Holly Miranda (born 21 September 1982)[1] is an American singer-songwriter and musician. Besides being trained in piano, Holly is a self-taught guitar and trumpet player. In 2001, she recorded High Above The City, a 20-track solo album available only at shows. In the fall of 2003, Holly met and teamed up with Alex Lipsen, producer and keys player. The project evolved into The Jealous Girlfriends, a four-piece band based in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
Holly Miranda | |
|---|---|
 Miranda performing as part of the Asbury Cafe Series at The Saint in Asbury Park, 2015 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | 21 September 1982 Detroit, Michigan, United States |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, singer-songwriter |
| Years active | 2003–present |
| Labels | Dangerbird Records |
| Website | Official Site |
Early life
editMiranda grew up singing in church, in Detroit, learning piano at age six and picking up the guitar at 14, around the time she began writing songs.[2] At the age of 16, she moved to New York City, dropping out of high school and finishing her degree through correspondence. She earned a deal with major label BMG at the age of 17, but the music she recorded for them was never released.[2] Miranda commented on this, saying: "I ended up walking away from [it]. It's, like, in a safe somewhere and no one's ever heard it."[2]
Career
edit2001–2007: Career beginnings, The Jealous Girlfriends
editAfter moving to New York, she met the people she'd eventually refer to as bandmates for The Jealous Girlfriends. The Jealous Girlfriends toured with Nada Surf and Delta Spirit, and had their songs featured on TV shows like CSI: Miami, The L Word and Grey's Anatomy.[3] The band received critical acclaim, and is currently on a break, with all band members continuing on their own musical pursuits.[4]
2008–present: Return to solo career
editAfter The Jealous Girlfriends went on hiatus, Holly Miranda decided to release a solo album with help from her producer friend TV on the Radio's Dave Sitek.[5] The Magician's Private Library was recorded in 2008. Miranda's publisher Chrysalis Music financed the album, but it wasn't formally released until 2010 after Miranda was signed to XL Recordings.[6] The Magician's Private Library received positive reviews from critics; according to the music review aggregation of Metacritic, it garnered an average score of 68/100.[7] The album peaked at number 40 on the U.S. Billboard Top Heatseekers, becoming her first album to chart on any Billboard chart.[8] "Forest Green, Oh Forest Green" was released as the album's lead single, followed by "Waves".[citation needed]
In support of The Magician's Private Library, Holly Miranda toured as the opening act on Tegan and Sara's U.S. tour.[9] Miranda also toured as a supporting act on the Xx Tour by the xx,[5] and the Lungs Tour by Florence and the Machine.[10] Holly appears as a featured artist in Theophilus London's song "Love Is Real" from his album Timez Are Weird These Days (2011).[citation needed] Her vocals are used in Creep's single "Animals" released on January 17, 2012.[11] She is also the featured vocalist on Mmoths single "All These Things" from his album entitled Diaries released March 2013.[citation needed]
Miranda parted ways with XL Recordings and began self-producing a new album.[citation needed] In 2013 she released two singles on the label Federal Prism formed by David Andrew Sitek.[citation needed] Then in January 2015[citation needed] she signed to Dangerbird Records to release her new full-length eponymous solo album. After writing in Joshua Tree, she recorded most of the album in Brooklyn, New York, enlisting the help of bandmates Timmy Mislock, Maria Eisen and David Jack Daniels, while taking turns herself on piano, drums, guitar and bass.[citation needed] The album was released on May 18, 2015.[12]
It was announced that Holly Miranda would be releasing a covers EP titled Party Trick on May 13, 2016, via Dangerbird Records.[13]
Miranda released a new album titled Mutual Horse in 2018, featuring a contribution from TV on the Radio's Kyp Malone.
Personal life
editMiranda is homosexual, but she doesn't like to label herself when it comes to being talked about as a musician. "I have no problem being out, but I don't think it has anything to do with my music", Miranda said. "I like who I like. I don't want people to not listen to my music because of that and I don't want people to listen to my music because of that. I haven't had to deal with it in a professional way very much yet."
Discography
edit
Solo
editAlbums
edit- High Above the City: Evolution (2004)
- The Magician's Private Library (2010)
- Holly Miranda (2015)
- Party Trick (2016)
- Mutual Horse (2018)
Singles
edit- "Forest Green, Oh Forest Green" (2009)
- "Waves" (2010)
- "Desert Call" (2013)
- "Everlasting" (2013)
- "All I Want is to be Your Girl" (2015)
- "Midnight Oil" (2017) (w/ The New Asylum Choir)
The Jealous Girlfriends
edit- Comfortably Uncomfortable (2004)
- The Jealous Girlfriends (2007)
References
edit- ^ "Holly Miranda on Instagram: "Jesus year looks like this."". Instagram. 21 September 2015. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
- ^ a b c Bendix, Trish (22 July 2009). "Holly Miranda is an Overnight Success 11 Years in the Making". afterellen.com. Retrieved 7 February 2016.
- ^ L, Seraphina (2009-01-09). "Interview: Know Your NYC Bands with The Jealous Girlfriends". BeatCrave. uCrave. Archived from the original on 2010-01-15. Retrieved 2010-08-25.
- ^ Who is... Holly Miranda Retrieved 2010-03-17
- ^ a b Saxelby, Ruth (2009-11-18). "Holly Miranda: "It sounded like I was in their heads."". Dummy Mag. Archived from the original on 2010-06-12. Retrieved 2010-08-25.
- ^ Sisario, Ben (2010-02-19). "Music - Holly Miranda - A Young Singer's Newest Transformation - NYTimes.com". New York Times. Retrieved 2010-08-25.
- ^ "Holly Miranda Profile at Metacritic.com". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2010-08-25.
- ^ "The Magician's Private Library - Holly Miranda". Billboard. Retrieved 2010-08-25.
- ^ Hood, John (2010-02-19). "Q&A With Holly Miranda, Opening for Tegan and Sara This Sunday - Miami Music - Crossfade". Miami New Times. Retrieved 2010-08-25.
- ^ Birman, Paul (2009-10-28). "Florence & the Machine played Letterman (video) & Bowery Ballroom w/ Holly Miranda (and Nada Surf) - pics & setlist". Brooklyn Vegan. Retrieved 2010-08-25.
- ^ "Animals (feat. Holly Miranda) by Creep". Itunes.apple.com. 17 January 2012. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
- ^ "Holly Miranda by Holly Miranda". Itunes.apple.com. 18 May 2015. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
- ^ Dangerbird. "Dangerbird Records Holly Miranda Announces Covers EP "Party Trick"". Dangerbirdrecords.com. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
External links
edit