[Cover photo credit to Layne Kennedy]

Minneapolis-based songwriter and pianist Scottie Miller has announced the upcoming release of his new studio album, Hello Pain. A collaboration with orchestrator Cierra Alise Hill and the 52-piece Budapest Scoring Orchestra, the record pairs Miller’s confessional songwriting with an orchestral backdrop.

Miller has also shared a video for the track “Awake and Willing,” which features footage from the orchestral recording session. Hello Pain will be released on May 29th, 2026.

Miller says about the new song:

‘Awake and Willing’ was written when I finally began re-emerging from a break up and considered dating again. It centers around living in the moment, opening my heart up again and letting my guard down to take a chance on loving again, aware that the risk of heartbreak is always there. I was pushing myself to move forward and to wake up: “alive and breathing…”.

Scottie Miller is a veteran of 13 albums, two books, and years on the road as Ruthie Foster’s longtime keyboardist. The seed of Hello Pain was planted while Miller was recovering from a fractured vertebrae. One January morning, on steroids and almost immobilized, he recalled something his spiritual advisor and mentor once told him. When Miller approached him about his condition, looking for sympathy, he replied simply: “Hello, pain.”

Miller recalls:

He was greeting that pain with open arms. It’s not meant to be a dark sentiment, but a touchstone to change, growth, and acceptance. Without pain we can’t see joy, and gratitude is everything. Through all those years of ripping and running, drugs and alcohol, I’m amazed I made it this far and am alive to tell the tale. I’m a lucky man to find such grace.

Balint Sapszon, Director and Manager of the Budapest Scoring Orchestra shares:

There is something very genuine about Scottie Miller’s songwriting—the simplicity of the songs and the strength of his vocal performance make them very moving. It was a pleasure for us to record the orchestral parts in Rottenbiller Studios with a 40-piece string ensemble, woodwinds and French horns, helping to broaden the musical landscape behind the songs. Scottie joined us remotely from Minneapolis, yet the collaboration with the conductor and musicians felt immediate and natural. We’re very happy to have been part of this wonderful album and look forward to working with him again.