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Introducing Amanda Miller

Get to know Rod’s latest addition to his talented band

Rod has added a new backup singer to his super talented band. Amanda Miller, who is originally from Pennsylvania, has been living the life from a very young age, where she worked for Disney and Nickelodeon. Amanda also took on a two year tour in Cameron Mackintosh’s ‘Oliver’, and five years ago played the part of Waitress #1, then Sherrie in the Las Vegas production of ‘Rock Of Ages’. Recently she closed out a great run in as Val Clark in ‘A Chorus Line’ at Gateway Playhouse. We caught up with Amanda after her first couple of shows to introduce her to the Rod Squad and find out her impressions of being in Rod’s band.

Hi Amanda, Thank you for taking time out to let us introduce you to the Rod fanbase! How have you enjoyed your first few concerts with Rod?
It’s a pleasure! The whole experience so far has been so much fun, thank you. Everyone has been so welcoming and it’s a huge honor to be a part of the show, I am still pinching myself!

Some of our US members have already been reporting back, telling us what a brilliant job you do on Sailing. Were you nervous on your first night?
That’s very sweet of them! I think there’s always going to be a mixture of nerves and excitement going into a show with such an amazing reputation. That feeling you get when you walk out on stage next to Rod Stewart and a group of such talented musicians is just incredible! It felt like it took me about a day to hit the ground again after that!

Have you already got a favourite song you like singing in the set?
That’s a tough one, especially as the set at Caesar’s is all of Rod’s biggest hits! I like all the songs for different reasons but I think my absolute favorites to perform have got to be ‘Sailing’ and ‘Forever Young’.

An obvious question…how did you land the job in the band?
I actually worked with my predecessor (the amazing Becca Kotte) on Rock of Ages a couple of years back. She was kind enough to recommend me for the auditioning process when she was leaving and I was the lucky one to be to picked. I was out grocery shopping when I got the good news and I just couldn’t believe it! The cereal aisle will never look the same again!

Had you ever listened to any of Rod’s music in the past?
Of course! And I’ve really enjoyed finding out how so many people’s’ lives have been touched by Rod’s music. When I announced that I was going to join the band, so many of my friends and family told me stories about certain songs that had an impact on them at a particular time of their lives, which is pretty cool!

You started singing and acting at a very young age. Does this background reflect in your musical tastes?
I would say I’ve got quite a wide taste in music – different genres for different moods. I love country, rock…and a bit of pop every now and again!

What kind of music was played in your house while you were growing up?
My dad loves rock music, so there was always plenty of ACDC, Queen, Def Leppard and Rod Stewart songs on the drives to auditions and dance classes! My Mom loved MJ, so I guess we had a lot of range in the household!

How have you been getting on with rest of the band, have you made some good friendships yet?
The whole team has been so warm and welcoming – it really feels like a family. I’ve been really lucky that everybody is willing to offer their experience to help and support me settling in. My girls are great fun and I’m already so excited for everything we’ve got ahead of us!

And have you started to meet any of the amazing Rod fans yet?
Not yet, but I have received lots of supportive messages, which is very sweet! He’s got so many loving and incredible fans across the world, it’s so cool!

Is there any song of Rod’s you have heard that you would love him to add to the set list?
Well, as you guys will already know, Rod has a new album coming out later this year, so I’m looking forward to performing some of the awesome new songs from ‘Blood Red Roses’ very soon! We are already loving ‘Grace’, it’s a beautiful song and the R & B sounding ‘Hole In My Heart’.

Is it true you are trained in piano, baton twirling and pole dancing?
Yes, that is true. I was classically trained in piano when I grew up and I kept with it until high school, where I started focusing more on dance and singing. Baton twirling was a necessity for auditions and pole dancing was just something we needed for the Rock of Ages choreography.

That could add a whole new dimension to the stage set!
Haha! I don’t know about that! I had to do a bit of that as Waitress in Rock of Ages, so I can tell you that the girls that specialize in that are incredibly strong!

What’s the best way for our members to check out the latest news on you?
I have a website https://www.amandalmiller.com/ but I’m probably most active on instagram, where you can find me as https://www.instagram.com/amandamiller570/?hl=en.

Ok, Thank you for answering our questions and it’s great to learn a little about the very talented people Rod chooses to work with ..Have you got a message we can pass on to all the SMILER members?
That’s very kind, Thank you. A big Thank you to every SMILER member for all your support – it really means a lot! 🙂

Good luck with North American tour and we hope the UK crowds get to see you soon.
Thank you so much and I love the UK, so I hope so too!

Amanda was interviewed on 16th June by Mike Walton

Photos By Karen Chande
Photo of Rod and Amanda from Amanda’s Instagram page
Montage by Tommy Kevitt

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