Exclusive Interview: Gina Miles On ‘Wicked Game’

Gina Miles has come a long way from the soft-spoken girl from a small town in Illinois. Since opening her mouth on Season 23 of The Voice and shocking the nation with her powerhouse vocals, she’s continued to show us that Gina Miles will not be underestimated. With each captivating performance, she seized control of whatever song she covered. As far as we’re concerned, ‘Style’ and ‘The One That Got Away’ belong to her now. And thankfully, we weren’t the only ones who saw the potential in Gina’s strong vocals and character. Niall Horan grabbed onto her and did not let go. We’re sure you remember the rest, but we’ll give you a refresher. Team Niall brought Gina to victory. One year after Gina’s first place finish, she is just getting started.

If you needed more proof that Gina as good as owns the songs she performed on The Voice, listen to her newly released single ‘Wicked Game.’ What started as a cover of Chris Isaak’s ‘Wicked Game’ has taken on a life of its own. After putting her own darker spin on this song, there’s no chance of Gina’s version being confused with the original. It was so impressive, in fact, that we had to talk with Gina all about it!

Welcome to the Honey Pop! First, can you introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your history with music?
Hi I’m Gina Miles! It’s so nice to virtually meet you! Music has been a part of my life forever. From going to DJ gigs with my dad at a young age, to starting to sing at my own gigs at 14, to then going on the competition show The Voice season 23 and winning at 19! It’s been quite a journey and one I’m unbelievably grateful for. 

Looking Back

Of your performances on The Voice, which do you feel is most representative of your style of music going forward?
‘Wicked Game’ of course has a special place in my heart after performing it on the show and then releasing it as my first single after I won. But I do think both of my finale performances – ‘Style’ by Taylor Swift and ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ – by Sinéad O’Connor definitely represent the styles I want to do by having a mix of pop and deeper ballads in my future music. 

You’ve accomplished a lot between your win on The Voice and your release of ‘Wicked Game.’ How has the meaning of this song changed for you?
It really has traveled with me through a lot of phases in my life, but at certain points the song really resonated with a lot of the longing that I had for things. But now in some ways it represents a lot of strength that I’ve learnt over the years. Just because something is difficult doesn’t mean you can’t get through it.

Being on The Voice, you gained a lot of attention over night. How have you dealt with that?
There was definitely a shift for me, but my ultimate hope has always been that my music can reach people and help or comfort them in some way. So of course there’s good and bad in gaining attention, but to me the good will outweigh the bad every time. 

Before being on The Voice, you released your EP Who Are You. What’s one song on that EP that you’d love your newer listeners to listen to?
I think End With You (Extended Version) is definitely a song I love so much and am very proud of. I think there’s a lot of storytelling and cool production on it, and it’s one of my favorites from that project. 

Becoming A Storyteller

You mentioned that you write not just about yourself, but explore other perspectives when songwriting. Where do you find inspiration?
I find inspiration in a lot of different media, like TV shows or movies. I love to read also, so sometimes it’s taking inspiration from characters or emotions that they’re going through. But sometimes it’s through other people in my life and channeling their stories and feelings into something creative to help them heal or understand things they’re going through. I don’t feel like my music always has to be autobiographical to be personal or special to me. 

Your songs sound so personal, and so did your covers on The Voice. How do you tap into another person’s emotions or words and make them your own?
I think it’s about finding pieces of the song that resonate with me and leaning into that. Sometimes it’s connecting with certain lyrics or themes and sometimes it’s exploring melodies within a song and finding feelings in them that I couldn’t explain in words to begin with. Then I take that emotional connection and feel my way through the song almost as if it’s being sung for the first time, and that can help me rework and reimagine it. 

Since storytelling is so important to you, is there a particular storyteller (either songwriter or otherwise) that you take inspiration from?
Adele has always been an artist I look up to in terms of lyrics, melodies, and as a singer. But just to focus on her storytelling, I think there is so much to be said about making music that is personal to you and can become so personal for others. There’s a fine line in finding that sweet spot and I think she’s a master at it, which I respect so much.

Speaking of storytelling, we’d love for you to show off your skills! If you could use one of your songs in a movie soundtrack, what would the plot be?
I definitely think my new single ‘Wicked Game’ could definitely be in a dramatic action movie. Maybe one where there is a big betrayal or a grand reveal. I think the song is very cinematic in its production, so I think it would also be so cool in a movie trailer! 

Looking Forward

You’ve played a few shows recently. What’s your relationship with performing? Did it change at all after The Voice?
I love to perform and get to see people in person. I think when you release music it’s really exciting to know that people can listen to it whenever they want, but being able to experience music together in person is an indescribable feeling. I think my relationship with performing only got better after The Voice because I learned alot about myself and my performance routine. I think I found things that made performance a bit smoother and more fun for me on the show.

We love watching your covers on TikTok. In the age of social media, how is expressing yourself online different than live performances?
I think I can give a lot of different performances online versus live performance. I think online it can be a bit more detailed and softer while with live performances I think there’s a lot more energy and engaging with the crowd and what they’re looking for. Online it’s a bit easier to reach different audiences and also they get the chance to find you, which is such an incredible thing. They’re both amazing ways to connect with people. 

Of course, we can’t forget your time as a member of Team Niall on The Voice. Is there any advice that he gave you that you’ve found yourself turning back to in the last year?
We talked a lot about my nerves as a performer and just in general, and the best thing to combat that is to be prepared. It’s something he told me really early on and that stuck with me during and after the show. Muscle memory always kicks in when I’m nervous because I always try and make sure I’m as prepared as possible. So that thought always eases me a little bit which makes it easier to perform the way that I want to be able to.

What’s next for Gina Miles? Anything you can tease?
There’s definitely some fun things coming up, and I hope you guys can stick with me as I go through this journey. But until then I hope that the fans love ‘Wicked Game’ and I’m excited for what’s to come!!

That sounds exciting to us, and you can bet we’ll be with Gina every step of the way! Of course, we hope you readers will be joining us as well. We know you want to brag in the future that you were with Gina Miles from day one.

What’s your favorite Gina Miles performance? Let us know in the comments or by finding us at @thehoneypop on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

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