Exclusive: Milan Gianni’s Soulful Take On “How Do You Sleep?”

Exclusive: Milan Gianni’s Soulful Take On “How Do You Sleep?”

Out singer/songwriter Milan Gianni drops his new music video, a rich, soulful cover of the Sam Smith hit, “How Do You Sleep?”

Gianni’s earliest musical influences include Michael Jackson and Prince, but you can definitely hear some Beyoncé in his approach to R&B/soul.

After attending the prestigious American Musical and Dramatic Academy, Gianni is now in the recording studio working to release his debut EP later this year.

We chatted with the handsome artist about the new single, his musical inspirations and how his training comes together in approaching the recording process.

The Randy Report: Congratulations, Milan, on the debut single, “How Do You Sleep?” – what was the inspiration for recording the song?

Milan Gianni: The inspiration came when I woke up super early one morning. Usually in the morning when I first wake up I go listen to new music. That’s when I seen that Sam Smith had just released a new music video for his single “How Do You Sleep?” and I was taken away to another place. A place where I visualized myself having a breathtaking music video on a beach and shooting it with male dancers in a similar style to Sam but with my own spin on it.

I was so inspired and the fire was ignited. I instantly connected with the overall message of the song. I’ve been though a lot of situations dealing with relationships so I could relate to this on some many different levels. Also, I felt It would be an amazing song to showcase my voice. I told myself I’m gonna commit to record the song and shoot my own music video right away.

TRR: How would you describe your sound?

MG: I would have to say at the core it’s all about smooth, buttery vocals that express intense emotion accompanied with tracks that have heavy chord and drum progression. Vocal arrangements are everything to me, so making sure I have backgrounds that add lots of texture and depth to my sound is a must.

TRR: From start to finish, how long did this first track and music video take to bring to fruition? When did you know it was ‘done?’

MG: To bring this creation to life from start to finish it actually took  one month. I got the idea for the music video on July 11th, recorded the song the last week of July  and then shot the video on August 11th. After more than 12 hours of editing with my amazing videographer and it couldn’t have came out more perfect. I was in love.

This was my first music video so it was super important to me for it to be just the way I envisioned in my mind. I knew it was officially done because I remembered specific angles and movements I did when we shot so I knew when I had all the shots  I wanted. I don’t know a lot about effects, lighting and things of that nature, so with the help of my director & videographer we collectively came together as a team and made the final decisions.

TRR: What’s your favorite part of making music?

MG: My favorite part about being an artist is being able to perform live and create stories that people can relate to. It’s always been my dream as a little boy to have my own huge budget music videos so it felt super amazing and empowering to finally shoot my first of many to come. It hasn’t been a easy road to get here so I’m just so thankful to have such amazing support around me. It truly keeps me going.

I feel being a recording artist is a special gift, and I just want to touch people and let them know that they’re not the only ones who experience certain things. We are all people and we go through the same things. That’s what brings us together.

Exclusive: Milan Gianni’s Soulful Take On “How Do You Sleep?”

TRR: You have a background in musical theater – how do you think that impacts your approach to recording/making music?

MG: Yes, having a musical theater background definitely influences every part of my artistry. The way I think, breathe, and move. The way I write my songs, record my songs, come up with music video and live performance concepts, etc. I really dive deep and use my acting training to ensure I’m being true to the character and moment that I’m portraying. Really understanding my intention. I learned all of that from musical theater.

Exclusive: Milan Gianni’s Soulful Take On “How Do You Sleep?”

TRR: Who were your collaborators and how did you decide who to work with?

MG: When it came to my collaborations it was a super easy process. I’ve been in the process for about the past 2 years of recording my debut EP, so I’ve been building my team. My sound engineer [Kay’Vion] he’s so amazing and always in such high demand, but he did me a huge favor and gave me an emergency session so I could get the track recorded.

Next, I contacted my choreographer [James Alonzo] and he’s been with me basically since day one when I moved to New York City and started this journey so he was an obvious choice. He’s taught at all of NYC’s prestigious institutions.

Then I had reached out to my videographer [Danny Simeon] we had already discussed working on a project, so we just secured the dates. He has such an amazing eye when he shoots and can capture anything and bring it to life.

My director, Lauren Miller, has a lot of experience in the industry as a performer in front of the camera, but this is her debut taking a step behind it.

Then theres my hairstylist/ Bestie/ Boss babe [Ashlyn Shaw] who was an obvious choice because the way she lays her clients and handles her business – I knew I had to have her on board. We were back forth and forth back regarding my hair so it was very interesting process lol. We definitely made an amazing choice though. The look we were going for was “If Pocahantas had a brother.”

Then last, but not least, I can’t forget my amazing PR team [Cierra & Shania] who both have been such a huge missing part of the puzzle for me. They have a natural instinct to be on trend with what’s the best strategic move I should making next. It’s super crazy and can be a lot being an independent artist so I truly appreciate all of their efforts to help run this machine I’ve built.

Exclusive: Milan Gianni’s Soulful Take On “How Do You Sleep?”

TRR: Who are your music inspirations? What artist would you love to collaborate with today?

My first love was Michael Jackson, and then I discovered Beyoncé when she was in Destiny’s Child and I just fell in love.

The way they just got on stage and could literally transform into this super hero almost made me fall in love. It was like they were introverted in their real lives and on stage so loud and in command and one with the music, stage and production.

As I grew as a vocalist I searched for people who had similar tones and textures to their voice as mine, and I fell in love with Brandy and Tank. The way they connect their soul to each and every riff run and word. You feel it and it hits you different. I then dove into studying them.

I also have a deep love for Lady GaGa, Prince, Rihanna and Missy Elliot. Always pushing the edge with their images and keeping you guessing what’s next. They really create iconic fashion moments with each song and it’s a lifestyle when they have a look they’re going with. Creating musical sounds so innovative and that are way beyond their time. Never afraid to press the envelope and setting the trend for artist for years to come.

This is where my inspiration comes from and what I aspire to be. When asked what artist I would love to collaborate with I definitely have a long list for sure, but my top choices would be Missy Elliot, Summer Walker, Stefflon Don, Aboogie, JoJo & 6black.

Check out the music video for ‘How Do You Sleep?’ above, and make sure to follow Milan Gianni on Instagram here.

(images via screen capture/YouTube – some editing was made for clarity)