Photography: Gray Lee Brame

Millie Robins isn’t the first 2000’s kid to pine after the 80s. From the romanticised perspective of someone who didn’t get to experience it, it seems the music was better, the outfits were brighter and people were a bit more free. There was no social media, no smart phones, and one imagines bedroom mirrors smiled back at you through Polaroids of big-haired friends grinning in patterned jumpers. Dating apps hadn’t killed romance, synth-pop was thriving, and in the background of every 80s fantasy Belinda Carlisle affirms that heaven really is a place on earth.

Seeing as we spent the decade tucked away inside an ovary, it appears we missed out on the pinnacle of human existence. The fact that most 2000’s kids’ parents were in their late teens and early twenties during this decade is probably the reason why the era has a whimsical, ‘coming-of-age’ feel to it. In reality, older generations were probably stressed out about work, and held a subtle disdain for both neon and MTV.

Regardless, the romanticised 80s world captured on fuzzy brown film has left an impression on a generation who wasn’t around to experience it. Snapshots can be found in Millie’s music, mixing dark and synth pop in her debut single ‘Out On My Own’. She produced the song with her dad – who played synths in a band in his youth – and their shared love for 80s music permeates through the track. “As a child, my dad and I listened to so much 80s music”, Millie said, “and whenever he produces something, it always has a bit of the 80s sprinkled in”.

The decade has certainly played a role in influencing Millie’s musical persona. She explained, “right now, my brand is very feminine, very girly, quite dreamy, and also quite retro. There’s definitely 80s influences there, mixed with a bit of Y2K”. She laughed at this last addition – “I’m always going to be a noughties baby”.

Whilst Millie is inspired by the image of the 80s, her longings are deeper than the allure of the aesthetic. Growing up in a time of tagged pictures, digital footprints and sensationalism posing as authenticity, a life untainted by the pressures of social media has an irresistible pull. “It just seems like a much simpler time”, Millie sighed, and I couldn’t help but dream about what it must have been like to live life without a smartphone as a fifth limb.

“Social media can be a blessing and a curse”, Millie added. In terms of Millie’s career, the platform gives an independent music artist the following and traction they need to secure funding and get noticed by a record label. “Without it”, Millie recognised, “I wouldn’t be able to connect with my audience and put out my music – in that sense, social media is amazing”. “But it’s also so toxic,” she lamented, “and if you have too much exposure to it, it can make you feel really bad and unhappy”. “When my parents talk about the 80s, it seems like a much simpler time. People were a lot freer and perhaps happier. Of course I wasn’t there to experience it, but that’s how I imagine it in my mind”.

Millie’s debut captures this feeling of freedom and happiness by communicating the empowerment she felt after leaving a bad relationship. ‘Out On My Own’ started off as a demo in 2020, which was put on the shelf during her first two years at BIMM University. She was studying Music Business and Vocals, and temporarily stopped working on her own music to focus on other people’s. Acting as label manager for a grunge band, she helped them with their image and release strategies. She thought the natural progression from this role would be to get a job in a record label, but she made a last minute detour in pursuit of what she was afraid to say she wanted – a career as a pop singer.

“I was seven or eight when I got taken to see Lady Gaga at the O2 Arena in London – that was the first time I realised that I wanted to sing”, Millie recounted. “I wanted to perform like her, she was an artist I loved as a child. I loved a lot of strong, powerful female artists”. When third year rolled around, Millie quit her role as label manager to dedicate herself fully to developing her own sound. “I loved it”, Millie beamed, “I was doing my final project, and finally doing my own music. Working on ‘Out On My Own’ really made me happy”. She showcased her track to friends and family, who pushed her to release it as her debut single. “I was nervous”, Millie told me, “I’d never released anything or put myself out there to be scrutinised in that way before. But I’ve learned that you’ve got to put your art out there, even if you don’t think it’s perfect”. When I asked if she would call herself a perfectionist, she responded, “with my singing, definitely. I’m my own worst critic”.

There’s been nothing but praise since Millie released her debut this summer. The track has been broadcast by both BBC Introducing and PlatformB – a radio station in Brighton that supports emerging independent artists. The positive feedback has encouraged her to keep making music, and she’s always experimenting with different styles. Whilst ‘Out On My Own’ mixes dark and synth pop, her upcoming release is more light-hearted, fun and summery. She’s titled it ‘Wouldn’t Say I’m Obsessed’, and it’s a song about the denial stage that precedes the moment you admit you have feelings for someone. The demo as it stands sounds a bit like Sabrina Carpenter’s ‘Espresso’, and puts harmonies and vocal layering over a disco-like tune.

“That’s what I love about being an independent artist”, Millie explained, “I can be more experimental, and release stand alone songs that aren’t part of a bigger EP”. “Sometimes labels mould singers into different types of artists, so it’s nice to feel I have control over my image and can decide my sound for myself. It means my music is more authentic to me, which is something that I’m really passionate about”.

Instagram: @millierobins_