Irish singer-songwriter Miles Graham, who’s known for his involvement in high profile Billboard Dance hits with Don Diablo and L’Tric, and also hitting Radio 2’s playlists will be hoping his latest single ‘Don’t Change’ gets similar treatment. As a talented rising singer-songwriter, I caught up with Miles to ask him some further questions about his music. 

Q) With us all isolating in these strange days, how are you passing your time? Also, is there any talk of you doing any live stream performances?

A) I've been incredibly busy throughout lockdown. The time has just flown in. I hear people talking about getting bored with Netflix. I haven't had the time to watch it. 

I've been doing some live streams on Instagram. Just did one for Hotpress Magazine and got another coming up for Garden Wonder I think soon (6th May) 

Q) You have been involved in some high profile Billboard Dance hits with Don Diablo and L’Trice. Was the dance projects a one-off or could we be hearing more of these?

A) Definitely not a once off. I've recorded another track with L'Tric who are currently No. 1 in UK club (Music Week) which I'm looking forward to releasing with Neon Records. The dance collabs are really fun to work on, but I'm very much concentrating on my own solo release right now. It's a record I'm really proud of, and it feels much more personal. 

Q) What genre would you describe yourself as?

A) This question comes up a bit. It seems like a simple enough question but for an artist like me, it's really hard to answer. I like being quite versatile as an artist and I don't like boundaries or labels. I like the freedom of being whatever you want a record to be, as long as it's honest, but if you like labels It has been described as Indie soulful pop with a hint of R&B. 

Q) How long have you been writing and performing songs? 

A) I've been writing songs and creating music & melody in my head for as long as I know. I was a late bloomer when it comes to the business and promotional side. I've been releasing music since 2012.

Q) Who are your main influences?

A) I have many influences through my journey in life. At first it was all the soul classics from a very young age until my 20's, Otis, Aretha, Stevie, Jackson 5 but Bill Withers stood out for me as an artist that aligned to me from a writing perspective, simplicity in his writing and imagery in his storytelling. He tells it how it is. I loved the tone and raw honestly in his vocals. It is really apt that his recent passing has shed so much light across the globe with his music in these worrying times for people. I also leaned towards groove based artists like Jamiroquai, The Brand New Heavy's and soulful artists like Maxwell, Paul Weller, George Michael in the 90's/00's, then later Coldplay, Radiohead.. Wow that took a side turn.. See what I mean by pigeon holing. 

Q) What has been your best gig to date?

A) I always think of the main room in the Barbican Theatre, London 2015 when I was supporting American artist Beth Hart on tour. It was a packed house and the sound and atmosphere was incredible!

Q) Your latest song 'Don't Change' is described as a mix of pop and retro-soul, is this the kind of sound you want to go with now? Also, what inspired you to write the song?

A) I normally create & sing melodies while writing without having words, the words come later. Some the words don't come and in this case they ended up being backing vocal parts. This happened in another dance record I was recording with L'Tric (Soon tbr). I then continued the trend in this record as it seemed natural. 

The sound of this song was influenced by Níle Rodgers, Pharrel Williams records. I wanted to do  a record that had those groove qualities and in melody it was fun to sing the way the melodies slide in and out. I'd previously been writing some darker ballads and this song was a breath of fresh air. I think it's important for me as a writer to diversify and be dynamic when writing and I hope that transcribed to the listener - that it's not too samey. 

Q) If you could pick one artist to team up with, who would this be?

A) There are some wonderful female artists & singers I'd love to collaborate with. In the UK I love Emili Sande, Rebecca Ferguson, Corrine Bailey Rae's voices, I also always liked Anne Lennox, that would be really interesting. In the US, Alicia Keys, YEBBA Smith would be amazing. There are so many great artists. Of course I wouldn't rule out a male collab. 

Q) Will you be touring once we return to some kind of normality? 

A) Yes, really looking forward to connecting with fans. I've been doing some gigs for fans from my home to their living rooms in the UK, Germany, Holland and US through the Pandemic. It's been very personal and moving at times. People are very lonely right now. It was great to offer something to them. 

Q) Where are you whilst writing this?

A) I'm in my kitchen, I have a place to sit at the back glass door where I can see a bit of nature. A nice place to have some scrambled egg on toast also

Q) Have you got a message to share with your fans? 

A) Just thank you for connecting with me and letting me sing to you during these strange times for everybody. I'm really excited about the forthcoming EP and I hope it offers you some uplifting moments. Oh and if you haven't already follow my Spotify account to be first to get the music & see if I'm playing live near you

Thanks again Miles, and good luck for the future!

 Singer-songwriter       Indie       Soul 

Author: Andrew Braithwaite

Andrew is the founder and Managing Director of Music Talkers. He's also a keen music enthusiast and plays the guitar.