We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Mindy Milburn. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Mindy below.

Mindy, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?

I am definitely happy during this work- it is not easy but being an artist is something that is hard to turn away from. I did stop singing and performing for several years after my children were born and although I was and am very happy being a mom, my desire to perform and create music was always in the background. I have to work everyday to strike a balance between my family life and obligations and the time I devote to progressing the band forward(social media posts/engagement, booking shows, coordinating the band, making costumes, etc) because sometimes it becomes very overwhelming trying to do it all.

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

So I’m the lead singer and co-founder of Heart of Blonde, tribute to Blondie, and also the original band Make Believe Friends, both based in Los Angeles, California. I have been a performer my entire life, starting with ballet and gradually getting into musical theater. I also have always written songs and come up with melodies, so a move from Cleveland Ohio to LA seemed like the right choice to pursue this dream. Here in LA I discovered the tribute artist industry and was blown away by the potential it had. I have always naturally been able to change the tone of my voice to mimic other artists and didn’t know that I could do this for a living, so starting Heart of Blonde was a real turning point. The great thing about Heart of Blonde is it first of all is just a lot of fun, Blondie’s catalogue is so diverse, all the songs are so different and recognizable and there are so many Blondie fans out there that appreciate what we’re doing. What’s also great is that it is the same band members as the original band Make Believe Friends, so it keeps us all working together onstage and off, which benefits the original band. We have also started a Madonna tribute called Like A Material Girl and a Blondie/Madonna combo show with added songs by other female icons of the 80’s called Divas Flashback, so we keep busy between these three bands. We recently put out a cover version and video of Blondie’s iconic song Rapture as Make Believe Friends so it was really nice to bring the original and tribute band together. Making original music is not easy, especially in LA where the talent pool is endless, so having the tribute bands keeps us booked and tight as a band.

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

The most rewarding part of being the lead singer for Heart of Blonde is really the audience reaction. It’s very true that there is an exchange of energy between performer and audience. The performer really sets the tone, and the audience responds in kind, and that continues until the final bow. I love involving the audience in songs and hearing them sing along, and I like to think about what I like when I go to a concert, and what I expect, and try to give that to my audience no matter how big or small a crowd it is. They get the same show and the same energy, that’s very important to me. Also, after each show I like to go into the audience and take pictures and talk to people and it’s so rewarding when people tell me how I took them back to high school or that first Blondie record they ever played. Music is powerful in the way it can instantly transport us back to a time in our lives that we maybe haven’t thought about in decades, but the second you hear those notes, or a particular lyric, you are transported. That is a beautiful thing, and I’m so grateful to have to opportunity to give people that experience.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I had a major turning point about 5 years ago just after my daughter was born. At this point I had stopped singing and performing after the birth of my son 5 years prior. I was happy but there was this lingering in my head and my heart that I wasn’t pursuing my dream that I moved to California for and it was getting to a point that I could no longer ignore it. I wasn’t sure where to even begin, because I had been out of that world for so long. It just seemed very daunting to me so I kept putting it off. Then one night, I was sitting in my daughter’s room, rocking her in the quiet of the wee morning hours, and just looking at this beautiful little baby girl I was blessed with, and how she would look to me as an example and hopefully be inspired by me. And it was that moment that I realized I had to sing, I had to perform and get back to that side of myself I had been ignoring. I realized how important it was to express this love and joy that was in my heart. To be my full self would allow me to be the best possible parent to her and to my son. So the next day my whole mindset changed, and I became determined to find a band to work with. I looked on Craig’s list (of all places!) and it was there that I answered an ad not only for a tribute band looking for a singer, but for Laura Espinoza, a very talented songwriter and musician among other things who was looking for a new lead singer for her acclaimed band Lunden Reign. Now here we are 5 years later and Laura is one of my very best friends and my musical partner/co-founder of Heart of Blonde and Make Believe Friends. She is really the teammate and support I needed to dive back into this crazy industry, and from day one believed in me more than I believed in myself. That one moment in the stillness was the catalyst I needed to finally pivot back to music, with this new life, with a family. So it is tough at times? Absolutely. Gigs on the weekends and school/kids activities during the week leaves very little downtime but, somehow it happened at just the right time, I am sure of that.

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Contact Info:

• Website: lundenreign.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/heartofblondeband?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/makebelievefriendsband?mibextid=LQQJ4d
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@MakeBelieveFriends?si=DJ9O4Nz6vd9tBg9Q
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@heartofblondeband?_t=8fFh1MRLmgw&_r=1