Raised by the rhythm and soul of Nashville, Miles Jenson has forged a unique path in the Los Angeles music scene.
Traditional sheet music and a jazz pianist father became his first portal into the music world, which led him to develop an uncanny ability to absorb melodies and musical patterns. This talent became the foundation of his creative process.
While Nashville imparted to him the art of emotional storytelling through music, his unique sound walked a more abstract path. With iconic influences like Donny Hathaway, Otis Redding, Stevie Wonder, Fiona Apple, and Coldplay, Jenson crafted a distinctive sound that surpassed the boundaries of genre.
With standout tracks like "Indiana Jones," "Wet Leaves," and "Hot 16," his discography showcases his capacity to fuse a diverse array of influences into a unified auditory experience. His latest single, "Rose Colored Glasses," is a testament to Jenson's musical and lyrical prowess.
The song commences with a series of bright piano chords which build into an upbeat melody, evoking a feel-good aura. The smooth bass line, coupled with the carefree strum of a guitar, further heightens the track's uplifting ambiance. Yet, the lyrics reveal a profound and reflective tale beneath the surface.
Lyrics such as "Whenever I'm nostalgic, I rewrite the story in italics, To make it look less tragic trying to emphasize the magic," and "It seems as I grow older, I'm getting colder shoulders" uncover a contemplative narrative, where Jenson grapples with the complex nuances of change and personal growth.
The song explores the human tendency to romanticize the past and the challenges that lie within personal evolution. It encourages listeners to embrace change with open arms rather than holding on to an idealized past. With the release of "Rose Colored Glasses," Jenson continues to prove himself to be an innovative artist, sparking thought, empathy, and unity through his music and with his audience.
Welcome to BuzzMusic, Miles, and congratulations on your latest release, "Rose Colored Glasses." Please tell us what led you to transition from Nashville to Los Angeles. How do their music scenes differ from each other?
When I was a kid, I moved with my mother to a neighborhood in Nashville called Sylvan Park. We moved from Nashville to Atlanta after a couple of years, but Nashville sparked the recognition within me that I wanted to pursue music as a child. I know everyone talks about East Nashville being where it's at now, but I found myself surrounded by creativity in West Nashville. I lived across the street from an aspiring country singer, and there were a lot of parties on my street where local artists and songwriters would hang out. I would go to songwriting camps as a kid and had the opportunity to move out to LA with one who particularly believed in me, but my mom thought it might be better to keep me at home.
While I wouldn't consider myself "in the music scene" in Nashville since I was a kid, it imprinted ideals about songwriting for me. Country Music is narrative, conversational, and often heart-wrenching. I wanted to be able to communicate those attributes in my music. I felt supported and encouraged in Nashville by older artists, and in Los Angeles, I've found a similar type of creative abundance. While there is a lot of "knocking on doors" out here, I've generally been excited to work with many driven people. I find it exciting that so many people are here pursuing their art. I cut my teeth in the music industry in Atlanta, which was an awesome city to come up in.
I got to see Atlanta get its overdue recognition as a significant cultural export through the rise of southern hip-hop and working in the DIY scene. It had this really cool duality of commercial success and indie excellence that informed my career aspirations. Atlanta is similar to Los Angeles in that many people migrate there to "make it," and as such, you often meet many creative folks eager to collaborate.
Given your background in studying traditional sheet music, do you find yourself incorporating these classic elements into your current sound?
I should clarify that I can't read sheet music, and the extent of my experience with it is that it frustrated me and prompted me to teach myself to play by ear. Technically, I'm a pretty sloppy piano player-my fingers aren't positioned right, and I can be quite percussive on the keys-to the point that the keyboard itself will wobble if I'm not careful.
Walk us through your process when creating "Rose Colored Glasses." Did the melody or lyrics come easy to you, or was it a more selective process?
This was one of those songs that flowed out of me. That doesn't happen all of the time, but when I was playing the chords for the verse, it took me to a place mentally where I thought about peoples' tendency to romanticize some of the more brutal moments of our past to lessen their severity. I got really fascinated by the intersection of delusion and nostalgia, and the lyrics felt super intuitive. I wanted the melody to have a Motown feel to it. Still, I also included some subtle nuances into half steps and ran that gave it a bit trickier feel to embody some of the more insidious parts of foregoing our faults in our memories.
What message do you hope listeners take away from your music? Is there an overarching theme that resides in each of your songs?
I try to write bold, honest, and unflinching music with its commitment to tell the whole story. I have a somewhat sarcastic style in my songwriting that can sometimes obscure the darker themes of my content, but I do that to elevate the subject matter to an approachable and provocative place. Sometimes I write with the audience in mind, but most of the time, I am just expressing myself and trying to offer something to the world that I feel is a true reflection of what's happening inside. I hope people feel less alone, but most of all, I want them to feel seen and validated.
If you could collaborate with any musician, who would you choose?
Oh, easy. Donny Hathaway.
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