Today we’d like to introduce you to Milo Rodriguez.
Hi Milo, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My story is something I’ve told many times. To get to where I am now, I had to overcome years of confusion about my gender, deal with my Tourette’s Syndrome, and learn all of this while dealing with the stresses of high school. Music and creativity has been my way to cope with everything since I was a little kid.
I’ve always had a love for music and creativity. I started dancing at the age of 3, and started playing guitar at the age of 9. I will say that my start in the live music scene started when I was 13. I went to a summer camp called “San Antonio Girls Rock Camp” (pre transition) and that’s where I played my first gig with a band. That was in 2019 and later that same year I played a Ted Talk and got to show off my song writing skills to a crowd of 600+ people. Of course, COVID stopped me from playing live gigs but it didn’t stop my love for music. I learned how to produce music on garage band, and have been writing and producing my own music since. Junior year I started messing around with photography and video editing. I am currently in my senior year of high school, and I hope to go to college for media production. I am currently working on directing and producing a short film, and am improving my photography skills to a professional level. On October 8th, I released 2 new songs after taking a short hiatus. I am so excited to be back in the swing of things with my arts, and I cannot wait to see what my future holds.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I have definitely had to overcome so much in the last 4 years of my life. I mean the biggest one was COVID and dealing with the struggles of isolation, but being alone lead me to face feelings of gender dysphoria I had been pushing down my whole entire life. I am AFAB (assigned female at birth) and at the age of 13 I started to become uncomfortable in my own body. Growing up I had always been a “tomboy” but everyone just overlooked it, even me. When COVID hit I had no other choice but to face these feelings I had been avoiding for so long. While I was facing these feelings, I was also dealing with the struggles of my Tourette’s Syndrome at the same time. I had an outburst of tics in September of 2020 that would change my life forever. For about 4 months of my life, I had extreme tics that were constant. They never stopped unless I was watching TV or sleeping. My body was exhausted from my physical disability, and my brain was also tired from being so confused. In December of 2020 I came out as trans to my friends. I finally changed my name and started using He/Him pronouns. Milo was a name I had been wanting and I was happy to make it mine. Around this same time, I was put on medications to help calm my tics down and they did. My tics were now manageable and I was out as my true self. I spent 2021 living my life as Milo. I will admit, I was terrified to go back to school in person after my name change and tic outburst. I live in an area that is very conservative and kids are not afraid to speak their minds. Even with all my worry, I went to school and was accepted by my peers and teachers with open arms. Everyone was worried about something going back to school in August 2021, but I was so worried about people around me adjusting to these changes I went through in 2020.
I was able to overcome and cope with both of these big obstacles with my music. I wrote several songs about my trans struggles, and one of them got a lot of amazing reactions. “Pretty Baby” was written and recorded in my bedroom in April 2021 and I released it super impulsively. This song was made in about 30 minutes because I was feeling very overwhelmed with feelings and needed to get them out somehow. So many queer kids texted me saying how my music was relatable and they didn’t feel as alone seeing someone be so open about it. This is when I realized that my lyrics can speak to people and make them feel something. Ever since then I have made it my goal as a musical artist to connect with my listeners. I want them to feel heard while listening to me.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I used to only call myself a Singer/Songwriter/Producer, but my range has definitely expanded a lot in the last year. I now work with film making and photography, and I love to help out with sound backstage when I get the chance. I also have done a couple public speaking gigs about my journey as a queer teen. Most people know me for my music and photography, but soon people will know me as much more than that.
I am most proud of my music though. My music is what sets me apart from others because I have my own sound that is different. I don’t want to fit in one single genre, I want to expand my discography to speak to different audiences.
What’s next?
I feel like the last two months I have been thinking about my future more than ever. I am graduating High School this year, and I’m turning 18 in July of 2023. I have been trying to avoid thinking about the future so much but I do have a plan. I want to go to college for media production and learn everything about sound, filming, photography, and more. I guess the biggest change I’m looking forward to is finally being able to live my life fully. I will be an adult and my life is just starting. I will say I don’t know where I am going to college, but I know whatever I choose will be the best option for me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4oPyNtoyopc0xkW8bZNjLF?si=V5tBdasMSKKD5u2Hxi7Hlg
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mmiloren/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwjaVdHHNQXize0EEA1Rnyw/featured
- Other: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/m-ren/1514735357
