Moosic: First off, What’s up with your name? Is there a story behind it?
Nathalie Miller: I honestly never even thought about going by a different name besides my actual legal name. I have a long list in my notes app of band names I would use if I started a secret side project, but for some reason I didn’t even think to look through the list when first releasing. I think going by my name makes sense for the music, though, since it’s just me.
Tell us about your musical past, would you tell us about your early years?
I did theater as a kid, but drifted away from it because my brothers would always get casted as the leads and I would be “Featured Dancer #5”. Most of my early experiences with music that wasn’t through my parents was through dance. I always thought girls who used alternative music in their competition solos were cooler than everyone else, so I started listening to alternative music so I could pick a song for my solo and be cool too. I have a poster from my school when I was 6 that asked what I wanted to be when I grew up and I drew a singer, which is funny because I didn’t write music until college, but I guess it’s kinda circular to end up making music now.
How would you describe your sound?
I definitely write in the indie pop genre, but I’m influenced by things across all genres. Banjos, mandolins, recently my producer (Brian Charles at Rare Signals) and I started messing around with an accordion. It’s a collection of clangy, unexpected sounds that I like to tuck behind more typical indie pop instrumentation. I also love my songs to sound girly and sparkly. I feel like that’s often used to say something is flippant or doesn’t have substance, but I like to make substantial, girly songs.
Which artists have the biggest influence on your sound?
Artists I liked in middle school and high school always have a way of popping up in my influences. I feel like I would be a different writer if I hadn’t loved Lorde and Grizzly Bear and Father John Misty in my younger years. More recent releases that have influenced me are artists like Wet Leg, Dora Jar, and Lucy Dacus. I actually only recently sat down and listened to Lucy Dacus’ full catalogue (late to the party, I know) after getting compared to her a lot. I wanted to see what people were talking about and I really liked her work, so I take it as a big compliment.
What’s the last song you listened to?
I was catching up on releases and listening to Daffo’s album Where the Earth Bends that came out the same day as “kansas” on the way home from the studio. It’s awesome.
What’s your source for hearing new music?
I know it’s kinda looked down upon, but I find so many teeny tiny artists on TikTok. I love when I hear a song and I’m like this is the best thing ever and then I realize it has only 30 likes. It’s like a secret. I also get a lot of music from my friends and just meeting people in New York. I love a good recommendation.
Who is your dream producer?
I think my dream producer is my current producer Brian Charles, because he knows what I mean if I say I want something to sound like a snowglobe. I’d love to work with Dan Nigro, too, in a dream world. Not to state the obvious, but he has great pop instincts.
If you could collaborate with anyone, who would it be?
I would die to collaborate with Shakey Graves. He’s been one of my favorite artists since I was maybe 13. He collaborates in the way that I love, which is that the song wouldn’t make sense if it were only one person rather than just trading verses (which I like sometimes, but prefer a true collective effort). I love when he tells a start to finish story within a song cuz I struggle to write that way. I would love to try. I would also die to collaborate with Phoebe Bridgers, duh. She makes every collaboration she does feel like its own established artist, super harmonious. If I had a magic genie wish, I would probably wish for a collaboration between the three of us. Or even just the two of them if I got to be a fly on the wall.
What led you to music, and what motivates you to keep making it?
I always liked writing, but I only started writing music in college. I had done voice lessons and stuff growing up, but I never thought to write. I don’t even remember why I wrote the first song, I think I just did it with no thoughts, instinctually. I also have a lot of physical limitations with my body, which is why I had to stop dancing which was always my biggest connection to music before I stopped. I think I missed it and it also suits my body much better. I like that music makes me distill a feeling down to a specific line. I’m not concise, I talk a lot, and songwriting makes you think very intently about your word choice and your message. Since I started songwriting, I don’t really have to motivate myself to do it, it’s just how I process things now. I’ll be thinking about my friends and a verse will pop into my head, or falling asleep and a melody starts playing.
Tell us about the songwriting process. How does it all come together?
I’m a bit of a revisionist when it comes to how songs were written. For example, I spent close to two years with the concept of “like you used to”, which is the title track off the EP. All I had was a Martha Graham quote my dance teachers would repeat to us and a vague idea of wanting to say something about dance. Now I remember it as just flowing out of me as a whole completed verse and finishing the song in one day. I remember a lot of my songs forming that way, even though a part of my brain knows it isn’t how it actually happened. If I get stuck in a writing slump, I read books. That’s where I find lyric inspiration because books make you remember a feeling you wouldn’t currently be feeling otherwise. I find that I often can’t recall how I felt about something if I feel like I’m “over it.” Books help me relive my own experiences.
How do you connect with your audience? What is the easiest way for them to connect with you?
I love when I get to hear from people directly. Comments on social media are like little groupchats for me, it feels like when people used to use the chat box in Gmail in the elementary school library. I see pretty much everything directed at me on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, which maybe I’ll pull back on in the future, but is fun right now. But I also hope the songs make people feel connected more than anything.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nnaathali/?hl=en
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nathaliemill
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/07Z35AYnYpCh0xfY97SsE6
Homepage: https://www.nathaliemolliemiller.com/
What’s next for you?
Next is my sophomore EP like you used to which comes out October 24. I started recording it back before my first EP (made especially for you) was even out, so I’m excited for it to be in people’s hands and have it feel real. I’m working on new work, but it will probably be a little while before it’s released because I want to give the EP time to breathe. But it’s looking like there may be an album in my future at some point. I’ve been writing a lot.
Bio:
On new year’s eve of 2020, independent artist Nathalie Miller called and booked her first ever studio session before hopping out of the car and running to her friends house to catch a midnight showing of Cats. This was her first step in inching towards releasing her music after working as a model and attending art school for photography in New York City. Three years later, she released her first single called “felt like”, a glittery indie-pop song, which she later followed with her debut EP made especially for you. Her sound blends indie-pop and alt-rock sounds with lyrics reminiscent of classic singer songwriters, all with a girlish sparkle. Stand out track and single “mark like cain” reached 10,000 streams and 23,000 views on the accompanying music video just a few hours shy of the release of the entire EP. She records her songs in her home state of Massachusetts at Rare Signals with frequent collaborator Brian Charles. A new EP, like you used to, is set for October 2025 release.
