For Virginia-based rapper and singer-songwriter Milen So Fancy, music is an escape route from reality, and a fast-track to fancy.

Operatic melismas, percussive bars and a disdain for genre conventions mark the core of her sound, with the result being a concoction of her influences -- Opera, Rock, Rap, R&B and Reggae. Here, she incorporates elements from each into her music, creating synergistic syncopations to match the musical cadence of her cerebral wordplay. It can get deep and topical, but Milen is never afraid to let her fun side shine.

Her musical influences range from Leontyne Price, Renee Fleming, Spice, Imagine Dragons, Steven Tyler, Coldplay, Teena Marie to Maroon 5, Jhene Aiko, TuPac, and her favorite three artists of all time, Aaliyah, Eve, and Janet Jackson. 

When you listen to Milen’s music, it’s almost guaranteed that you’ll leave your woes behind and submerge yourself into the sounds, the melodies, the words, and the messages embedded in her music. Even if only temporary, in that moment where she has your attention, she wants to elevate your mood, heighten your spirit, and bring out the fancy in you.