On any given Saturday, Medford Lakes’ CC Miles can be found alone at her piano, gazing out the window and thinking about the past week as she writes a new song.
“It’s definitely my favorite thing to do,” she says.
With two albums already on iTunes and Spotify, Miles says songwriting is one of the most important – and enjoyable – aspects of her music career.
“You want to come up with the right music that makes everyone want to move or touches everybody if it’s a slower song,” she says. “It’s what they really hear. Not everyone listens to every single word.”
The 15-year-old started singing lessons when she was just 5 years old and hasn’t stopped since. She picked up the guitar and piano at age 12 and started performing the following year.
“I remember I just wanted to be like Hannah Montana,” Miles says. “I wanted the two lives type thing she had on her show. That was always my dream.”
At age 13, Miles would perform at karaoke bars and coffee shops. Today, she’s focused on songwriting and producing but loves getting the chance to relive her coffee shop days every now and then. She says she’s become used to performing, but every so often fears that the audience will just sit in complete silence after her performance.
“I actually kind of forget that I’m performing in front of people for a while if I’m really into a song,” she says. “I’m just totally in it, and I don’t even know that there’s anybody watching me.”
As a sophomore in high school, Miles says she doesn’t have many experiences to draw from when she writes music so, she turns to her favorite movies, TV shows and books for inspiration. She particularly likes “Grey’s Anatomy” and “One Tree Hill.”
Last year, Miles released the album “From My Room,” which is about being young, she says. Her first release, “9th Street,” is about her house on Long Beach Island.
“I was missing the Shore,” Miles says. “I was just trying to think of what would relate to people if I tried to write about the Shore.”
Miles says she plans to move to Los Angeles after high school graduation and sign with a recording company. She says age 18 to 20 is the window of opportunity for a music career so, Los Angeles is the perfect place for her to be.
