CMA Week Interviews: DJ Miller

Going to my very first CMA Country Music festival Week was eye-opening, hot, interesting, crazy and above all educating.  Working my way through to the Media center for interviews was definitely an experience, but once there I expected to meet many egos.  My very first interview, DJ Miller, proved me wrong.  

A self-proclaimed farm boy, DJ wields from small town Idaville, Indiana.   At 21, he already appears to have all "the right stuff:"  looks, charisma, drive and talent.  But yet when interviewing him I begin to realize he's right:  this singer is still a farm boy at heart.  


He has been a volunteer at the local fire department for years and prefers a motorcycle as opposed to wide rims on an SUV.  His weekends are a whirlwind of fair performances, radio station interviews, and touring, but come Monday morning he has a full load of duties on the farm.  For someone so young, he has a good start on how to stay grounded.


Hitting over 210 radio stations since July 2010 and performing in over 35 states currently, DJ is working at full-speed to get his current single "Whatever It Takes" into the ears of all country fans nationwide.  His excitement over the impending future is present:  "I'm so excited, this is craaazzzy!"  he exclaims grinning ear-to-ear.

DJ's first performance in Nashville was at Tootsies, and their reaction?  "They wanted me to move down here right away," he remembers.   Since then, things have been moving faster and faster.   Producer Johnny Morse saw the potential in DJ and started moving his career forward quickly.

How did this all begin?  He laughs about childhood days when he would take the bathroom plunger and use it as a mic while playing a toy guitar in front of mirrors in his home.  Garth Brooks was a constant idol, and he says there was a tape he had of Brooks running across stage during performance smashing guitars while belting out tunes.  He played that tape over and over.


While he doesn't appear to be a guitar smasher, DJ seems to have everything working right in the fast lane......  he feels comfortable already hanging around idols and established artists.    Still, it is amazing when he gets a call, for instance, from a friend visiting Mexico and hearing DJ's song on the radio there.

His goal currently?  To go on tour with a big-name act.  His current regional tour would be a good lead-in to that. 


Finally, as leaving I noticed three initials tattooed on his arm on the underside.   He explained that a good friend at 16 died in an accident.  It was a perfect way to again remind me of how DJ Miller has all "right stuff" but already knows how to stay grounded.