Imagine you’re a 25 year-old songwriter from Amsterdam, you record a 10-track album in Nashville, and you get signed by New West Records. And last night, you sold out your American debut show in Texas.
For Dutch artist Jana Mila, this dream is a reality.
“I feel like in this album, I grew up writing these songs,” Mila said in an on-stage Q&A with KXT DJ La Bell before the set. “Then each song is like a trip down memory lane almost, where I just see myself as Iike, my younger sister who I’m looking at. And who is kind of evolving into an adult. You know, I think I’m an adult now [laughs]. It’s still scary. And tonight I’m going to play some of the songs that are very dear to me, that I wrote when I was 16. Next week it’s going to be 10 years ago.”
Mila’s forthcoming album Chameleon drops on August 30, but last night’s KXT Showcase at Sweet Tooth Hotel gave listeners a chance to snag vinyls and CDs before anyone else in the nation.
Informally called indie Americana pop, Mila’s music is soft and deep, with lyrics that resonate from one word to the next alongside nimble melodies that carry you into her heart. La Bell cited in the Q&A that her critics are calling her style Laurel Canyon folk music – the “music mecca” made famous by legends like Joni Mitchell, The Doors and Buffalo Springfield.
“That’s insane because I’ve been listening, and I’ve been playing American music since I was young, and now I get to play it in front of people in America. Which is great,” Mila said earnestly on stage. “My parents used to have a very big record collection with Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Joni Mitchell and James Taylor, which are all great names. They also listened to jazz music, but that was never something that came to mind for me to listen to. Because I really like the storytelling. And I think that it’s very great to have those big inspirations in my description. Because that’s what I’ve been listening to for a long time.”
Pre-order Chameleon on New West Records, join Jana Mila’s 125k listeners on Spotify, and go to the bottom of this article to see the music video for “Somebody New” – which you may have heard on KXT.
Fun fact: Jana Mila revealed on stage that the first song she ever learned on guitar was “Lightning Bolt” by Jake Bugg, which garnered some cheers from several people in the audience at Sweet Tooth Hotel.
Jessica Waffles is a freelance photographer/videographer and regular contributor to KXT.
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