Indie-funk innovator MiLES. embraces a new chapter, offering insight into growth between projects and how to absorb inspiration from unexpected places
Welcome to Sound Advice, the weekly interview series spotlighting artists’ creative process and their SoundCloud journey. We’ll get the inside knowledge straight from the source on how musicians, producers, and creatives are leaning into the many facets of Next Pro to reach their audience and grow their careers.
Artist development is a process that looks different for everyone, especially throughout the different stages of one’s career. For MiLES., a 19-year-old singer-songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist from the eastside of Atlanta, that process now includes promoting his new EP in between attending classes at Stanford, being meticulously disciplined with his time and building genuine connections with others. At the foundational core of his artistry lies a deep-rooted love for music and an exploratory spirit, empowering MiLES. to craft a distinctive sound that pulls influences from funk, soul, alternative, R&B and electronic.
First uploading original music to SoundCloud in 2019, MiLES. continues to grow as a musician and establish himself as a rising indie force with every new release. In October 2023, MiLES. debuted the first installment of a 3-part EP series, ‘Everywhere and Nowhere At All,’ and kicked off our Sound Advice series to offer tips on how to use SoundCloud as a sketchpad and build community. Kicking off 2024 on a metaphorical high note, MiLES. released his follow-up EP, ‘Life Thru New Lens,’ making it only fitting that we reconnect to learn more about the intricacies of balancing his music and academic career, what changed for him musically between EPs and how he incorporated feedback from his community on SoundCloud to shape the 5-track collection.
What are some of the themes and sounds you’re exploring in ‘Life Thru New Lens’?
‘Life Thru New Lens’ is kind of like a sequel to ‘Everywhere and Nowhere At All.’ On that project, a lot of the lyrics were focused on the many facets of my life as they changed and shifted, in ways that I’d never thought possible — whether in my music career or in my life as I prepared to leave the only home I’d ever known my entire life. ‘Life Thru New Lens’ is about what happens when you begin to understand a new environment and see your old one in a different way. To put it simply, I called the project ‘Life Thru New Lens’ because it’s about me seeing my life through new lenses. Besides me just getting older, I moved across the country.
I’m super proud that I can feel myself improving and trying things intentionally. I never want to just be stuck in a box. To listen to me is to expect the unexpected.
What has changed for you musically between the release of ‘Everywhere and Nowhere At All’ and ‘Life Thru New Lens’?
The first project taught me that if I put myself out there honestly, there was space where people would hear me and understand through what I said and how I said it. The biggest difference between this EP and the last one is me trying to get out of my comfort zone even more than I do already. I experimented with new instruments, recording techniques, and ways of writing and editing myself. So yeah, I’ve definitely got something else to say and a new way to say it that people haven’t heard before. There’s part of this project that’ll remind you of the grooves J-Dilla could get into, with some chords Robert Glasper would like, and then there’s sections that remind of the maximalist vibes of Tame Impala, and that’s just one song. It’s a lot of variety, but it’s all very me within the sound I’m trying to establish for myself. I want to show people more of myself sonically.
While prepping ‘Life Thru New Lens’ for its official release date, did you share any private tracks with fans or collaborators ahead of time? If so, why or how was that an important part of the process?
Actually, what was really cool about this EP was that I got to show it to people before it was done. I did a lot of DM’ing on SoundCloud and just sent links out to people who wanted to hear it. Got some good feedback and also opened myself up to having conversations with the people that listen to my stuff. We talked about music, sure, but I also just got to know people on a deeper level. That’s something I value in my life offline too, but it’s just amazing to me that we can do this in the era of the internet. I’ve always been super into building community between artist and listener. There’s really nothing dividing us besides the ways we let ourselves be. If you listen to the words I have to say, I want you to know me like a friend.
How to get the most out of the DM feature on SoundCloud
When you’re either in between finalizing projects or gearing up to release a new EP, how do you determine what ideas or demos you should revisit and finish? What is your approach to organizing demos?
I’ll throw something on SoundCloud and listen to it for a day like it’s the only song that exists. In that time, I’ll find everything that I feel like could be just a little bit better and change it until I can’t hear anything else worth tweaking. Asking my friends and maybe even strangers when I’m feeling unsure about an idea has been a part of my process since I started. Sometimes, I end up having replaced the audio so many times that I lose the original, and most times I’m ok with that. I think a good idea is less about the first thing that pops into your head and more about what you make it. I’m constantly trying to find the balance of opinions, but the best thing always comes out. For better or for worse, I’m a perfectionist, but I feel like that attention to detail shines through in the best way possible.
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What kind of lessons has working on ‘Life Thru New Lens’ taught you?
I think that my life has changed in so many great ways since I started college full-time. Doesn’t do any wonders for finding time for the music thing, though. I’m realizing that my life over here at Stanford is so full of interesting people and places that if I don’t actively work towards making time for music, then that time won’t just appear out of thin air. Actually, after this interview, I’m probably gonna get with some friends and do physics homework, which basically means we stare at the problems for a few hours until someone has any idea of what’s going on. Still, I think working this way has made me appreciate both sides of myself, and that strain and having that balance has made me a better person alongside making me a better musician.
Learn more about MiLES.’ SoundCloud journey below in our debut installment of Sound Advice, which was originally published on October 13, 2023. To discover additional features a SoundCloud Next Pro subscription offers, click here.
In our first installment, we sat down with ATL’s artist MiLES., a multifaceted singer and producer who has been leaning into SoundCloud since day one. Tags such as #highlevelfunk, #funktothemax, #thegrooove, #disco, and #indie and #songdump create a trail of digital breadcrumbs leading to Atlanta upstart MiLES., an 18-year-old singer, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist who melds funk, soul, electronic and alt-rock elements. MiLES. grew up on SoundCloud, and started to upload original music to the platform in 2019 after years of exploration. He’s now primed to release more new music this fall that explores transition and self-reflection. In between college classes, MiLES. took the time to share more about how transparency helps build community and using SoundCloud as a sketchpad, even as his career grows exponentially.
What led you to the release strategy of dropping EPs and micro-EPs?
The first EP, ‘Everywhere and Nowhere at All’, was mostly about transition and trying to move on from the way you used to live into the way that you’re living now. That’s art imitating life because I moved from Atlanta to the Bay [for college]. Nowadays, it’s more so about me trying to see the world differently, as I’m interacting with all these different types of people from across the world with all these different ideas. And I think that the reason I wanted to organize things into micro-EPs was to reflect that change because not every song is going to be about the exact same thing. I like really fitting it into a theme, and giving it to people in a way that packs a punch, but it also keeps the ideas short and sweet.
In 2019, you put out an entire album called ‘Drafts’ on SoundCloud, allowing fans to see and experience how your sound has evolved over the years. Has your creative process and the way you use SoundCloud changed over the course of your career?
I wouldn’t say so. The purpose of SoundCloud to me at that time was to have an outlet to express my ideas and get them out to other people. Now, the scale is a little bit bigger, but if I have a whole lot of ideas and I don’t know what to do with them, I’ll always throw ‘em on SoundCloud. I love making little flips, and putting my beats out there when I’m not sure where they’re gonna go. Sometimes they end up getting more ‘finished’ and going out the traditional way as well. SoundCloud has always been an outlet to express my ideas. I’m still discovering myself in my sound and I would like people to take that journey with me.
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How do you interact with fans as it relates to comments on your tracks?
I’m always paying attention to that type of stuff. SoundCloud is really different from other streaming platforms — It’s like social media, you can see the comments. You can see, “Oh, I really like this part” or “This part reminds me of this specific thing.” It’s good to see where people’s brains are going when they’re listening to my music. It means a lot. People are really paying attention and thinking critically. It’s a really helpful resource for me. In terms of what I choose to release, it’s always going to come from my creative, but people can influence that in positive ways.
Using the Fans tool to find and reach out to your biggest fans
How are you using the DM feature and what kind of things are you talking about one-on-one?
[In March 2023], I put out “Oxygen,” and later on, I did an acoustic stripped version of it, and it was different from anything I had released so far. I put out a poll on Instagram and asked people for their personal SoundCloud links. When people responded, I sent it through [to them on DM]. I got all kinds of really good feedback and reactions. It’s still surreal to me that I have done something that elicits that response from other people. Before I was out in any kind of scene, I was on the Internet and I was reaching out to other people, like, “Hey, do you like this?” This is 2019, 2020. That really gave me the confidence to try and do what I’m doing now. So, I’m always trying to do that with and for other people.
Can you walk me through your approach to music discovery?
I try to discover at least four new songs a week that I’m really into. There’s so many things that I’ve found on SoundCloud that I’m not totally sure I would have found anywhere else. It’s just a different culture. SoundCloud is all music, without filters or discretion. That’s really beautiful to me. First, I go off what comes on after my songs play. And then I just start clicking through the “fans also like” category. I’ll keep clicking and will find someone else, listen to that and I’ll keep going until I really don’t know where I’ve gone. Sometimes I’ve dug so deep into the rabbit hole that it’s kind of impossible to get back, and that’s where the hidden gems are. I’Il also go to certain people on SoundCloud and go through their liked songs. If I’m in it, I try to find things I’ve never heard in those playlists.
Finding hidden gems on SoundCloud with the new Feed
As a community-oriented artist, what advice do you have for others hoping to connect more deeply with their audience?
Ask people questions about themselves. That not only allows you to interact with people, but it teaches you about the people that enjoy your music. I think we have to get past the point of seeing each other as fan and artist, and seeing that we’re both just human beings with the same fingers, toes, eyes and ears. We can’t put such a huge power dynamic on who’s making the music and who’s just enjoying it, because in any other position, the roles can be reversed.
With the launch of First Fans and Fans, it’s easier than ever for Next Pro subscribers to grow their audience and connect with listeners. To learn more about these features and other benefits of Next Pro, click here.
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