Meet Alexander Mills | Singer/Songwriter and Musician

We had the good fortune of connecting with Alexander Mills and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Alexander, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
Growing up in Barbados I was introduced to music at a young age. My mother sent me to piano lesson around 8 years old and I played it for quite a while. My father as well was an avid music lover and played the guitar. I guess I am kind of an amalgamation of the two of my parents in a musical sense as I also play guitar and piano.

I’ve always been good at expressing my feelings through art in general. I was also known at school for making parodies of other songs and making up silly lyrics to make my friends laugh outside of class at school. I guess you can say that it just came naturally for me to express myself through the medium of music. I wasn’t always sure I was going to be a musician but after graduating I wasn’t really a fan of University or pursuing a conventional office job. The stage always felt like home to me and I decided to take a leap of faith somewhere around the age of twenty-one and pursue it full time.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I think what sets my music apart from a-lot of people is my willingness to be vulnerable and wear my heart on my sleeve. It takes a lot of bravery to be able to do that to the extent where you might portray yourself in a not so positive light.

One of the challenges I face constantly is imposter syndrome. Sometimes I feel like I don’t deserve to be able to have a career and make money from singing. It feels like a cheat code at times but I realise that as long as I’m performing my own material I’m being my most authentic self. Songwriting is kinda like journalling and only you yourself can tell your story from your own individual experience and that is what makes that perspective unique.

When you are listening to one of my songs you are listening to the combined experience of many people sometimes. A lot of isn’t only my own experience but sometimes the experience of a friend or a family member that I’ve added to the mix. I try to make the stories come from real life experiences so that when I record or perform these songs the emotion and authenticity translates to the audience. People can sense when a piece of art comes from a real place and its integral to everything I do in music. In a world where apathy has become dominant my goal is remind us of our humanity and evoke a sense of community. I think that has always been the goal of musicians the world over.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I’ve never been to Atlanta but here in Brisbane Australia my favourite spot would be South Bank. It’s a beautiful and serene part of the city where you can picnic sit near the river and enjoy the views. Then I’d take them to Mt. Cootha lookout to see the view of the whole city. I’d also take them down to the Eagle Street pier for nice walk in the heart of the city and stop at one of the many fantastic restaurants in the area. Finally I’d take them to one of my gigs in the Fortitude Valley where they can see me perform or go to a concert at The Fortitude Music Hall which is usually frequented by world class musical acts. I’m pretty low key so nothing crazy unfortunately.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d like to dedicate my shoutout to Odyssey Entertainment founded by Barry Knight alongside Mr Peter Headley who developed me into a professional both onstage and offstage, sending me to conferences and workshops from Nashville to Nice France. They not only self funded these trips most of the time but also gave me a place to practise and stay when I first made the transition to becoming a full time musician. WIthout their help I would not have been able to do this now as a full time career.

Website: www.alexandermillsmusic.com

Instagram: @millzman

Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/millzman

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYrXOFZPmQndKkWwQ9_zGSQ

Image Credits
Photos by Danny Dyson and LeArtist productions