Barber By Day, Musician By Night!
By Faye-Chantelle Mondesir
Glenroy Miller is a brilliant barber during the day who transforms into a mighty musician by night. This creative in many more ways than one, is a very colourful character offering music which is out of the box and classy. He prides himself on maintaining musical quality which appeals to all audiences across the board. In the SpotLyght Feature Magazine met up with Glen this week to find out more about his craft.
In The SpotLyght Magazine: Who is Glen Miller? Glen: Well I am just an ordinary man trying to follow Christ but failing dismally; not giving up on my quest for eternal life which I wish for everyone (He chuckles). I consider myself fun-loving and happy and I am always whistling a tune.
In The SpotLyght Magazine: What are you passionate about? Glen: I am passionate about people, especially those who suffer misfortune, also family and friends.
In The SpotLyght Magazine: How did you get into the music industry? Glen: I am from a musical family. My brother and sisters would always have little concerts at home and mom and dad were the judges (He laughs). My Aunt on my father’s side was a music teacher at a primary school and she spotted talent in me from a tender age. It just so happened that I attended the primary school she taught at, so she helped foster my craft and steer me in that direction. I also recall listening to my brother spin records at home; he introduced me to past and current music which he had tons of. This broadened my appetite for all genres because he had a sound system.
In The SpotLyght Magazine: What genre do you perform? Glen: R and B, ,Reggae, Soca, Disco, Funk, Pop,Rock; you name it! I even enjoy and do Classical music which I wasn’t so fond of back then. (He chuckles once more)
In The SpotLyght Magazine: Who are your musical icons? Glen: My musical icons are firstly Bob Marley, Michael Jackson, Steal Pulse, Sting and The Police.The likes of Maxwell, Tracey Chapman, New edition, LL Cool J, Shinehead, Buster Rhymes, The spinners, Al Green, Supercar,The Fugies, KRS One, you name it all appeal strongly to me. I also love Chronixx, Busy Signal and Buju Banton.
In The SpotLyght Magazine: What do you hope to achieve in the near future? Where do you hope your music will take you within the next five years? Glen: I would love to reach international fame and fortune like those people I have mentioned. I don’t want to die doing shows, so hope to retire at an early age.
In The SpotLyght Magazine: What do you think of the music industry locally and what it offers local artistes? Glen: I think it’s hard and unfair .Thinking about all the talent we have here, considering the fact that some local musicians can’t get sufficient air play to our satisfaction . We are bombarded with foreign music of which some is lewd and really doesn’t make much sense. I am happy many of the local TV Stations though make it a level playing field by showcasing local talent. Our only option is video which is expensive and for which ECCO says the law does not allow us to collect royalties for video. There are also not enough shows being staged on island for artistes like myself who don’t sing raunchy or lewd music. There are little to no events which feature artistes offering tasteful music to our audiences; The annual Jazz unfortunately is the only such event, but it is very limited; it’s like climbing a mountain to be part of the line up. I also have to mention the huge disparities between local and foreign acts in terms of pay. This shows a vast disrespect of our own artistes and musicians.
In The SpotLyght Magazine: What makes your music different from others? Glen: Well I learn from listening to everything, respecting but studying and coming up with my own sound. Also my music comes from my experiences as well as others’ which are all unique. Building and composing my own rhythms is essential for me. I also listen to different producers’ rhythms and choose music or tracks to work with which sound unique and different. I pride myself in producing clean and childproof music which is a quickly dying art. I strongly believe in creating music that is timeless and in being myself.
In The SpotLyght Magazine: What have been your challenges and what milestones have you achieved within your musical career so far? Glen: I use to be a DJ and sound system proprietor in Jamaica and still making milestones.
