NYC electronic/R&B artist, Miranda Glory recently released her new single, “Blue Eyes” featuring Matty Owens. The Michigan native began her career after moving to the Big Apple at the age of 14. From performing at cafés and open mics, she discovered her passion; music.
The talented Miranda went to Boston’s Berklee School of Music where she began to mold her art around those who helped and encouraged her. Look out for Miranda’s next single release with Tommy Boy Entertainment dropping soon and check out our exclusive GroundSounds interview with her below.
Thanks for chatting with us Miranda! For those just discovering your music, can you tell us a little bit about your background and how you got started?
Of course! Thanks for having me! I will say music and I have had a pretty wild ride. I was into the drums for a while, was a lead singer of rock band, even played the ukulele in a duo for a while. My musical journey pretty much started when I was 14 and my family decided to make the move from Michigan to New York City. I was really into theater at the time but after about a year, music became my main focus. I got obsessed with writing songs and performing at open mics or cafés. It started to get to the point that I was performing almost every night of the week. I’d drag different family members out with me and if nobody wanted to come I’d just go on mine own. I guess I’m kind of obsessive that way. And from there I knew I wanted to be an artist and never really looked back.
What was the biggest takeaway from your time at the Berklee School of Music?
Berklee is definitely a crazy place. I remember the first week I was there I went to an open mic on campus and it was like, Jesus, are you kidding me? Everybody was so talented. I don’t care who you are, you start to question yourself. But like they say, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. I met so many talented people and made so many great connections. I even got to release a vinyl EP produced by a bunch of music grad students at Berklee’s Valencia campus. I was lucky to meet so many great people and collaborators there. Since leaving Berklee, I’ve continued to write and work with a lot of my friends from Berklee and that’s proved to be so valuable.
What was the writing and creative process involved with your track “Blue Eyes” featuring Matty Owens?
Well, speaking of Berklee, I actually wrote the song with two friends, Dwilly (producer) and Jake Torrey (co-writer) who I met there. We were in a class called “Writing for the Hot 100” where we were just thrown together at random and we all just hit it off. Since then we’ve been working together out in L.A. and that’s how “Blue Eyes” was born. We were all hanging out in Jake’s living room listening to a bunch of tracks that Dwilly had been making and all fell in love with one that he was calling Blue Eyes. We just looked at each other, got totally inspired by the laid back, dreamy groove, and it all just flowed from there.
You’re an R&B/Soul artist who’s “lowkey, tryna be the female Drake.” You’ve also been called a “hybrid of old school R&B and haunting electronica.” What has led you to develop this unique, personal sound?
That’s a great question. You know, I don’t know that I can even answer that. I think genres and styles pick you rather than the other way around. You know what I mean? You kinda try out different things and then, one day you find your perfect blend. When I first started writing songs I was definitely more of an acoustic singer/songwriter and slowly R&B seemed to seep into whatever I did. I noticed people really responded to the more soulful sound, so I kept going with it. It felt completely natural. Plus, I’ve always loved artists like Marvin Gaye and Bill Withers. Those guys were such great songwriters and artists, so they inspired me. It was at Berklee when I started collaborating with electronic producers that the electronic elements started to form. I really love combining different genres and sounds to express a thought or emotion.
What was the inspiration for your EP “Listener?”
I’ve been creating EP’s since I was 15 years old and even though I didn’t release all of them I always felt each EP I made was a small tribute to that part of my life. “Listener” was really special to me because it was a journey from where I started musically (more acoustic) to where I was going (more R&B/electronic). And I felt that it was the most honest and vulnerable I’d ever been lyrically.
How does music make you feel? Why is it important for you to pursue this passion?
Music makes me feel like I’m not alone in whatever it is I’m feeling. I feel validated in my emotions and that’s really what I aim to do with my music. A couple times recently I’ve had people come up to me after I performed and say something like “You just sang the story of my life.” As an artist, there’s really no greater compliment. Those moments inspire me to pursue this whole crazy dream.
What bands/musicians are you currently listening to?
I’m really into this artist H.E.R. She is super soulful and also has awesome electronic production. I’m also into Blackbear, Frank Ocean and, always, Drake. ☺
What’s next for Miranda Glory? What can fans look forward to?
I’ll be releasing another single in a couple months with Tommy Boy Entertainment. Tommy Boy’s president, Rosie Lopez, and their A&R guy, Brian Delaney, have been really supportive, so I’m super hyped about this summer. And I’ve got a lot of different collaborations in the works with producers and DJs. I’ve been writing so much new material and I can’t wait to share it with everyone. Hopefully a full-length album will be happening in the next year if all goes well, so definitely stay connected with me on social media for updates!
