One thing that always captures my attention is the young atrist with real talent that is on their way to stardom. Having a supportive group of family and friends is needed to help along the way so it becames a sort of team effort. We recently were introduced to country rocker Josey Milner who is still in her teens but making big waves in the scene. Luckily we had a chance to get behind the scenes with her. Enjoy the interiew below:
You grew up on a small farm in Missouri, was country music a large part of your early years?
-It definitely was and always have been. That’s what my parents were always playing on the radio and that’s what I always wanted to listen to. I thought it was very relatable and I could connect to it. Plus, it also helps that I grew up living in the country with horses, dogs, chickens, etc. and I also did rodeo.
Rumor has it that you were barrel racing at rodeos at age 7, is this true and did it have an effect on your stage presence later?
-I did, yes. I did rodeo for 8 years, so I stopped when I was 15, which is when I started working on a music career. I think rodeo definitely played a couple different roles. First off, I think being in the arena knowing there were quite a few people watching helped prepare me for the audience while on stage. The hard work that it took to do rodeo, with taking care of my horse, being responsible and being on time, also helped prep me for the music industry.
Who would you say has influenced your sound?
-There have been several people that have influenced my sound. They range anywhere from Patsy Cline, to Miranda Lambert, to even artists such as Joan Jett and Katy Perry. I just really listen to different voices and try to figure out how they do different techniques.
You are still young at only age 19, has it been stressful to have such a fast rising music career?
-I wouldn’t necessarily say stressful. If anything, I would say crazy. I’ve been able to have some pretty amazing opportunities within such a short period of time that it’s honestly crazy to think about. All the people I’ve been able to meet and all the places I’ve been have been amazing. This career can get somewhat stressful, but for the most part, it’s just one exciting, joyful, and surprising journey.
Anti-Bullying seems to be close to your heart, especially with your song “Not Pretty Enough”. Tell us your feelings on the subject and your plans to make a difference.
-With the release of my first single “Not Pretty Enough”, I became a spokesperson for Angels and Doves. Angels and Doves is a non profit anti-bullying organization that goes around and talks to schools about bullying. They are really focused on preventing bullying suicides. Being a part of the organization is a very humbling honor. Knowing that I am part of an organization that is really trying to make a difference makes me so proud. Just to be able to take a stand for bullying victims and to let people know that there are individuals that want to help is very heart warming. Bullying has always been something that I found intolerable, so becoming a part of the group was just a perfect fit.
You seem to be getting a lot of recognition lately, tell us about some of your awards.
-I definitely have been able to have a lot of amazing opportunities. As far as awards, I have been nominated for Best Country Female, Best Country Single, and Country Entertainer of the Year with the International Music and Entertainment Association Awards. I have also been nominated for the Shooting Star Award for the Nashville Universe Awards and also Best Female and Artist of the Year at the Midwest Music Awards. On top of all of that, I have opened up for Scotty McCreery, Chris Cagle, and Jon Wolfe along with performing in Vegas for the Welcome Home Troops at the Kobalt 400 in Las Vegas. I’ve had many performances in Nashville with artists like Georgette Jones, Buddy Jewell, Stella Parton, and Ashton Shepard at the Hard Rock Cafe and even a performance at the Ernest Tubb Record shop in downtown Nashville this past CMA Fest. As you can see, it can get a little crazy when I think about all the things I have been able to do, and that’s not even all of them! Haha! :]
It seems like your career is really starting to take off, what is next for Josey Milner?
-Well, I started college in August, so that is definitely a huge part right now. We are working on getting my next single out there. We’ve had a little bit of timing conflict on this one, so we’re just really trying to get it out. Besides that, we’re also working on an EP. We have every song for the EP, except for one, and my producer and I are hopefully going to be writing that song, so some song writing as well. Getting some dates lined up for this coming year is in the works and just really trying to take my career to the next step. It seems that we always have something new to do!
Find out more about Josey Milner at: http://joseymilnermusic.com