Millie Blooms storms back into the room with her next single ‘Bounce Ya Necks’. Conceptually the song was made to the experiences Millie has faced and continues to face in the music industry, as the song developed it became more than that. An anthem of female-empowerment was born, to express how women are valued, made it to feel and expected to fit into modern pop-culture today. Sonically it’s dark, sassy and biting from the underground beat that underpins it together to the lyrics that pull no punches from the go, “You wanna put me in a box (I see you), You really wanna touch my what? (It’s not right).”
By Kamil Bobin
Discovered via Musosoup
(Kamil) Hey Millie Blooms, super nice to have the chance to chat with you. What first got you into music?
Hey Kamil, it’s really lovely to connect with you too, thanks for reaching out.
My love of music started in school, where I took part in school plays, the choir and played flute for the orchestra. This then became a more serious passion in my later teenage years, when I took a work experience position in a recording studio in Cardiff, where I learned more about songwriting, recording, production, working with clients and touring live. From there I went onto studying music at both BTEC and degree level and over the years have been part of many music projects as a performer, songwriter, producer and mentor. Today I have my own recording studio where I continue to work on both my own project and also on works for various other artists.
Who would you most like to collaborate with?
Good question! There’s so many inspiring artists and producers I would love to collaborate with, my top picks would have to be Missy Elliot, Timberland, Kendrick Lamar, Little Simz, The Pharcyde and Trent Reznor from Nine Inch Nails.
Your latest song is 'Bounce Ya Necks'. Can you tell us more about the making of it and if there were any unusual things happening during the process?
‘Bounce Ya Necks’ is a song I wrote, recorded and co-produced with Dan Fry, as an anthem to empower women. Conceptually it was a reaction to my experience as a women working in the music industry and also a response to how women are valued and made to feel in pop-culture today.
Throughout the years working as both a performer and music producer, I’ve found myself battling misogyny and it saddens me that in 2022, women are still encouraged to be the subject of ‘the male gaze’ in music and other walks of life, with value being highly placed on our aesthetic and willingness to ‘sell sexy’ to succeed in our ambitions. Our bodies, age and attitudes shouldn’t be up for trade when working hard to define our careers, I’ve lost count of the amount of times I’ve been told by a pale, white, stale, male that “I’m getting too old to pursue a music artist career, that I need to be thinner and even that I’m a business risk if I have children”. As it happens I’m 41, size 8-10 and chose not to have a family and I’m still feeling the pressure of being made to justify my worth... It’s not right.
Music press commonly introduces women with narratives that define our gender, with terms like ‘female fronted band, female producer’ and descriptions that describe our bodies, outfits and sexual appeal used to introduce us in articles and pigeon hole us on music bills, yet the same language and expectation isn’t applied to men. Being ‘female’ is not a genre and we are here taking our power back. We simply want equality and we want to be acknowledged for our true worth.
In terms of unusual things that happened; writing this track led me to open up the conversation with others around the subject and I realised that we all have a story to tell. People have shared so many different experiences and interesting perspectives with me, that it inspired me to start a #BounceYaNecks interview vlog; via my YouTube channel.
What are you focussing on right now?
This year has been all about writing, producing and releasing my own music and letting the world know Millie Blooms is here. I’ve also been co-writing and producing albums for country music artist ‘Eleri Angharad’ and Country/Pop artist ‘Paige Wolfe’, as well as working on a bunch of singles for a variety of other multi-genre artists.
In addition to that I’ve been very committed to supporting female and queer artists to develop their skillsets within the music industry and have been mentoring both privately and on behalf of other organisations that share my values. It’s really important that more artists from these communities get a seat at the table and are represented in the industry and you only have to look at the global statistics to see that it’s evidenced that there is a massive disparity between the amount of women to men that work as artists, songwriters and producers in the music industry. We need to take action to change this.
What are you most proud of?
I’m most proud of the fact that I’m 41 years of age and I’m still dedicating my life to making music. Being a musician is a lifestyle that challenges you personally, professionally, politically and financially and over the years it’s taken me on ride of major highs and lows.
What is the biggest challenge of being an artist?
Never giving up on yourself! It can be really challenging to hold our creative vision, especially during times when theres no evidence to support it.
How do you structure your day?
Methodically, with the aid of a calendar, highlighter pens and sticky notes. As a music artist you have to learn to wear a lot of hats and juggle an extensive workload, so I tend to get up between 6.30 - 7am; exercise, get the house work done and then be in the studio ready to start my daily schedule by 9.30am. I often work 7 days a week and late into the evenings. It can be intense, yet I love what I do.
Do you have any hobbies or interests outside of music?
Yeah, I love getting outside in nature and taking walks, visiting beautiful and historical places and countries. I also love to dabble in graphic design, video making and other arts and crafts to unwind. Last week I taught myself to make macrame baskets, as I’m really into having plants throughout my house. My husband and I bought a 17th century cottage just over a year ago, so I’ve been having a lot of fun upcycling furniture and making things that compliment the buildings character and make it feel like home.
Do you sing in the shower? What songs?
Yeah, I love a bit of shower belting into the bathroom acoustics, it’s like jamming in a reverb box LOL. If I really want to sing it out, my go to is ‘Running Up That Hill by Kate Bush’, or ‘Dangerous Woman by Ariana Grande’, absolute tunes.
What are your plans for the future?
To keep pursuing things that bring me joy. To spend time with people that vibrate on the same energy level as me. To create, release and perform more music throughout 2023. To continue to support other artists to bring their music to life. To keep the creative vision. To love being Millie Blooms.