Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Milena Dominique. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Milena, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?
From the start of my musical journey, I desired to pay homage to my Ecuadorian roots. When planning the music video for my song “Fiesta Latina,” which was heavily inspired by my love for Latin culture, I knew it needed to be filmed in Ecuador with local talent. My goal was to show the world the richness of Ecuador and to shine a light on the gifts of their own. I partnered up with JM Films to create my proudest work to date, but little did I know how this project would humble and amaze me. With the blessing of Ortega Maila, the master painter and sculptor who built the temple, we were able to film at the Museo Templo del Sol, the Temple of the Sun, making us the first team in history to film at this cultural institution. To my astonishment, National Geographic has yet to receive approval to film at the site. I wondered what about this undertaking would cause Señor Maila to approve of our use of the temple and learned that it was because of my purpose for this project to show appreciation for the country and it’s people in a different way from the classic sites the world has already seen. My vision of this project being a gift for the locals was clear to Señor Maila and that is what gave way for this history-making debut. We worked with local talent around the country for choreography, makeup artistry, dancers, and the film crew. It was an honor to work alongside such incredible and humble talent, to get to know each person, and celebrate the beauty of my Ecuador and Latinos alike. I am grateful for the opportunity to present Ecuador in a way unseen before. You can watch my music video for “Fiesta Latina” on YouTube.
Milena, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I knew I wanted to sing for the rest of my life when I performed my first solo on stage at five years old. Ever since that moment, I dedicated everything I had to the goal of making it. I have two parents that love and support me, an older brother that taught me how to box with one glove, because as kids, one of our favorite games was sharing a pair of boxing gloves to see who wins. He had the advantage as he was seven years older, but sometimes I almost won! I love cooking, especially when it comes to feeding friends and family–It’s my favorite expression of love. Growing up, my family always had pets, so as an adult, I have two of my own rescues, a crazy cat and a small dog that thinks she’s take on a dinosaur (though a dust bunny could take her on and probably win). I studied at Florida State University for my undergrad and earned my MBA at the University of Miami. Singing isn’t who I am, it’s only what I love to do. I think of singing as a type of superpower that can unlock doors of opportunity to help others in need. I can’t sing my way into getting jobs done, but I can use it to meet people, connect with those around the world, and give a glimpse into the heart I have for helping those in need. Unfortunately, this hasn’t always translated well when I’ve had the chance to share my “why” with big name artists in the industry. “You’re no Mother Theresa,” as I was told on American Idol, will always ring in my ear, and that person is right, I’m not, but that doesn’t mean I can’t contribute to aiding those in need.
While I’m still technically an artist and you can find my music on all streaming platforms, I decided to take an honest audit of my life to determine the best course of action. One of my biggest goals is to build a hospital in Ecuador. Music probably isn’t the correct path to open those doors or to connect me with the right people. It’s humbling to accept that music didn’t pan out for me like I hoped, but it is only one road and “all roads lead to Rome.” I know God has a better road for me to travel on. I’m blessed to have been given an opportunity to try something most people can only dream of.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
Honestly, I feel like a fraud being a part of this article because I don’t present myself as an artist anymore. I’m no longer an artist on social media and I’m even trying to sell my domain. Don’t get me wrong, I love music with all my heart and there’s nothing that compares to the feeling of singing on stage, but I failed. This is how it feels to fail and that’s ok, and someday I’ll be ok with it. I am blessed to have parents that have supported my goal of making it and using that platform to help people, but I’m not a good “celebrity.” I don’t like drama, I’m not snarky for laughs, I’m just not what society finds entertaining and it sucks that my talent hasn’t been enough. Even more-so, that there are millions of ridiculously talented people out there, probably way more than me, who no one has ever heard because they either don’t have the resources or the support to actually pursue their dreams. I’ve had some incredible experiences, like working in the recording studio with other awesome talents, one of which I saw perform at Ultra, having the opportunity to even take the risk of expressing myself for others to listen to, being the first to film at the Temple of the Sun, and even walking the red carpet at the Grammy’s. The detail about that experience that I’ve never shared is that I actually snuck on to the carpet. I was originally supposed to walk it, but when I arrived after doing my own hair, makeup, and styling, I was told upon arrival that I was not longer going to be able to join the other artists, so I snuck on. I wanted to be there so bad and had fought so hard that I refused to give it up because someone said “no.” I guess the illustration of my resilience is that through it all, I still love music.
Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
One of the things that I found most difficult as an artist full of ideas is that it’s really hard to find people to help you with the production side without taking advantage of you. Maybe I had bad luck, but it was so hard to find someone to work with that wasn’t trying to take advantage of my passion and drive. Everyone I worked with wanted so much money and talked a good game with their previous wins, yet somehow always created more headaches and the need for “a little more money” to really get the ball rolling. I’m grateful to my parents for investing so much into my music because of their wholehearted belief in me, but I couldn’t shake the feeling of guilt because there was little to no return on investment. This drove me to teach myself how to edit photos and videos for promotional content, search engine optimization, my own marketing, specialized hair and makeup, music laws and regulation, etc. I read textbooks, took extra college courses, met with people in the industry, just to shave off a few expenses so that my parents wouldn’t have to spend as much per project. My great grandmother used to say that “nothing learned is wasted” and while I completely agree, a part of me hurts from the effort put into it and still remaining where I am after spending my life to-date trying. There are people out there that will work with you purely because they believe in you, I didn’t find them, but I know they’re out there and I hope whoever is reading this finds them. If you decide to do things yourself, go for it! Don’t let someone else’s shortcoming prevent you from at least trying. Maybe you don’t find the team, but you find the skillset within yourself and it works for you. My hope is that you find your way to wherever you’re going and use my experiences to prevent you from making the mistakes I made.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @miladmnq
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/miladmnq/
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/milena-robison
- Twitter: @miladmnq
- Youtube: www.youtube.com/@MilenaDominique
Image Credits
Casely, Pablo Jacome, Kike Flores, Maria Juliah, Diana Santacruz