Kehan, “How I Wish for Christmas” just makes us LOVE the holidays more! Was this holiday single inspired by any records past?
When I was a little kid, our house during the holidays was filled with Andy Williams, Ella Fitzgerald, Perry Como, Johnny Mathis, Nat King Cole and Elvis Presley. While Elvis was a favorite of both my dad and sis, my father always loved to encourage the whole family of ten (I have 7 siblings) to sing at the top of our lungs with the Andy Williams Christmas Album, Merry Christmas by Andy Williams and the Perry Como Christmas album. My parents took us everywhere to sing Christmas carols in two and three part harmonies. We were kind of known in the little country towns as the Family Von Millers – a nickname based on the Von Trapp Family Singers in the Sound Of Music. We are all still very close. So this song was remembering where it all started for me as an artist as well as a tribute to my sister and father who have passed.
How much time do you give yourself in between releasing projects?
As much time as I need for the creative juices to flow. If I had my way and enough time in the day, there would be no time in between at all as I love creating and putting the new “kids” out there to go find friends, so to speak. But as an indie artist, it takes as much time, if not more, to get the marketing and promotion in place and building of the fan base. I am lucky to get 1 or 2 of my own projects out a year. The rest of the time is working on others’ projects to make the chips necessary to finance my own.
Who is the first person you have listen to your music when you’re done recording?
In this particular case, it was my mother. She and the rest of the family had no idea I was writing this for them. I also did not tell them that I was using old family pictures to stylize and create the accompanying lyric music video with. So when it was done, I called her up and played it for her to get her approval. I honestly was not sure how she would react, more so to me using private family photos. To say the least, she and the rest of the family loved them both. My mother told me she plays and watches the video at least 4 times a day (thank goodness someone does) as she finds it a touching tribute to our family.
Who makes you feel the most empowered about your artistry?
My family and my partner. They always find a way to validate my artistic perspective, reminding me with each new endeavor that I have created and been given opportunities to put my artistic voice out there for others to enjoy and benefit from. I am also empowered by a community of artists where individual expressions are celebrated, as we all have our own perspectives of the world.I am humbled to be included on an album with such talented and dedicated artists. More importantly, 5% of proceeds from the sale of the Blue Aeris JOY album will support Futures Without Violence. I have deep respect for FUTURES as they provide groundbreaking programs, policies and campaigns that empower individuals and organizations working to end violence against women and children around the world. futureswithoutviolence.org. They need our help because domestic violence has greatly increased since the COVID outbreak.
Thank you for your time! Where can our readers just do a deep dive into your music and go to support it all?!
Thank you for your support. Listeners can go to www.BlueAeris.com to download the single or the entire JOY album, see the videos and for news about future projects. They are all available on iTunes, Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, Deezer and TIDAL. You can find me at kehanmiller.com and @KehanMiller on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Happy holidays and much love and light in the New Year!
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