CC Miles of Medford Lakes sings and plays at her home recently. The 14-year-old released an album and video last year and has another album in the works.
(Photo: Jose F. Moreno/Staff Photographer)
Source: https://www.courierpostonline.com/story/news/2016/05/18/medford-lakes-teen-successful-singer--songwriter-taylor-swift/84550142/
May 18, 2016
CC Miles attends Shawnee High and had her first album and video released last year.
MEDFORD LAKES - CC Miles has a smashed guitar in her bedroom closet.
It’s crushed and unusable but she keeps it there as a reminder. She broke it when she fell onto it one day. She sleeps with her guitar.
CC's guitar, like her singing and her electric piano, is a part of her now. Music is a passion and the driving force for the 14-year-old singer, songwriter and musician who hopes it'll be part of her career as well.
“A lot of times I’m in my room and my guitar basically lives in my bed,” said the Shawnee High School freshman, as she sat on a stool in her home music studio on a recent rainy Tuesday afternoon. “It’s something that’s always here. Even if I don’t make it big, I’ll always have my guitar.”
One of her songs, “A guitar and a dream," captures that connection.
The teen with a smooth, melodic voice, started singing when she was 6 and took up piano lessons around the same time. But a few years ago, CC got really serious with piano and guitar lessons and now plays both during local appearances at bars, restaurants and coffee shops, performing original music and cover songs.
“I wanted to start playing instruments so I could accompany myself out while I was playing at bars and stuff,” CC explained. “I love listening to music. I love how other people inspire me and I feel like I just want to inspire other people through music, too.”
Her father Chris Miles, who is heavily involved with her career, takes her to gigs and oversees things. He said at one point she was doing more “karaoke” type things, “but she got tired and wanted to play it just on her own.”
Things have picked up since then for the Burlington County teen. A year ago, she released her first EP — “9th Street” — a six-song album available on iTunes and Spotify. The video “9th Street,” which was shot at Long Beach Island, was also released last summer and has over 5,000 views on YouTube. Another EP is in the works.
CC Miles of Medford Lakes plays the electric keyboard and sings at her home studio. The Shawnee High School freshman has an album under her belt and another in the works. (Photo: Jose F. Moreno/Staff Photographer)
In a typical week, CC stays busy with music lessons.
On Mondays there’s singing or guitar lessons with Sal Dupree in Linwood, Atlantic County. She's gone from 5:30 p.m. until about 11 p.m. with those lessons. On Tuesdays she records YouTube videos of cover songs. Wednesdays are for open mic night at the Flying W. Piano lessons with Ajodah Seenarine of Camden County are on Thursdays and Fridays are for live sets at Tir Na Nog Irish Pub in Cherry Hill, Coffee Works Too in Voorhees or the Java House in Collingswood. Saturdays and Sundays are for practice.
It’s a pretty heavy schedule for a young girl, but she loves every minute of it. The support of parents Cindi and Chris make a big difference, CC explained.
“Do I push you to do this?’’ her dad asked. “Who pushes you?”
“I do,” CC said. “He’ll tell me, ‘If you ever don’t want to do this just tell me.’ I’ve even gotten mad at him sometimes. Why would I be doing all this if I didn’t like it?”
This is the cover photo of CC Miles' first album entitled "9th Street", which was released last year. (Photo: Photo provided)
Chris Miles worked with his daughter on time management and teaching her to focus when she started taking music more serious. CC also has to balance that with her schoolwork and the need to be a teen.
“It definitely takes a lot of time,” she said. “It’s not really a thing where I say, 'I have to go practice for an hour.' It’s more like 'I want to learn this song or that song.'”
Miles explained the first time CC performed in public was when she was about 4 years old at a singing competition he organized to help raise money for the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation.
“There were other kids competing,” said Miles, founder and CEO of Miles Technologies with headquarters in Moorestown. “CC happened to be there. She got up and sang a song. That was the first time she ever sang something in public.”
CC Miles of Medford Lakes plays the guitar at her home studio. The singer and songwriter has one album out and another she's working on now. (Photo: Jose F. Moreno/Staff Photographer)
Though her father dabbled with the guitar as a youngster, no one in her immediate family is musical, so CC's not sure where her drive to pursue it came from.
Meeting singer Taylor Swift at the star’s concert in East Rutherford in July of 2015 certainly didn’t hurt.
CC, a friend and a cousin wore all white clothing, then splattered themselves with paint. They held up a sign, which read “The rest of the world was black and white but we were in screaming color," lyrics from a Swift song. It all caught the attention of Swift’s mom, who selects concert goers in the crowd to meet Swift.
“She’s amazing; I don’t think I would be as far as I am today without her,” CC said of the ultra popular star. “She has helped me so much and inspired me so much.
“I can’t pinpoint my exact memory of when I decided this is what I wanted to be. I always remember I used to watch 'Hannah Montana' and I wanted to live a double life. I wanted to be like her. I thought it was so cool. I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.”
Celeste E. Whittaker; (856) 486-2437; cwhittaker@gannettnj.com
Medford Lakes teen to release debut pop album
CC Miles, 17, of Medford Lakes, is a rising pop star who writes her own music and lyrics.
[NANCY ROKOS/ STAFF PHOTOJOURNALIST]
Source: http://www.burlingtoncountytimes.com/news/20180803/medford-lakes-teen-to-release-debut-pop-album
By Danielle DeSisto
Posted: August 3, 2018CC Miles, 17, is preparing to release her debut album "Almost" on Aug. 17.
MEDFORD LAKES — CC Miles remembers falling in love with music at 6 years old.
There was something about the way she could express herself through music, whether it was singing, songwriting or playing piano or guitar.
CC Miles rehearses in her own music studio at home on Monday. {NANCY ROKOS/ STAFF PHOTOJOURNALIST]
CC Miles' debut album "Almost" is to be released on Aug1 17. [NANCY ROKOS/ STAFF PHOTOJOURNALIST]
“My parents started realizing, ‘Oh, she can actually sing!’” said CC, whose given name is Sierra. “I slowly started coming out of my shell.”
Now 17 years old, CC is preparing to self-release her debut album “Almost” on Aug. 17. The “confessional pop” album chronicles the last few years of Miles’ life.
“It’s a whole chapter of my life,” CC said of the album. “I’m young and I know I haven’t experienced a lot, but I’ve experienced enough to write about. I want to use my lyrics to help people.”
CC Miles rehearses songs from her upcoming album in her music studio. [NANCY ROKOS/ STAFF PHOTOJOURNALIST]
CC Miles uses her smartphone to create lyrics for her music. [NANCY ROKOS/ STAFF PHOTOJOURNALIST]
CC, who lives in Medford Lakes and is entering her senior year at Shawnee High School, often spends the bulk of her free time playing and writing music. It’s not uncommon for her to dash to the restroom during school to quickly write down a lyric or record a melody on her cell phone when inspiration strikes, or wake up in the middle of the night with an idea for a song.
She began writing music at 12 years old and released her first EP, “9th Street,” at 13. Her second EP, “From My Room,” was released two years later. Both are available on Spotify and iTunes.
CC Miles sings a selection from her upcoming debut album "Almost." [NANCY ROKOS/ STAFF PHOTOJOURNALIST]
The young artist cites her family, friends and pop culture as her creative muses. But almost anything can inspire her; one track of her debut album was triggered by “The Vampire Diaries” television show.
“I just love how it’s like a story,” CC said of writing music. “You would never read your diary to someone, but I’d sing my songs to someone.”
CC will host a listening party for “Almost” at World Cafe Live in Philadelphia on Aug. 21 from 7 to 10 p.m. The album will be available on Spotify, iTunes and Apple Music.
For information, visit ccmiles.com.
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