“You are the common denominator in your life, and you have to take responsibility for that.”

Billie Myers is an English singer/songwriter who has had numerous songs on the Billboard charts, including the transatlantic hit “Kiss the Rain.” Her debut album, Growing Pains, went gold in the United States and Canada; her other albums include Vertigo and Tea and Sympathy. She has performed around the world, including at Lilith Fair and in support slots on tours with Bob Dylan and Savage Garden. Her music has been featured on TV soundtracks including Dawson’s Creek, Melrose Place, and The Real World as well as numerous European programs, and she has made appearances on television shows such as The Tonight Show, The Rosie O’Donnell Show, Good Morning America, and VH1’s Crossroads. Myers is also one of the spokespeople for the Jed Foundation, a nonprofit organization committed to reducing emotional distress and preventing suicide among teens. She is based in Los Angeles, California. (www.BillieMyers.com; www.jedfoundation.org)

The Interview

Billie and I met while in Miami with mutual friends, and much to my delight, we discovered we were neighbors in Los Angeles. She is engaging, charismatic, and possesses that wonderful British wit. One day we were discussing our love lives over breakfast when she told a story about how her life had changed because of a conversation much like the one we were having. Obviously, I pounced, and got her to agree to an interview. When I went to her house a few streets away, expecting to hear the epiphany I already knew about, she told not only that one but also another that I found just as thought-provoking.