Flo Milli, Queen of TikTok, Isn’t Going Anywhere
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Flo Milli is an artist seemingly made for TikTok. The frank, funny “Beef FloMix” went viral on the app in 2019, when the Mobile, Alabama, native was still in high school, and her latest single, “Never Lose Me,” recently spent four weeks at number one on the TikTok Billboard Top 50. Her second studio album, Fine Ho, Stay, was released in March, shortly before she joined Gunna’s tour as a special guest. Fine Ho, Stay completes a trilogy, following her 2020 debut mixtape, Ho, Why Is You Here? and her 2022 studio album, You Still Here, Ho? Still, not much has changed since she was just getting started on SoundCloud. “The only thing that’s different is that I don’t think as much, like I used to. I’m more like, ‘Okay, I got this, let’s go.’ ”
What was it like to go so viral in 2019?
Oh my God, it was crazy. I had made a pact with myself: When I was maybe 14, I used to be like, “I’m making a timeline. I’m going to be famous by 18, and if I don’t make it by 18, I’m just going to stop and do something else.” I started rapping at 10 or 11, and then when I turned 18, it didn’t happen, right? When I would post my songs, they would get a lot of views, but I didn’t really feel like I was there yet. I remember looking at my Instagram and being like, “Okay, maybe I should become a dental assistant.” I was literally about to go to school for that, and then my friend told me not to give up. A few months later, my song “Beef FloMix” started blowing up. I was a little off with the whole planning thing, but it worked out.
Do you think things have improved for women in rap?
Of course. I feel like it’s a platform for us to be seen and heard. Before, yeah, we were seen and heard, and there were icons that came before us, but I feel like we’re more accepted now. We still have our haters, but for the most part it’s more women out there who are more vocal.
How is this album different from your others?
It’s me expressing myself a little bit more to my personality. Before, I was giving one side of Flo Milli, and now, I’m giving everybody different sides of me. It’s a vulnerable vibe where people get to hear my experiences. I feel like it’s very relatable for women, and I feel like it will help.
And do you enjoy touring? Is it fun for you?
The fun part is seeing my fans. [But not] the lack of sleep and the constant running around—because I’m such a chill person. But I’m always grateful for the experience and to be able to connect to my fans. We can have conversations; I accept them for who they are, and I think that’s why they gravitate toward me. We have a lot in common.
You’ve said that the only thing that matters to you is your opinion of yourself. Does that help you in the music industry?
It does. Of course, I’m not cut off to the criticism, because you have to be open to other opinions. But when it comes to making music, I’m more looking at, “How do I feel? I have to perform this for the next couple of years, or I have to sit with this, and I have to deal with whatever comes with it or whatever is said about it. So let me make sure that I’m happy with what I’ve got before I make sure that anybody else is pleased with it.”
Hair by E Williams for Kérastase; makeup by Alexandra French for Maybelline; manicure by Karen Jimenez for Chanel Le Vernis; set design by Carlos Lopez; produced by The Production Partners.
A version of this story appears in the May 2024 issue of ELLE.
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