Heather Miller
Genre: Pop/Rock
Heather Miller Bibliography: (click on each album cover to view tracks and Heather Miller lyrics)
Heather Miller Biography It might very well be that Heather Miller's diversity as an artist, a potent combination of blue-eyed soul, acoustic-driven pop, and R&B with a dash of rock, will be the first thing about Send Me An Angel that grabs your attention. But it's her passionate vocals and transparent songwriting that will keep you hooked. "I'm just a girl with a guitar, trying to write about what God has put in my heart," says Heather. But one listen to her upcoming release on KMG Records will have you convinced-this young woman is a great songwriter.
Send Me An Angel finds Heather teaming with acclaimed writer/producer John Mandeville for the worshipful track "We Will See Him," the tender ballad "Life To Me," and "In Your Arms," which also emphasizes Heather's acoustic side. Adding their input to several songs including the raucous "Angel" and the driving "On His Way Home" are writer Chad Chapin, as well as Michael Tait (dc Talk) and Pete Stewart (Grammatrain). Tait and Stewart are also the co-producers of Send Me An Angel. "I could tell from her demos that Heather was a talented singer and songwriter," says Tait. "But that was only part of what attracted me to this project. Heather has this special and rare quality that when she sings you are drawn to her. You want to hear what she has to say. There is a sincerity in Heather and her songwriting that just emanates from her. She's the polished, professional artist who can rock with the best of them and yet she's also the girl-next-door ... your best friend. What you see from Heather is what you get. And I think people are going to love what Send Me An Angel has to give!"
Heather has at least a co-writing credit on nine of the ten songs on Send Me An Angel; seven of those tracks are drawn from demos she originally brought to KMG executive vice president Frank Chimento last fall. "When she came into my office in August, pulled out her guitar and started singing, she totally blew me away," Chimento recalls. "Not only with the strength of her songs, but also that she has become a good guitarist in a very short time."
While still attending Palm Beach Atlantic College in Florida, a roommate loaned Heather a guitar and showed her a few basic chords. Heather bought herself some books to improve her skills, and when a family friend gave her an old Fender, she began to take herself more seriously as both a writer and guitarist. After finishing college two years ago Heather, like many recent grads, was trying to figure out what she wanted to do with her life. Heather's first foray into the music industry was a project titled Once Upon A Time. While her first recording received critical acclaim, it didn't feature any of her songwriting, and Heather felt it didn't reflect her own musical tastes. "That record was basically just my vocals ... they weren't my songs. As a result, I went on a mission to uncover my musical personality. Part of that self-discovery process was becoming a better writer so I could truly express my heart. The more I wrote, the more I began to find my own musical and lyrical voice. It was a deep, longing search, every day praying, 'Lord, I want to play and sing in honor of You.'"
Heather would not have to look much further than the deep roots of her own family tree, which includes some forty members involved in ministry, to find her creative voice. From her early teens, Heather took weekend trips with her father, an itinerant evangelist, on many of his crusades. During summer breaks from school, the entire Miller clan would make the rounds of several church camps, spending a week participating in the camp activities. Those activities would often include dance instruction by Heather's mother and karate lessons from her father, a two-time world champion. In fact, Heather was also a world champion in karate at the ripe young age of eight. "I guess I get my drive and determination from my dad, and whatever poise I have about being in front of people I owe to my mom."
As far as influences go, Heather cites her dad as having a major impact on her music. "My dad is a fantastic singer. He replaced Larnell Harris in the Gaither Vocal Band and then he decided to do his own thing because he felt the calling to preach as well as sing. We listened to and sang a lot of black gospel music-it's in my blood."
You can definitely hear all of those influences on Send Me An Angel. "There's an acoustic element, because that's how I usually write," Heather reflects. "There's definitely the influence of soulful traditional church music, there's a love of pop and there will always be worship at the core of my music, because that's who I am as a believer."
KMG Records A&R coordinator Brad Ford marvels at the maturity of Heather and her songwriting. "Heather is a person who thinks and feels deeply about things, especially about God and how He works in our lives. She writes songs from her heart that deal with people's relationships with God."
Although reluctant to single out any particular song on Send Me An Angel as a favorite, Heather will admit, when pressed, that three particular tracks come to mind. "'On His Way Home' was one of the first songs I wrote, so that will always be special. 'Life To Me' is so from the gut. That's another song I'm very happy with. But probably the closest song to me is 'In Your Arms.' I'm so close to my family and I wrote that song at a time when I was missing them very much. The chorus says 'You meet me on my knees, indulging in the peace You bring me.' Every time I play that song, it lifts my spirits."
Helping others lift their spirits is something that's been a goal of Heather Miller since her first public performance at age four, almost twenty years ago. And she admits she's quite anxious to get face to face with audiences and play them the songs from Send Me An Angel. "I sing from my heart and I hope people know that it's real. The most important thing for me to communicate is that God is in every situation-the big things and the small things. This album is about what's happening inside of me. Chances are other people are facing the same challenges and struggles and maybe the same joys and victories as well. I pray that whatever their circumstances, they will find something in my music that speaks to them."
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