# Bea Miller
**Bea Miller** (Beatrice Annika Miller; born 1999) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress from Maplewood, New Jersey, who first came to wide attention competing on the second season of the U.S. *X Factor* in 2012 and has since released the albums *Not an Apology* (2015), *aurora* (2018), and *Mr. Peaked In High School* (2026).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2356963/bio/) • [2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/bea-miller-mn0003247856) Her music is described as emo-pop-influenced, electronic-tinged pop.[2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/bea-miller-mn0003247856)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name / born | Beatrice Annika Miller, 1999, Maplewood, New Jersey[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2356963/bio/) |
| Breakthrough | Ninth place on season 2 of *The X Factor* (US), 2012; signed to Syco Music and Hollywood Records in April 2013[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2356963/bio/) |
| Albums | *Not an Apology* (2015), a top-10 Billboard 200 debut; *aurora* (2018); *Mr. Peaked In High School* (2026)[3](https://www.hollywoodrecords.com/press/beamiller/) • [4](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6621259249) |
| Signature collaborations | "I Wanna Know" with NOTD (2018), over 239 million global Spotify streams; "feel something" (2019), a viral hit with nearly 200 million streams; "Playground" from the *Arcane League of Legends* soundtrack (2021)[3](https://www.hollywoodrecords.com/press/beamiller/) • [5](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/bea-miller/706171903) |
| EPs | *Young Blood* (2014), which reached #2 on the iTunes Pop Chart; three EPs in 2017; *elated!* (2020)[6](https://www.hollywoodrecords.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/6-Bea-Miller-MTV-Artist-To-Watch-2015.pdf) • [3](https://www.hollywoodrecords.com/press/beamiller/) |
| Streaming total | More than 2 billion streams reported by late 2020[3](https://www.hollywoodrecords.com/press/beamiller/) |
| Recognition | Forbes "30 Under 30" Class of 2021[3](https://www.hollywoodrecords.com/press/beamiller/) |
## Early life
Miller was born in 1999, and was adopted at the age of four by Kimberley Miller, a former stage manager for CBS, and Hilery Kipnis, a former producer for *The Oprah Winfrey Show*; her parents later adopted two more children, twin sisters Georgia and Esther from Vietnam, and the family settled in Maplewood, New Jersey.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2356963/bio/) She sings and plays guitar.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2356963/bio/)
Her earliest public performance came in 2008, when she sang "America the Beautiful" for a crowd of thousands after a Venus versus Serena match at the U.S. Open; a [Hollywood Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/hollywood-records) biography records that around the same time a music producer offered her a first record deal, which she turned down to let her voice develop, and that she landed a role in Michael Cuesta's feature film *Tell Tale* followed by a part in *Toy Story 3*.[7](https://www.hollywoodrecords.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/BEA-MILLER-Not-An-Apology-Bio-2015.pdf) Her screen credits also include the 2013 drama *Mary and Martha*.[4](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6621259249)
## The X Factor and first recordings
Miller competed on the second season of *The X Factor* (US) in 2012, at age 13, and finished in ninth place.[2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/bea-miller-mn0003247856) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2356963/bio/) In an interview with PAPER Magazine she recalled that her vocal cords hemorrhaged during the show and she had to be sent home.[8](https://www.papermag.com/bea-miller-interview) After leaving the show she signed a recording deal with Hollywood Records and [Syco Music](https://www.edgepedia.org/syco-music) in April 2013.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2356963/bio/) • [2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/bea-miller-mn0003247856)
Her debut EP, *Young Blood*, was released in 2014, when she was 15.[9](https://www.altpress.com/bea-miller-lonely-bitch-interview/) The four-track EP was recorded with producers Busbee, Jarrad Rogers, and Mike Del Rio, and reached #2 on the iTunes Pop Chart.[6](https://www.hollywoodrecords.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/6-Bea-Miller-MTV-Artist-To-Watch-2015.pdf) Her full-length debut, *Not an Apology*, followed on July 24, 2015, and scored a Top Ten position on the Billboard 200, with production from the Suspex, Mike Del Rio, Matt Squire, and others.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2356963/bio/) • [2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/bea-miller-mn0003247856) • [3](https://www.hollywoodrecords.com/press/beamiller/)
## aurora and the viral breakthrough
**aurora (2018).** Miller has described her writing on *aurora* as driven by her own choices rather than label direction: "It was about who I wanted to write songs with, what producers I liked, what songs I liked, and what melodies sounded best with my voice," she told Nylon.[10](https://www.nylon.com/bea-miller-tour-interview) A turning point came in the summer of 2018, when a Sunday songwriting session with [Justin Tranter](https://www.edgepedia.org/justin-tranter) and Mike Sabath produced what she called maybe the best song she had written; she pointed to the track "Feel Something" as a breakthrough in her willingness to open up in her songwriting.[11](https://www.universal-music.de/bea-miller/biografie)
Two collaborations defined this period commercially. "I Wanna Know," recorded with the Swedish duo NOTD in 2018, became a worldwide hit; Hollywood Records reported more than 239 million global Spotify streams for it, and it remains her most-streamed song on the platform.[3](https://www.hollywoodrecords.com/press/beamiller/) "Feel something," released as a single in 2019, became a TikTok phenomenon with nearly 200 million streams, 4 billion video views, and more than 1.5 million TikTok video creations reported for the song's ecosystem by late 2020.[3](https://www.hollywoodrecords.com/press/beamiller/) She also collaborated with Jeremy Zucker on "comethru," [Jessie Reyez](https://www.edgepedia.org/jessie-reyez) on "FEELS LIKE HOME," [6lack](https://www.edgepedia.org/6lack) on "it's not u it's me," and Snakehips on "NEVER GONNA LIKE YOU."[3](https://www.hollywoodrecords.com/press/beamiller/)
In 2019 she headlined her first tour, "nice to meet u," selling out venues across North America, and made her festival debuts at [Lollapalooza](https://www.edgepedia.org/lollapalooza), Firefly, Outside Lands, Bumbershoot, Life is Beautiful, and Austin City Limits; she closed the year with a second headline tour, "sunsets in outerspace," across North America and Europe with stops in London, Paris, Amsterdam, and Berlin.[3](https://www.hollywoodrecords.com/press/beamiller/)
## elated! and the League of Legends songs
The seven-song EP *elated!* arrived in 2020, the first project since *aurora*, and was framed by Miller as an attempt to move past love songs toward more pressing personal and political material; the dark-pop track "hallelujah" addresses the Trump administration and political tumult, while "self crucify," her first power ballad, deals with loneliness and her estrangement from a mother she says stole her money.[3](https://www.hollywoodrecords.com/press/beamiller/) The EP also features "FEEL SOMETHING DIFFERENT," an up-tempo reworking of "feel something" with rapper Aminé.[3](https://www.hollywoodrecords.com/press/beamiller/) By late 2020 she had surpassed 2 billion streams, more than 10 million monthly Spotify listeners, and 1.5 million Instagram followers, and appeared on Forbes' "30 Under 30" list for 2021.[3](https://www.hollywoodrecords.com/press/beamiller/)
**League of Legends.** Miller contributed vocals to "THE BADDEST" with the virtual group K/DA in 2020 and recorded "Playground" for the *Arcane League of Legends* soundtrack in 2021; "Playground" ranks among her most popular songs on Apple Music.[5](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/bea-miller/706171903)
## Mr. Peaked In High School
Miller's third album, *Mr. Peaked In High School*, was released on September 18, 2026, her first album in eight years.[4](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6621259249) After writing the New Wave-styled track "past my prime," an expression of frustration over feeling like she was "still a child but... out of time," she reconnected with songwriter and producer Justin Tranter (known for work with [Chappell Roan](https://www.edgepedia.org/chappell-roan) and KATSEYE), and the pair wrote the record together.[4](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6621259249) The 13-song album opens with grand-piano arpeggios folding in on themselves before the lead track "born to lose," and includes the confessional "bad person," the anti-sad-girl anthem "depressed on the internet," and the closing "PARTY."[4](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6621259249) The singles "born to lose" and "depressed on the internet" were released ahead of the album in 2026, and the album includes the track "summer of '16."[4](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6621259249) • [5](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/bea-miller/706171903)
## Artistry and reception
Miller's catalog spans teen pop and emo-pop in her early years toward darker, more electronic material later.[2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/bea-miller-mn0003247856) • [3](https://www.hollywoodrecords.com/press/beamiller/) PAPER Magazine, reviewing a sold-out Bowery Ballroom show, described her as a performer who sings with a "huge, throaty voice" about body positivity, not wanting to be someone's girlfriend, and missing someone so much she can't breathe, and noted that she shares honest, self-deprecating anecdotes with her audience between songs.[8](https://www.papermag.com/bea-miller-interview) She told the same publication that she deliberately writes "specific, true stories" about her life, a candor she felt was rare in pop music.[8](https://www.papermag.com/bea-miller-interview) Time profiled her in 2016 as an emo-pop singer-songwriter from New Jersey who launched her music career at 13 in part to help support her struggling family.[12](https://time.com/4681262/bea-miller-song-like-you/)
## References
1. [Bea Miller – Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2356963/bio/)
2. [Bea Miller – Biography, Discography, Albums & Expert Reviews, AllMusic (Matt Collar)](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/bea-miller-mn0003247856)
3. [Bea Miller press releases and bio, Hollywood Records](https://www.hollywoodrecords.com/press/beamiller/)
4. [Bea Miller – Movies, TV Shows, and Music, Apple Snapshot](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6621259249)
5. [Bea Miller – Apple Music](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/bea-miller/706171903)
6. [Bea Miller: MTV Artist to Watch 2015, Hollywood Records press material](https://www.hollywoodrecords.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/6-Bea-Miller-MTV-Artist-To-Watch-2015.pdf)
7. [Bea Miller – Not an Apology artist biography (2015), Hollywood Records](https://www.hollywoodrecords.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/BEA-MILLER-Not-An-Apology-Bio-2015.pdf)
8. [Bea Miller Wants to Tell The Truth, PAPER Magazine](https://www.papermag.com/bea-miller-interview)
9. [Reintroducing Bea Miller and her new song "lonely bitch," Alternative Press](https://www.altpress.com/bea-miller-lonely-bitch-interview/)
10. [Inside Bea Miller's Alternate Universe, Nylon](https://www.nylon.com/bea-miller-tour-interview)
11. [Bea Miller – Biografie, Universal Music](https://www.universal-music.de/bea-miller/biografie)
12. [Listen to X Factor Alum Bea Miller's Fresh, Soulful Single 'Song Like You', Time](https://time.com/4681262/bea-miller-song-like-you/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musicians and ensembles › Individual musical biographies › Pop and R&B singer-songwriters › Pop singers, 2000s to present › Mainstream pop singers, 2000s–2010s › Surnames I to P*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license