We recently connected with Maxx Millanova and have shared our conversation below.
Maxx, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.
Thanks for giving me the opportunity to share about myself and my music.
The most meaningful project I’ve worked on is the second project I have in my arsenal of music I hope to release over these next couple of years. It has a lot of my Spirit in it, my heart as well. It embodies some wishes of the ancestors, justice, and inspiration. Some trials and tribulations of the heart, growth and hope. It’s intent is to connect, engage, uplift, and lend a hand to our sacred earth keepers.
I’ve come a long way to get to this point to finally begin to do my work. There’s an energy behind that project that could not be present otherwise. To be clear, it’s not just a musical or creative journey that precedes, but rather a long fight down a path rarely traveled that bears a special kind of fruit of resilience that’s an honor to serve.
For more on this and some of my story check out my GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/MaxxMillanova
Maxx, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I am an emcee/musician, originally from Rhode Island. Piano is my instrument of choice. I grew up playing piano and writing poetry. Shortly after being introduced to Hip Hop I began writing rhymes. Music has always been my everything; my love, my escape, and my best friend. In my latter high school years I took more to rapping. Eventually I attended Berklee College of Music in Boston as a piano principal, where I studied music business and some music production, graduating in 2008.
Throughout most of my life, I’ve had a difficult time with my health. I especially struggled health-wise throughout college, and very much so the last couple of years up until graduation, including having a cancer scare in 2007 which led to surgery and thankfully turned out to be a misdiagnosis. Over the years conventional medicine had led me nowhere, and in fact made things worse. In 2009 my health rapidly declined. As a matter of fate I ended up connecting with someone of the music and medicine world who was able to begin to help me heal, introducing me to Eastern Medicine and naturopathy.
It took two years just to stabilize my health, that’s how ill I was. I’ve since continued on the path of healing, getting to know all the parts of me much more intimately, understanding how to maintain, and what needs to be cleared. For a lot of us there’s much that has to be undone in order for us to even begin to heal, and that’s the journey.
By 2013 I had rebuilt enough strength to begin joining the world again. Due to life taking the turn it did for me, much of my music aspirations had taken a backseat. But in 2014 I put out my first single titled “Death at my Door”, started performing, and began my life as an Emcee. I’ve been rocking crowds ever since. In 2016 I dropped my first album, “Darkness to Light”.
In order to keep myself going health-wise, and to be able to keep up with the music world, as well as to better help those who suffer as I do, it was clear I would need to study Eastern Medicine further. After moving to Miami in late 2017, I decided to pursue my masters in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. In 2021 I released a mixtape titled “AcuRap”, a modernized approach to ancient medical texts and esoteric tradition over dope beats. In 2022 I completed my masters, and now I am in the process of taking board exams to become a licensed acupuncture physician.
The process has not been easy. My health has taken many dips throughout. As mentioned in response to your first question, I have a GoFundMe to help support me during this transition time between passing board exams and being able to license to practice medicine. The GoFundMe is also to help fund my next two music projects to be able to present them in the most impactful and meaningful way possible. If you’re reading this and feel inspired by my story, check it out. Any and all support is greatly appreciated and means a lot.
Back to the music…I am not your typical rap experience. Most folks who have caught my performances will tell you that. We will connect. I go into my performances setting the intention that the experience is about the attendees and what they will take away from it. I’m there to get free, for sure, but the intent is to open the connection, give what I can, and empower those on the receiving end.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
Yes; The liberation and ascension of the human Spirit and our natural world, justice, human rights and peace.
Check out my demo version of “Who We Gonna Call”: an anti-war-inspired song from my next project, https://www.sonicbids.com/
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
The opportunity to connect with folks from different walks of life, communities and regions of the world is a very unique and rewarding experience. There’s also a freedom that comes with allowing myself to open up and unfold creatively in the presence of others that gives me life. There’s a power in music unlike anything else. In Traditional Chinese Medicine we recognize that music feeds the “Shen” or Spirit of a person, and from there that life force flows and feeds all the other inlets of our being. When all roads are blocked and all else fails, music has the ability to make a difference.
For more about me and my music please visit: maxxmillanova.com
I’m excited to share my new single release titled “MAXXINE” coming soon! To get your free download when she drops visit my website to subscribe to my email list.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.maxxmillanova.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maxxmillanova/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MaxxMillanova
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/MadMAXXMILL
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@maxxmillanova
- GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/MaxxMillanova
Image Credits
Bryan Carvalho, Nkosi