Gwen Miller

To Gwen, singing is like breathing, it is a necessity. “Singing is like giving myself up to the song. It’s like opening a door and allowing the song to exit out of my heart.” These are the words of Gwen Miller, a fresh, singer/songwriter who is making her mark in the soul music scene with her debut album Phases of Love: Volume 1. The album displays Gwen Miller’s eclectic, soulful singing style which she learned from growing up in the rural areas of Poplar Grove, Arkansas. Gwen’s explosive style was influenced by such artists as Isaac Hayes, Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight, Donny Hathaway, and Roberta Flack.
The songs from Gwen’s album were all written by her, exposing the raw vulnerability of her experiences. When asked where she got the title from, Gwen said, “We all have phases that we go through in life. This album talks about the phases that we go through in love and sometimes the heartaches that we experience because of love.” Her single, “What Happened?”, is a song that Gwen describes as “very vulnerable to sing and write.” She wrote the song after going through a breakup with her boyfriend and she was wondering what happened to the love that they once had. One thing is for sure, Gwen Miller is not afraid to open her heart and share her feelings. “I want my audience to feel me and for me to feel them. I want to reach into the hearts of anyone who hears my music or watches me perform.” This is her mission.
It has been said that Gwen’s debut album is a cd that “speaks to the soul” and that “all the tracks are meaningful, have depth and extremely relative to the challenges we face in situations, love and relationships”. It has also been said that, “Gwen Miller bears her heart and soul through this eclectic collection of melodious artistry.”
In order to understand Gwen, you must know a little about how she grew up. Love, laughter, music, and also heartache were the threads that connected Gwen’s family quilt. A household of eight children that was linked together by a mother’s love and a father’s determination pieced together Gwen Miller’s vibrant personality and persevering spirit. Gwen began to sing at an early age in church and once she realized how her voice affected others, she didn’t want to stop. It was an anointing, a blessing that she wanted to do at church, at home and anywhere she could all because she wanted to entertain others. “I began to notice how Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye and other amazing singers touched peoples lives with music and I wanted to follow in their footsteps.”
She also began writing songs by the age of 12. She writes what she feels. She realized that she can’t be afraid of being vulnerable. This is why her album is so real and can relate to anyone’s life. The other songs on her album displays this. For instance, “I Miss You” is a song about still being in love with someone after the relationship is over. Another song from her album, “Move On”, is about going on with life after a relationship is over. And her favorite song from the album is “You are My Child”, which is a conversation between Gwen and God in which God is reminding her that she is not alone and that she is His child. “Singing and writing songs became a form of escape, it became a connection, a serenity between me and God”, says this dynamic singer.
One thing Gwen believes about music is that the first chord, the first word, the performance, the entire song as a whole should pierce into the heart. What comes from the heart touches the heart. This is how Gwen approaches singing. She has grabbed the attention of her audience by embracing any song that she performs with emotionally driven, raw soul. She has performed for audiences around New York City and New Jersey in different venues such as the Village Underground, the Bitter End, the Triad Lounge, the Sugar Bar, Newport Centre Mall in New Jersey, Jacob Javits Center, and conferences in New York, Vermont, Maryland and Virginia.
Gwen Miller is truly an amazing woman who is filled with passion for life, people, and music. Her desire is to share this passion with others across the world. With her dream and purpose in her heart, Gwen Miller is determined to persevere until she accomplishes and surpasses the dream that God has placed in the depths of her soul.