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Travis Tatum Mills (born April 12, 1989), previously known by his stage name T. Mills, is an American rapper, singer, and actor from
Riverside, California Riverside is a city in and the county seat of Riverside County, California, United States. It is named for its location beside the Santa Ana River. As of the 2020 census, the city has a population of 314,998. It is the most populous city in th ...
. Following his name change from T. Mills to Travis Mills, he began hosting an eponymous show on
Apple Music 1 Apple Music 1, previously branded as Beats 1, is a 24/7 music radio station owned and operated by Apple Inc. It is accessible through iTunes or the Apple Music app on a computer, smartphone or tablet, smart speaker (such as the Apple HomePod), a ...
.


Early life

Travis Tatum Mills was born on April 12, 1989, in
Riverside, California Riverside is a city in and the county seat of Riverside County, California, United States. It is named for its location beside the Santa Ana River. As of the 2020 census, the city has a population of 314,998. It is the most populous city in th ...
. At the age of 5, Mills' uncle gave him his first guitar and at the age of 15 Mills stopped playing sports to start a
punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...
band. After graduating high school, Mills began writing his own songs and produced them on a computer software. He started uploading his music on
MySpace Myspace (formerly stylized as MySpace, currently myspace; and sometimes my␣, with an elongated Whitespace character#Substitute images, open box symbol) is a social networking service based in the United States. Launched on August 1, 2003, it w ...
and intentionally posted "provocative" photos on the platform to stir interest.


Career


2008–2010: Career beginnings and ''Ready, Fire, Aim!''

At the age of 17, Mills began writing songs in his bedroom, using music software such as Apple's Garage Band. At the age of 18, Mills began posting some of his music on his
Myspace Myspace (formerly stylized as MySpace, currently myspace; and sometimes my␣, with an elongated Whitespace character#Substitute images, open box symbol) is a social networking service based in the United States. Launched on August 1, 2003, it w ...
page. In 2008, Mills signed a deal to the indie record label
Uprising Records Uprising Records is a record label founded in 1994 by Sean Muttaqi. It has released records by Fall Out Boy, 7 Angels 7 Plagues, Cipher, Red Knife Lottery, Underminded, Amir Sulaiman, iCON the Mic King, The Crest and more. The label released ...
.


2011–2012: Signing to Columbia Records, ''Leaving Home'' and MtvU's Woodie Awards

In 2011, Mills signed a deal to
Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...
, following him signing a deal, he began recording his second and first major-label album. On July 22, 2011, Mills released a
mixtape In the modern music industry, a mixtape is a musical project, typically with looser constraints than that of an album or extended play. Unlike the traditional album or extended play, mixtapes are labeled as laid-back projects that allow artists mo ...
, titled '' Leaving Home''. ''Leaving Home'' is a 10-track project, with no
guest appearance The term guest appearance generally denotes the appearance of a guest in an artistic or pop-culture setting. The guests themselves (referred to as guest artists, featured artists, guest stars, or guest fighters, depending on context), are disting ...
s, while the production was provided from Noel Zancalla, Omen, AudioBlack,
The Futuristics The Futuristics are a Grammy nominated American songwriting and music production duo consisting of Alex Schwartz and Joe Khajadourian. The duo formed after they met interning at Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply kno ...
, Colin Munroe and Phonix, among others. On December 6, 2011, Mills announced that he would be repackaged as a 5-track EP, under its same name as his mixtape through Columbia Records. The EP's lead single, called "Vans On" was released on December 12, 2011, along with the
promotional single A promotional recording, promo, or plug copy is an audio or video recording distributed free, usually in order to promote a recording that is or soon will be commercially available. Promos are normally sent directly to broadcasters, such as mu ...
, called "The Boom". The EP was made available for retail stores on December 13, 2011. On December 15, 2011, to promote the release of the EP, he performed at The Roxy Show in Los Angeles, California. The EP was released for free on December 19, 2011, The EP was officially released on January 13, 2012, featuring some added new tracks, while the additional production was provided from
Sir Nolan Nolan Lambroza (born July 25, 1990), better known as Sir Nolan, is an American record producer and songwriter based in Encino, Los Angeles, California. He has worked with notable artists such as Daniel Caesar, Tyla, Selena Gomez, Justin Biebe ...
and
The Stereotypes The Stereotypes are an American music production team, formed in 2003 and composed of Jonathan Yip, Ray Romulus, Jeremy Reeves and Ray Charles McCullough II. In June 2010, they were listed among the "Top 10 Songwriters and Producers to Watch" i ...
, among others. In March 2012, Mills was nominated for the Best New Artist at the
MtvU MTVU (formerly stylized as MtvU and mtvU) is an American digital cable TV channel owned by the MTV Entertainment Group, a unit of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. MTVU programming initially served 750 college and univ ...
's
Woodie Awards CheddarU was an American closed-circuit network available on 650 U.S. college campuses owned by Cheddar, as part of internally originated cable systems that are a part of on-campus housing or college closed-circuit television systems. In 20 ...
. On July 23, 2012, Mills released his second mixtape, called ''Thrillionaire''. It contains 10 tracks, featuring three
guest appearance The term guest appearance generally denotes the appearance of a guest in an artistic or pop-culture setting. The guests themselves (referred to as guest artists, featured artists, guest stars, or guest fighters, depending on context), are disting ...
s from American rapper
Smoke DZA Sean Joseph Pompey (born February 8, 1984), better known by his stage name Smoke DZA, is an American rapper and songwriter. Biography 1984–2007: Early life and career beginnings Smoke DZA was born February 8, 1984, at Harlem Hospital in ...
, the
hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...
duo
Audio Push Audio Push is an American hip hop duo from Inland Empire, California. The group consists of Oktane (Julian Browne) and Price (Larry Jacks, Jr.). Career In 2009, the duo were signed to Interscope Records, and they had their first hit single with ...
, and an American musician
James Fauntleroy II James Edward Fauntleroy II (born May 16, 1984) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer from Inglewood, California. He is best known for his songwriting work and guest performances on songs by high-profile artists including Travis ...
; as well as the production from Sledgren,
The Monsters & Strangerz The Monsters & Strangerz are an American production and songwriting team from Miami, Florida. The team features The Monsters: Alexander " Eskeerdo" Izquierdo, Stefan Johnson, and Jordan K. Johnson and The Strangerz: Marcus "Marc Lo" Lomax and Cla ...
and Kane Beatz, among others. To promote the mixtape release, Mills filmed some music videos for songs such as "Lightweight", "Diemonds" and "Other Bitch Callin'" featuring James Fauntleroy II. Mills later announced that he is planning on releasing the sequel for his second mixtape, called ''Thrillionaire 2''.


2013–2015: SummerFest and ''All I Wanna Do''

In 2013, Mills announced that the release date for his second major-label album has been slated for the second quarter of 2013. It was reported that Mills was working on his second major-label album with artists such as
Juicy J Jordan Michael Houston III (born April 5, 1975), known professionally as Juicy J, is an American rapper and record producer. Originally from Memphis, Tennessee, he is a founding member of the Southern hip-hop group Three 6 Mafia, established ...
,
Mike Posner Michael Robert Henrion Posner ( ; born February 12, 1988) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer from Detroit.For Posner's full name, see He signed with J Records in 2009 and released his debut single "Cooler Than Me" the follo ...
,
James Fauntleroy James Edward Fauntleroy II (born May 16, 1984) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer from Inglewood, California. He is best known for his songwriting work and guest performances on songs by high-profile artists including Travis ...
,
Travis Barker Travis Landon Barker (born November 14, 1975) is an American musician, songwriter, and music producer who is the drummer for the rock band Blink-182. He has collaborated with hip hop artists, is a member of the rap rock group Transplants ...
,
Layzie Bone Steven Howse (born September 23, 1974), known professionally as Layzie Bone, is an American rapper known primarily for being a member of the group Bone Thugs-n-Harmony. He has also gone by the names L-Burna, Lil Lay, and The #1 Assassin. He is ...
and
Skeme Lonnie Kimble (born January 3, 1990), better known by his stage name Skeme, is an American rapper from Inglewood, California. Skeme has collaborated with various West Coast rappers such as the group Black Hippy, Bizzy Bone, The Game, Dom Kenne ...
, with the
production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stat ...
by Mills himself, alongside several other record producers such as Kane Beatz,
1500 or Nothin' 1500 or Nothin' is an American musical ensemble composed of record producers, songwriters, musicians and music videographers, formed in 2006, in Los Angeles, California. With headquarters located in Inglewood, California, 1500 or Nothin' is comp ...
, Malay and
Boi-1da Matthew Jehu Samuels (born October 12, 1986), known professionally as Boi-1da (a play on Boy Wonder) is a Canadian record producer and songwriter based in Toronto, Ontario. He is an in-house producer for Drake's OVO Sound label and has prod ...
, among others. On February 15, 2013, Mills announced that his first single for his second major-label album will be coming soon. On March 5, 2013, the audio for his song, called "Loud" was released for digital download. The following day, Mills released the music video for "Loud". The song was produced by
Pop Wansel Andrew "Pop" Wansel (born April 27, 1988) is an American songwriter and record producer from Philadelphia. The son of Philadelphia soul musician Dexter Wansel, Pop grew up in the music industry and began writing and producing his own music at t ...
, and the song contains a sample of "I Know You Got Soul" performed by
Eric B. Louis Eric Barrier (born November 8, 1963) is an American rapper, record producer, and DJ from New York City. One half of the golden age hip hop duo Eric B. & Rakim, he formed the group in 1986 and served as its primary producer and DJ. Their ...
and
Rakim William Michael Griffin Jr. (born January 28, 1968), better known by his stage name Rakim (), is an American rapper. He is one half of Golden age hip-hop, golden age hip hop duo Eric B. & Rakim, with whom he released four albums: ''Paid in Full ...
. He later said that "the hook for the song was one of his favorites out of all the hooks, he has ever written". In April 2013, Mills was touring with a fellow American rapper
Sammy Adams Samuel Adams Wisner (born August 14, 1987) is an American rapper, singer and songwriter. Early years Sammy Adams was born as Samuel Adams Wisner on August 14, 1987, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to Kata Hull and Chuck Wisner. He and his famil ...
. On June 27, 2013, Mills was featured on
Mike Posner Michael Robert Henrion Posner ( ; born February 12, 1988) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer from Detroit.For Posner's full name, see He signed with J Records in 2009 and released his debut single "Cooler Than Me" the follo ...
's remix to " We Own It (Fast & Furious)", along with Sammy Adams and Niykee Heaton. In June 2013, Mills was on tour with
We the Kings We the Kings is an American rock band formed in Bradenton, Florida, in 2005. The band's eponymous full-length debut album, released in 2007, included the platinum single " Check Yes Juliet", and went on to sell over 250,000 copies in the US. T ...
, and the fellow supporting acts
The Ready Set Jordan Mark Witzigreuter (born November 14, 1989), known professionally as The Ready Set, is an American singer-songwriter and musician from Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States. He is the lead vocalist and sole member of the act, using a backup b ...
and
Breathe Carolina Breathe Carolina are an American electronic music duo from Denver, Colorado. The duo formed in 2007 consisting of David Schmitt and Kyle Even. They later expanded to a full band whose best-known lineup included Schmitt, Even, drummer Eric Armen ...
on the 2013's SummerFest. The music video for the single, called "All I Wanna Do", was shot and filmed in July 2013. On February 18, 2014, Mills announced the release to his third EP, titled '' All I Wanna Do''. Starting from February 24 to April 24, 2014, Mills will be headlining on his ''All I Wanna Do'' Tour. On February 24, 2014, while starting his promotional tour for his third EP, Mills released the audio to its title track "All I Wanna Do". The following day, Mills officially released the ''All I Wanna Do'' EP, via
iTunes iTunes is a media player, media library, and mobile device management (MDM) utility developed by Apple. It is used to purchase, play, download and organize digital multimedia on personal computers running the macOS and Windows operating s ...
. The EP features production from
Boi-1da Matthew Jehu Samuels (born October 12, 1986), known professionally as Boi-1da (a play on Boy Wonder) is a Canadian record producer and songwriter based in Toronto, Ontario. He is an in-house producer for Drake's OVO Sound label and has prod ...
and Malay, among others. In July 2015, Mills would change his stage name to his artistic name Travis Mills. On July 24, 2015, Travis released his new single, titled "Young & Stupid". The song features guest verse a fellow American rapper
T.I. Clifford Joseph Harris Jr. (born September 25, 1980), known professionally as T.I. or Tip, is an American rapper and singer raised in Atlanta, Georgia. Harris is credited as a pioneer of the hip hop subgenre trap music, along with fellow Georgi ...


2016–present: Signing to First Access Entertainment, ''While You Wait'' and Girlfriends

On January 22, 2016, Travis announced the release of his new single, called "Don't Need Much". The song was released through
Republic Records Republic Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). Based in New York City, it was founded by Avery Lipman and Monte Lipman as an independent label in 1995, and was acquired by UMG in 2000. Republic was initially ...
, which was made available for streaming on
SoundCloud SoundCloud is a German audio streaming service owned and operated by SoundCloud Global Limited & Co. KG. The service enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is ...
on the same day of release. The beat from "Don't Need Much" was sampled from a single named " Drank & Drugs", performed by Dutch rappers
Lil' Kleine Jorik Scholten (; born 15 October 1994), professionally known as Lil' Kleine (), is a 30 year old Dutch rapper, actor and singer. He collaborated with fellow rapper Ronnie Flex to produce the number one single " Drank & Drugs" and the number on ...
and Ronnie Flex. Travis signed a new label deal with First Access Entertainment and released his fourth EP under the label, titled ''While You Wait'' on April 8, 2016. The EP contains six tracks. Travis walked in the New York and Paris fashion shows in July 2016, and was named one of the best dressed by ''
GQ Magazine ''GQ'' (short for ''Gentlemen's Quarterly'' and previously known as ''Apparel Arts'') is an international monthly men's magazine based in New York City and founded in 1931. The publication focuses on fashion, style, and culture for men, though ...
''. In 2020, Mills formed the band Girlfriends with
Nick Gross Nicholas William Gross (born 19 July 1988) is an American entrepreneur, musician, and the founder of the Find Your Grind education platform. Gross founded the band girlfriends together with Travis Mills in 2020. He is also a member of Goldfing ...
, with the duo citing
Blink-182 Blink-182 is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Poway, California, in 1992. Its current and best-known line-up consists of bassist and vocalist Mark Hoppus, guitarist and vocalist Tom DeLonge, and drummer Travis Barker. Though its so ...
,
5 Seconds of Summer 5 Seconds of Summer, often shortened to 5SOS, are an Australian pop rock band formed in Sydney, New South Wales in 2011. The group consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Luke Hemmings, lead guitarist Michael Clifford (musician), Mic ...
and
All Time Low All Time Low is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Towson, Maryland, in 2003. Consisting of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Alex Gaskarth, lead guitarist Jack Barakat, bassist/backing vocalist Zack Merrick, and drummer Rian Dawson ...
as the band's musical influences. The band released their first self-titled album on October 23, 2020 featuring 14 tracks. The band's second album, ''(E)motion Sickness'', was released on June 17, 2022. In March 2023, girlfriends released the single "Over My Dead Body" via Big Noise.


Musical style

Mills' music has been described as genre-blending due to his mix of singing and rapping, being mostly labeled as a
hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...
and
synthpop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a music genre that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s ...
artist. He is known for mixing pop and electronic songs with hip hop and R&B. Mills says that his genre-blending music is a result of his exposure to many different genres during childhood. He has said that " ymom was a huge
Queen Queen most commonly refers to: * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen (band), a British rock band Queen or QUEEN may also refer to: Monarchy * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Q ...
fan, my dad's a diehard
Elvis Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Presley's sexuall ...
fan, my uncle is a hip-hop and R&B head, my sister listened to
Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the "Princess of Pop", she has sold over 150 million records worldwide, making her one of the world's best-selling music artists. Cultural impact of Brit ...
,
country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...
and boy bands and I was into
pop punk Pop-punk (also punk-pop, alternatively spelled without the hyphen) is a rock music fusion genre that combines elements of punk rock with power pop or pop music, pop. It is defined by its fast-paced, energetic tempos, and emphasis on classic pop s ...
,
punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...
,
metal A metal () is a material that, when polished or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electrical resistivity and conductivity, electricity and thermal conductivity, heat relatively well. These properties are all associated wit ...
and just into everything." He indicated that his rapping style was influenced by
Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer and record producer. One of the most prominent figures in hip-hop, he is known for his varying musical style and polarizing cultural and political commentary. After ...
and
Bone Thugs-n-Harmony Bone Thugs-n-Harmony (formerly known as B.O.N.E. Enterpri$e and also referred to as simply Bone Thugs or Bone) is an American hip hop group formed in 1991 in Cleveland, Ohio. Consisting of rappers Bizzy Bone, Wish Bone, Layzie Bone, Krayzie ...
, among others.


Acting career

In March 2016, Mills made his acting debut in the
Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
original comedy series ''
Flaked ''Flaked'' is an American comedy-drama television series created by Will Arnett and Mark Chappell. It stars Arnett as Chip, a self-appointed "guru" who falls in love while he and many other members of the ensemble cast struggle with alcoholism a ...
''.


Reality TV gigs

In 2019, he co-starred in a spinoff of '' Catfish: The TV Show'' called '' Ghosted: Love Gone Missing'', where he teamed up with ''
Bachelorette ''Bachelorette'' (/ˌbætʃələˈrɛt/) is a term used in American English for a Single person, single, unmarried woman. The term is derived from the word ''bachelor'', and is often used by journalists, editors of popular magazines, and some ...
'' star Rachel Lindsay to help people find those who have ghosted them and find the real reasons for the sudden disappearance in the ghosted persons life. On April 26, 2022, he joined actress
Rahne Jones Rahne Jones is an American television actress. She made her television debut as Skye on Netflix's ''The Politician'' in 2019. She is currently a co-host on the MTV reality show, ''Help! I'm in a Secret Relationship!'' Life and career Jones is ...
to host MTV's brand-new docuseries, ''Help! I’m in a Secret Relationship!'' Mills and Jones help individuals in long-term romances find out why they are being hidden from their partner's family and friends.


Personal life

Mills is heavily tattooed, which includes a full sleeve on one arm and a
Bone Thugs-n-Harmony Bone Thugs-n-Harmony (formerly known as B.O.N.E. Enterpri$e and also referred to as simply Bone Thugs or Bone) is an American hip hop group formed in 1991 in Cleveland, Ohio. Consisting of rappers Bizzy Bone, Wish Bone, Layzie Bone, Krayzie ...
tattoo on his chest, in addition to many others. He also designated the letters "FTH" ("Fuck The Haters", "Forever The Highest") on his forehead, the "O" with a heart behind his left ear representing his sisters name and the word "Patience" tatted on his knuckles. Mills also had the word "Gnarly" tattooed across his stomach at age 18. A couple months later he got a tattoo of the
Apple logo The marketing of Apple Inc. encompasses the Apple Inc. advertising, company's advertising, distribution, and branding. After Steve Jobs returned to Apple in 1997, he made industrial design a key element of the company's branding strategy. Apple's p ...
drawn on the palm of his hand. Early in his career Mills sported large stretched earlobes, but proceeded with lobe reconstruction surgery in 2013. Mills was in a relationship with actress
Madelaine Petsch Madelaine Grobbelaar Petsch (born August 18, 1994) is an American and South African actress and social media personality. She is best known for portraying Cheryl Blossom on The CW television series '' Riverdale'' (2017–2023). Early life Pets ...
from 2017 to February 2020.


Discography


Studio albums


With girlfriends

* girlfriends (2020) * (e)motion sickness (2022)


Extended plays


Mixtapes

* ''Leaving Home'' (2011) * ''Thrillionaire'' (2012)


Singles


Guest appearances


Filmography


References


External links


Official website of T. Mills

T. Mills
on
MySpace Myspace (formerly stylized as MySpace, currently myspace; and sometimes my␣, with an elongated Whitespace character#Substitute images, open box symbol) is a social networking service based in the United States. Launched on August 1, 2003, it w ...

T. Mills Biography
on the
Uprising Records Uprising Records is a record label founded in 1994 by Sean Muttaqi. It has released records by Fall Out Boy, 7 Angels 7 Plagues, Cipher, Red Knife Lottery, Underminded, Amir Sulaiman, iCON the Mic King, The Crest and more. The label released ...
website * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mills, T. 1989 births Living people 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century American rappers American male models American male rappers American male songwriters American synth-pop musicians Columbia Records artists Lava Records artists Male models from California Musicians from Riverside, California People from Riverside, California Rappers from California Republic Records artists Songwriters from California