In this interview spotlight, I chat with Nashville native McMillin about the latest release, challenges, technology and more.
Full Q&A along with links and music below.
Where are you from and what style of music do you create? (In your own words, not necessarily in marketing terms or by popular genre classifications.)
I am born and raised in Nashville Tennessee! I create music that is a collective pool of R&B, pop, rock, soul and everything in between. My inspirations include everyone from Prince to Stevie Wonder to D’Angelo. Whatever I’m creating, I want it to feel good and hopefully anyone that listens to my music feels the same!
What led you down this path of music and what motivates you to keep going?
My great grandfather, who I never go to meet, was a prolific saxophone and clarinetist and he was Nashville’s premier session player in the forties and fifties. He played for legends like Buddy Holly, Patsy Cline, Chet Atkins and many more! His name was Dutch McMillin which is where my name comes from! He’s the reason I picked up the guitar and pursued a career in music in the first place. I’m also extra motivated by my friends that are working musically in this competitive city. Getting to collaborate with the incredible musicians, sound engineers and vocalists that made this project possible has been a very uplifting and motivating process that I’m still riding the high from!
How is this new release different than previous ones? Were you trying to accomplish anything specific?
I have released music in the past but this single will be my debut under the name McMillin. In fact, I have released this song all the way back in 2016 on my old Spotify account. I won’t tell you how to find it because I produced it all myself and between you and me… I’m not a very good at producing! Kidding aside I always knew that this song, Like Nothing’s Changed, had life and substance to it and if I worked with the right people we could turn it into something truly special and I believe we have done just that. This soundscape for this song is massive and it’s a bit cinematic. It’s filled to the brim with color and energy and I hope listeners can really feel that.
Name one or two challenges you face as an indie musician in this oversaturated, digital music age? How has technology helped you (since we know it does help)?
We live in an extremely fascinating time for music. You couldn’t simply produce a record yourself decades ago because average people didn’t have the equipment or the funds to obtain it. Now anyone can put something together and share it to the endless void that is the internet… but that’s the new challenge, the endless void. It’s easy to get lost in the crowd, this is why you need to make people pay attention to you by putting everything you have into the song(s) you are releasing. Make your art stand out to give listeners a reason to listen to you. If your music is uniquely you, people will seek you out for your defined sound. Another fascinating thing is that new music that is coming out today is incredibly unique. Thanks to the digital music age artists have access to all the music they want and it will come out in their songwriting. This era is still new in the grand scheme of things, but I believe the digital music age will continue to breed genre defying music that speaks to audiences that haven’t been spoken to yet.
What was the last song you listened to?
Computer Blue off of Prince’s Purple Rain record. It is the most underrated song on the album and I never hear people talk about it when Prince comes up in discussion. Whatever you’re doing right now, drop it and listen to this song!
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?
I wish I could say that I owned a vinyl record player but alas I don’t! I adore the very tangible and full sound that vinyl produces. About ninety nine percent of the time I’m listening to music off of Spotify.
How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?
Spotify is my go to music app. I’m sad that I can’t say, “Siri play Brown Eyed Lover by Allen Stone on Spotify!” That’s where Apple Music has an advantage, but I love Spotify because of its user interface. It is incredibly efficient and it’s very easy to find new music that you haven’t listened to yet. Also their Spotify for Artists app is incredibly helpful since you get to see your analytics, who is listening to music, and where they’re from. Spotify has won my heart!
Where is the best place to connect with you online and discover more music?
Well, my music is on all streaming platforms including Apple Music, Amazon, Pandora, Spotify and others, but I also have a YouTube channel. On there I make covers of songs that inspire me. I recently just uploaded my cover of The Animals, a song by Emily King. You can find my channel by typing my name, McMillin. Also my instagram and facebook are the best places to learn about new releases and show dates. My handle is @mc.millin for instagram. If you’d like to contact me, email me at mcmillinsweeney@gmail.com.
Anything else before we sign off?
I’m so excited that I finally get to release this project. It is truly a labor of love and I hope listeners can feel every ounce of it throughout the whole piece. Thanks so much for reading this and I encourage you to go out and give Like Nothing’s Changed a listen, you will not be disappointed!
