Electro-Pop Artist James Millier Has A Chat With Decent
James Millier has just released his beautiful new single 'Brand New Start'.
We talk to him about his musical journey...
How would you describe the music that you typically create?
All of my songs have an electronic undertone to them, though I do like to fusion it with different types of genres from rock to folk to pop.
What first got you into music?
From a young age I loved music, but it was in my twenties when I knew I really wanted to focus on making music. It was the loss of my step-father that made me realise that I should just embrace my love for music before it got too late.
Who are your main musical influences?
Michael Jackson was definitely a huge influence on me when I was young - so much an influence in fact that I took part in a dance to"Bad" in front of my primary school assembly with two friends. I'm also a sucker for 80's music artists like Duran Duran, The Police and a-ha. Currently, I'm loving Fly by Midnight who are my most played artist throughout the 2010's decade on Spotify.
What are the themes behind your new single ‘Brand New Start’?
'Brand New Start' is all about being uncertain about your future, when you can't help but reflect on life events and think what fate will bring you. However it also speaks of staying strong in these uncertain times and not being afraid to go down a different avenue when you are unsure where the path may lead and make a brand new start for yourself.
Have you always been interested in music? Was there a particular song/performance that made you say "Woah! I want to do that!"?
I was actually supposed to lead a life in catering, because I studied as a chef at the Birmingham college of Food when I was sixteen. However, this changed after the loss of my step-father. From then one I started to focus on music as much as possible while still working as a chef. Recently though, I got told I had to give up my career in the catering and restaurant trade so now I'm focusing on music more that ever.
There was never a song or performance that changed my outlook on music but two people certainly had a lot of influence on my music career. Firstly, there's my mum who bought me a voucher to have singing lessons for a Christmas present. This leads me to the second person - my singing teacher Sian Pearce who has helped me grow so much as a musician and artist.
Who would you most like to collaborate with?
Very tough question however I would say all of the artists from my musical influence list plus Tom Jones. This is because I feel there is welsh blood running through my veins given that I can sing welsh after spending time in welsh choir - and the man is a musical legend in my eyes. Plus Britney Spears because I don't know if I should be admitting this but I have a music crush on her and she really know how to put on a show live.
What’s next for you?
I'm currently doing an Instagram Live Music chat show a few times a week right now. It also looks like I'm going to be releasing an EP and a few singles this year. I actually have this very special custom made lyric notebook which already contains six songs which I feel ready to record into fully-fledged tracks in the studio.
I'd also like to release a charity compilation album this year for a charity called SRUK which aims to help people who have a condition called Scleroderma and Raynaud's. It would mean the world to me if I could help them because it's quite a personal matter to me due to my mum being diagnosed with it and there is no cure for it yet. Plus it's very rare and can be life-threatening because it's an autoimmune disease. Personally knowing what my mum goes through makes me want to help as many people with this condition and give them a better quality of life. Oh, and I'd really love to do some live performances around the UK!
'Brand New Start' was produced by Olli Daffarn at his Blue Dot Studio in Brighton and the music video was directed by Glen Jevon in the New Forest in Hampshire.
Watch the music video here:
New single 'Brand New Start' out now.
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