Chartbreaker: Inside Jamie Miller’s Viral But ‘Authentic’ Strategy for ‘Babydoll’ and Why ‘Social Media Is How You Become Successful Today’

Jamie Miller came into the year ready to give music one more shot. After bursting onto the scene in England as a contestant on The Voice UK in 2017, the pop singer-songwriter had spent much of the next decade struggling to find his footing in the industry — ultimately leading to a sabbatical following his 2024 debut album, Long Way Home.

“I’ve tried to be so many things for so many people in terms of who they want me to be as an artist,” he tells Billboard. “I feel like I’d lost the favorite parts of myself along the way.”

But with a new team in tow — signing deals with both Republic Records and management firm Raw Material earlier this year — Miller, 29, reached what felt like a significant turning point in his career. Bottling up his positive outlook, the singer channeled it into the ebullient “Babydoll,” his first new single in two years and already the biggest hit of his career.

Growing up just outside Cardiff, Wales, Miller was raised on records by Stevie Wonder, Donny Hathaway and Whitney Houston. He spent his time on The Voice UK covering more contemporary pop artists including Rihanna, Justin Bieber and Shawn Mendes, but it was his take on Adele’s “One and Only” that received a surprise cosign from an unlikely source a few months after the competition that sent his career prospects into overdrive.

“Khloé Kardashian found me, randomly,” he recalls. “She posted a video of me on her Instagram page — and after that, every record label in the world was hitting me up.”

A short-lived deal with Atlantic Records led to 2022’s Broken Memories EP, followed by a partnership with BMG for another EP and Long Way Home. However, it wasn’t until inking the deal with Republic that Miller found what he calls his “dream label.”

“They signed me purely based on belief,” he says. “I had no records that were moving, I had nothing that was exciting, I had no leverage, to be honest. I was just posting covers on TikTok, still trying to get my name out there.”

After joining Republic’s roster, Miller holed up in a house in Joshua Tree, Calif. with two of his best friends, Hayley Warner and Michael Blum. During the stay, the trio wrote an entire album, with “Babydoll” among the new material.

“Prior to ‘Babydoll,’ Jamie had expressed to me that this was kind of his last real shot,” says Raw Material’s Brad Cohen. “He was going to give it his all and if it [didn’t] work, he was going to put music on the back burner. So I knew it was important and fragile and sensitive and precious all at the same time.”

With its giddy, synth-driven soundscape complete with a fizzy saxophone solo in the bridge, the upbeat “Babydoll” perfectly captures the irrepressible joy of falling head over heels in love with the one person who might just change your life — even if Miller didn’t have any particular paramour in mind when writing the track.

“I’m the most single I’ve ever been in my life,” he says with a laugh. “I wish I could say it was about somebody, but I [was] just manifesting the life I want for myself, the person I want and how I would love my person to speak about me. I wanted to make the new generation’s ‘Everlasting Love.’ ”

A distinct about-face from the heartbreak-heavy tunes that populate much of his catalog, Miller says he believed in “Babydoll” so much that he concocted an entire social campaign before even looping his team in on the idea. He filmed at least 40 videos using snippets of the song, including a guerrilla-style clip of him dancing through a local mall in his now-signature uniform of suit jacket, tie and sunglasses, along with a radiant grin. Posted in late July, it has more than three million views on TikTok alone.

“My team fully let me take the reins,” Miller says. “We recorded videos every single day dancing. I was walking down the street thinking I was on a bloody catwalk. It was the most fun I’ve ever had recording. Even promoting the song online has just been the most healing experience for me.”

As the song continued to gain momentum online, the strategy behind “Babydoll” was simple: Post something related to the song every day on each of Miller’s social platforms — a plan the singer and his team have religiously executed since its official release on Aug. 7. Over time, a shoulder-popping, two-stepping, finger-snapping routine he created with a friend tied to the single’s irresistible hook began to take hold and pushed the already-viral hit to a whole new level.

“It became this kind of phenomenon on TikTok,” he says of the swaggering choreography. “It feels like the song has kind of unified people, and it’s been so amazing to see how fun it’s been for everybody — from kids in Africa and people in Sweden to these amazing dance groups in America and TV shows in the U.K.”

The song’s infectious spirit has also caught on with plenty of famous faces on both sides of the Atlantic. Antonio Cipriano, the newly minted heartthrob from Prime Video’s Off Campus, hopped on the harmony-laden “Babydoll” remix in mid-September — and has since joined Miller on multiple stops of his support slot for the Jonas Brothers’ ongoing Burning Up Tour All Over Again. (Miller also recently teased that the track may make an appearance in season two of the college hockey romance series.)

Additionally, Meghan Trainor, Trisha Paytas, Lucy Hale and more celebrities have made appearances on Miller’s social media feed, lip-syncing the chorus back-to-back with the crooner and sometimes busting out their own dance moves. But of all the starry collaborations, the singer-songwriter says the most unforgettable was with The Great British Baking Show presenter Alison Hammond, who broke her wrist while dancing alongside Miller on a London rooftop — and still has the polished version pinned to her profile page.

“The internet is a blessing,” Cohen says. “These platforms are designed to help put your art out there. I think being on social media is how you become successful today; that’s where people are consuming art.”

“Babydoll” burst onto the Billboard Hot 100 as Miller’s debut entry on the chart in early October, and it reaches a new No. 45 high this week. Its international impact continues to reach new heights too: he became the first male Welsh solo artist in 41 years to hit No. 1 on the Official U.K. Singles Chart and has cracked the top 10 on the Billboard Global 200 chart.

With a pop-focused push at U.S. radio, plus follow-up singles and a sophomore album he describes as “timeless music” in the works, Miller’s music career, not far removed from a potential final chapter, now has more promise — and notably, less pressure — than ever.

“It made me stop taking myself so seriously,” he says. “I feel like I’ve always tried to be cool online, and this song has really allowed me to be authentic for once — not just a robot trying to have a hit.”

A version of this story appears in the Nov. 7, 2026, issue of Billboard.