Eight-Year-Old Music Prodigy Becomes One of the Youngest Producers Ever

The next big music producer is just eight years old. Miles Bonham, known as Miles Music Kid to his millions of followers on Instagram(Opens in a new window), TikTok(Opens in a new window), and YouTube(Opens in a new window), has been playing music since he was four, starting with the guitar. Now, the prodigy with perfect pitch plays several instruments, mixes his own tracks, and even writes original songs. One of his more popular videos on TikTok is a dance remix of the Oasis hit “Wonderwall.” 

Over the past four years, Bonham has appeared on several national TV shows, including Good Morning America(Opens in a new window), The Drew Barrymore Show(Opens in a new window), and PBS NewsHour(Opens in a new window). He’s even made some famous friends, like Mark Ronson, Questlove (who gifted him a drum set), and Charlie Puth BM ’13. 

Bonham’s parents, who run his socials, posted a video of Puth calling the kid a “genius” onstage at one of his shows, adding “he’s a little version of me on TikTok.”

In August, Bonham released his first original single(Opens in a new window), “You Can Be a Hero,” which is featured on the motion picture soundtrack for Ryan’s World the Movie: Titan Universe Adventure. 

Watch Miles create "You Can Be a Hero":

Terri Lyne Carrington, artistic director and founder of the Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice, knows a thing or two about child prodigies, having been one herself. 

“I started coming [to Berklee] part-time at 11, and it was fun, no pressure. I just did lessons and ensembles until I came full-time. I was fortunate to have a lot of support, as I see Miles must have as well,” she says. 

“Kids today grow up with technology and can master it easily from it being part of the thread of what they see every day and it all seems natural,” Carrington says, adding “he really has an innate musical talent and I am sure will go very far.”

If she were to offer any advice to the young musician, it would be: “Keep doing it for the right reasons; don’t get caught up with other people's wishes. Keep having fun—especially [while you’re] under 10 years old! Always try to grow and expand musically to keep your ideas fresh! And always care about others—it is the connection to humanity that will make the music resonate.”