Written by Sophie Wyatt
After releasing his debut EP Cotton back in 2019, Miller Blue has become renowned for bending genres and creating exciting soundscapes for his ever growing fanbase to indulge in. His heartfelt and imaginative lyrics, paired with a mix of R&B, electronica and jazz inspired tones have made his plethora of projects instantly recognisable as his work. His most popular single ‘Us’ garnering over 11 million streams on Spotify alone.
Back with yet another project, Miller has decided to reminisce on some of his most personal tracks, but reimagine them in a new musical sphere. His album The Orchestral Sessions is a stunning re-upholstering of singles such as ‘House of Mine’ and ‘Sunflower’, among many other tracks. His rerecorded vocals alongside intricately thought out string sections build these songs into what can only be described as a cinematic evolution of their original pieces.
Growing up surrounded by music, Miller explained to us that his first experiences with songs stemmed around his parents’ obsessions with music. Having had first hand experience of synthesizers alongside his dad, Miller told us that “he was always introducing me to new sounds, and things I wouldn’t have heard otherwise.” With this experience alongside several other musical family members, a clear connection was sparked in Miller and his love of experimenting with different sounds. And from the age of 16 he started to produce his own music, and learning to sing. “Over the years influences have just been pulled in and I’ve slowly started to develop that craft”, he explained.
Miller Blue has often been boxed into several different genres as his music has progressed. From Soul, to Jazz to R&B, his music’s genre title is constantly reduced to simply one sound, which seems redundant as each song in each project bleeds outside the constraints of one specific label. Speaking on the rapid disposal of the genre, Miller told us; “I think the reason the term genre is starting to fall apart is because culture used to be so specific to regions before socials. Now that the internet is so crazy, it can all be so easily accessed, and it becomes this amalgamation of stuff.” Going on to talk about his own music, he said that, “I just want people to be honest with themselves when they hear my music. Where are you at right now? It can be a good place, you’re struggling, whatever it is. I don’t want to force people to feel something. I want to bring out how they actually feel. When I’m writing it, it’s true, so I want people to feel truth. As long as I’ve been honest in the moment of writing, then hopefully that can reflect and allow someone else to do the same.”
Whilst creating his latest project The Orchestral Sessions, Miller was given a chance to reflect over his older tracks and the space he was in when they were created. “I felt proud looking back through them. But when recording them, there was a sadness and a realisation of how I was back then, and how I thought I had to be and feel. It was a bittersweet combination, but a nice stirring of the pot. It felt good overall.” Having spoken to the label about creating the sessions, the seed was planted in Miller’s head and he was soon flown out to Slovenia to record alongside the orchestra. “It sounded different to what I expected when I first heard it. Only because I was under the impression that it would be orchestral only. Delving into the more textural sides was a part that I really enjoyed. Welcome differences.”
Many fans were pleased to see that Miller’s most streamed song ‘Us’ was included within this project. And we were delighted to hear it moulded into such a different sound. What was originally a spring-time, upbeat track alongside moving, vulnerable lyrics, takes on a completely different persona here. It’s expansive, cinematic qualities evoke a different side of emotions and invite listeners to understand it in a new way. Miller explained that ‘Blush’ and ‘Sunflower’ were two songs that stood out most for him when reimagining them. “The scenarios that the songs touched on were actually a lot more somber, so the strings really brought that out. They made me surprisingly emotional. The cinematic thing was very intentional, we wanted to look back on it like it was the end of my life.”
On the verge of the release of his debut album, Miller says that this project “has been really nice to have a breath, and reflect before I move on to what’s to come.” As ever, we are excited to hear what Miller is going on to create, and we are sure that it will be nothing short of welcomed surprises.
Head over to Spotify to hear Miller Blue’s latest release The Orchestral Sessions
