Pop Singer-Songwriter MILES WESLEY Discusses His Latest Single, Forthcoming Music Plans, Biggest Inspirations and More!

Get to know the 23-year-old emerging pop singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Miles Wesley!

Born and bred in Marble Falls, TX, a small town outside of Austin, he learned how to play guitar and piano at a young age, and started writing songs just as early. His musical influences range from Travis Scott to The Eagles, giving his songs a mixture of Pop, Hip-Hop, and Folk undertone. Miles made his major TV debut in 2017 on the ABC‘s competition tv show “Boy Band.” It was hosted by Timbaland, Rita Ora and Nick Carter.  

Following the show, Miles released his first non-album, promotional track, ‘Nowhere Fast’, which debuted at #25 and peaked at #23 on the iTunes R&B chart within the first 48 hours of its release. In 2019, Miles reinvented himself as an edgy pop singer with the release of single ‘6 Feet Under’, which was premiered by well-known French fashion brand Maison Kitsuné and quickly caught traction with over 4M streams to date between Apple and Spotify combined. The song received editorial co-signs from Soundcloud, and Tidal. Travis Mills featured the song on Apple Music’s Beats1radio, and DJ Wonder played on Rotation on Sirius XM via Shade 45, Sway In The Morning.

On October 9th, he released his newest single “Neighborhood” via Mastermind Artists/Caroline. “’Neighborhood’ is a song about growth and also indulges in a little bit of an I told you so vibe,” Miles said about the track. “Although I believe saying I told you so is an immodest thing, we’re only human and it feels good sometimes to boast.” The song was produced by Miles’ good friend Diamond Pistols.

Listen to “Neighborhood” Here: Spotify

Learn more about Miles Wesley in the following All Access interview:

Thanks for your time! So how are you keeping busy and musical these days during the pandemic? How are you staying connected to your fans? Are you finding that social media is even more useful now?

I’m mostly just writing a lot; I’d say writing a song a day or at least attempting to. Social media is everything now more than ever, I’m working towards being more active on all platforms, for whatever reason I get in my head about posting. I know the fans want more from me so I’m really trying to be better. 

Can you recall the moment when you thought you could be a musician? What do you think motivates you day in and day out? How has that drive changed since you first starting writing songs?

The moment I recall thinking I could be an artist is the first time I saw Justin Bieber. Even though he was 4 years older than me I just saw so much of myself in him, even though it was completely unwarranted haha. I just remember thinking he’s a kid like me and he’s singing, he’s garnering all that attention from girls, I can do this too. Of course, I’m not making teen heartthrob pop music but that was the catalyst into thinking I could make the jump into the music industry. 

How do you think your hometown has influenced the kind of music that you make? If not, why is that?

My hometown I think was like most. We listened to the current hits and a lot of hip hop at all the parties. As far as influencing me I think it just made me want to make music that could be integrated into those social settings. 

Growing up, how important was music in your life? Was your family and friends always supportive of this career choice? If you weren’t a musician today, what else could you see yourself doing?

Music was everything as a kid. For most of my childhood, CDs were still a big thing. People forget CDs were really the only way to get new music. My dad once a month would go to Walmart and buy the new hottest cd’s. I remember my dad buying me college dropout, Songs about Jane, Get Rich or Die Trying, Confessions. Half the time I don’t even think he knew what he was buying because he usually didn’t like cursing in music when I was young but he always made an effort to have the latest music for me. Aside from that, they support me beyond what any kid could have ever expected. They’ve made so many sacrifices to help me make strides in the crazy path I’m eternally grateful. I still think if I wasn’t doing music I’d be playing golf. At one point I was a scratch golfer. 

What has been the biggest surprise so far about making music your career? What has been an unexpected or welcome challenge to it all? Is there anything you wish you could go back and tell your younger self about this industry?

The biggest surprise I’ve realized about making music is everybody’s throwing paint at the wall. Nobody makes hits all the time, nobody’s an alien, and hit songs aren’t really something you can shoot for. Hit songs to me are made by making a lot of songs and staying consistent and then one day all the pieces come together and you have a hit. I used to beat my head on the wall thinking there were people who only made number ones in the studio, but that’s not the case. 

Let’s talk about your recently released song, “Neighborhood.” What was the inspiration for this track? How does it compare to anything else you have put out?

My single “Neighborhood” was a concept I had for a while. I always felt so hated where I came from, in high school, I covered Justin Bieber songs and Wore tight jeans. So you can imagine the bootcut jeans, Button-down shirt, and cowboy boot-wearing kids all had some names for me haha. The song just came to me on a day where I was feeling myself and proud of the steps I had made in this industry, having come from a town of a population of 4,000 people. I just wanted to flex on some people even though I pride myself on being humble and aware. Also at the end of the day, I love where I came from and it’s why I am who I am. The song just encompasses how I was feeling at that moment.

Do you have plans to release more new music this year? An EP or a full-length album? Are you finding that you are in a period of creativity right now or not so much?  

I’m feeling very creative and have the project ready. It’s an EP that will drop in early 2021. 

How would you say that writing for yourself compares with writing with and for others? Do you enjoy doing one over the most right now?

Writing for myself will always be my favorite cause I’m an artist first. Writing for others is amazing too and very liberating cause you get to step into someone else’s artistic environment and is usually a nice break from making songs only for myself. I’ll make ideas I would have never made for myself which is always refreshing.

I am curious to know what you learned from being on the ABC tv show, “Boy Band” back in 2017?

I really just learned the art of politics. I was hot-headed and burned myself a couple of times on the show acting out of emotion and stubbornness. In getting kicked off I learned that going forward I should move less aggressive and impulsive and work on my attitude so that I can attract better outcomes. 

How do you think you and your music has grown over the years and since you first started writing music? What has remained the same?

I’ve just gotten better at letting my influences shine through more while also having a better understanding of myself. For so long I was just doing pop music, making all these pop songs but then I’d leave the studio and listen to Rae Sremmurd and Travis Scott. One day I realized if I want to really be an artist I have to bring those influences along. 

What musicians would you absolutely love to work with in the future? Who has consistently been inspiring you and the music that you make?

I would love to work with Justin Bieber still that’s my favorite artist of all time. Drake, Post Malone, all those guys have inspired me. 

At the end of the day, what do you hope people take away from your music?

It’s really just about the feeling for me it sounds cliche but that’s all I’m trying to do, curate an addicting vibe & feel that the listener can keep coming back to enjoy.