As genres continue to blur and become more fluid, singer-songwriter Miles Jenson doesn't just write music, but stories in music form. On his debut EP, Sunshine Goldmine, Jenson dives into identity and illusion paired with jazz-influenced soul and atmospheric pop grooves. Produced by Grammy-winner King Garbage, the three-track project is equally introspective and musically rich.
From his jazz-filled upbringing to a self-taught pianist, Jenson has always been drawn to music. While moving to Nashville brought out his country storytelling, it wasn't until his early 20s that he earnestly pursued music. In the pursuit of creative freedom, Sunshine Goldmine was created, a layered collection that touches on classism, racism, partnership, denial, and personal evolution.
Tracks like the smoky ballad "Turn On A Dime" and the sharp-tongued critiques within "Country Club", the EP seeks honesty, holding space for discomfort.
We got to chat with Jenson about his music-making journey, the new EP, future plans, and more.
Can you talk about your journey into writing and recording music? Who or what made you want to do it?
I started writing songs in Nashville when I was a kid. This was in the early 2000s, and at least in the bubble I lived in, country music seemed to be gaining national prominence in the same way as pop music. I lived in a neighborhood where songwriters were working at their craft and cutting their teeth, and at this time I started feeling very big feelings and life was changing, and songwriting as an outlet seemed to appear naturally. I didn't do it with the expressed intent of catharsis, but it also wasn't something that I necessarily aimed to share with the world, either. It felt like something just for me -- like a world I could sink into.
Were you always drawn to soul music like Motown or Donnie Hathaway? How do you believe the musicality of the style helps convey the songs on your new EP's messages further?
Yes. My parents played a lot of Motown growing up. Lots of The Temptations, Jackson 5, Aretha Franklin. I think the way I saw it spark joy in my mother when she listened to it made me connect to it, and since it was always in rotation, I developed my own relationship with it, too. I think soul music is unrivaled in its ability to capture the full range of human emotion. Soul music is bittersweet, raw, and born out of defiance and hope, and I think those are feelings that I revisit in my own work.
Were there any particular challenges during the songwriting and/or recording process of Sunshine Goldmine?
"Sunshine Goldmine" and "Turn On A Dime" were both songs that I had written almost ten years ago now, whereas "Country Club" was more recent. I think the challenge I faced was in navigating the line between hellbent on excellence and neurosis. I like to scrupulously pick apart my songs, and I think that can naturally blossom into a less productive perspective when it isn't tempered with coming up for air.
What was it like collaborating with King Garbage throughout the production?
It was incredible. Vic and I originally were only going to work on "Turn On A Dime," and he was actually the one that suggested we build an EP. He captured what I wanted to say as an artist, and helped me bring it to life in a way that was uncompromising but also elevated. It's one thing to take an artist's vision and to get it recorded, but its another thing to expand the world the artist is creating while not disrupting its fundamental tenets. He only made that world richer and deeper in a way that I hadn't before.
How do your personal experiences shape your lyricism within this EP?
Well, each song is mostly, if not entirely rooted in my personal experiences. I like to draw comparisons between my inner landscape and the outer world, and explore how we internalize and project different dynamics. I think overall the EP has a pretty punchy, unsparing lean and the subject matter I discuss -- addiction, racism, mental health, etc. --requires that candor. At least that's what I believe.
What does a dream gig look like for you?
In an orchestral-style setting where I can truly just be a vessel and allow myself to detach from fear and insecurity.
What does success as a musician and songwriter mean to you?
Right now, it's to be of service to other people through my music and to keep the momentum going. I think as long as I'm moving forward I'm doing alright.
What are your goals for the rest of 2025 and into early 2026?
King Garbage and I are working on my first full length album. I want to tour and I'm working on dates for the fall. As for 2026, I'm hoping that my sustaining-momentum-strategy will introduce things I hadn't yet considered in the present day.
Featured photo by Tommy Petroni
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