With over 25 million streams of 2022’s debut Heaven Knows on Spotify alone, British singer-songwriter-producer (and Golden Hour Music founder) Mica Millar has become the U.K.’s voice of contemporary soul. Incorporating sounds of R&B, gospel and jazz, the fiercely independent songstress has become internationally recognized, performing sold-out headline shows and supporting Gladys Knight, Stevie Wonder, Lionel Richie, and Gregory Porter, all while carving her own path.
Learning to play the piano from her session-drummer father, she performed with Red Sky Noise, receiving BBC 1 Xtra radio success with “Only You,” before 2016 marked a turning point. “I’d [been] doing my own songs, playing with a band, toplining, working with producers, and realized this isn’t what I want.” Growing up watching live performances, Millar was passionate about soul music (The Supremes, The Staple Singers, Aretha Franklin, The Emotions) and became driven to create her own sound.
Sometimes using stream-of-consciousness methodology, other times sitting at the piano, Millar says her first records included many mid-tempo songs, while the new project (A Little Piece of Me)is more varied. Writing the bass and drum lines first, she worked on the overall feel and began the process with the percussion rather than piano. Inspired by Motown, she says the parts are subtle, but moving and intricate.
Meeting drummer Marcus Finney at Leverkusener’s Jazz Stage: Finney introduced her to bassist Jay White and guitarist Adam Smith. Keyboardist Daniel Weatherspoon had worked with Finney and White, and Millar describes the group as a “magical combination.” Additional magic arrived after learning about Studio Miraval at the Cheltenham Jazz Festival. Seeing a photograph in the back of a catalog, Millar spoke with the on-site team and was invited to visit. Having just recovered from an accident that nearly paralyzed her, Millar says the trip was “like Eat, Pray, Love—I became myself again. I was in love with the idea of just following the trail—and if the trail lead[s] you to Miraval, it’s a really good trail.”
Feeling strongly that creating music should be approached “without taking into account what other people or the industry think,” Millar says, “the best music is created like that,” and suggests designing your own path (not chasing what you think others will like). “People don’t want another version of somebody else,” she says. “They want you, your authentic sound and expression.”
“I learned a lot producing the first record, wanted to put those things into practice, work with great musicians, expand and hone in on things I’d missed the first time, but creating authentic music is really just about listening to your inner voice.”
A great song is about longevity: “The most iconic records of all time—the Joni Mitchells and Stevie Wonders of this world—are visionaries. They’re self-producing, writing their own records, [without] a team. Those songs where it is [about] the true vision of the artist are often the ones revered as classics.” While creating her own music, Millar says, “if I get to the end of the process, having listened to it a few thousand times, and I don’t hate it—I’m confident it’s good.”
First promoting her own shows around Manchester, she garnered support from Jazz FM, with the head of music helping her find an agent. She now has a U.K. plugger and publicist, teams in Germany, France, and the Netherlands to help with live shows, and an expanded team for international rollouts.
“It’s about deciding what you want, your version of success, then going at that 110 percent all the time,” suggests Millar. “The great thing about being independent is that it’s up to you how you approach your career. You can carve your own destiny and path. Don’t let people tell you what isn’t going to work; nobody really knows. We’re all testing and figuring it out as we go.”
Receiving Jazz FM’s Soul Act of the Year Award, Millar was inducted into the Recording Academy in 2023. A Little Bit of Me (via Golden Hour), featuring trumpeter Keyon Harrold, received praise from BBC TV, BBC Radio 2, and has been submitted for GRAMMY consideration.
Contact Leah Concialdi, Champagne House Media - leah@champagnehousemedia.com
Credit Bex Aston
