“I chose the song “Undun,” for several reasons. I wanted express my love for Canada, and everything that it has done for my family and me, by choosing one Canadian song for the record. The lyrics for “Undun,” appealed to me. During the past three years, there have been so many firsts, trying to become an adult, trying to become independent of my family, but at the same time remaining close, trying to go to school, trying to build a career, trying to hold together a band, and touring for the first time. All of these things came to a head. If you listen to the bridge on “Undun,” it says ‘Too many mountains, and not enough stairs to climb / Too many churches and not enough truth / Too many people and not enough eyes to see / Too many lives to lead and not enough time.”  When I heard this section, I said, okay (this is) another one (for the record),” the singer recalls.

There are those who might consider it to be a risky proposition, early in your career, to cover a song by a band as prolific as the Guess Who. Milman however, confidently responds, “It is the same (the risk) as recording a song by Duke Ellington, Cole Porter or Ella Fitzgerald. Singing covers has always had the same risks. People say, ‘It’s been done before,’ or ‘She can’t sing it, she’s too young, she’s too old, she’s too short or she’s too tall.’ There is always an element of judgment when you don’t write your own songs, because people will say, it’s been done before, why are you doing it. When I was covering the songs for this record, there was also a risk associated with people saying, ‘She’s a jazz artist, why is she playing around with pop?  How does this make any sense?’  There is always the danger of jazz audiences not connecting with the music, and thinking that I am trying to cross over.  There are a thousand possible reactions to what I do. I just don’t think of that stuff.  I love the songs, and they move me in the same way that some of the greatest jazz standards move me. I don’t sit around thinking about the dangers of doing this or that, because then I will be paralyzed. It’s not like I am the greatest person around, but when it becomes to creativity, and covering songs, I don’t spend a lot of time thinking about what (others) will say. I just do it. I have to do what feels right for me. I am not going to spend too much time thinking about how the critics are going to respond. Most importantly, the audience response (to Make Someone Happy), has been great. Ultimately, that is all that I care about.

Milman says she is not the kind of person who wears her heart on her sleeve, which makes it even more astounding that she is able to deliver vocal performances that are saturated in emotion. Feeling that she was an outsider during her high school years, Milman adopted an intense, angry exterior. She isolated herself and didn’t show much in the way of her emotional side when she was around school.

“When it came time to sing, it was a release for me. It has always been a release for me. When I would stand on stage in front of all of those kids who made me feel like an outsider, all the emotions came pouring out. For me music is very strongly related to experience. Music was always a time for my family to feel close. Music was a very central emotional element in my life. When I am singing, that is just what comes out. I am not trying to affect the way that I sing; it is just my emotions coming though the music. When I am in front of an audience, I am able to be as vulnerable as I am with my parents, my boyfriend or my brother, but not necessarily, as I would be with anyone else. I have a very special relationship with music, and that is why it comes across in such a feeling way,” says Milman.

Earlier this year, Sophie Milman graced the stage of Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola, in New York City, an amazing accomplishment for a twenty-four year old artist. The significance of breaking into the Big Apple and performing at prestigious venue becomes even more significant when you consider that Milman still lives in Canada, and you think about how many superbly talented female jazz vocalists reside in New York City.  As this article goes to publication, Milman is in the midst of a tour across Canada, in support of Make Someone Happy. You somehow get the feeling that she is just tipping on the edge of greatness.

Interview by Joe Montague

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