Rising Stars: Meet Miranda Powell

Today we’d like to introduce you to Miranda Powell.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I first started taking piano lessons at five years old. Since my mom had briefly studied classical piano in college and had grown up learning piano, she decided to enroll both me and my sister in lessons. As a child, I most definitely resisted the practice required for learning an instrument, so kudos to my mom for encouraging me to stick with it!

I’ve always had a deep connection with music from a very young age – I walked around holding a Discman for a good portion of the day and almost never stopped singing (to the point where my voice teacher told me at fifteen that my overused voice was in need of a well-deserved rest)! Music was very much a place of solace and emotional catharsis for me. In a way, as I grew up, music was like the best friend that was always there for me. My influences ranged from the 70s groove-pop of Stevie Wonder to the complex harmonies of the Beach Boys to the plaintive songwriting of John Denver. I’m grateful to my dad for playing a key role in exposing me to a variety of genres when I was very young.

I was a classical competitor for most of my young piano career. When I was sixteen, I eventually realized that my passion for music didn’t lie in classical competition. I was very much interested in commercial styles of music – pop, soul, rock, R&B, EDM, jazz, and folk music. I was extremely curious about the production of a tune. The little details that all came together to create a unique sound fascinated me. I slowly understood that it was very much possible to pursue commercial music as a career and to dedicate my time to developing a deep knowledge of the music I loved throughout my childhood.

I started studying jazz piano my senior year of high school, and soon applied to music schools that had a focus on music technology and production. In 2014, I made the move to Nashville to enroll in Belmont University’s Commercial Music program, with an emphasis in Music Technology. Since graduating in 2018, I’m pursuing a career as a full-time musician – songwriting and co-producing my own music, performing as a member of a jazz fusion group, teaching piano lessons, and gigging and studio recording as much as possible.

While I still love a huge variety of genres, I am particularly enthusiastic about playing, writing, and co-producing funky, groovy pop music.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I think sometimes the general public doesn’t fully realize how difficult it is to be a musician (or in the creative arts in general). Creatives often don’t see even the first signs of the fruit of their labors until they’ve hung on for about five years immersed in the industry.

The life of a professional musician involves managing your own business, dedicating time set aside to practice and study, constantly spending hours and hours each week booking and following up on potential gigs, saving enough money to upgrade and care for your equipment as needed, working multiple jobs you don’t like to supplement your income, planning ahead for seasons when gigs are scarce, understanding royalties and contracts in an oftentimes-corrupt industry, breaking into the clique of a live gigging scene, spending into the double-digit thousands by funding your own albums, merch, and promotion, and dealing with the exhaustion of maintaining creative energy and positivity without becoming burned out on your endless side-hustles. It’s definitely very easy to slip into chronic anxiety and depression.

The financial and creative burden on artists is certainly a heavy and overwhelming one, but I think that this speaks to our passion for what we do. Despite the struggles, we know we have something intrinsically important to the world, and I think our continuous determination and perseverance beautifully demonstrate how vital art is to the soul.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m a pianist, vocalist, songwriter, and co-producer which means I often wear a variety of different hats! Some days I’m playing southern rock for an artist, other days I’m playing some jazz fusion tunes. I also often have to perform regular long, 4-hour gigs and be able to fulfill requests, so I invest a lot of time practicing singing healthily in different genres to ensure I don’t damage my voice.

I’m mostly known for my simultaneous passion for playing keys and singing. I’m often spotted toting my Nord keyboard around and constantly re-programming its gold mine of sounds! I think my ability and passion to recognize nuances of production and being willing to experiment with sounds is a special asset I can offer as a musician.

In general, I think I’m most proud of me pursuing this life on a daily basis without giving in to disappointment and discouragement. (I will say though that I am particularly proud of my jazz fusion group, Brain Salad, for winning Best Jazz Group in 2020’s Nashville Industry Music Awards – that was a really special moment for us!) I’m also really proud of the hard work I’m doing on my upcoming EP – it’s easy to feel like my own creative work just doesn’t measure up, but I’m learning to appreciate and find beauty in my own artistic journey as I grow and learn.

This next EP is focused very much on my journey through depression and anxiety, so my hope and prayer are those songs will speak to and uplift others battling through the same struggles.

In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
It’ll be very interesting to see where the age of streaming takes us. There’s a lot of shakeup and uncertainty happening in the industry right now, and I think many of us are eager to see what will surprise us next (like TikTok becoming a huge force in the music industry!).

Additionally, I’m always personally invested in the changing trends of pop music. Right now, I think we’ve entered an era where grooves from the 70s and 80s, combined with more modern production, are trending and I’m just really excited about that.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: mirandapowellmusic.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mirandapowellmusic/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mirandapowellmusic
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRTOAN5mQBVtISt21noQ8lQ
• Other: https://www.bandsintown.com/a/15394170-miranda-powell

Image Credits
Libby Danforth