Mila J has been building quite a buzz as of late, thanks to the success of her singles, “Smoke, Drink, Break-Up” and “My Main.” Of course, her stunning looks, powerhouse vocals and dance moves don’t hurt either! Jhene Aiko‘s older sister ran the risk of standing in the shadow of her successful younger sibling, but Mila J has completely carved her own lane, and after years of set-backs with failed girl groups and even a shelved album, the talented triple-threat has established a promising solo career, and finally released her debut EP yesterday, M.I.L.A. (Made In L.A.)
The 5-song EP features the aforementioned singles, as well as the Problem-assisted “Pain In My Heart,” the B.o.B.-assisted “Champion,” and the ride-or-die love ballad, “Times Like These.” The project, completely co-written by Mila, definitely shows the California singer’s range as an artist, and is the perfect appetizer until we get the real meal early next year. Fresh on the heels of its release, I hopped on the phone with Mila to discuss the EP, as well as how she quit her day job, her plans to write for others, Ty Dolla $ign (because I’m me so of course I had to add him in there,) what’s the deal with her and Rome from IMX and more! Check out the interview below.
So you finally released your EP! Congrats! It’s been a super long time coming with a shelved album and the disbanded girl groups and hiatuses and name changes and all that stuff. What’s the emotional feeling this brings?
Man, it’s a nervous energy but it’s a good energy. Of course I’m anxious. I obviously had to learn patience along the way because of all of the different set-backs that I have had, but I’m in a good space. I’m positive about it, and I’m just… I mean, of course I’m excited more than anything. It’s kind of nerve-wrecking, though. It’s what you’ve been working on for so long and then you finally release it and it’s like, “Ahh!” But yeah, I’m excited to see what people think.
It’s like your little baby.
Yeah, exactly! It’s like, don’t talk about my baby!
Now why’d you choose to do an EP versus a whole album?
Well for me I felt like I needed to that. Just because like before, when I just had the one single and whatnot, some people knew who I was but I feel like other people were just discovering me. The first time around, I had a sampler album and then the album never came out, so I just felt like I never really did a complete body of work yet, so I just felt like because we did the visuals as well, I just felt like 5 was the perfect amount to do that and then follow right with the album for early next year. You know, just to kind of get a vibe of what people might feel or not feel. I just thought it was a good route to go.
I got a chance to listen to it actually and it’s dope. The “Pain In My Heart” record with Problem, it really fits his voice. And the beat is pretty cool, it’s almost got an oriental feel to it.
Yeah, everyone calls it that. They’re like, “Your Asian song!”
What’s your process with choosing your beats?
You know it’s funny with that one. That’s actually the first one that I recorded. “Pain In My Heart” I don’t want to say is the oldest one, but yeah, it was the first. KE did that beat, and I was just like, “We need a feature on here,” and we both decided to go with Problem and like you said, it was dope how he sounded on it. I don’t know, for him I feel like it was a different style. It’s like he’s kind of sexy on there a little bit! But as far as beats, it’s just different. I mean, different ideas I might put in my phone as far as what I want to write about, but then you’ll hear a beat and it takes you to a whole different direction. So it just depends.
Do you write all of your own songs or do you have writers?
Well I co-wrote all the songs on the EP.
Have you written for any other artists?
No, not yet. Writing is definitely newer for me, as far as the last couple of years. I started when I took my hiatus after I was in those girl groups, as those are way more of a compromising situation. Like, you don’t really have to get into yourself so to speak, and I feel like once those groups ended… You know, I was never solo prior to those girl groups. I never was that girl like, “I’m using this group as a platform.” I liked being in groups, so I feel like I had to do a lot of searching for myself when they were over, and find out what I wanted to do, what I wanted to talk about, what I wanted my visuals to look like. I definitely did that on that hiatus, so songwriting is definitely newer for me within the last couple of years. As far as other people, I don’t see that. It’s like, different. I guess you can step outside your writing experience and give stuff to someone else, but for now I’m for myself.
You’ve worked with Ty Dolla $ign a lot as of late. He starred in your “Smoke, Drink, Break-Up” video, then did the remix, took you on tour and appeared on the second single and video, “My Main.” Is that friendship something recent or you guys go back a while?
Yeah, we actually have known each other since we were kids. I would say I first met Ty around 9 or 10, so we’ve known each other for a really long time. We have mutual friends and it’s cool to see him all over the place now. He’s doing big things, and it’s just cool to see everything come full circle for him. So yeah, he’s always been super cool. You know Ty, he’s just cool so whenever I needed him on a feature or anything, he was always down and would knock it out real fast. It’s a dope friendship, for sure.
I knew you grew up in this business, he did, your sister Jhene did and I’m sure a lot of other friends of yours as well. As you guys grow and your respective careers all go from local to international, is it hard or more of a conscious effort to maintain those relationships?
I mean, I think you do but at the same time, I feel like you’re that cool, you understand each other’s lives. It’s like even with family, like now they understand like, “Okay, you’re in sometimes 3 states in one day and you’re tired.” It’s just more of a understanding kind of thing. It’s kind of like dating somebody who just doesn’t understand your lifestyle, versus someone who does. There’s certain things you just don’t have to explain, because it is what it is. It’s always just love, and you just pick back up from where you left off. But yeah, it does get hard. I feel like you do have to make more of a conscious effort for sure. You know, you’ll look up and months have passed and you’re like, “Oh my God! I have to check in!” But it’s definitely not been too bad.
Who’s the “My Main” record about? Tell me about your bestie!
Well I have 2 mains! I have 2 that I’ve known for a really, really long time out here in L.A. One of them is actually one of the girls I was in a group with. We remained really, really close. One does hair and makeup, and the other one is a teacher.
Has she done your hair and makeup yet?
She hasn’t yet! She actually just got her license officially. She did it before, but we kind of live a far distance from each other, like 2 hours out, so it’s kind of hard. But like we just talked about, we can not talk for a month, and then we see each other and it’s right back where we were. She has kids so it’s harder, but we’re always right back.
So when you were on your hiatus and had a couple random jobs, what was the moment that you knew you had to quit and focus on music? Was it a big “F*ck you, I’m out!” moment, or not so dramatic?
Well the thing is, even when I stopped music and took my hiatus, it wasn’t like I had a “F it” moment like, “I quit!” It was more like, “Let me figure this out. Let me regroup, press the reset button and figure out what I want to do.” So that’s when I did that, and I was like, “Okay, I guess I could maybe see a plan B.” So at the time I was working as a server, and I was working at a call center and just random jobs and then right when I ended up passing my test to be an esthetician, literally I had put the mixtape out probably a couple of months before then. So like, that week that I passed, it had got a good number of downloads, and certain labels were calling and my people were like, “Oh, they’re reaching out. They want to know if you want to be signed again!” And I’m like yo that’s crazy, because I didn’t really do it for that. Then fast forward to now and here we are. It’s just weird how it happens, like that day you quit or you leave, then you get some news that reassures you. I guess it happens for a reason!
It’s the Universe’s way of letting you know you’re on the right path.
Exactly! I still love giving facials, though! Everybody laughs at me but I’m like, “It’s relaxing!”
That’s too funny! Do you do it for your friends and family?
I will! Or myself.
The biggest check you’ve gotten so far, where’d it go?
I didn’t get it yet! But it’s coming, it’s coming! I don’t know what to do with it. I’ll probably spend it all on food. I’m a foodie! Or a trip, a trip! I’ve never taken a vacation, so honestly that’s important. Or a really good camera too, because I like photography so I’ll probably get all the gadgets.
Have you seen the cameras with the drones that fly?
Yes! Oh my God it’s so crazy. I went to a radio station and one of the PD’s was doing some of the beta testing for it, so he was showing me his phone and showing me the actual footage that he taped on it and at first it was really, really cool, but then I started thinking like okay, this is scary. It’s not blurry, it’s programmed through Google Maps. He was saying how one time it got lost but he woke up the next morning and it was on his doorstep. It’s crazy! Then he had the actual glasses there, where you could set it to your blink, so I could just be looking at you taking all kind of pictures and you don’t even know because it’s set to my blink. The world as we know it is going to go crazy, okay! People are going to have drones outside of people’s houses like, “Oh you’re at home, are you? I don’t see your car!” It’s scary but it’s like, I want one. [Laughs]
Revisiting the foodie thing, your body is insane! Obviously you’re a dancer, so do you get to kind of eat whatever and just dance and have an amazing metabolism?
I will say… I won’t take all the credit. Some of it is my father’s metabolism for sure. But when preparing for videos and stuff, I’ll do like an hour with a trainer and then we’re in 8-hour dance rehearsals, so that alone. I could afford a soda here and there because I’m dancing it right off, you know what I mean? So when I’m in rehearsals and preparing for tours and videos and stuff, it’s definitely much easier to do it without thinking about it, because I’m just dancing it off. But when I’m on the road, I try to make a conscious effort. It’s hard because usually the hours we’re on, the only thing that’s open is stuff that’s terrible for you. I try to do lower dairy and lower salt and just really balanced meals. I don’t eat beef and pork either. I just try to get vegetables with every meal and try to have the right portions.
What do you have on your tour rider for now?
Nothing, actually. I’m pretty simple. Usually what I will ask for at every show though, is like Blueberry Red Bull. I don’t have any requests yet.
Do you plan on adding it as you grow? I know if I had a rider, I would have like, Cocoa Butter chapstick because you always lose chapstick. I would have socks because you always lose socks.
You definitely always lose chapstick! I mean, I don’t know. I feel like after I have set shows back-to-back and there’s some type of consistency, I probably will, but I don’t see it getting too out of hand. I’ll probably add some Chic-Fil-A on there, but I know I wouldn’t be able to get that everywhere.
Not because I saw it with my own eyes, although I did… The blogs also picked up that you’ve been traveling with Rome from IMX on more than one occasion. I’m not going to bug you about Trey Songz, but what’s the deal with this one?
I mean, we grew up together. He’s like my brother so sometimes he’ll go out on the road with me here and there when my road manager can’t. Nothing romantic at all. He knows the ropes, he’s done this before. Like I said, we’re like brother and sister.
Do you have a third single picked out from the EP after “My Main?”
It’s up in the air because we’re getting mixed reviews. I feel that it would be probably be “Champion” or “Pain In My Heart,” but I don’t know yet. I’m torn!
So what’s next for Mila J?
I’m on the BET College Tour until the end of this month I believe so hopefully I’ll be on another tour soon. And then I’m just preparing the album for early next year!
