Jamie Miller released"Babydoll"on Aug. 7, and now it's sitting in the top 10 of the Billboard Global 200. If you've been hearing a snippet of it everywhere and couldn't place the voice, here's the story behind it.
The road to"Babydoll"
Miller grew up just outside Cardiff, Wales, and he was a contestant on The Voice UK back in 2017. His debut album, Long Way Home, came out in 2024. Earlier this year he signed with Republic Records and the management firm Raw Material, and"Babydoll"— his first new single in two years — followed on Aug. 7.
Why this one took off
Miller didn't just drop the song and hope. He built a social media campaign around it, filming at least 40 videos using snippets of the track, and the choreography spread on TikTok. One clip he posted in late July has more than three million TikTok views. In mid-September, Antonio Cipriano appeared on a"Babydoll"remix.
What it means for his momentum
This is the biggest hit of Miller's career so far, and it's revived momentum after what the outlet described as a stalled period. He's also been writing: new material came together in a house in Joshua Tree, Calif. with Hayley Warner and Michael Blum. Brad Cohen is among the people around the project.
For listeners here
Here's what I'm wondering — when a song breaks this way, built clip by clip online before radio really gets its hands on it, does it hit you differently than a single that shows up fully formed? Do you find yourself already knowing the hook before you ever hear the whole thing?
What's the last song you knew from a snippet before you'd heard the full version?
About the Author
Local Lawton
Local Lawton is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.