Billy Raffoul's stated goal: "Connect with people, one room at a time." It's a humble, journeyman musician's sentiment, the kind not normally associated with a young breakout star. And it goes to show that the singer-songwriter-guitarist is wise for his age.

That wisdom is heard all over Raffoul's debut EP, 1975, released in 2018 by Interscope Records to immediate accolades from the likes of Rolling Stone, NPR, and Time magazine. From the first note, Raffoul's gravel-on-glass voice conveys a sense of world-weary, hard-fought experience, and his poetic lyrics speak of soulful yearning and earnest regret. His alt-folk-pop arrangements rely on his tasteful acoustic guitar, backed by elemental drums and occasional electric flourishes.

The minimalism of 1975 contrasts with Raffoul's early singles, like the smoldering, grandiose "I'm Not a Saint" and "Driver," the guitar-grinding alt-rock anthem that put Raffoul on the map in 2017. Each of these songs demonstrates Raffoul as a rare talent with a unique point of view. These days he splits his time between Nashville and Los Angeles — when he isn't on the road, that is. His summer 2019 cross-country tour will win him fans one show at a time, just like he planned.

Billy Raffoul Background

It's no stretch to say that Raffoul was born into his rockstar role. His mother is an artist, author, and teacher. His father, Jody Raffoul, is a mainstay of southern Ontario's rock scene who over the last 30 years has performed in the U.S. and Canada with the likes of Collective Soul, Kid Rock, Joe Cocker, Blues Traveler, Counting Crows, and Bon Jovi.

Growing up in the tiny town of Leamington, Ontario, Billy received his first guitar when he was 10 — a gift from his dad that he soon taught himself to play. As a teenager, he was regularly called to local recording studios to provide scratch vocals for demos. One day, the engineers asked if he had any original material, and the video they recorded made it into the hands of his current manager, who used to work with Kid Rock. The next day, the two of them drove to Nashville, and that's where Raffoul began his career as a professional musician.