Milena Credit: Photo: Igor Bakic
Born Milena Lainovic, the artist known simply as Milena has steadily built a reputation as one of the most emotionally resonant and versatile voices on the London music scene. A musician of depth, vision, and classical precision, Milena’s story begins with a guitar nearly as big as she was. By the age of six, she was already immersed in the world of classical guitar, honing her craft with the dedication of someone far beyond her years. Music was never a hobby, it was a lifeline, passed down and nurtured in a creatively charged family, where artistic expression was a way of life.
Before becoming the captivating solo artist we know today, Milena explored multiple corners of the music world. She spent formative years as a radio presenter and music journalist at Capital Radio in Montenegro, absorbing the rhythm of storytelling and the pulse of sound. Behind the scenes, she lent her rich vocals as a backing singer for top-tier musicians across the UK and Buena Vista International, sharpening her ear for harmony, texture, and tone. These experiences enriched her sonic palette, paving the way for a solo career defined by genre fusion, melding pop, soul, jazz, funk, and classical elements into a sound all her own.
With three albums, countless singles, and remixes already to her name, Milena has graced stages from the USA to Europe, delivering live performances that shimmer with emotional clarity and vibrant energy. Her work has been featured on BBC Radio and celebrated for its sincerity, artistry, and innovation. Now, with her upcoming album Chapter 3 in its final production stages, MILENA is poised to turn yet another page in her journey, one that promises to be her most profound yet.
On May 29, 2025, Milena returned with a deeply stirring single, Above All The Ground, a soulful, cinematic pop ballad that stands as both an emotional centerpiece and the closing track of her forthcoming album, Chapter 3. Rooted in classical and jazz influences, and carried by a stripped-back piano and vocal arrangement, the song unfolds like a dream, intimate, suspended, and timeless. Born unexpectedly during a quiet night at home, while Milena cooked spicy prawn noodles, the track arrived in a spontaneous wave of melody and lyrics, spilling out with a raw honesty that couldn’t be ignored. That sudden burst of inspiration is palpable in every note, making the song not just a performance, but an emotional release. Poised between earth and sky, it captures the feeling of rising beyond noise, fear, or gravity, of finding clarity above the chaos. It is Milena at her most vulnerable, most cinematic, and most transcendent yet.
From the very first note of Above All The Ground, Milena plunges us into an atmosphere that feels both celestial and personal, like stepping into a soft beam of moonlight where time slows down. The track opens with a minimalistic piano progression, delicate, patient, and contemplative. There’s something tenderly haunting about how the first few chords unfold, setting a meditative tone that invites the listener to pause and absorb rather than simply hear. You immediately sense the intimacy of the space Milena crafts, an emotional landscape that feels like it’s suspended between earth and sky, mirroring the song’s very title. It doesn’t rush; instead, it breathes, holding space for what is about to come.
As the song gently evolves, Milena’s voice enters not with force, but with a hushed reverence, like a whisper shared between two souls across a vast expanse. Her vocal delivery is spellbinding in its restraint; it’s not merely sung, it’s felt. There’s a raw, unprocessed honesty in the way she phrases her lines, often allowing breath and silence to speak louder than volume. Her tone is rich, slightly husky, and deeply emotive, evoking a sense of yearning. And it’s this delivery that carries the weight of her lyrical world, where telepathy, distance, light, and love are all threads in a cosmic tapestry. It’s no surprise critics have likened her presence to the ethereal grace of Kate Bush, though Milena’s identity as an artist is distinctly her own. The instrumentation remains subtle throughout, but it’s in this subtlety that the production shines.
The piano remains the heartbeat of the piece, accompanied by faint pads and ambient textures that slowly swell in the background like a distant choir. At one point, a tasteful string-like swell joins in, never overpowering, always enhancing. These layers arrive with emotional precision, creating an arc that lifts the listener without ever becoming dramatic or overwhelming. Each new texture is introduced with such care that the transitions feel as natural as breathing. There’s an organic build, a quiet crescendo that mirrors the emotional progression of the song itself. What stands out most is how effortlessly the vocals and instrumentation interweave. Milena’s voice is not placed on top of the music, it is within it, part of its very fabric. Her phrasing is timed to the lingering decay of the piano, and the subtle reverb on her voice allows it to linger like light through mist.
This blend creates a soundscape that is immersive and cinematic. I’s a song that’s spine-tingling and warmly cinematic, you don’t just listen to Above All The Ground, you inhabit it. The production quality is exceptionally high, capturing both clarity and warmth, with nothing sounding artificial or forced. Listening to the track made me feel like I had been momentarily transported, like floating just above the world, weightless and untethered, seeing everything below with new clarity. The song doesn’t beg for attention; it holds your soul quietly. The vibe is overwhelmingly serene but emotionally stirring, perfect for moments of deep reflection or emotional surrender. There’s a quiet euphoria embedded in the sound, particularly in the way the ambient layers build and then slowly dissolve, as if releasing the listener back to reality after a brief escape.
Above All The Ground is an experience of presence, love, and emotional levitation. It captures the feeling of being deeply connected to someone or something, even across space or silence. The fact that it originated spontaneously, as Milena cooked noodles, no less, adds to the wonder of its organic power. It’s a testament to Milena’s intuition as a composer and her ability to translate a fleeting moment into a timeless emotional artifact. Her artistry lies not just in performance, but in how she sculpts stillness, how she allows vulnerability to take form and flight through sound. Milena has gifted us a piece that’s both deeply human and beautifully cosmic. With Above All The Ground, she doesn’t just perform, she elevates, lifting both herself and the listener into a space where sound and emotion converge with quiet, breathtaking power.
For more information about Milena, click on the icons below.