FEATURE: Spotlight: Bo Milli — Music Musings & Such

FEATURE:

Spotlight

Bo Milli

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EVEN though I wish that she had…

more of a profile across Twitter/X and Facebook, you can still find Bo Milli across a variety of platforms. Her music is that which needs to be heard by as many people as possible. Her Making Friends E.P. came out in October. I want to start out with some biography and interviews. There is not a lot of information out there about an artist based out of Bergen, Norway. I think these are the earliest days of her career. Things will expand as we look into next year. There are some interviews bits that give us more insight and depth regarding an amazing artist. In 2022, The Indy Review spotlighted her track, At the Wheel. Still a rising artist then – as I guess she is now -, there were eyes and ears on the brilliant Bo Milli:

“Coming of age during a global pandemic, with climate change as an ever-present background nightmare, newcomer Bo Milli has had a lot of existential crises to draw from with her music. Raised on an island in Norway, and now based in Bergen, the young indie rocker has been gaining recognition this year after first posting her single “At the Wheel” on Soundcloud. That track, a lightly melancholic rocker with Milli questioning the state of the world (“who is at the wheel these days?”) drew comparisons to artists like Phoebe Bridgers and Soccer Mommy.

With the release of her latest single “How it Is” last week, with “At the Wheel” as a b-side, Milli is showing that she is definitely a voice to watch. Milli’s vocals on the track have an ethereal sweetness to them, going into twee levels that contrast nicely with the sturdy drum beats, chunky, upbeat chords and horn accompaniment. Lyrically juxtaposing apathy and youthful determination, one can hear this inner battle in the musical dynamics”.

I want to move to One to Watch. They spotlighted Bo Milli (Emilie Østebø) and praised the approaching Making Friends E.P. They noted how she is someone primed for world domination. You know that this is an artist who is going to be firmly on everyone’s radar next year:

“Hailing from Norway, Bo Milli is a rising star bound for worldwide domination. 23-year-old Emilie Østebø pours her heart out in her debut EP, Making Friends, a tale of self-discovery and learning through experience. Like any successful exploratory young adult piece, each track could be perfectly placed in your favorite coming-of-age film. Universally relatable yet earnestly personal, Bo Milli’s gentle yet powerful vocals tell stories of first relationships, nights out in Bergen, and realizing harsh truths about herself and social interaction.

The EP opens with the melodic driving track “Come After Me,” an ode to the art of yearning and overthinking. Bo Milli sings of expectations taken from make-believe, grand romantic gestures you only see in movies that don’t have to be explicitly requested. A track that details the hope we feel as we age into the dating world, our narrator pours her heart out in song but not reality. The repetitive line “I want you to read my mind” showcases her admirable naivety, a trait that is also encapsulated in the lackadaisical sound of the record.

In the titular “Making Friends,” Bo Milli details the unmatched novelty of going out with friends. Its indie-rock sound energizes listeners to feel the experience first-hand, as she describes weaving through the crowd. Bo Milli sings with soft vocals, “Everyone here’s a stranger / but I know they love me / because I love them.” It’s the epitome of the electrifying experience of going out and absorbing the energy of a party.

There are welcomed stripped-back moments in the project, especially on “Be your Girl.” A flip side of the opening track, Bo Milli focuses on sincerity as she admits real intention to be with said crush. Desire slips through angelic vocals as she sings, “I know I might not be very cool / and this might be a very risky move / but it’s true.” It’s a simple love song, but one whose dynamism could only belong to Bo Milli.

"All the songs on the EP are in some way about struggling to ask for what you want from other people," Bo Milli shares. "'Making Friends' describes drinking too much when looking for genuine connection, ‘Come After Me’ fantasises about being perfectly understood without having to say anything, ‘I’m in' is about being honest in the wrong way and 'Chewing Gum’ - about macho-posturing."

“Chewing Gum” is a standout moment for this budding artist, with a chorus so catchy it’ll be on your mind long after the song ends. What can only be described as a female macho-anthem, Bo Milli experiments with her own agency and plays the role of someone who’s unaffected by past lovers, convincing herself of her own indifference. Over an addictive pop-rock instrumental, “Chewing Gum” is an anthem for girls to pretend they don’t care, and even if they do, they’re welcome to jam out and pretend to be carefree for a couple of minutes.

In the last track on the EP, Bo Mili reflects on her actions and wonders if people can truly change. With an intriguing melody and smooth bass, she takes responsibility for blowing things out of proportion, reflected sonically in the explosive chorus. With the most confidence in her words, Bo Milli bravely announces that she’s fully in.

In her debut EP Making Friends, Bo Milli takes listeners inside her brain, from overthinking to yearning to contradicting herself and repeating the cycle again. It’s an accurate description of growing up, a diary on display put to music that emphasizes those complicated feelings. The start of a fruitful songwriter on the rise, we can’t wait to see what’s next for Bo Milli”.

I am going to finish with a feature from The Line of Best Fit. They highlighted Bo Milli’s Chewing Gum single. In the course, they also wrote how Making Friends is an E.P. is one you will want to hear. Chewing Gum is an “alt-pop macho anthem with plastic-girl power”:

“Bo Milli’s latest track "Chewing Gum" sounds like the song that kicks in as the credits roll in a teenage-coming-of-age movie (the kind they just don’t make anymore). If the song were a movie plot, it would follow the protagonist as she uses and drops someone as though they were just a piece of gum. It carries all the sonics of early 2000's pop-punk but treats us to a modern spin, lyrically subverting the traditional female role. She doesn’t submit to being dropped by anyone so takes the role on herself, describing the track best herself, as “macho-posturing.” The lyrics are all the evidence we need to know that she is not the type to comply with any preconceived expectation, and as the listener you can’t help but root for her.

Based in Norway, Bo Milli’s music is steeped in the heightened emotions of adolescence and she plans to express this in her debut EP, a body of work that has been in the making for the last two years. At only 23 she expresses her woes matter-of-factly. She paints an image of loud clubs and quiet mornings after, capturing her age with ease. It just so happens that the alt-pop rock genre suits her lyrics and the many emotions she has to let out.

Describing this latest track, Bo Milli says that "'Chewing Gum' is a macho-anthem expressed with unconvincing and plastic girl-power: totally unapologetic about having used and dropped someone as carelessly as if they were a piece of gum, I excuse this behaviour with the line "I’m a woman, I’ve gotta get it done". The choruses (and the solo) are all bravado, but the verses describe meeting a scorned lover with someone new and hints I’m not nearly as unaffected as I claim to be."

The distorted guitar alongside the echoey vocals makes it cathartic music at its best, full of frustration and relief when played at full volume. It carries all the frustration of a woman scorned presented with all the confident expression of her alt-pop rock predecessors. Bo Milli takes the events of her life and turns them into a catchy hook for others to relate to, evident as ever on "Chewing Gum".

I am curious to see where Bo Milli goes next. The Norwegian artist is one of the freshest and most exciting young artists coming through. Making Friends is among the strongest E.P.s of the year. If you have not heard her before, go and seek out her music. I hope that more interviews and profiles come online. Perhaps more engagement on Twitter/X and some bigger shouts and focus from radio stations here in the U.K. There is no doubt that the amazing Bo Milli is going to go…