- What's your name?
Brina Kay Miller (Brina Kay is what I use for my stage name)
Where are you from?
I am originally from Schaumburg Illinois but I've spend the past four years in Lincoln Nebraska.
Tell us how your journey has been from your beginnings until now.
I've had quite the journey! I've always been an artistic person. I learned to play the violin when I was in kindergarten and was always involved in musical theatre, dance and choir. I was also always a strong writer. I did very well in my English and writing classes and I really enjoyed poetry. Looking back, it's clear now that I was always meant to be a songwriter. However, it took me a while to realize it's actually what I wanted to do as a career and not just as a hobby. I came to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln initially as a broadcast journalism major. I went from that to a theatre directing major and ended up graduating with a degree in advertising and public relations. However, I was again involved in music and writing all throughout college for my minors (English and liberal arts) and finally realized it's where my heart was. I had my first song produced the summer of my sophomore year of college, and have since produced three more. I'm moving to Nashville in July to get further involved and not only fine tune my writing but understand the music business as a whole. I'm very excited for what is to come and I can't wait to share my new music with everyone.
Tell us about your musical style, influences,
I call my style "contemporary country." I love country music because I think lyrically it is a lot stronger than most genres, and that is because of the storytelling aspect of it. I try to tell a story with every song I write. I say I'm contemporary because I definitely have pop influences in my music as well, although I do try to always involve distinguishable country instruments. I'm definitely a northern city/suburban girl, so you won't hear me writing about small towns and tractors (although those songs are great!) I write about my own experiences. Some of my influences are Natalie Maines from the Dixie Chicks and Miranda Lambert. My goal is never to be "the next ____" and I'm really just trying to have my own sound, but I love the way these women can be both edgy/sassy in their music as well as opened and vulnerable and have it come across genuine and authentic either way. I always say that my music aims to celebrate the human experience, and that involves an array of emotions. I think both of these women balance that quite well. I also really love Rascal Flatts. It doesn't matter what they do, their music always invokes some kind of emotion whether it's extreme joy or sadness. insturmentally, vocally, lyrically, they just really have it all down to a science.
What has been your last project?
The next single I have coming out is called "Heartbreak Gambling." It's a really fun song about the frustrations you go through watching your friend keep running back to a guy you can clearly see is just messing with her head/playing with her heart. I've seen this happen to so many of my friends and I'm sure a lot of people out there can relate to this situation. Like a gambler on a bad night, this friend keeps losing but refuses to call it quits. She believes she can eventually win if she keeps playing, but you know she's just digging herself into a deeper hole! I'll be releasing this song on June 1st and I can't wait.
And the next thing you have planned?
I have two more songs I'd like to produce before my move to Nashville. I'm excited because these next two are happier songs than my previous releases and will really bring home the story of my first EP. This first EP has been an experimental one. I'm really just trying to hone in on my sound and figure out what works. I love sharing my music with the world but I'm really doing this first batch of songs for me. This EP will represent my story and journey to finding myself, and I will be so happy to see it all complete. Beyond that, I've been performing with an acoustic duo called the "Gunnison Drive Band." It consists of a guitar player (Mark Hansen) and another singer (Colton Wehrs.) These guys have been absolutely amazing to work with. I originally met them at an open mic event, and we've done some open mics together as well as a few gigs. I hope to keep working with them because we've had a lot of fun together. Attached is a photo of them and their gig schedule. I also have a music video for my song "Nothing on the Radio" and a lyric video for my song "Trapped" in the works. Progress has been slow because the people involved in helping me were also college students and we were all really busy, but now that school is out I'm looking forward to finishing those projects up. Beyond that I will be posting covers on youtube and instagram, so be sure to give me a follow ;)
What else?
I really can't wait to move down to Nashville and get involved in the songwriting scene there. I know this is what I want and need to do for the rest of my life and I will do whatever I can to grow into the artist I know I can be. I love collaborating with people and am ready to take on this new adventure!
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