Cedric DladlaBea Miller Plugs Into A Game Of Life & Death With Her Arcane League Of Legends Single, “Playground"
Updated: Nov 18, 2021
Maplewood, New Jersey-born Beatrice Annika Mille — an American singer, songwriter, and actress affectionately known as "Bea Miller" — has re-entered the Riot Games matrix with her League of Legends soundtrack offering, "Playground."
League of Legends, commonly referred to as "League", is an award-winning online multiplayer video game developed and published by Riot Games. To celebrate its tenth anniversary, Riot announced an animated television series, Arcane.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, head of creative development Greg Street said the series is "not a light-hearted show. There are some serious themes that we explore there, so we wouldn't want kids tuning in and expecting something that it's not."
Miller virtually portrays League of Legends character Evelynn in K/DA, a virtual pop group composed of four champions. Following the group's debut single, "Pop/Stars," which premiered at the 2018 League of Legends World Championship, they garnered over 38 million views on YouTube and mainstream interest from people unfamiliar with League of Legends. After a two-year hiatus, Riot Games released "The Baddest", a single from K/DA's upcoming EP.
In contrast to Miller's life and music inside virtual reality, her artistry outside doesn't lose its cultural footing. "Playground" is a pop-rock adrenaline-esque song that borrows from the intense gothic poetry of heavy metal and fuses with the ambient arrangement of EDM. The result is a uniquely curated palette of sound without crass distortion.
Embroiled in head and chest voices that are engineered with emotive reverb, Bea Miller's three-part harmonic technique absorbs you into an out-of-body experience that can easily make the League of Legends gameplay as tangible as a natural first fight or a shootout.
Welcome to the playground, follow me.
Tell me your nightmares and fantasies.
Sink into the wasteland underneath.
Stay for the night, I'll sell you a dream. - Bea Miller
Had it not been for the logistics and conflict of interest (Bia is already a musical character in the game and has another score of music designed purely for the franchise), this record's ominous presence would have made it an excellent placement for a playlist sync deal.
With surreal chord progressions and an interplay of husky and honey-sweet vocals, “Playground” opens the portal for a world beyond our indulgence, a warning of what we could become if we persist in capitalistic habits and the pursuit of being God.
Watch The Arcane Trailer:
Connect With Bea Miller:
Stream/Purchase Arcane League of Legends (Soundtrack from the Animated Series):