Miles Benjamin Lenehan (born June 18, 1998), well known as 9TAILS (also stylized as IXTAILS), was a Toronto-based rapper, singer, songwriter, and producer originally recognized for his deeply emotional and melancholic music. He primarily used SoundCloud as his main platform to release tracks, gaining a devoted following. Throughout his career, he collaborated with several producers, notably scotty splash and killedmyself, with whom he worked the most. He was also a part of two collectives, Brokeheartboys and slit wrist syndicut.

His artistic name was inspired by Kurama, the legendary nine-tailed fox from the Naruto series. Initially, many people mistook it for a reference to a Pokémon. Intrigued, he looked up the Pokémon version and found it pretty cool as well.

In an interview with UNDERGROUND UNDERDOGS on January 30, 2018, 9TAILS explained when he began making music:

I started making music on 9TAILS about a year ago, but when I actually started playing music I was 6 years old and played guitar. Later when I was around 12 I started singing. Back then I didn’t write my own songs, it wasn’t until I was around 17/18 when I really started writing my own shit. That’s also when I found SoundCloud and thought it was lit.

A key influence in his music journey was his best friend, Swaine, who introduced him to SoundCloud while they were in high school. They collaborated on several songs together and frequently featured on each other’s projects.

In the early stages of his career, 9TAILS grew rapidly, gaining recognition and traction. In the song “sink” by Poppy Tears, he expresses how his own track “heart attack” featuring Vampurp marked a pivotal moment:

Everything changed ‘round the time I dropped heart attack

Additionally, 9TAILS released three more notable songs, including “wtf im crying,” “comatose,” and “ur the one i dream bout.” These tracks became well-known and popular, giving him more traction, especially “wtf im crying,” which has over 9 million views on YouTube.

In the middle of 2018, 9TAILS began exploring a different sound in his music, gradually moving away from his earlier, sadder style as he made strides in improving his mental health and overall well-being. In his song “miles,” he reflects on this journey, stating:

Switch my life and fix it up
And fans want me to suck it up and fuck it up (Fuck)

A significant part of his fanbase missed the “old 9TAILS,” who was known for making sad songs, which influenced his decision to quit music. He didn’t want to be forced to stick to that style; instead, he sought to create art that he genuinely enjoyed and had fun with. On December 10, 2018, he posted on Twitter about it, sharing three images to explain his situation. He wrote:

Love you guys. Hope you all understand that this is the healthiest thing I could do for my mental. ❤️ have an amazing day

The three images accompanied his message, providing insight into his struggles and the impact of his decision:

Hey everyone. After many weeks of deep thought and talking to close friends and family about my decision, I have come to the conclusion that I am ending 9TAILS. I will be deleting all of my 9TAILS associated accounts other than my SoundCloud within the next few days. This is purely for the bettering of my mental health. I’ve found that, although I love making music, it comes with a tremendous amount of pressure that I have an incredibly hard time dealing with and this has taken a huge toll on me as a person. Thankyou all for the support and love every one of you has given me. I appreciate it more than you know. You have all given me an amazing opportunity like no other and this has allowed me to meet some of the loveliest people I have had the pleasure of meeting, as well as allowed me to learn valuable lessons and things about myself I would have never known without all of this. I love you all very much and I hope understand and respect my decision, as this is the best decision I could make to find happiness in my own life. I will never forget you, and I hope you all have a wonderful evening. Thankyou so much, and be safe ❤️

Before deciding to quit music, 9TAILS had planned to release a new song. However, on December 6, 2018, he cancelled the release, likely due to his decision to step away from music and the personal matters he needed to attend to. He took to Twitter to express his apologies to fans, stating:

song tonight is cancelled, sorry everyone. life stuff going on, hope you’re all having a good night.

Nearly two months after quitting music as 9TAILS, a new artist named Sewerperson emerged, featuring a voice reminiscent of 9TAILS but with a distinctly different style. It was later revealed that the person behind Sewerperson was, in fact, Miles. He later explained that he chose to pursue Sewerperson because he enjoys making music that brings him more fun and fulfillment.