The “Young Blood” Singer, Bea Miller, Divulges Where She Learned to Love Rock Music, X Factor Memories and More!

Bea Miller is a singer-songwriter and actress.

Before she reached the age of ten, Bea Miller started gaining major attention for her gravelly-beyond-her-years but gorgeously powerful voice. Now 15, and with a few years of playing guitar and self-taught songwriting under her belt, Bea is set to release a debut EP and album full of sharp-edged pop songs revealing both her moody intensity and fiery rock-and-roll spirit.

On her already released four-track EP, Young Blood, Bea joins forces with producers like Busbee (P!nk, Kelly Clarkson), Jarrad Rogers (Icona Pop, Demi Lovato), and Mike Del Rio (Kylie Minogue, Selena Gomez) to craft a batch of songs that channel Bea’s untamable energy into melody-charged pop/rock. Two of Young Blood’s tracks were co-written by Bea, proving her ease in using ultra-catchy pop songs as a conduit for her punk-inspired sensibilities.

Learn more about Bea Miller in the following interview:

First of all, what’s it like being 15 and such a superstar?!

To me, it’s no different than being any other age, I just happened to start earlier.

Where did you learn to sing? Did you start taking singing lessons when you were very young?

I used to act when I was younger and sometimes go out for Broadway auditions and commercial auditions where I’d have to sing a jingle or something like that. Back then, I never thought of myself as a singer, so I started taking singing lessons and it turned out I can sing better than I thought.

How did being on the second season of X Factor prepare you for the music industry life? What did you take away from that experience?

X Factor prepared me for how busy I was going to be. On X Factor I was always learning songs or rehearsing or doing a fitting or learning whatever I was gonna do on stage. And we always had to get up really early and didn’t finish until late so that definitely prepared me for what my schedule is like now. I would say from that experience it taught me how to be a professional and that there’s more to being an artist than just singing.

How did you feel when you landed your record deal with Hollywood Records?

I was excited because a lot of the artists I love are on the label or have been signed there like Queen or Plain White T’s.

Your new single “Young Blood” has a rebellious edge. Is that representative of what you’re about?

Definitely. I would never sing about anything I don’t personally connect to.

Tell me about the video that you just released for “Young Blood”?

I was very involved on every level creatively. It was very important to me for it to be dark and not have a lot of light colors like most pop videos. I think it’s good to talk sometimes about the darker side of life versus acting as if everything is always sunshine and candy.

You worked with some great songwriters (Jarrad Rogers and Mike Del Rio) on your EP. How did you find your own voice?

Working with all the writers was so much fun and they respected what I had to say so my ideas weren’t any less considered than theirs.

Your EP, Young Blood consists of four awesome tracks: “Young Blood,” “Enemy Fire,” “Fire N Gold” and “Dracula.” When can we expect your full album release?

Early 2015

You’ve been doing a lot of live appearances lately. Have there been any that stand out to you?

Ryan Seacrest was by far the coolest thing I’ve ever done in my life. Everyone my age grows up knowing who he is and I just think he’s so cool and a huge figure in the music industry so for him to be such a big supporter means a lot.

I read that you developed an appreciation for rock from your moms. How so?

My mom Kim used to make mix-tapes when I was younger and play them on long car rides. Every other song was something really cool in between a really lame kid song so it would have Led Zeppelin, Beatles, Nirvana, etc., bands like that mixed in between songs like “Itsy Bitsy Spider” and the “ABC’s.” I still have the tapes I just need to find a tape player to play them on! 🙂

Who are some of your musical influences? Anyone new on the radio that you are enjoying?

Hozier is one of my faves right now and I’m so glad he’s getting the recognition he deserves. I also love Tove Lo cause she’s so open and honest and I respect that. I think it’s cool that she’s not afraid to hold back or talk about the more risqué stuff.

You were in Confessions of a Shopaholic and did voice work on Toy Story 3. Do you hope to continue your acting career at some point? I heard that you are currently working on an indie film…

I’m mainly focused on my singing career right now. I do want to write and produce a few things. I like to support the more indie stuff and would love to be able to help low budget ideas come to life.

Living or dead, who are some artists that you would love to work with and why?

Kurt Cobain cause he’s one of the most brilliant minds to ever live.

What else would you like our readers to know about you and your music?

My goal with my music is to connect to as many people as I possibly can and help them feel like they’re less alone. To be that person who talks about the more difficult and not so good things in life.