Interview with Millie Milner

Today I have an interview for you with the incredible Millie Milner. They are an artist whose music I was instantly captivated by as soon as I heard it, and I think you will feel that too. Posting almost daily on Instagram and keeping followers in the loop on their journey as an artist is a really brave thing and I look forward to those posts, I will link everything below. I instantly wanted to ask Millie questions about their music and finding themselves as an artist so I reached out and here is the result of that:

How would you describe your sound to the readers?

I would describe my music as a raw visualisation of my experiences. Each song I write is very different so I couldn't really put a genre label on any of it.

Who are some of your biggest musical inspirations?

I take musical inspiration from King Princess, Orla Gartrland, Dodie, Phoebe Bridgers but also draw little bits from whatever music I've been loving at that specific time.

How did you get started in music?

I've always been pretty musical so it was just the natural path for me to start learning instruments and then become an actual musician. I built most of my skills and confidence through busking which i started doing when i was 15, it gave me a great way to grow and i couldn't be where I am without it. I love music and couldn't really imagine myself doing anything else.

On your Instagram you are very open about identity, representation and your identity as an artist, which I think is amazing! Why is this important for you?

I believe that education is the first step to acceptance, by me being so open and sharing experiences, maybe i can help the world to open up and be accepting. My sexuailty is a big part of my life, it doesn't define me but it does alter my experience of life and i think it's important to share that not only to educate but also to show younger queer kids that their is music that they can see themselves in.

Do you think it’s important for an artist to be open about their identity?

It's all down to person preference really, you do not owe it to the world to be open and it's absolutely okay to keep some things private. That being said it's great for people to be able to see themselves in an artist they enjoy as it shows them that they are not alone and it's okay to identify as something other than the norm.

I really loved listening to your song Troubled Mind when I found your music, can you tell us more about that song and the inspiration behind it?

Thank you! Troubled Mind is my little baby. I wrote, recorded and mixed it myself so i guess that just made me bond with it strongly. I wrote it in a time when my partner was going through some really tough times, it was kind of everything I wanted to say to her. The result of me just pouring my heart out into this song was a lovely little lullabye style song, I'm super proud of it!

What parts of being a musician have you found hard during the pandemic? Have you found it hard, or do you think it’s given you more freedom to experiment?

I found myself basically feeling like I had taken most of last year off, I still released music and was actively working but it was at a much lower level than before the pandemic. I found that without gigs I was struggling to know what to do with myself. It did give me loads of time in which I really found who I am, what I want to do and where to go next. I really figured things out for myself and now i'm back on track and drawing in work again!

What’s something you miss most about pre pandemic life?

Of course I miss gigs and performing live but more than anything I miss the little things like hugging my grandparents and being in a classroom at college.

What’s next for you? Any more releases on the horizon?

I am just about to start the process of working on my next track and then I'm going to be spending over a year working on an E.P.

And lastly, what music have you been listening to lately? Any recommendations for us?

You should definitely listen to Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, King Princess and The Scary Pockets - they're all great!

Millie was absolutely lovely to talk to and they are definitely someone who I think we will be seeing a lot more from in the future, and for one, I can't wait.

Please make sure that you go and listen to Millie's music and follow them on social media to keep up to date with their future releases and artist journey.

Thanks for reading, until next time...

Listen to Millie Milner's music on Spotify here.

Follow Millie Milner on Instagram here.

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Music submissions and enquires to aftermidnightblog1@gmail.com