Who Is Carolyn Miller? The Story Behind Her Journey to Country Music

Today we’re doing one of our favorite things and spotlighting a New York-based artist who we absolutely adore. We sat down to chat with Carolyn Miller all about her career, her new music, and of course, everything in between. Keep reading to learn more.

For Miller, being on stage has always been part of the plan. Born and raised in Massapequa on Long Island, New York, she began acting professionally at just eight years old, building a career in entertainment that included film, television, commercials, theater, and voiceovers. “I came out of the womb wanting to be on stage,” she shared.

A true talent from the time she was little, the songstress was made for the stage and telling stories in many different variations. While she loved Carrie Underwood after seeing her win American Idol, her love for country music came later; however, her love for musical theatre was evident from an early age.

She attended college at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee College of Music, where she majored in musical theater. But while acting gave her plenty of opportunities to perform, she found herself wanting more creative control over her work.

“I hated having my power in someone else’s hand,” she explained. During downtime between projects, Miller turned to YouTube, posting covers simply because she missed performing. She wasn’t looking to build a fanbase or launch an artist career, but viewers began asking when she would release original music.

“As the stuff started to grow, I sort of started getting this itch,” she shared. “The second I started continuing down this path, I became obsessed with this.”

The Turning Point:

Miller began performing at open mics around New York and connecting with producers as she explored songwriting and developing her own sound. She knew that if she wanted to be taken seriously as an artist, she needed to put in the work and learn the craft.

Country music became an even bigger part of her life during college, when a roommate introduced her to artists like Jason Aldean and Kenny Chesney. From there, she started exploring the genre more deeply.

“Country music was where my heart was, and I loved the storytelling aspect of it,” she shared, adding, “My acting background more or less was how and why I loved country music because of the storytelling and the authenticity of the genre.”

Eventually, Miller began traveling to Nashville once a month to write and make connections. “I started going to Nashville once a month, and I fell in love with it,” she said. “I knew there was something there that I needed to keep discovering. When COVID hit, she shifted more of her focus online, continuing to grow her presence and share her music with listeners.

Today:

Flash forward to today, Miller is releasing her most honest music to date. Most recently she released a six-song EP that is self-titled, born out of a true discovering for who she is and the music she wants to share with the world.

“When I was starting out in Nashville, I would talk about being from Long Island and having a background in theatre, and I got a lot of pushback for it,” she explained. “But also it helped keep me different.” For a while, she felt the pressure to hold back certain parts of herself in order to be taken seriously. That perspective has changed “The second you really start owning your truth and owning your story is when you start to breakthrough,” she shared.

That mindset helped shape her self-titled EP. The project reflects the music she wants to make and the stories she wants to tell, without feeling the need to fit into one particular box. “That’s why I wanted to self-title my EP,” she explained. “This was the music I wanted to make and I’m really proud to do this. This is the music I want to make. It’s just my truth.”

The collection includes six songs, three of which Miller co-wrote and three that came from outside writers. For her, the most important thing was making sure each song felt personal. The songs touch on different chapters of her life, from working through a relationship to one she wrote while pregnant with her daughter, as well as a song inspired by the headspace she was in during college. Together, they offer a look at the experiences that have shaped her.

“I’m really upbeat and positive, and I want everyone to win, not just in the industry, but in life, and I love being a hype woman for everyone,” she shared. “That’s the thing that I’m most proud of.”

Stay tuned for even more from the songstress!

Connect:

To keep up with Carolyn Miller, follow her on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

Carolyn Miller’s music is available everywhere you buy or stream music. Take a listen below and check out more new recently released tunes on our ‘New Country Music’ playlist. Be sure to give the playlist a follow for your weekly new country music fix.