Written by Marilù Ciabattoni
Discovered via Musosoup
I can definitely hear the shift that Colorado-based artist and producer Caleb Miller made from using acoustic instruments to using electronic devices.
His latest single “Spin 4u,” released in August of this year, pretty much reminds me of Lorde’s early songs featured in Pure Heroine and Melodrama, which to this day are among my favourite records of all time. Proudly self-produced to learn the ins and outs of this craft, Caleb’s music is characterized by minimalistic electronic instrumentals with the addition of apparently random sounds and background vocals.
While working as a bartender with his wife, Caleb dreams of bringing his art out of Colorado Springs to the rest of the US and–who knows–maybe the entire world. However, the artist is in no rush: as he himself said in the interview, “it only gets better and better.”
Introduce yourself: Who is Caleb Miller? How and when was the project born?
Caleb Miller is a creative who was born at the end of 1999, right before all the computers were supposed to break in Y2K.
How has your music changed in the past few years?
My music is always evolving and changing as my ears hear new inspiration, but the biggest shift recently has been going from acoustic instruments like guitars and drum sets to making music electronically. Turns out the computer can make a few more noises than my guitar can.
Who inspired your music? Who are your biggest influences?
My biggest musical influences to date have been Lorde, The 1975, and Kendrick Lamar. All three of those artists create wonderful albums that each make a statement or press you to think deeper. I like to think that’s what music (and being human) is about.
Could you introduce your favourite singles you've released so far?
My favourite release so far is undoubtedly my new single “Spin 4u.” It’s a song that I’m proud to have written and packaged, hopefully, to make someone think about dreaming bigger for themselves.
How did you develop this style? Will you experiment with other genres in the future?
When I wrote “Spin 4u,” I was actually just sitting down in the studio with the intention to make a house or dance song and “Spin 4u” kind of just fell out of my brain onto the session. It’s always been a dream of mine to make music (and albums) that are fluid between a wide stretch of genres. I’d hate to be boxed in by early work and have a hard time branching out later on.
Let's talk a little more in detail about "Spin 4u:" What inspired it and how did it come to life?
As I mentioned, “Spin 4u” kind of happened organically in a studio session where my original goal was to learn and mess around with dance music. “Spin 4u” is a song where every single lyric is important to me though, and I’m very proud of how it came out. It’s really just about my wife and I deciding if we wanted to move away from our hometown, and how big I should be dreaming for my life if it’s likely that I may be making dreams for a dying planet.
Who produces your tracks? How do you choose which producers to work with?
I’m proud to say that I self-produced “Spin 4u.” A lot of my music moving forward will be self-produced as I get better and better at “how” to produce. Everyone is always learning, and there’s not really any rules, which is freeing to me.
Do you have some dream producers you'd like to work with?
Such a cliche answer, but I simply adore Jack Antonoff’s work across the board. He makes pop music that feels like old Beatles records did (at least to me) and I feel that his production style has lowkey become what artists are striving for now. Kid Harpoon is another great example of creatives that can put together an incredible pop album in that way.
Is music your main occupation at the moment? If not, how are you conciliating your day job with your music career?
Music isn’t the main way I make money right now, but I’d like it to be. My wife and I are both baristas, and we also have a few private projects that we manage together. I have a lot of time off to learn and create, and I hope that time only grows moving forward.
Have you ever been on tour? If not, would you like to embark on one? If yes, tell us about it.
I’ve not been on tour yet! But I know it’s in my future, and I’m so so excited to do live shows. I may or may not already have the entire show finished in my head, everything from the setlist to the visual production, and I’m very excited to see it come to life.
Who's your dream feature?
I honestly don’t know that I have a dream feature. But I do have a list of artists in my notes app that I would love to work with in some capacity. Honourable mentions are Lorde and Billie Eilish.
Where do you see yourself in one year as a musician?
Where I see myself in a year is exactly where I want to be, just like it was last year and the year before that. It only gets better and better.
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