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If you type Misty Miller's name into Youtube, a video of her at age sixteen wearing a flower crown and sweetly playing a on a ukulele in her hometown of Wimbledon comes up. This is not, however, the Misty Miller that I spoke to by phone a few days ago. The video right below the acoustic, twee ukulele song is the one that really has people paying attention—it's the one that defines the sound that the now nineteen-year-old calls her own.
"Next to You" is the lead single off Misty's new EP of the same name, due out today through Relentless Records. There's no flower crowns in sight. It's grunge and powerful guitar solos mixed with a little blues and punk, and Misty herself looks like a real London girl, not a ukulele playing china doll come to life.
"The thing I really want to stress is that my current music, this work right now is me and this is what I’m about," Misty said when I asked her what she most wanted American audiences to know about her. "I think having all the old stuff out there does get in the way of that. I guess when more stuff comes out that’s when I’ll be happy. By the time I’d finished recording that album I had already got interested in different kind of music."
"I had these songs in my head and a ukulele was literally just the instrument at hand. I started writing them and then it stuck. Suddenly I was the “ukulele girl” and people would talk about it. But to me it was just a tool to sing my songs."
When her dad bought the teenager a ukulele on a whim, she finally found an instrument to write songs on, but when the sound began to feel like a gimmick, Misty felt a little cheated. "I had these songs in my head and a ukulele was literally just the instrument at hand," she said. "I started writing them and then it stuck. Suddenly I was the “ukulele girl” and people would talk about it. But to me it was just a tool to sing my songs."
Upon even a cursory listen of the two EPs that she released this year, it's immediately apparent that she's right. Her sound is rich and luminous, artfully bridging the gap between sadness and strength, exploring issues that plague the hearts of teenagers and grown-ups alike. She inked a deal with Sony a little over a year ago and the initial results indicate that the label may have struck at just the right moment. There's heartache, self-assurance, longing, and love all tied up within a powerful bluesy rock band, each song feels like a closer look at the multi-faceted songwriter and singer.
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"My dad was a musician himself and my mom’s an actress, so it was really natural just to play music, Misty said. "Sony saw me when I was like 15 and I was like, 'No I’m not signing to a label when I’m 15. I didn’t even know what I wanted to do yet.' I wasn’t even that into the whole ukulele thing so I held off. When I turned 18, or maybe I was still 17, I signed the deal with them."
But even with support from the majors it wasn't an easy road for Misty—shaking the gimmick of her past became a task in itself, and one that she was determined to accomplish.
"It was a bit difficult at first actually, I don’t think they really realized what they were signing. It was me trying to prove that this new sound worked and make it clear that I’m not playing the ukulele anymore. It took a long time and I almost got to the point where I wanted to say 'Fine just drop me and I’ll go and do my own thing.' But we did it! It finally worked out and it feels good that it paid off."
The maturation of her sound is partially due to the influence of band members Sam Lyons on drums and Jack Everett on bass. Misty met Sam through the local South London music scene and he quickly introduced her to Jack, the three had great sonic chemistry and, became not just a musical trio, but also good friends.
"They’re my best friends so it’s really fun to play in a band with them, it works really well," she said. "They also pushed me in the transition. They said, 'No let’s do gigs, let’s prove that this is right, let’s go into the studio.' Now I think I established a good sound, but it took me a while."
It's in the raw energy of her new sound that the Wimbledon native is carving out her place in the rock and roll genre—a style of music she admires. She cites Patti Smith, Iggy Popy, Blondie, Lou Reed, and Johnny Thunder all as equal influences, and traces of these icons are audibly present in her music. But it's her attitude that comes through plain as day, a no-frills, balls-to-the-wall approach that sets Misty apart.
"So much of the new female singer/songwriter stuff is kind of quieter, a bit folky. It just doesn’t have any balls. I want to bring that. "
"So much of the new female singer/songwriter stuff is kind of quieter, a bit folky. It just doesn’t have any balls. I want to bring that. Because it’s fun, I feel great doing it as a girl. There should be more women doing it. But then again, it shouldn’t really be a thing, it should just be people playing all kinds of music."
Stream her brand new EP Next to You on page one, but also check out her Girlfriend EP from February of this year—both reveal Misty's growth as a musician and songwriter. Even with the brand new release of this EP she's already looking to the future.
"I’m really excited to record the next album. Timing-wise it will probably come out the beginning of next year, maybe the end of this year. We just don’t know how things pan out, but it’s on the way. I’ve been waiting for ages. It’s definitely happening."
