At 22, Tor Miller has a sound well beyond his years. I suppose you can credit that to the great David Bowie and other musicians from that era. You see, Tor lives and breathes the music of that time and he is taking that sound and incorporated it into his music. I met Tor, and if it sounds like Thor then you can call him the "Gladiator of Music", because he has an incredible voice and when you pair with music you get this amazing combination that he calls Indie Pop.
I will admit that I didn't know much about Tor Miller or his music before getting an invitation to hear him play live on a rooftop in the Flatiron district of Manhattan, New York. The setting was the offices of GREY Global Group, an advertising and marketing firm that has a music division. I was intrigued by a rooftop concert on what was a glorious and yes gorgeous day in New York City. It was a pleasant surprise after nearly a week of non-stop rain. I met Tor inside of a greenroom where the young singer was surrounded by PR people making sure that he hit all the right spots during our ten minute exchange.
KM: Tor, thank you so much for taking the time to talk with me. I understand you are preforming on the rooftop today, what are we in store for?
Tor: "I have two guys from my band with me today and we will do sort of a strip back set of what we do when we are on tour and it will be emotional, it will be hopefully pleasant for you guys."
KM: You will also be preforming your new single "Baby Blue" why is this song so significant?
Tor: "That song, I have very excited to have it out now. You know it's been a long time coming and it's a song that means a lot to me. I was dating this girl and she came to New York from California and sort of had a very sheltered upbringing and you know was living on her own for the first time and got to see the world without her parents living over her head. I watched from the sidelines of everything she had to go through and I wrote this song to try and make her feel better."
KM: "American English" is the debut album coming out this fall; give some details on what we can expect?
Tor: "Well there will be about twelve or thirteen tracks and it was written over a period of three or four years so for me I can't wait from it to come out and I'm very excited about and it's these very lush arrangements and we had the time to make and craft the record I had in my head. So I'm very excited to get it out there."
KM: For people who may not know you, young music, or your sound, explain yourself in a couple of words?
Tor: "My music is very piano based because that's my instrument and it is deeply personal of relationship songs which transcends more than just girlfriend or boyfriend but relationships that you have with family and friends and sort of coming to terms with your existence almost and how you feel about the world. I'm very inspired by Bowie, the 70s, and Elton John. This record that is coming out is my attempt to make the kind of music that I love to listen to."
Tor is taking his sound to the masses with his debut album "American English" and along the way has he grows as an artist he has a list of the top three people he would love to collaborate with in the studio. He's hoping Justin Vernon (Bon Iver), Kevin Parker (Tame Impala), and Frank Ocean or Miguel answers the call to record a song with him. I can say now that after listening to Tor Miller on the rooftop on that nice New York City day he definitely has the voice to draw in the crowds, dare I say it Tor, the Gladiator of Music, has that "it factor" that will take him all the way.