Meet Powers And The People

We were lucky to catch up with Powers And The People recently and have shared our conversation below.

Powers and the People, first a big thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and insights with us today. I’m sure many of our readers will benefit from your wisdom, and one of the areas where we think your insight might be most helpful is related to imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is holding so many people back from reaching their true and highest potential and so we’d love to hear about your journey and how you overcame imposter syndrome.

We haven’t, really. I think we all wonder if we have what it takes constantly. I think that’s probably a commonality for most musicians. We had the incredibly opportunity to record at Blackbird studios here in Nashville this year – being in that atmosphere, surrounded by an amazing group of professionals, started to give us all the feeling of “Oh. Maybe we can do this.”

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

About us:
Five East Coast natives come together to form the distinctive lineup of Powers and the People. Adeline Powers (lead vocals), Alaina Milukas (keyboard/vocals), Connor Doak (guitar/vocals), Nick Best (bass), and Mary Smith (drums) launched “PNTP” after relocating to Nashville individually. Their indie fusion sound brings an eclectic mix of genres from jazz and funk to rock, folk, and punk music. The intricate detail and storytelling of Adeline Powers’ lyrics and songwriting allow “PNTP” to evade categorization as just another indie band.

Each member adds a unique medley of influences that span many decades. Actively participating in the vibrant Nashville live music scene and recording in the iconic Blackbird Studio, their high-energy performances leave listeners with reminiscent, nostalgic-sounding earworms and fresh sounds they’ll never discover anywhere else.
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It’s been a busy year! We recently released our ninth single, with another coming up in the near future. We also recently recorded a cover of Britney Spears’ “Toxic” which we think our listeners will really like. We kind of overhauled the whole style and feel of the song. Another one of our songs that we’re currently finishing up is called “Wounded Healer” and is our first foray into harder rock. I think we’re all really excited for people to hear that one.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

I’d say one quality that makes us unique and has shaped our sound is that we all come from vastly different musical backgrounds, which allows us to bring varied influences to the table. Within our group, we have experience and expertise in musical theatre performance, rock, Americana, jazz, funk, and more. Our listeners will hear an array of these influences throughout our discography. It almost makes it difficult to classify ourselves into a genre, as each song can be so different from the others around it.

On the administrative side, we were also able to bring five skillsets to the table when it came to developing the business end of the band, which has been extremely helpful. Mary, our drummer, is incredible with marketing and research, and essentially developed our online presence from the ground up. Adeline, our lead vocalist, is amazing with social media trends and helps get us into people’s algorithms. Nick, our bass player, is wonderful with audience communication and providing creative inspiration. Connor, our guitarist, is incredible with words and works on our promotional materials. Alaina, our secondary vocalist, helps with our website, campaigns, and other administrative type tasks. Having five hands and five strengths makes the workload feel much lighter!
A third space that has been extremely influential in our growth is the technical knowledge that specifically Nick and Mary possess. Mary has expansive knowledge of the industry and enviable people skills – the way she can build lasting, meaningful connections has allowed us to meet so many amazing musicians in the area and play at some incredible venues. Nick has intricate knowledge when it comes to technology, from how to run our in-ear monitors to how to get us all connected at shows. No technical glitch can stop us with Nick around!

The best advice I think we could give is this: learn everything you can. With that, don’t ever be afraid to ask for help. Talk to everyone you can. Learn from everyone you can. We all start somewhere – make the mistakes, pick up the skills here and there, and don’t think you have to do it all yourself. It truly does take a village!

What has been your biggest area of growth or improvement in the past 12 months?

I think one of our biggest areas of growth this past year has been communication. We joke that this can feel like a five-person relationship, and in some ways, it is. We’re business partners, we’re collaborators, we’re artists, we’re best friends, we’re family. This has been an incredibly busy year for us – we’ve released 7 songs, recorded multiple times, played shows, and maintained a consistent rehearsal schedule, on top of all five of us having full-time jobs and individual schedules. Life happens when we least expect it. Learning to communicate openly and vulnerably with each other when one of us needs some flexibility was critical in making sure we all felt seen and supported. It’s a continual journey. Learning to be open and honest with each other, especially when it’s hard, has brought us so much closer and allowed us to grow more as a family.

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Image Credits

Derek King
Britt Mae

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