Meet The Musos: Putting Milliepede Under The Microscope
In Conversation with Madeleine LitchfieldResident Vermilion writer, Madeleine, is back interviewing our artists for our second blog. Today we’re zooming in on singer/songwriter, Millie Tagney, who goes by the stage name, Milliepede! An advocate for mental health, Millie loves exploring her personal experiences with anxiety and depression, with vulnerability and truth being a central theme in her craft.
Keeping reading to gain insights on the behind the scenes of her music, as well as what drives her.
Madeleine Litchfield: What is your music background?
Millie Tagney: I've always been interested in music and did choir from primary school up until high school, but it was sort of on and off in the later years of school, as I also took up drama. I've done a couple of years of guitar, piano and vocal lessons. I even tried to learn the cello at one point but it only lasted a couple of months, but I would definitely get back into it if I had the time and money. My mum's encouragement has always helped with my musical endeavours, not to mention her funding for the aforementioned lessons and my music taste being predominantly a mix of stuff she listens to. One time I recommended Phoebe Bridgers to her, to find out she already listens to her, haha!
L: Describe your music style in 5 words?
M: Gentle, moon, tears, questions and soft.
L: What is your creative process like from writing, to drafting, to producing a song?
M: It's sort of very similar to my overall vibe… Kind of all over the place and a bit messy, but eventually comes together into something (hopefully) meaningful and nice to listen to.
I do love my handy dandy Notes app but it contains an ungodly amount of word vomit. I try to experiment with different tactics because if I don't change it up, I’ll just be staring at an empty word doc. So sometimes I'll write lyrics first, sometimes build a melodic idea, or even random chord generators and those sorts of things can help me start.
The initial idea is the hardest part though. When I have a solid idea or start, I tend to write melody, lyrics and chords simultaneously, just on my guitar tinkering a little bit and writing down ideas as I find them. The production side of things is definitely not my strong suit. I'm really lucky to be with the Vermilion team - I've actually been able to go through that process and have a lot of creative ideas that I otherwise wouldn't have been able to achieve by myself.
L: Do you have any hobbies or interests outside of music that might surprise your fans?
M: I'm not sure if I have any proper fans yet besides my small circle of friends right now, but people that don't really know me might be surprised that I'm just a huge nerd. It's not actually that surprising, but through my partner I've recently gotten a bit obsessed with Magic: The Gathering. I was looking everywhere for this one specific deck that was a collaboration with Doctor Who, but when I found it, it was in a bundle with three others so I just ended up getting the whole set because I wanted the Tenth Doctor’s deck so badly, hahal.
I also grew up with a PS3, and got a PS4 mid-last year. One of my big favourites from my childhood was Portal 2 and recently I've started playing Elden Ring, despite my complete lack of ability in any combat games. I also love Stardew Valley, and even though I'm a bit late, I bought Stray recently because it’s about cats and how can I say no to that?
L: What are the main tools you use in your music making?
M: Really, just my guitar and voice.
When I sit down to write I find that's the most natural thing for me. It might sound a bit airy-fairy but there's one particular guitar I like to compose on because when I write, it feels like the song was already in the guitar, like it already existed and I just sort of found it.
I do love GarageBand as well, and use a bit of Ableton but mostly stick to GarageBand because the other DAWs scare me…
L: What are some songs/artists that match your music's vibe?
M: Leith Ross, who is more of an inspiration to me, has music that's definitely the vibe I try to go for. I really love the sort of whispery and airy sound for vocals; a great example is Keaton Henson. He has some really hard-hitting pieces, and his lyrics are so poetic and beautiful, I think he even has released a few poetry books. I think that vibe is really what I aim for with my songs - something you could listen to as you fall asleep.
L: If you could collaborate with any artist or band, who would it be and what kind of music would you want to create together?
M: If it was someone alive right now, I might have to say Keaton Henson again. If it could be absolutely anyone, alive or dead, I’d definitely say Nick Drake or maybe Jeff Buckley.
There’s too many talented people in the world to choose from. I would most likely let them have the lead for creative direction but if I could write a song in one of these hypothetical situations it’d probably still be quite similar to my genre already.
L: What is an important life lesson someone gave you regarding your music?
M: Probably just a general life thing, but it doesn’t always work out. I’ve rocked up to so many gigs and auditions and completely bombed but that’s just sort of the way it is. I feel like having others acknowledge that has been really helpful for me, especially as a perfectionist with an intense fear of failure.
L: What gigs or new music do you have coming up?
M: My debut single ‘Joke to you,’ is being released September 20th.
L: One thing you always have in a dressing room?
M: Snacks! Lolly Snakes and Pringles are where it’s at.
L: What is the story behind your stage name?
M: There’s not too much of a story! I just love bugs, especially those rollie pollie ones from when I was little. I find arthropods just really cool and fascinating, plus ‘millipede’ kind of sounds like my name so I thought it was cute to put them together.
Want more?
To be the first listener of Milliepede’s debut single, ‘Joke to you’, keep an eye on the Vermilion Instagram for updates, behind-the-scenes footage and information on release gigs!
Our magazine team is in full crunch mode, typing away in the lead up to the release of our second magazine issue for 2024! While you wait, check out what our amazing social media team has been cooking up on our TikTok - Brat references guaranteed!