Glad Rags: Mila V on Whether We Need To Combine Visuals with Music

Make it stand out

Get your glad rags on gang! Glad Rags is a column where we chat to some of our favourite musician's about their best garms. This week we're joined by filmmaker turned musician Mila V!

How important is clothing to you for a stage presence?  

I think I would have given a different answer some months ago before I  actually started performing, but I think it is very important that I feel  comfortable yet empowered. I think clothing definitely helps my confidence  on stage and can help me get into my stage persona, but now that I am doing  my live shows I really started to sense that there needs to be a lot of me in my  stage presence and it’s not just a character that’s detached from my “normal”  self. So for me a Dickies 2 piece is basically my uniform, but than on stage I  spice it up with a custom latex top, and go more all out with hair and make up. I like finding this balance. 

___STEADY_PAYWALL___

Do you have a different style on stage compared to off stage?  

Not per se, but I think that off stage I can lean more towards one extreme. I can have days where I want to look super feminine and  days where I feel like looking super masculine, whatever that  means. On stage I find my balance I feel most at home in.  

Do you think image is important for musicians wanting to be  successful? 

I don’t really know what “image” means. I think it depends on the  artist and what they want. If you want to just release music  without visuals or without yourself as a persona behind it, and it  comes from a genuine place and there’s heart and soul in it, I'm sure it can get just as much success as someone that finds  image important. And I mean this is the same for someone that’s  more focused on their image. For me, I love doing visuals cause I come from a visual background and it’s a way to combine all my art forms.  

Who are some of your style inspirations as an artist? 

My mom, and my friends inspire me alot. Like Butterscotch Isle,  Indiana Roma Voss, Slimfit, Mairo Nawaz, Ricardo van Lachterop,  Badr Amajjar and I can keep on going. I think people at good  raves inspire me. I fucking love Yves Tumor atm. But also I make  this huge whirlpool of inspiration that goes from Tony Montana  to Dolly Parton to the Matrix to Tony Soprano to Cher to Joan  Jett to Angelyne. 

What is your favorite piece of clothing to wear on stage and why?  

My Dickies 2 piece cause it feels like me the most. But there’s a  customized version coming so stay tuned…  

What is your favourite piece of clothing to wear offstage and why? 

Well this is a bit boring but I need to repeat the above answer haha.   

How has your style evolved alongside your journey as an artist?  

It has definitely evolved alongside my journey as an artist. I think with  the previous EP for the visuals I was really into this seventies  galore and burlesque vibes but put it in a setting that was out  of context. For the new one its more my own kind of take on sci-fi.  

What advice would you give someone struggling to find their image as an  artist?  

It sounds a bit cliche, but try to stay true to yourself but then amp it up in some way. If you’re not feeling it then it’s gonna show and that is what is most important.

Mila V will be collaborating with Patta Soundsystem for new EP ‘CRACKS’, out Friday 18th November