Meet Milán the Artist in North Phoenix

Today we’d like to introduce you to Milan Maxey.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My journey as an artist began early on around the age of ten. I started off writing poetry which helped me ease my way into love songs and r&b. By the time I made it to middle school, our class began receiving a lot of assignments centered around writing and even included some poetry. The day came when we had to present our poems to the class. At the time, myself and a guy in my class had a mutual crush on each other. He got up to present his poem and included some lines with my name and it made the whole class go wild. Everyone was applauding him and amazed how he put it all together. After that day, I decided that I wanted to make the world react the same and go wild with my songwriting. As time went on and I went off to high school, my love for rap grew tremendously! I don’t like to refer to myself as a rapper because I want to remain diverse and not locked into one position. But I can truly say that rap changed my life. The feeling that I get when I let people hear my music and they are moved by things that came from my heart… there is no better feeling.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
My journey definitely hasn’t been easy. I feel like anything in this world that’s truly worth having will never be a smooth process. There will always be ups and downs and challenges but this is what will test whether you are truly ready for the journey you’ve chosen to seek forth. I am currently working to build my own image with no team behind me. This has been one of the biggest challenges for myself. I have to do all of my promoting, I shoot most of my visuals and I even do some of my own recordings. Though it would be a lot easier with someone helping me, I take advantage of this time because I know I will be grateful and even have some intellect on how things work once a team does come into place. In addition to that, I’m also saving myself a lot- A LOT of money! Another challenge of working towards being in the music industry is there are so many others attempting to do the same thing. People look at it as a cliché or just “someone trying to be another rapper.” The biggest challenge thus far has been trying to make a statement that separates me from other artists and allows others to see the same passion and abilities that I see in myself.

We’d love to hear more about your work.
I am an artist/songwriter currently attending Grand Canyon University. I primarily write rap/hip-hop music but also like to dabble in r&b and indie from time to time. Though I am still in the midst of becoming well known and building my name, my originality is what I want to be most known for. I don’t follow trends or speak on things just because the majority is. I like to remain authentic and relatable. From the words of the late great Nipsey Hussle, “Privacy is a thing of the past and you must represent who you really are at all times so that when someone tries to question your character, people will believe you first because you’ve already made clear of who you are as a person.” I want people to know me through my music and feel connected as if we are friends or family. I think what sets me apart from most artists is my content. I believe in speaking on events that are relevant to now and shining a light on what I believe needs a change in the world. Through writing music, I am able to use it as a platform to voice my opinion in such a creative and striking way. This is what I love most about being involved with music. There are no rules, you create your own reality!

What do you love about our city and what do you dislike?
What I love most about Phoenix is the diversity. I have met so many people from all over the country that are looking to find ways to expand their vision, from business to music to fashion to food. The possibilities here are endless. Everyone is looking to advance and network around them and I believe that is the best way to move up in the world. If I could change one thing about Phoenix, it would definitely be the heat! I love warm weather but Phoenix just takes it to a whole ‘nother level!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/milanaaliyah
• Email: milanaaliyah@aol.com
• Instagram: MilanLikeItaly

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