What’s the story behind your stage name?
My older stage name was tacky and used a lot of particular punctuation and weird letter spacing, so I decided to make a new stage name that, for one, sounded like an actual name, and two, actually included my birth name, Miller. The more I played with it, the more I realized that nothing sounded good with Miller being the first name, so I just decided it would be better as a last name. I wanted to make sure that whatever word I added as the first name meant something positive. When I graduated high school, I was pretty much bilingual in Spanish, so the word “amar” came to mind. It sounds super corny, so I don’t like to talk about it much, but “amar” is the verb used to describe the action of loving someone or something, and it also sounds like a cool name, so I went with it. That’s pretty much where “Amar Miller” comes from.
Describe your musical journey in three sentences.
I started my journey as an artist in middle school just out of my love for hip-hop and rap music. I was pretty much the backpacking rap nerd who wrote a bunch of conscious and “lyrical miracle” raps until I was a junior in high school. That was the time I found the soundscape of Chicago via Saba’s CARE FOR ME album, and since then, I’ve been more focused on overall artistry rather than just lyrical ability.
Share an interesting experience you had while creating your latest track.
I think how this track came about is super dope. I met Dre Wave$ when I opened for him at a small show in Oklahoma right before I graduated college. Since then, we’ve just been chopping it up about music. He’s been a great help to me and I’m forever appreciative of his willingness to work with me. He just wanted me to send him an open, and he did it. Additionally, I reached out to Wakai because he’s like one of my favorite artists right now. I’m super grateful that he was down to work. He’s an amazing artist that I think is going to make it super far. I’m also surprised how easy it was to talk to him considering how much talent and traction he currently has. All in all, I don’t think I would rather have anyone else with me on this joint. It all came together so organically, as the best music should.
What message do you want to convey through your music?
I want to communicate the struggles and the success that I experience to whoever can relate to it. It’s true, but too easy to say I want to spread love via my faith in God. After all, my stage name implies spreading love. However, the more I write and reflect on my experiences—my struggles, my success, my shortcomings, my triumphs, and my failures—it’s just impossible not to tell the full story. At the end of the day, I just want people who are experiencing the same things to have someone to relate to. I try to lead by example and be a model for those who are struggling, but I’m not perfect either; far from it. I just want to be the person that someone can look at and go, “If he can do it, I can do it.”
Tell us about a challenge you faced during production and how you overcame it.
I think the biggest challenge was direction. I knew I wanted to have features, but the song’s atmosphere required some braggadocio. Not that I’m not confident about myself, I just write so much better when I’m writing about something and not just stacking a bunch of brag raps. Thankfully, the verse came out the way it needed to. I can’t remember if I had to rewrite anything, but I just trusted myself enough to do what needed to be done.
If you could collaborate with any artist, who would it be and why?
That’s such a difficult question because I have so many answers. I’d love to collaborate with anybody who’s ever inspired my music and writing. People like JID, Saba, Smino, Mick Jenkins, and Westside Boogie: Artists who are known for their extremely visual writing, how well they use melodies/cadences, and how they create the most complete bodies of work.
Where do you see your music taking you in the next year?
I’m not at all sure. Four years ago, I thought I would be an underground success in two years. That didn’t happen at all! I’m very grateful with how everything’s turned out so far and where I am right now, but my sights are always higher. In the next year, I’m sure I’ll be working hard and trying to reach people the same way I am right now. Maybe I’ll be closer to releasing an album at that time.
What’s the next big step for you as an artist?
In general, I’m just not at all sure about the future. There’s so much more that I’m involved in than just being an artist. Hell, I might not even be an artist in five years, God forbid. If everything goes well, though, I think the next step for me is to keep my momentum. Each year has been better, bringing in more streams and getting more placements. Besides keeping that up and continuing to work with my favorite artists, I’m not sure what else there is to do.
Are there any other promotional opportunities you’re looking for to boost your visibility?
Covers, feature stories, playlisting, I’m exploring all of it. This is my first published interview/Q&A in two years, so I just want to keep being out there and sharing my experiences. Whatever means I can do that through, I’d be interested in exploring.
Where can we hear/watch your most recent work?
On most streaming services, my work is all there.
What is the best way to contact you if fans want to give feedback or if other artists/producers want to collaborate?
You can reach me via Instagram: @amar.miller or Twitter/X: @ImAmarMiller.
