Originally from Brooklyn, New York, Miller moved with his mother to New Jersey after a brief separation of his parents, although his school was still located in the city. To counter the boredom during the long drive, Miller’s mother gave him albums to listen during the commute, including David Bowie, Elton John and Fleetwood Mac, which sparked his interest in music.

"Ziggy Stardust, Elton John’s Greatest Hits, and Rumors by Fleetwood Mac, so I just listened to those non-stop, back and forth, all the time."He started to play piano after his parents set up a lesson with a piano teacher who he said to be "a laid-back New Jersey wedding singer".

From there, Miller started to develop singing and writing songs. During his high school, he started a pop-punk band. When he was 18 years old, Tor Miller went to New York University, specifically Clive Davis School of Recorded Music.

He also spent his weekends playing piano at places such as Rockwood Music Hall, The Bitter End, and the burlesque bar, Slipper Room in the East Village.Miller was signed to the independent label, Glassnote Records in early 2014 and subsequently dropped out from NYU due to scheduling problems (especially since he played music in a number of NYC venues).

His first debut EP, Headlights EP, containing four songs that includes the positively reviewed "Midnight" was released in February 2015.