Today we’d like to introduce you to Miss Lonely.
Hi Miss Lonely , it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Never thought I could do much… I was born yellow and premature on the Jersey Shore and grew up in the Pine Barrens. As a child, I felt very alienated from my peers. Music showed me that it’s okay to dance wildly and sing off-key at the top of your lungs if it makes you feel alive.
By the time I got to high school, I loved listening to music, going to shows, and record shopping, but I never thought I could actually play music. That thought didn’t cross my mind until I was 17 years old. Despite having absolutely no confidence in my ability to learn an instrument, I bought an electric guitar. It was red.
Bukowski said, “Find what you love and let it kill you.” So I did. Starting at 18, I worked as a bartender at some legendary live music venues, including CBGB’s, TT the Bear’s Place, and Spaceland, just so I could stay close to that thing I loved. The next decade and a half became a blur. I played guitar on my own, sometimes with friends, always awkwardly and apologetically. I was in a band called Yes Me to Death when I lived in Los Angeles, and that was when I discovered that performing in front of an audience was terrifying. Every time we had a show, I would drink until I blacked out.
Day-to-day life began to revolve around creating cocktails and cutting lines of cocaine. I used to feel like there was a small part of me watching my life unravel. That small part would say, “Stop. Don’t do that.” But I wasn’t the one in control. I was a zombie, caught in a never-ending loop, night after night, disconnected from that thing I loved and from myself.
I got clean and sober in 2009, and in 2011 I moved to the mountain town of North Conway, New Hampshire. I slowly learned to live again, reconnected with nature and once again reached for the guitar. It took years to pick up the pieces, rebuild my life, and return to the land of the living.
In 2019, I moved to Nashville. The underground music scene felt otherworldly, as if I was having a séance with a part of myself that had been dead and buried. I started performing under the name Miss Lonely, met my bandmates, and together we began playing shows all over the place. In June 2026, we released our debut album, Daredevils for the Human Race.
This sweet resurrection has been a humbling experience. There are still days when I don’t think I can do much, but now there are also days when I’m amazed by the transformation. I’m curious about this trajectory, and I let curiosity lead me into the unknown. Life is full of surprises.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I write songs because it’s how I make sense of the world and understand myself. I still remember being in third grade and rushing through my schoolwork because I couldn’t wait to get to an activity where we used word tiles to create sentences and stories. The act of stringing words together was electrifying. It lit me up.
Humor, theater, film, visual art, music, and everyday interactions all inspire me. It feels like the ouroboros, the snake eating its own tail: I am inspired, and then I create.
When I moved to Nashville in 2019, I adopted the name Miss Lonely from the character in Bob Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone.” I wanted to protect her from the isolation. At that point, I began writing songs, playing guitar, creating graphic art, forming a band, and exploring different ways to tell stories.
Creating is where I feel the most alive. On the good days, I feel like I could levitate. On the bad days, I hate everything I do. I hate myself. Looking honestly at who you are is difficult but necessary if you want to create something authentic. To make something real in a world that can feel very unreal is like a tiny revolution.
How do you define success?
I hate this question because it makes me feel uncomfortable. Maybe it’s because I don’t feel very successful. I’m still trying to understand what success means to me. Maybe success is having the opportunity to create and continue to grow creatively. I also think success is when your work connects with another individual and makes them feel something. Maybe it makes them feel alive. Maybe when they feel alive, you feel alive too, and maybe that’s success. I don’t know. Often, I don’t feel very successful.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://misslonely.bandzoogle.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/misslonelyband?igsh=aTV4bWR3OXFodjlh
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@misslonelyband?si=H42UOXlsS1bzyaTL
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3X1DzqebfAUaWbIE7icOfi?si=S7oxxW1yRkyXB_F2kg8K9A&utm_source=copy-link
