Mila J is not new to the showbizz but Jhene Aiko’s older sister gets now the attention she deserves. About her younger sister she says in an interview with GlobalGrind:
Not only is that my sister, that’s my baby sister, so of course I’m always going to be protective of her. She’s been at it for a minute too. We were raised in a musical family regardless, so we knew what we were going to do at the end of the day. It’s kind of like all we know. So nothing is really happening overnight. She’s been at it for a minute since she was 10. Her hard work is paying off. I don’t compare, but I think people are going to do that just because we look alike and we have the same last name. It’s weird because some people don’t even know we’re related. I feel like our music is totally different. People are always going to create a sibling rivalry and there is none. Not at all.
What’s funny is that me and her were actually the closest. There’s five of us and we’re no more than a year and a half apart. We felt more like a team than, ‘Oh, you’re my older sister.’ We were pretty much all friends. Usually when your older sister is much older than you, you take on that mom role. But we weren’t like that. We never bullied. We never really fought. I think the boys (her brothers) fought the most. The only thing we got mad about was me and my older sister always had to share a room. But I remember Jhene got her own room and we were like, ‘Why does she get her own room? We’re older. Why am I still sharing a bedroom and I’m 16-years-old?’ So it would be dumb stuff like that. We never did the whole, ‘You’re stealing my clothes’ thing. Me and Jhene shared more with each other.
Opposed to Jhene (talk about comparing the sisters…), Mila J is really into dancing and shows off her skills in her video for “Smoke, Drink, Break-Up“.
Naturally, I think I have too much energy. That’s why my mom put me in dance. My attention span is real short. I started dancing around 5. Tap, African, jazz, modern, hip-hop…I really gravitated towards tap and hip-hop more because I could be more aggressive and loose. In ballet you had to be uptight and proper and I couldn’t that. Even though I still love ballet, I just loved hip-hop. That element of entertainment is missing, with the exception of Beyonce and Ciara, who are killing it. There aren’t a lot of artists who are doing it, especially for the ladies.
Asked about the musical influences besides Prince and Janet Jackson, the songstress reveals:
My favorite vocalist is Tank. He’s a voice god to me. In my mind I think, ‘What would Tank do?’ I love his voice. I love Beyonce. Her work ethic is crazy. Her entertaining is crazy and she does all of it in heels (laughs). I think she’s dope. Nicki Minaj. I just like people that stand out and entertain. All of the artists I named…they don’t cut any corners. You buy a ticket to their concert and shows and their albums, you’re getting their all. I love John Mayer too. He’s so dope. I love Kanye. I love my Snoop.
Mila J also revealed her new album via Motown Records is almost done:
It’s pretty much done, so we’re looking for a release date later this year I believe. I would say it’s 90 percent done. I would say it’s definitely a lot of relationship-based songs. It has an R&B feel. A lot of the songs are like ’90s songs that you could just put on and let play – no skips. I’m kind of like that down chick. I’m like that around the way chick. I’m everybody’s homegirl, so I’m speaking a lot to guys. There’s a lot of women who are down for men when times are rough, not just the girl who’s like, ‘buy me this, Louis this, Gucci that.’ No. And I feel like there’s so many songs out there like that and my approach is more like, ‘I’m here for you. I’m going to ride for you no matter what. If you get laid off, I’m still here. I’m not leaving.’ I would say my approach on the records is really aggressive. It’s just a different approach of being that down girl. Ride or die.
