] one of my reachable goals right now,” Wallace said.
Currently, Baton Rouge is a place for Wallace to study his biology notes. He said he knows the music industry is a risky business, and if it works out, that would be the dream, but he’ll have a biology degree as another option.
“Music is kind of just a fun thing for me right now,” Wallace said.
You can reach Meg Ryan on Twitter @The_MegRyan.