On May 19 and 20, 2018, Miller is headlining Gramercy Theatre as part of his “Hit and Run” Tour. “It is going to be an amazing show. I really put a lot of thought into this tour and these live shows. I am playing a lot of instruments. It’s the first time I am playing the keyboard. I am also playing saxophone and guitar. It’s really cool,” he said. “My New York fans go the hardest. They always come out and they always show so much love. Last time we had a show in New York City, my dad crowd-surfed. This time, I might crowd-surf with him. I am really looking forward to these two shows. The energy in New York is so amazing.”
Last month, on March 3, Miller released his new studio album, Silver Lining, independently. “It has 14 songs, and I made it all in my room again. I produced it, and it’s my favorite album to date. I love the songs and the artwork. I am really excited to get back on the road and perform half of the album on tour,” he said. “I will be performing a lot of the older songs as well.”
Miller revealed that the first music video he did for this album was “Think About Us.” “It was a cool, low-key video that we did. We filmed it at a mansion in Malibu, and I thought the vibe and the colors matched the album artwork as well,” he said.
He also shared that he filmed the music video for “Drinkin About You” with his friends in Hawaii. “We rented a convertible jeep and we just ran around Hawaii doing awesome things, and it turned into one of the coolest videos I’ve ever made,” he said.
Over the next year, Miller will be touring and he will be working on new music. “Instead of putting out albums, I will be dropping a cool single per month, just because we are in a singles-driven world,” he said.
On September 27, 2017, Miller returned to The Paramount in Huntington on Long Island, for yet another sold-out show. “That was a great show,” he exclaimed.
For aspiring independent musicians, Miller said, “Spend a lot of time on YouTube. You can learn anything on YouTube, if you put in one hour of practicing and learning every single day.” “I never touched a piano before last year, and I’ve spent tons of hours in the last year learning and playing piano on YouTube, and now I feel like I’m Beethoven on the piano,” he explained.
Miller listed Selena Gomez as his dream female duet choice in music. “I think these days, doing a song with Selena Gomez would be really cool,” he said.
Digital transformation of music business
Regarding the impact of technology in the music business, Miller said, “Best Buy and Target are discontinuing physical albums. That is pretty crazy to think about, since that is where I used to get all my music. I think it is only a matter of time before iTunes goes out of business. It is all about the free streaming platforms these days. As an artist, I don’t really care about getting paid for my music. I care more about making music that connects. I like going on tour. That is where I make most of my money anyway, and I love connecting with the fans. I am happy that platforms like Spotify exist.”
In his daily routine, Miller uses technology and social media, in an effort to connect with his fan-base. “At the end of the day, my fans are all that I have. To have something like Instagram or Twitter, where I can connect with the fans is great,” he explained. “I rely on the social media platforms these days.”
Silver Lining is available on iTunes.
To learn more about Jake Miller and his new music, check out his official website.
