Miles Hardt, a singer songwriter from Los Angeles, California, released his debut single "Long Ago" in June. Today, he's released the accompanying visual that you can watch here first.
Growing up around his father's recording studio in the Sound City Studios compound, Miles learned quickly that music was something he was going to pursue. "It's kind of hard to come by studios like that now where every single room is recording music at the highest level," he told me. "I think walking around there and watching artists retool their songs was something you couldn't not get obsessed with." I asked him if he had any pivotal memories of his experiences in the studios, to which he replied "I was fiddling around with a guitar in the front where everybody would have lunch and Jackie Jackson from the Jackson 5 came over and he took the guitar from me and showed me how to play a couple of different chords I hadn't played before. I told him I wanted to write songs… I didn't really know what level he was at because I was so young, but just him telling me that if I kept writing that it was like a tool that eventually it would get sharp and I could write songs people would connect to."
When he describes the experience of spending his days in such a revered place, it's apparent that he's been raised on a steady diet of music education from a young age. Despite having a father in the industry and a mother who saw the potential pitfalls that befell those around them, his family remained supportive throughout his pursuits. In fact, it was a harrowing event for the family that made him confident he could follow the path he wanted."The night that came my mom came home from watching her best friend die and feeling the pain in the house. My mom didn't really cry much and I saw her cry for one of the first times. " Rather than giving in to the tragedy, Miles snapped in to action and wrote his mom a song. "In that moment, I knew it was a weapon that I could use to get through all the hard things life throws at you… That was when I realized how powerful a song could be."
And he's used the power of music to get where he is today: rather than crumbling underneath pressures that come his way or submitting to substances or distractions, he leans into music and its medicinal qualities. "My goal in my music would be to say that art and creativity and a different form of expression can take the place of these over the counter medicines and drinking and smoking: it's what kept me away from those things when I was battling my first severe depression. Music was like… Everyone has something that gets them through and that was the one thing that kept me above water. "Long Ago" wasn't a song I wrote for fame or accolades- I really was just a kid in my room trying to get over something I had never dealt with before and then all of a sudden, there's this catchy tune that made me happy. And instead of taking some pharmaceutical drug that makes you happy, something I created out of nothing made me happy, and there's something to that. I think art is a medicine if it's used right… If I stop writing, something's wrong."
"Long Ago" is out now. Watch it here.
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