Exclusive Interview: MILES Showcases Talents in “MISS INDEPENDENT”

Los Angeles-based singer, songwriter, and rapper, MILES, just launched an upbeat fusion of pop and rap in his newest single, “MISS INDEPENDENT,” via Elektra Records. Rising in the industry as an artist who creates relatable lyricism that every audience can equally dance along to as they navigate life’s challenges- its ups and downs, and especially dating in a modern world- this artist is no exception. While integrating multiple genres in all forms together throughout his work, the St. Louis born musician has invented his own unique sense of style and sound.

Predestining their son for music, his mom and dad named him in homage to jazz icon Miles Davis. In turn, MILES cranked his old man’s jazz records as well as Kirk Franklin, Bill Withers, Lauryn Hill, Black Eyed Peas, and Lil Wayne. MILES developed a following online before cooking up “WHAT IN TARNATION” back in St. Louis. Beyond inspiring thousands of TikTok videos, it raked in over six million Spotify streams as he signed to Elektra. He maintained his momentum with the captivating, high-energy follow up singles, “DESPERADOS” and “MOSH PIT.” After generating 20 million-plus streams, MILES is currently working on new music, expected for release later this year, kickstarting a new era for this exciting artist to watch.

MILES “MISS INDEPENDENT” (official video)

“MISS INDEPENDENT,” MILES’s latest release, as of March 18th, is no exception to his signature blend of sound. Released in pairing with a vividly colored music video, the artist’s vocals blend into the soundscape effortlessly with a heavy beat. This modern-day love song flows through smoothly composed guitars, catchy finger snaps, and an oh-so-cool beat that celebrates its sense of independence in a unique time capsule of its own.

Read our full interview below:

Where are you located? What is your favorite part of living where you’re at right now?
Being from a suburb in Missouri, the craziest part of living in LA is walking outside of my house to a trail that overlooks the entire city. Views like that just don’t exist in my hometown and now they’re in my backyard.

When did you decide to pick up music?
When I look back, everything I did in my life was leading me to this career in music. I just didn’t realize it until the day my track coach at the time brought me to the studio his friend owned and I finally heard the true potential of what I could really do. It was in that moment everything just clicked.

Who inspired you as a musician and what were the songs you practiced when you learned to play? Who or what is your biggest Muse in your craft lately?
I grew up listening to all types of music, but I probably love rap and pop the most. Lil Wayne was one of my first inspirations because of the way he could put a punchline in every single line of a song, and the wittiness of his lyrics was so crazy to me. When Travis Scott came on to the scene, I felt like it was such a cool way that he bridged the gap by adding melody in with clever lines; that appealed to the pop singer/songwriter side of me. To name a couple others, it was people like Johnny Cash, Stevie Wonder, Lauryn Hill, and Dave Matthews Band. I remember learning every single lyric to DMB’s album “Big Whiskey & the GrooGrux King” and would sing those songs every day. I’ve been in a relationship for a while now and I’m definitely seeing the world through a new lens since she came into the picture. I can definitely attribute a lot of my recent musical choices to all the new things that we’ve been experiencing together.

How has the pandemic affected your creative process as a musician?
The pandemic has had a huge effect on my creative process starting with diving head first into TikTok, which got me writing a song from a different genre of music every single day. It also taught me not to be too precious about every single detail of the process and just go with my gut feeling of how I think the music should sound and then put it out into the world.

How do you think your music has grown or changed as you’ve developed in your craft?
My music has developed immensely over the past 3-4 years of trying to find that balance of incorporating all of my favorite genres of music into a sound that is truly and genuinely me. Once I found it, every time I get into the studio I have such a clear picture of how I want my music to represent who I am and it feels so good.

What are some themes that arose in the writing and creation process of your single, EP, album? Any inspirations you would like to share?
The main theme in “MISS INDEPENDENT” is to pay no attention to what everyone else thinks about how you should live your life, specifically when it comes to how you make your money and creating the life you’ve always wanted for yourself.

How will this release influence and inspire your projects in the future? | What do you have planned next? (tour, album, etc.)
I love this song so much because it really put me in a pop space of not overthinking every part of the song while also getting my message across. I made it a song that you can vibe to even if you took out all the words. For future projects, expect a lot of cleverness in bending messages to fit in anthems that you can play for any occasion.
I’m in such an amazing position right now to be releasing this new music leading up to a larger project with a label that gets exactly what I’m trying to do, and with a team I have surrounded myself with to get those things done. You can expect to see me live and in person a whole lot more.

Any additional thoughts you’d like to share?
The only other thing I’ll say is that this music has been five years in the making and I feel like these next few months are truly my debut as the artist I believe myself to be.

Stream “MISS INDEPENDENT,” by MILES, now available on all listening platforms: