USA TODAY International Edition
Rising pop star Jake Miller talks music, modeling and social media
He doesn’t have a full- length record yet, but he’s headed out on tour Feb. 7
He’s performed alongside music’s biggest names at Jingle Ball, recruited Simone Biles for music videos, opened for Fifth Harmony and built a fan army — called “the Millertary” — around his lighthearted pop songs and Wilhelmina Models- approved looks. Are you paying attention to Jake Miller yet?
The 24- year- old singer’s path to success is emblematic of young pop stars today, building his name with a string of EPs while amassing staggering numbers of social media followers. And as industry friends such as Charlie Puth and Meghan Trainor have translated their starpower and years of work into chart- topping songs, Miller seems to be on the precipice of the next level of fame.
Before Miller embarks on his Overnight tour, which kicks off Feb. 7 in Orlando, learn more about the singer with a giant year ahead.
HE’S PART OF A RISING CLASS OF YOUNG STARS. Miller performed at Madison Square Garden for the first time in December, singing with DNCE at Z- 100’ s Jingle Ball. But he’s no stranger to the other rising talent he shared the stage with that evening. “Just from being in the industry for a few years now, I’ve become closer with a lot of people, even people that I used to listen to and look up to,” he says.
HE OPENED FOR LONGTIME FRIENDS FIFTH HARMONY. From growing up in the same city to rising through the industry ranks together, Miller has nothing but glowing things to say about Fifth Harmony, who invited him on tour with them last year. “I grew up in the same city as two of the girls in Fifth Harmony ( Lauren Jauregui and since- departed member Camila Cabello also grew up in the Miami area), we were MTV Artists to Watch together, so it was before either of us had any major success. Obviously, they’re just on another level, so I’m really proud of them.”
AND HE HELPED SIMONE BILES BREAK INTO ACTING. How exactly did Miller strike up an unlikely friendship with the Olympic gymnast? “One of my fans tagged me in a tweet from Simone Biles from two years ago, like, ‘ Jake Miller is hot,’ ” he says. Fast- forward to 2016, when Biles became a household name for her performances in Rio, and a Miller fan dredged up her tweet.
“I just gave her my number, we started talking … and when she got back from Rio I asked if she wanted to be in the Overnight music video. She had never been in a music video before, she was just as excited as I was. It was a very organic, authentic thing.”
HE’S A MODEL, THOUGH HE’S YET TO BOOK A MAJOR JOB. Miller signed with Wilhelmina last year, though he’s less focused on modeling than his music. “It’s really not something I have the biggest passion for; music is my baby,” he says. “I’d always had an interest in it, so when I moved to Los Angeles I had a few meetings with a few different agencies.”
But keeping up the physique he shows off on Instagram isn’t easy when he’s on tour. “There’s almost never a gym around,” he says, “so you have to rely on pullups and push- ups and running. ... But my rule is when I’m home, I try to work out every single day, so I can eat anything I want.”
BUT HIS REAL CALLING CARD? THE MILLERTARY. Without a full- length record, Mil- ler has built an online following of more than 1 million Instagram followers and 665,000 Twitter fans. He considers managing his social media accounts an essential part of his job.
“I’m slightly addicted to social media. ... When I wake up in the morning, I check every account, first my texts and my email, then I go to Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, my Spotify stats,” he explains.
Miller offered a quick class in online etiquette; he uses Instagram to reach the most people, and Snapchat to share his day- today life with his fans.
“I want to make the fans feel like friends; I don’t want to feel just like some abstract person,” he says, referencing a favorite rapper whose lack of engagement taught him what not to do. “One of my favorite artists is Eminem, but I never see any pictures of him in the media, I never see him interacting with fans — if I was to get a tweet back from him, I would be the happiest person in the world.”
“I’m slightly addicted to social media. ... When I wake up in the morning, I check every account.”