We recently connected with Ali Mills and have shared our conversation below.

Ali, appreciate you joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

All of the projects and opportunities that I have been involved with have held special meaning. From creative inspiration, to cathartic necessity- every band, album, and performance has helped shape who I am as a writer, singer, and performer. So as a collective whole, every project has been meaningful. The most important project to me though, is the album I am currently writing, and recording. What sets it apart, is that it is 100 percent my own. All of my past projects have been major collaborations, which are beautiful and important experiences on their own. But, finally writing an entire album on my own was something I always dreamed about. Being able to take the reins as an engineer, producer, and playing multiple instruments has been incredibly empowering, and a major lesson in self discovery. This album has taught me to trust my own instincts and be my own cheerleader and advocate all along the way.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am an LA based singer songwriter. Born and raised in Malibu, my musical journey began at sixteen with an urge to pen a song. With writing becoming my escape, I was soon filling journals with lyrics. After singing with a few LA based rock bands, I asked my brother (guitarist, producer, and songwriter) Blake Mills, if he had a spare guitar I could use. Naturally, Blake lent me his Gibson SG. Nurtured by the rich recordings of folk and blues, and equally inspired by the undeniable allure of pop music, I unwittingly developed a sound that speaks to a wide variety of audiences. The SG guitar became the vessel for my melodic ideas and the rhythm driven hooks instinctively followed.

I want my music to communicate a feeling through storytelling. Using sound to convey emotion, I write lyrics as if they’re a paintbrush. From the first note, I want the music to create a canvas, the words I write and sing are filled with emotion and intent.

My goal is that the music possesses an authenticity we crave in the modern world, reflecting the complexities of life, love, and the human condition. From haunting rock and roll licks, to soft and vulnerable truth telling lyrics, music reminds us that we contain multitudes- and through my music, I hope people remember that the world is a more colorful place when we let our multitudes shine.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

I’ll tell you it’s definitely not the money! What made me decide to continue on with music is how it connects us all. How music has this natural ability to heal, whether it’s the process of writing it, playing it, or listening to it… Music always brings something new to the table. It always has, and it always will. The rewarding feeling that I get when a stranger in the audience finds me after a set and asks me what a certain song is about, or tells me that they can’t wait to stream a song they heard (once the record is out) helps make this endeavor worth while.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

Bottom line, Artists need to be supported for the work they do. It’s no secret that streaming platforms have stripped away monetary value for musicians and artists. Hard CD’s and Vinyl, are what used to be the bread and butter for working creatives in music. Services like Spotify, Apple Music, and the like, have flipped the coin in their favor. We need legislation to help funnel the revenue back to the artists who work endlessly to get their music out there for no return. As a music fan, we need you to buy our merch, support your favorite artists by purchasing their music online through sites like bandcamp, who allow artists to keep their sales revenue. We need people to go out and see live music. Tip the bands like you would your servers. Request your local venues book the bands you want to see. These actions help keep real music alive and gives artists a seat at the bargaining table,

Contact Info:

• Instagram: HTTP://instagram.com/alimillsmusic
• Youtube: Http://youtube.com/@Alimillsmusic

Image Credits

Neil Cabana
Javier Serna/@Jaminthestream
@talesfrommakebelieve