The story of Millionaires began not with a grand vision but with a teenage accident on the 14th of August 2007. Sisters Melissa Marie Green and Allison Green sat down with GarageBand software and recorded a song titled I Like Money, a track that would eventually define their chaotic rise. They created a MySpace profile named Millionaires to host their music, and the digital landscape of the late 2000s provided the perfect soil for their unconventional sound to take root. The group quickly expanded to include friend Dani Artaud, forming a trio that would mix explicit lyrics with an electropop backing that confused and delighted critics alike. Their early days were defined by a DIY ethos, with songs like Hoe Down and I Move It gaining traction through the very platform that launched their career. The band performed small shows across California, traveling only short distances to play festivals like Rockin Roots and Bamboozle Left 2008. By July 2008, they had co-headlined a tour with Breathe Carolina and headlined the Get F$cked Up tour, proving that their garage-band origins could translate to live energy. Their song Ooh Uh Huh became the theme for MTV's reality show A Double Shot at Love with the Ikki Twins, while Hey Rich Boy served as the theme for Teen Cribs, embedding their music into the cultural fabric of the era. The group was often wrongly cited as crunkcore, yet they remained primarily an electropop group, blending the two genres in a way that felt fresh and unapologetically loud.
The Eurovision Rejection
The year 2010 marked a turning point for Millionaires as they signed to the English record label B-Unique and prepared to release a debut album. The single Stay the Night was released in early 2010 to promote the upcoming album, and the trio embarked on two UK tours to build momentum. The song was even put forward to the BBC team to represent the UK at Eurovision 2010, but it was eliminated by Pete Waterman before reaching the live decisions. This rejection signaled a shift in their trajectory, as the band faced a period of no further promotion or updates. Dani Artaud left the group, and they were dropped by their UK label, causing the planned album to be scrapped entirely. Five songs from their MySpace that had originally been planned for the album, along with Stay the Night, were released on an EP titled Cash Only in September 2010. The tracks Prom Dress and Microphone were released online, as well as a sample mix of the album containing snippets of unreleased tracks That's How We Party and Hush Little Boyfriend. The band's image and lyrics generated controversy during their early years, and the loss of their label and a key member forced them to rethink their approach. Despite the setbacks, they continued to release music, including a Christmas song titled Rated Xmas on the 16th of December 2009, which showcased their ability to blend holiday themes with their signature edgy style.