Bea Miller

Bea Miller | Photo Courtesy Cristina Dunlap

Sounds Like: All the best Nineties teen movies compressed into three minute pop jams.

For Fans of: Demi Lovato, Boyce Avenue, the Warped Tour

Why You Should Pay Attention: Before she even turned 16 this month, Miller had competed on the X-Factor, nabbed a deal with Hollywood Records, opened for Demi Lovato and released her dark and angsty single “Young Blood,” which has already racked up millions of YouTube views. This year, she has an untitled debut album slated for late spring and a new single on the radio, “Fire N Gold.”

“I really gravitate towards music that’s fun to listen to, but when you listen to it and dig deeper you find the true meaning of the song,” says Miller, a huge fan of classic and alternative rock bands like the Beatles and Nirvana, who inspire much of her sound and style. “A lot of kids my age don’t listen to those bands and don’t appreciate those artists as much as I would want them to,” she notes with a laugh.

They Say: “I’m really honest. I think that’s important because I’m the same age and gender as the majority of my fans, and I understand what they’re going through. I’m not going to tell them that everything is going to be fantastic and wonderful all the time. I’m going to be real and say, ‘You’re going to fall down, and you’re going to go through bad times. It’s really going to suck, but we all go through bad things.’ Not a lot of pop artists talk about the negative sides of life, which is fine. I’ve just always wanted to say the things that I wish pop artists when I was 8, 9, ten would’ve said to me. ”

Hear for Yourself: The ebullient and angsty new single “Fire N Gold” fits right into Miller’s brand of upbeat pop accompanied by melancholy lyrics.

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