Angie Miller | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Miller in 2016 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Zealyn |
| Born | Angela Kristine Miller (1994-02-17)February 17, 1994 (age 31) |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
|
| Instruments |
|
| Years active | 2013–present |
| Labels | |
| Website | zealyn |
Angela Kristine Miller (born February 17, 1994), also known by her stage nameZealyn, is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. She came in third place on thetwelfth season ofAmerican Idol in 2013. Her debut EP,Weathered, was releasedindependently on November 12, 2014. Miller rebranded in 2016, opting for the stage name, "Zealyn". Since 2016, she has self-released four extended plays. In 2020, she founded the Los Angeles based nonprofit, Push-Up Bra LA, a music development organisation with an emphasis on supporting independent female musicians and songwriters in the recording industry.[1]
Angela Kristine Miller was born on February 17, 1994, inBeverly, Massachusetts, a suburb ofBoston. Her father, Guy, and mother, Tana, graduated fromValley Forge Christian College inPhoenixville, Pennsylvania. The couple relocated to Massachusetts after Guy attendedGordon-Conwell Theological Seminary inSouth Hamilton to prepare forordination as aChristian minister. The Millers served at churches inLynnfield and onCape Cod, where they resided for eight years, before becoming co-pastors at Remix Church, a member of theAssemblies of Godprotestant denomination, inSalem.[2][3] Miller has an older brother named Jonathan. He was an integrant of hardcore band, Exiting the Fall, from 2013 until 2015.[2]
At an early age, doctors diagnosed that the singer experienced 40-percenthearing loss in her left ear and 20-percent in her right, after discovering that the protective envelope of hereardrums had vanished.[2][4] Consequently, she had ear tubes placed and, a month prior to herAmerican Idol audition, fits for silicon sprayear plugs. Miller's condition has affected her singing, obstructing her hearing of her surroundings, rather than herself. She claimed that she learned to manage it a couple of years prior to herAmerican Idol audition.[2] In January 2013, her mother revealed toThe Salem News that a third surgery toskin graft her eardrum was impending once Miller completed her stint on the series.[2]
As a child, she was introduced toworship music at church[2] and various other styles at home.[3] The Millers are a musical family: Guy plays thekeyboard, Tana plays the guitar, and Jonathan plays multiple instruments. Through watching them perform, Miller developed an interest for singing and songwriting at an early age, penning her first effort "Little Sparkle Dress" at age six.[3][4] Her engagement in children's theatre further nourished her desire to perform.[3] At the age of nine, Miller became an avid fan of the singing competition television seriesAmerican Idol after seeing thesecond season finale, which made her long to someday enter the competition herself.[5] She initially began playing guitar, but switched over to piano after receiving lessons from an instructor in Cape Cod.[3] Though never receiving formal vocal training, she refined her singing with critiques from her mother and brother.[3][6]
Miller attendedBeverly High School from 2008 to 2012, involving herself in the school's choir, honors vocal ensemble, and theatre program.[2] She appeared in installments ofThe Will Rogers Follies,My Fair Lady, andThoroughly Modern Millie.[7][8] She was an active participant at her father's church as well, leading music during services.[7] During high school, she also held a job at a fast-food restaurant atNorthshore Mall inPeabody,[2] and ran a popular YouTube account where she posted videos of herself covering modern hits.[7] In 2011, Miller placed seventh out of over 1,000 contenders[3] in the female solo category at the Assemblies of God National Fine Arts Festival inPhoenix, Arizona. She received scholarship offers from three Christian universities, including her top choice,Southwestern Assemblies of God University inWaxahachie, Texas. Miller did not accept any of the colleges' offers, and instead decided to audition forAmerican Idol upon completing her high school studies.[7]
Miller auditioned for thetwelfth season ofAmerican Idol in September 2012 at thePrudential Center inNewark, New Jersey, where she received a golden ticket and advanced to the next stage in Hollywood.[2] During the season's final Hollywood rounds, Miller opted to perform the self-penned tune "You Set Me Free" on the piano, and was praised from the judges.[4] At first introduced as Angela, she later adopted the moniker, "Angie", with which judgeKeith Urban referred to her.[9] Miller proceeded to perform without her piano, despite the judges' suggestions;[10] she permanently retreated to the piano during the Top 7 episode.[11] During the course of the series, Miller tackled songs byJessie J,Beyoncé,Colton Dixon and others,[10] dominated social media relative to her peers,[12] and was called out for her resemblance to singerMiley Cyrus.[13]
Miller was considered a fan favorite, often placing in the voting's top ranks and becoming the season's sole contestant to not land in the bottom 2 or 3 until her elimination in the Top 3.[14] The elimination was described by journalists as "shocking" and "surprising,"[15] to which they attributed competitorKree Harrison's victory to support fromVote for the Worst,[16] voting from Middle America,[17] and pity votes prompted by her homecoming video.[10] Conversely, Kevin Rutherford ofBillboard said the singer's elimination was caused by her inability match the accolades of her "You Set Me Free" performance.[18] Others ascribed her choice to performElton John's "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" without playing the song on the piano.[10] For her final performance, Miller reprised her version of Dixon's "Never Gone" in tears, at times unable to sing, and later approached by her family onstage.[15][18] Following the elimination, she expressed shock at the results, but claimed both finalists deserved the position in the finale.[10]
| American Idol season 12 performances and results | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Episode | Theme | Song | Original artist | Order | Result |
| Audition | Auditioner's Choice | "Mamma Knows Best" | Jessie J | N/A | Advanced |
| Hollywood Round, Part 1 | A Capella | "Who You Are" | Jessie J | N/A | |
| Hollywood Round, Part 2 | Group Performance | "Be My Baby" withJanelle Arthur, Kez Ban and Breanna Steer | The Ronettes | N/A | |
| Hollywood Round, Part 3 | Solo | "You Set Me Free" | Angie Miller | N/A | |
| Las Vegas Round | Personal Choice | "Nobody's Perfect" | Jessie J | 8 | |
| Top 20 (10 Women) | Personal Choice | "Never Gone" | Colton Dixon | 6 | |
| Top 10 Reveal | Victory Song | "I Was Here" | Beyoncé Knowles | 8 | |
| Top 10 | Music of the American Idols | "I Surrender" | Celine Dion | 4 | Top 3 |
| Top 9 | The Beatles | "Yesterday" | The Beatles | 7 | Safe |
| Top 8 | Music of Motor City | "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me" withCandice Glover andAmber Holcomb | Dee Dee Warwick | 6 | |
| "Shop Around" | The Miracles | 8 | |||
| Top 7 | Rock | "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" with Lazaro Arbos | Queen | 2 | Top 3 |
| "Bring Me to Life" | Evanescence | 10 | |||
| Top 6 | Burt Bacharach andHal David | "Anyone Who Had a Heart" | Dionne Warwick | 1 | Safe |
| Songs They Wish They'd Written | "Love Came Down" | Brian Johnson | 7 | ||
| Top 5 | Year They Were Born | "I'll Stand by You" | The Pretenders | 4 | |
| Divas | "Halo" | Beyoncé Knowles | 9 | ||
| Top 4 | Contestant's Choice | "Who You Are" | Jessie J | 4 | |
| "Stay" with Candice Glover | Rihanna featuringMikky Ekko | 6 | |||
| One-Hit Wonders | "Cry Me a River" | Julie London | 10 | ||
| Top 41 | Songs from Now and Then | "Diamonds" | Rihanna | 1 | |
| "Someone to Watch Over Me" | Gertrude Lawrence | 5 | |||
| "Wings" with Candice Glover,Kree Harrison, and Amber Holcomb | Little Mix | 9 | |||
| Top 3 | Jimmy Iovine's Choice | "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" | Elton John | 3 | Eliminated |
| Judges' Choice | "Try" | Pink | 5 | ||
| Producers' Choice | "Maybe" | Emeli Sandé | 7 | ||
_(cropped).jpg)
After her elimination fromAmerican Idol, Miller announced plans to launch a music career as soon as possible,[19] as well as an eventual acting career.[20] Of her intents for her debut studio album, Miller revealed that she wanted to write or co-write all material. She also intended to show all sides to her personality in an intricate and artistic manner which she feels current mainstream music largely lacks.[21] She further explained,[22]
I want to have music that has meaning and is real. I don't want to have dance-party music, but at the same time, I don't want to put people to sleep. I want to incorporate the soulful piano sound with a lot of edge. I know the message that I want to send out, and I know the music I want to do. I can't wait to show it to people.
The top three finalists – Miller,Candice Glover and Harrison – recordedbackground vocals on a song for judgeMariah Carey's fourteenth studio album, though it is yet to be confirmed whether it will be on the final track listing.[23] On May 17, 2013, subsequent to the series' finale, Miller released her debut single "You Set Me Free" to digital retailers via herAmerican Idol contract with19 Recordings.[24][25] On May 22, 2013, reports surfaced that Miller had signed apublishing contract withUniversal Music Publishing Group (UMPG), and is in midst of searching for a record deal.[25] In June 2013, Miller confirmed she was co-writing withToby Gad,Autumn Rowe,David Hodges,Adam Watts and his Red Decibel team and recordingdemos in Los Angeles, California, through social media.[citation needed] Along with the remainder of the Top 11 from season twelve, Miller embarked on theAmerican Idols LIVE! Tour 2013, where she showcased original music, from July to August 2013.[20] Later that year she also joined Jessie J at a concert of herNice to Meet You Tour in the United Kingdom.[26]
On December 3, 2013, Miller released a Christmas single, called "This Christmas Song" and a cover of "O Holy Night."[27] In April 2014, Miller embarked on the "Angie in Asia" tour in Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia.[28]
APledgeMusic campaign for her debut EP,Weathered, was launched on August 28, 2014[29] and was released on November 12, 2014. On October 13, 2014, Miller premiered a song from the EP, "Lost in the Sound,"[30] and a second song, "Miles" was premiered byBillboard on October 29, 2014.[31] On November 20, 2014,Weathered debuted at number one on theBillboardTop Heatseekers chart[32] and at number 131 on theBillboard 200 chart. In 2015, she released her first music video, for the song "Simple", the only single from the EP. In September 2015, she traveled toKolkata,India to perform several small concerts around the city.[33]
In February 2016, Miller announced that her new music, which she had begun writing in early 2015,[34] would be released under the pseudonymZealyn.[35] According to Miller, the name Zealyn originated from the countryNew Zealand, with a friend recommending her to make it into a girl's name.[36] Miller expressed a desire to change her stage name and the direction of forthcoming music releases in order to separate herself from the image she had created as a contestant on American Idol in her late teens. She did not believe that her previous music or image were marketable under her birth name due to its lack of appeal.[37] On February 20, 2016, her song "Tides To The Moon" was featured in a trailer for "Little Mermaid."[38]
She debuted her first single, "Talk:Listen" for streaming on February 26, 2016; it was released on March 4, 2016, for digital download.[39] A second song, "Sleep On It", premiered viaNylon magazine's official website. The song was available for digital download on April 1, 2016.[40] Heralternative rock andelectropop EP,Limbic System, was released on June 24, 2016, containing seven songs.[41] "Limbic System" was recorded in two months during July and August 2015 at singerAaron Marsh's studio inLakeland, Florida.[42] She co-wrote the songs for the album, along with her then-fiance, David Williams.[43][44] The album's title song, "Limbic System" featuring JMR, was released for streaming on April 29, 2016.[45] "Overwhelmed" featuring Aaron Marsh was released for streaming on May 25, 2016.[41] The remix EP,Limbic System: Reimagined, was released on June 9, 2017,[46] and features music remixed by Jon Santana, Sleeping Lion, The Lulls in Traffic, Stephen Laurenson, and Austin Cannon.[citation needed]
On May 17, 2019, her second EP,A Weekend in Maine, was released.[47] Miller returned to her hometown ofBeverly, Massachusetts to perform a concert, featuring music from the EP on June 13, 2019. The concert was the first show for her 2019 tour in the United States.[48] The EP's title was inspired by the family trips to Maine when she was a child.[49] The song, "Faster Now", written in 2015 and originally intended for her debut EP, was written as a reflection of Miller's struggles with the pressure of songwriting and expectations of the recording industry.[50]
In September 2022, her third EP,I Think I'm Struggling with Getting Older was released on streaming platforms.[51] She performed songs from the EP at its official release party on September 19, 2022 in Los Angeles.[52] The single, "Odd Behavior" and its accompanying music video, was inspired byQuentin Tarantino's work, of which Miller is a fan.[53] Her fourth EP,Keep Your Chin Up, Kid, was released for streaming on June 24, 2024.[54] Miller revealed in an Instagram post that the single, "Glory to God", was written about her childhood as a pastor's kid in a strict household and her experience withreligious trauma due to her upbringing.[55]
Miller is the co-founder of the music development nonprofit, Push-up Bra LA. The nonprofit was started in 2020 due to Miller's belief that female musicians, songwriters, and producers, needed to have equal representation in the male-dominated recording industry. The nonprofit hosts female-only songwriters camps and talent showcases, featuring female-only musicians in the Los Angeles area. Artists who perform at the showcases are paid through audience donations. Miller has performed at several Push-Bra LA showcases, singing music of her own composition from various independent EP releases.[56]
Miller moved to Los Angeles, California, in early 2014 to continue pursuing a professional music career after her participation onAmerican Idol ended.[57] She and her longtime boyfriend, David James Williams, became engaged in late November 2015.[58] They married in a small ceremony in Massachusetts on July 7, 2016.[59] Williams serves as a co-writer, co-producer, and guitarist for her EP recordings and tours.[60] She is a fan of the English band,The 1975, Danish singer,MØ,Khalid, andThe Killers, and expressed in an interview in 2019 that she desired to collaborate with all of them.[61]
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US Heat | US Indie | ||
| Weathered |
| 131 | 1 | 13 |
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| US | |||
| "You Set Me Free" | 2013 | — | Non-album single |
| "This Christmas Song" | — | ||
| "O Holy Night" | — |
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Limbic System |
|
| A Weekend in Maine |
|
| I Think I'm Struggling With Getting Older |
|
| Keep Your Chin Up, Kid |
|
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Limbic System: Reimagined |
|
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| US | |||
| "Talk:Listen" | 2016 | — | Limbic System |
| "Sleep On It" | — | ||
| "Limbic System (featuring JMR) | — | ||
| "Overwhelmed (featuringAaron Marsh) | — | ||
| "Enjoy Your Holiday" | 2018 | — | A Weekend in Maine |
| "Airline Wine" | — | ||
| "Faster Now" | 2019 | — | |
| "So Damn Charming" | — | Non-album single | |
| "Odd Behavior" | 2022 | — | I Think I'm Struggling with Getting Older |
| "Glory to God" | 2024 | — | Keep Your Chin Up, Kid |
| "Christmas Eve" | — |
| Year | Title | Artist |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | "Talk:Listen" | Zealyn |
| "Sleep On It" | ||
| "Overwhelmed" (featuringAaron Marsh) | ||
| 2019 | "So Damn Charming" | |
| 2022 | "Odd Behavior" | |
| 2024 | "Glory to God" feat. Silas | Zealyn and Silas |
| "Christmas Eve" | Zealyn |
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link){{cite web}}:|last= has generic name (help)
