Milky Day and Denise Julia’s New Single “Let Me” Is Perfect For Your Late Night Drives

“I want people to listen to this song if they’re stressed or worried,” Milky Day says of his new single “Let Me”. Photo: Unbound Entertainment Group

Looking for the perfect song to listen to on these late summer nights? Rising R&B singers Milky Day and Denise Julia got you covered with their new single “Let Me”. 

“I used to go on a lot of adventures and late night drives with my friends and loved ones when I lived in LA,” Milky Day told me this week at a Zoom listening party for the single hosted by Unbound Entertainment Group. “We’d always try to find a new park or lookout spot and we’d just sit there, looking at the stars and the moon, taking in the view. I wanted ‘Let Me’ to reflect those calm feelings and melt away the listeners' worries when they heard the song.” 

“Let Me” dropped this week and is the first collaboration between Milky, a rising Korean-New Zealand singer who just signed with Unbound Entertainment Group, and Denise, a Filipino singer who hit viral success in 2022 with her single “NVMD”. 

For Denise, the collaboration came at a perfect moment: When she was in love. “I went through a break-up [recently], but when this song came to me, I was still in a healthy relationship” she explained. “I feel like ‘Let Me’ was a reflection of the relationship and that’s why I took in the song so well. I felt all my emotions at that time; Milky said it all for me in the lyrics. So it was easy to sing in that way because I was in love. The emotions just flowed.”

While both singers are well-versed in American R&B - Denise cited Aaliyah as an example of an artist she grew up listening to - “Let Me” sonically resembles the highs of contemporary R&B. This was largely thanks to Milky’s vision. “Milky’s just really mellow," Denise said when I asked what she admires about Milky as an artist, “but something I really admire about him is that when he has a vision he goes for it and delivers.” 

For Milky, these influences are clearly heard in “Let Me”. “The way I think about my music and current musical style is that it’s a reflection of all the music I’ve heard in the past, even the music I heard ten years ago. These days I listen to a lot of American R&B,” Milky said, adding that he’s also very familiar with Korean R&B. “I think my production and songwriting still has influences of that stuff to this day.”

Milky admitted that he wondered how their voices would pair together, but he was really impressed with how well the song turned out. “The first thing that struck me is how soulful Denise’s singing style is. I noticed she has a very soothing timbre,” he said. “I was super surprised when she sent me her first demo and it was exactly what I was looking for.” 

Milky was in love with Denise’s verse from the moment he heard it. “I told her to not change anything,” he told another journalist, citing that the songwriting process was extremely smooth and easy. “I really like how Denise captured the mood really perfectly, and I’m really happy with how the song came together.”

Both Milky and Denise excel at the kind of bedroom pop music that sounds best in the soft dim lighting of your room. Milky really appreciates how Denise creates those gorgeous melodies, which are on display in “Let Me”. 

Unbound Entertainment Group

“I heard Denise’s verse a lot, especially during the mixing stage. I noticed that when she writes she spaces out her vocals really well,” he told my friend Sam Lui of BunniPop. “It creates a lot of movement to allow her melodies to breathe and creates a dreamy atmosphere. I wanted to take that into my own style.” 

“I’m very emotional,” Denise explained, and those feelings made creating music like “Let Me” easy. She added, “I was in a high of emotions back then as I was writing.”  Denise prefers to start with the melody and then build her vocals, much like one of her favorite vocalists Ariana Grande. “There’s a lot of room to play with your vocals and harmonies on the song,” she said. 

And while the music is perfect for these dreamy late nights, Milky hopes listeners will also find a cozy comfort in the music. Like his best songs - “You’ll Be Alright”, for example - “Let Me” is the mellow, calming music that can soothe you. 

“I want people to listen to this song if they’re stressed or worried about something,” Milky said, “and that it can take their mind off their problems.”

“Let Me” is available now on all streaming services.