Milan Van der Berg||Beautiful Now (profile)

Milan



Early years:Milan Alexander Van der Berg was born on June 28th to two loving parents. The youngest of four life in the Van der Berg household was never dull to say the least. One might think his older sisters would be jealous of the cute new baby but they were quite excited to have a little brother to boss around and play dress up with.

It was when Milan was four years old that an odd thing became apparent to his parents. When his mother asked him what letter A was he responded with an bizarre answer which left his mommy dearest quite puzzled. Instead of pointing to the picture of the letter A instead Milan said it was a color. At first she thought that he was just being silly but then she asked, "What color is A?" The toddler, to the best of his ability, explained that A was a warm color like red. This development lead to the discovery that Milan had something called Synesthesia.

Elementary School:In elementary school Milan was your average student. He was a happy child, never caused disruptions, and was "very timid" to quote some of the notes on his report cards. However it was becoming apparent that Milan excelled in music and art. His elementary school music teacher was frightened by how the young boy could hear a song once and then play it back on the piano or violin. The music teacher noticed that Milan seemed in his own element while playing any sort of musical instrument and his gift for music wasn't limited to just one instrument but he could figure out any instrument he got his greedy little hands on. This matter was brought to the attention of Mr. and Mrs. Van der Berg at a parent teacher conference.  Mrs. Majier was in favor of the boy being enrolled in one of the schools that focused heavily on the arts. "Such talent as what Milan has displayed shouldn't be ignored!" The teacher enthusiastically exclaimed during the meeting.

The rest of his elementary school years he would spend hours after school toying around with different instruments in the music room. By the time he was 9 years old he had learned Rachmaninoff's Prelude Op. 25 No. 5 (along with a number of other classical songs) and had been on several local television programs as the "Next young prodigy". Exposure to fame as a young child intimidate Milan but at the same time the thrill of preforming beautiful music in front of a live audience felt like so exciting.

By the time Milan was ten years old he was able to play Paganini's Caprice no. 24 on the violin to the surprise of many musical instructors and aspiring virtuosos. He'd gotten a reputation as the "young master" and had several articles written about him in the local news paper. During the New Year's festivities he was asked to perform music to entertain the governing body at an elegant gala. It seemed as if he was an unstoppable force in the music world. Not only had his talents gained him many admirers and fans but several rivals as well. At one live show another young music student tried to sabotage Milan by breaking his violin so instead he played a concerto on the piano. As he got more engrossed in his musical world he began losing touch with people outside of his close knit family. He didn't have many friends, didn't participate in after school activities, or clubs. His entire world was music. Milan knew exactly what he wanted to do. Milan wanted to go to an music school like Julliard (or some prestigious conservatory) and take up composition so he could learn how to better develop his ability to write his own music. Sure he'd tried his hand at a few pieces but something felt lacking...

However his dreams weren't fully realized as the family moved instead to a dull sleepy town by the a bay instead of New York City. Due to his father's work the family was uprooted and sent to the United States. This was an absolute nightmare for Milan whose worst subject in school was English. It was odd considering he was fluent in French and German but something about the English language didn't quite click.


Middle School:Middle school aka the worst three years of many tweens young lives. Milan was no exception to this actually middle school in a country where he could barely communicate made him the prime target for some good old fashioned bullying. His thick accent, admittedly large eyebrows, and funny sounding name earned him a spot on the bullying list. In fact it felt as if he was top on the list of who the stupid delinquents enjoyed tormenting the most. It was around middle school that Milan's mother began to worry about her son and insisted he try to be more socially involved. Reluctantly the tween agreed to join an activity to not stress out his poor mother any more than normal. Marching band seemed like a good fit for the musically inclined tween. It was in this class that he met another student by the name of Charlemagne (poor guy having that name) and made one of his closer friendships since moving to the states. They were little band nerds together and both bonded over the grief people gave them over their names. It was a relief finding someone he could identify with and occasionally confide in. After meeting Charlie middle school wasn't as nightmare-ish but still had it's challenges and heart wrenching moments.

It was while he was living in the states that some friends introduced him to electronic music. Milan instantly found himself fascinated by the unconventional sound and tried to learn as much about electronica as he could. His passion for classical music faded for a while and was replaced by an insane love of EDM. It was around this time that he gave serious thought to becoming a music producer and dj like many of the artists he looked up to and idolized. His parents nearly had a heart attack at his unexpected change of heart.



High School:High School was an annoying part of Milan's life. It was so tedious and dull. To the teen it felt as if he was watching life pass him by from inside of a cage or jail cell. The male knew what he wanted to do with his life, was already working on getting his music on sites like beatport, youtube, and some indie music sites. What good would this conventional schooling do for someone going into his profession? That's exactly what he'd ask his parents when they'd try to lecture him for his grades lowering.

Most of his high school days he'd spend with his closest friends. He'd just watch and listen to them taking in their stories and life experiences. They were all so unique, vibrant, brilliant, and beautiful but they all couldn't seem to see the beauty in themselves that Milan saw in them. Their stories often got translated into the songs he'd publish in hopes of gaining attention of some record producer.

Besides just observing he took photos with an old Polaroid camera and put them in his visual journal to preserve the sensations, feelings, and most importantly the memories. The others often teased him about living life through an old Polaroid but it didn't bother him.

After Graduation//Current:During high school Milan was busy trying to produce song and get his name out there. His hard work paid off and the day after graduation had a meeting with a large record company. The shy male kept this secret to himself fearing that his friends might mock him for wanting to be a DJ. Despite being invited to some after graduation parties he had to decline in order to pack for the private jet flight early the next morning. Milan left the country about as quietly as he'd entered it. Sure looking back on it he has regrets about just taking off without any real formal goodbyes to those friends he spent six years bonding with but in his eighteen year old mind it was too painful to say "goodbye". Goodbyes seem so final and Milan had dreams of seeing his friends once more after he'd made a name for himself.

Five years later and he's one of the most successful young DJs in Europe. His popularity has spilled over into countries like the USA, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and Brazil. The hardwork and long sleepless nights finally are paying off. As he's about to launch a gloabal tour, including the states, Milan thought back to those friends he never got to say goodbye to and decided it was time to let them in on his secret.

Last edited by thetinbunny on Thu Aug 06, 2015 1:55 am; edited 2 times in total

Milan

Personality Overview

Positive Traits;

-Creative
-A musical "genius"
-Humble
-Loyal
-Compassionate
-Dedicated
-Hard working
-Selfless
-Generous




Negative Traits;

-Naive
-Trusting
-Loyal (too loyal at times)
-Selfless (gives too much and expects nothing in return)
-Timid
-Self conscious
-Impatient
-Squeamish
-Wears his heart on his sleeve

Last edited by thetinbunny on Tue Nov 10, 2015 10:35 pm; edited 2 times in total

Milan



Plot Ideas?!
Charlie and Milan were band buddies back in the day.

Last edited by thetinbunny on Tue Aug 04, 2015 11:51 pm; edited 1 time in total