Mica Millar Shares 'A Little Bit Of Me' With Fans

(CHM) Manchester soul-pop powerhouse Mica Millar releases her second album A Little Bit of Me today via her own label Golden Hour Music - a record that positions her as one of the UK's most distinctive contemporary soul voices.

Recorded at Miraval Studios in the South of France - the residential studio owned by Brad Pitt which has hosted iconic albums by the likes of Pink Floyd, The Cure, Sade and Nick Cave - A Little Bit of Me marks Mica's most expansive and assured work to date. Written and produced by Millar herself, the album broadens the emotional depth introduced on her acclaimed debut Heaven Knows into something richer, bolder and more musically adventurous.

A standout from the album is "Warning Sign," a groove-led standout that explores red flags, projection and emotional self-preservation through sweeping harmonies, rich instrumentation and Mica's unmistakable vocal presence. Balancing classic soul songwriting with a contemporary edge, the track captures the spirit of an album rooted in timeless influences but unmistakably shaped for now. Stream it here

Mica will celebrate the release of A Little Bit of Me next week with album launch shows at The Jacaranda in Liverpool (June 7), Rough Trade East in London (June 8), and Rough Trade Berlin (June 11). This is all prior to her most ambitious touring schedule to date ahead, including a summer of UK & EU festivals, and headline dates later this year including a hometown show at Manchester New Century Hall on September 26 and London Shepherd's Bush Empire on October 9.

Not cut from the same cloth as the capital's BRIT School lineage who have recently found fame with a sound indebted to classic soul, Millar brings something else entirely: a Northern perspective, a lived-in authenticity, and a fiercely independent attitude, underpinned by a voice that carries both grit and grandeur in equal measure.

Across 14 tracks, the record reveals a sound bound together by Mica's unmistakable voice while stretching confidently into new territory. There are influences of 90s and contemporary R&B woven throughout, alongside the richness of Motown and classic girl groups, subtly reshaped through a contemporary production style.

From the subtly anthemic title track "A Little Bit of Me" to the raw and emotional "Times Like These", the empowering "Under My Skin" laden with intricate backing vocals all performed by Millar, the gospel-inflected "Oh Freedom," through to the timeless sounding "Hand on My Soul" this is an album rich with soul, vulnerability, confidence and craft.

As songs began to take shape - some leaning into a distinctly 90s R&B sensibility reminiscent of artists such as D'Angelo - Millar sought out collaborators whose own histories and musical language aligned with those influences.

This led her to collaboration with a transatlantic band of musicians whose combined credits stretch across generations and genres. Nashville-based drummer Marcus Finnie (Lalah Hathaway, Taj Mahal & Keb' Mo'), New York pianist and organist Daniel Weatherspoon (Beyonce, Janet Jackson, The Clark Sisters), and GRAMMY-nominated trumpeter Keyon Harrold (Common, Erykah Badu, D'Angelo) all feature across the album, alongside guitarist Adam Smith (Joss Stone), bassist Jay White (Macy Gray, Rita Ora) and saxophonist Tivon Pennicott (Gregory Porter, Esperanza Spalding). The record is mastered by Ruairi O'Flaherty at Sterling Sound in Nashville, whose recent work includes Kendrick Lamar, Sam Smith and Jon Batiste.

A self-managed, independent artist, Millar has built her career from the ground up - from Manchester stages to international touring, and into rooms alongside some of music's most revered figures. Personally invited to support artists such as Gladys Knight, Gregory Porter and Stevie Wonder, her voice carries a rare kind of co-sign - one earned in front of audiences that recognise authenticity when they hear it. Along the way, she has picked up a Jazz FM Award and earned consistent playlist support from BBC Radio 2 and Jazz FM, reflecting both industry recognition and a rapidly growing audience.

At the center of her story is a defining moment that continues to inform her work. Following a serious trampolining accident that resulted in a spinal cord injury and the very real prospect of paralysis, Millar's path was abruptly and dramatically altered during the recording of her debut album. That experience remains present in everything she creates today, from the emotional clarity of her songwriting to the physicality and determination behind her performances.

"... worth the wait" - Echoes Magazine

TOUR DATES:
June
7 - Jacaranda (instore), Liverpool, United Kingdom
8 - Rough Trade East (instore), London, United Kingdom
1
1 - Rough Trade (instore), Berlin, Germany

July
8 - Bix-Club, Jazz Open, Stuttgart, Germany
13 - Jazz à Juan, Juan-les-Pins, France
18 - Zeltival Festival, Karlsruhe, Germany
29 - Hafensommer Festival, Wurzburg, Germany
31 - Stauden Augustin Open Air, Effeltrich, Germany

August
1 - Wilderness Festival, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom
2 - Rheingau Musik Festival, Hochheim, Germany

September
26 - New Century Hall, Manchester, United Kingdom

October
1 - Cosmopolite, Oslo, Norway
2 - Doornroosje, Nijmegen, Netherlands
3 - LantarenVenster, Rotterdam, Netherlands
4 - Paradiso, Amsterdam, Netherlands
9 - Shepherd's Bush Empire, London, United Kingdom
11 - Old Fruit Market, Glasgow, United Kingdom
14 - Stockholm Jazz Festival, Stockholm, Sweden
15 - Victoriateatern Malmo - Malmo, Sweden
16 - Monk Jazz Club, Gdańsk, Poland
17 - Warsaw NIBEO, Warsaw, Poland
18 - Blue Note Poznań, Poznań, Poland
22 - New Morning, Paris, France
23 - Le Quai M, La Roche-sur-Yon, France

November
7 - ZigZag Club, Berlin, Germany
10 - Jazztage - Leverkusener, Germany

December
11 - Le Rocher de Palmer - Bordeaux, France

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