Monmouth-based producer and singer Millie Blooms is bringing something different to the modern pop and r&b genres. Nowhere is this more apparent than with her latest single Bounce Ya Necks, suitably created to get stuck inside your head. It’s got quite an interesting backstory, so I felt this was the perfect opportunity to get to know Millie a little more!
By Jane Howkins
You recently released a single titled Bounce Ya Necks. What can you tell us about the track?
Bounce Ya Necks is a song I wrote, recorded and then 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 number 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.
The 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 pigeonhole 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.
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.
How has the reception to Bounce Ya Necks been so far, and where can the song be purchased?
I actually can’t believe how well the tracks been received, to date over 75k+ people have listened to it on Spotify alone and it’s introduced me to a whole new audience of people that have reached out to share their experiences around gender discrimination. It’s become so much more than a song, as it’s opened the doors for me to meet other people that are also actively trying to change the narrative around how women are seen, valued and made to feel in pop-culture; inspiring artists, record labels and music organisations that support women and marginalised genders to invite me to help co-write & produce music for their projects, guest speak on their podcasts and music industry mentor to support other music creators to create, release and promote their music.
Bounce Ya Necks is available via Spotify, iTunes, Amazing Radio and all other major streaming and download platforms.
The track is about the way women are perceived and treated in the music industry. What are your thoughts on this and do you think this will change anytime soon?
I think we’ve got a long way to go before we see a real gender equilibrium in the music industry. It’s been gate kept by pale, stale, white males for such a long time, that it’s not going to change overnight. You only have to look at the global music industry data to see this fact is evidenced; stating that in 2021, female artists took up only 21% of the charts and over the last decade only 12.7% are songwriters & 2.8% are music producers.
However, I feel we’re definitely starting to see an uprise of women and marginalised gender music professionals including artists, songwriters, producers, managers, sound techs and other roles, speaking out, taking action and working together to actively create the change we are rightfully demanding.
Do you plan to release any more singles in the near future?
Yes, I recently released my last single for the year called Multiply and I’ve got a number of tracks ready to release throughout 2023. I also co-write and produce music with other artists, so I’ve got a lot of new music projects I’ll be sharing and shouting about next year.
Do you plan to release an EP or an album anytime soon or is it too soon?
I feel that music consumption culture has really changed over recent years, with more people listening to music through digital streaming sites like Spotify, iTunes and Soundcloud. As a result, we’re seeing a rise in multi-artist and multi-genre playlist creation, which indicates that people are less interested in indulging an EP or album from one specific artist. Not to disregard the loyal music fans that do invest in music artists and purchase albums on CD, Vinyl, etc; yet digital playlist creation has become hugely popular with listeners and is integral to music artists as a way of exposing their music to new audiences.
With this in mind and the fact I only started releasing my Millie Blooms project this year, I’m currently working towards releasing singles consistently throughout 2023 via the major streaming/download platforms and focusing on letting people know I’m here.
Did the pandemic hinder your work much?
Honestly, it completely changed my outlook and workflow. I wasn’t able to work physically in spaces with music lovers, artists and the wider music industry and it made me re-think and adapt my approach, leading me to meet and work with people remotely online. This introduced me to more people on a global level and I found myself networking with people I would never have met pre-pandemic. It opened the doors for me to access courses online and develop my skillsets further, it also led me to work remotely to help co-write and produce music for other artists via zoom calls and file sharing and it gave me time and space to fully absorb myself in my personal songwriting project, which ultimately led to the existence of Millie Blooms.
Your music contains elements of pop and r&b. What/who influences you most as an artist? What have you been listening to recently?
That is a good question. I’ve can honestly say I’m not directly influenced by other artists, but more by the world around me and the way I see it. I love to tackle and debate world issues, politics and pop-culture through my music, yet I like to do it in a digestible way, so present the subjects on a sonic bed that fuses pop, r&b, hip-hop and electronic music elements. I’ve got an eclectic taste in music and listen to artists from Missy Elliot, Little
Simz, Run The Jewels, The Pharcyde, Kano & Kendrick Lamar, through to Kate Bush, Fleetwood Mac, Tool & Nine Inch Nails.
You’re from Monmouth. What is the music scene like in your part of the world?
I moved to Monmouth just over a year ago, as I fell in love with a 400-year-old cottage that I bought with my husband. We actually live across the field from the infamous Rockfield Studios, the production home of some of the world’s biggest music artists like Queen, Robert Plant, Oasis, Coldplay, Royal Blood and more… so in addition to feeling inspired by the beautiful period market town and expanse of surrounding nature, it’s fair to say the
creative vibes very much exist and draw people here.
In terms of a live music scene, we do have a number of pubs and festivals that promote live music and we’re situated not far from Cardiff and Bristol, where there’s more opportunity to hear original music from artists, bands and DJs.
Do you have any tour dates lined up for the UK?
As I’ve been so focused on writing, producing and releasing this year, I’m only just getting into the zone of putting together a live show. However, I have just been booked for my first gig in May 2023, playing In It Together Festival at Margam Park alongside artists like Anne Marie, Chase and Status and Wales’ own rising hip-hop star Mace the Great.
Any last words for the fans?
I just want to say a big THANK YOU to everyone that’s been listening to music artists, attending live shows and investing in music and merch. I would also like to thank those that take a moment to not only listen to music artists like myself, but also interact with us through our social media. Every time you like, comment and share our music, you increase our algorithms and help us get discovered by more people. Without you, it’s easy for us to lose the passion and the drive to create and put our music out into the world and on the days when we feel there’s little evidence to support our vision, you are the friends and family that support us and encourage us to keep going… so Thank YOU.