After becoming one of house music’s most celebrated talents with his band, Blaze, and collaborating with the likes of Aretha Franklin and Diana Ross, Josh Milan’s life has taken on a profound new sense of purpose.

Milan owes the change to a heart attack he suffered last year. It was an experience that he credits with inspiring him to start his own label, Honey Comb Music, after realizing that he was not appreciated by those around him and not in control of his destiny.

“I never spoke about it until now but it was a mild heart attack. While I was going through that you would think I had a lot of support but I had very few people who came to see me. There were some I really believed were close to me who knew about it and didn’t bother to call me. That opened my eyes to owning my own destiny and controlling my own goals to do this executive thing,” he reveals.

Milan’s first step was to take control of his weight, which he says had spiraled out of control to over 300 pounds.

“If you want to live, you will lose weight. I lost 50 pounds. The weight gain was from greed and no discipline. So I had to curb that and it wasn’t easy at all. I changed my eating habits and my casual drinking habits dramatically. I live in a community that’s good for walking, so I incorporated some exercise through walks and bike ride[s],” he says.

With his health now under control, Milan is focused on using his newfound destiny to allow the artists on his label a chance to deliver positive messages.

“I have children and nieces and nephews, so there should be morals going on in music. If our children aspire to be nothing more than just musicians that can sing or rap, it speaks to our parenting and where we are as teachers. So yes, I do feel responsible,” he says.

The first release by Honey Comb will be a compilation CD featuring eight artists, all performing songs written and produced by Milan. –souleo