We were lucky to catch up with Milli Metoyer recently and have shared our conversation below.

Milli, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you tell us about a time that your work has been misunderstood? Why do you think it happened and did any interesting insights emerge from the experience?

I’ve been misunderstood and mischaracterized my entire life. I had really long hair as a 4 year old; everyone thought I was a girl. In a time when locks were the coolest style for young black boys, I straightened my hair with a perm; people called me gay. I lost my very thick Louisiana accent in high school; people said i ‘talk white’. When I started to share my music around school people said I was weird and lame because it didn’t sound like Lil Boosie. It took a toll on me throughout childhood, always being different than all of the other kids. I spent a lot of time crying alone. As I got older, I spent a lot more time accepting myself. Around 18 I finally began to embrace who I was. I found a group of other “weird” kids and realized I wasn’t different in a bad way. All the other kids I went to school with were just uncomfortable because they couldn’t comprehend someone like me.
I began traveling around to different cities to perform. People in these other places loved me for the same reasons the people in my hometown hated me. I loved it. For a while I was afraid to leave my hometown because I grew to love standing out. After a while though, staying home did more harm than good. Throughout 2017 I traveled to and from Texas to perform until I finally took a risk and moved to Dallas in 2018. It was the best thing I’ve ever done.
I still stand out, but I’ve found a community of people who are as creative and passionate as I am. Being so different is what led me here. I’m still misunderstood but I get to use that to draw people in and grow my audience. People never really know what to expect from me so they’re always tuned in. Which is perfect because the only way to truly understand me, even just a little, is from listening to my story throughout the music I make.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m the kid in the back of the class that you never talk to and don’t know much about. The guy that shows up to all the parties alone. A dreamer wandering through this realm and hoping I’m fulfilling my life’s purpose.

I wear many hats but I have always been a musician first. I started rapping at 5. As I got older and my life changed and I became intrigued by different things I started to experiment with different genres of music. I literally do everything myself (writing, recording, engineering, producing, etc.). I taught myself how to do everything too. Mostly from circumstance; I couldn’t afford to pay for beats or mixing so I had to do it myself. I wasn’t always good either lol It took a while but, staying consistent and dedicated, the quality of my work improved and is still getting better.

I actually wanted to be a cartoonist as a kid also. A lot of people don’t know that. Music was always present but I enjoy visual art as well. I had a comic book that I was working on in 8th grade and people throughout the school would always ask me to add them into the story some way lol. It was crazy to me because I was not a “popular” kid in middle school. I was one of the dorks. So seeing the way people responded to my drawings, despite my social status, kept me aware of the importance of visual art. This is the reason why I create my own music video treatments. I can see it so vividly in my head so only I know how to execute the real life version.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I’ve been through sooooo much throughout this journey. Many different obstacles have been overcome since very young.

One day in 7th grade a kid took my notebook full of lyrics and passed them around the class. Everyone laughed at me. They quoted certain lines over the next few days and made fun of me. I was embarrassed so I stopped writing. There were actually a lot of instances like that but I always had the urge to write again. And every time I would gain the courage to start writing again I was even better than before. Now I can confidently say that I am one of the best writers I know. I can go into a studio session with some of the best and not feel inferior.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I love seeing people respond to my art. I’m so in my head all the time trying to make things perfect. I pay so much attention to the smallest things because I truly care about what I do. It means so much to me when people tell me they love a song or video I created. I get DMs on Instagram every now and then but the in-person interactions are my favorite. I can see it in the eyes of the other person that they want more from me as an artist. Knowing that I made someone feel something positive is so gratifying. I love it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://millimetoyer.carrd.co
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/millimetoyer/
• Youtube: https://youtu.be/-W9nl1TWnxs

Image Credits
Jarred Moody Patrice of I-30 DFW Cöco Mamba