Pittsburgh pop singer Mia Z has already accomplished so much in her music career. Since competing on The Voice ten years ago, she\u2019s released four albums, made music videos, and co-wrote a song with Pharrell. As an artist she knows what she wants and is grateful for all of the opportunities. Her songs feature a wide range of genres, from pop to jazz to hard rock. She even has a new single on the way for November.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Over a phone interview, I talked with Mia Z about her new songs, creating music videos, and reflecting about her time on The Voice.<\/p>\n
Growing Up With Music<\/p>\n
Josh: Did you grow up in a musical background?<\/p>\n
Mia: My grandfather played the saxophone. My grandmother was the singer in the Johnny Murphy Orchestra. My mom and my uncle were in a band for 40 years together. They played everywhere. This is honoring my family, their legacy, and just what God gave me to give and to share with the world.\u00a0<\/p>\n
J: Do you come up with melodies on your own?<\/p>\n
M: Yeah, maybe find a beat or my producer will send me stuff that I connect to. I\u2019ll immediately sit down and sing to it. That\u2019s how I\u2019ve always written, especially with my mom playing the piano. We wrote 100 songs that way.<\/p>\n
Live Shows<\/p>\n
J: I saw you headline at Pittsburgh\u2019s Little Italy Days in Bloomfield. Great show.\u00a0<\/p>\n
M: Thank you, that was fun! I\u2019ve done it like four times now. I\u2019m Italian. I put my band together and brought my mom back cause I needed a keyboard player.<\/p>\n
Reflecting on The Voice<\/p>\n J: Has it really been 10 years since you\u2019ve been on The Voice?<\/p>\n M: Yeah, it\u2019s been that long. It\u2019s kind of crazy to think I was 16 on the show. It was bittersweet because I didn\u2019t want to take the time to be on the show. My mom submitted me and then had to tell me later that I got picked.<\/p>\n J: Did you watch the show before competing?<\/p>\n M: No, never.<\/p>\n J: (Laughs)\u00a0<\/p>\n M: It was never a dream. I would say it was God\u2019s doing because everything in me didn\u2019t want to go. It wasn\u2019t because I didn\u2019t think I was good enough. I didn\u2019t want my story to go that way.\u00a0<\/p>\n J: The Voice is still very popular, but it was the biggest show back then.\u00a0<\/p>\n M: Yeah, my family freaked out. Pittsburgh supported me. I couldn\u2019t ask for a better city to be born and raised in.<\/p>\n J: Did The Voice teach you about performing in the music business?\u00a0<\/p>\n M: It was life changing. After I got voted off, Pharrell Williams called me back and we wrote a song together, and that\u2019s never happened on The Voice. I couldn\u2019t ask for a better experience. I wouldn\u2019t be able to reach the entire world without that show.\u00a0<\/p>\n Original Songs<\/p>\n J: You\u2019ve released 20 singles in the past two years. How do you have the time?\u00a0<\/p>\n M: I make time after work. I don\u2019t like to be on a schedule when it comes to music. I just keep expressing and singing.\u00a0<\/p>\n J: Did you write \u201cWhy?\u201d with a full band in mind?<\/p>\n M: No, I didn\u2019t like the way that it was going. So, my producer, Blanco, who made the beat, sent it to me. I had always kept it in my archive.<\/p>\n J: Have you ever played \u201cGive it Up\u201d live?<\/p>\n M: I have not. I\u2019m mad that I haven\u2019t, cause I feel like that would be such a groovy baseline. It would be cool to capture it live and do a live video.<\/p>\n J: I really like the acoustic guitar in \u201cTime.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n M: My uncle played that. We did a video up on my pap\u2019s hill because my pap passed away, who I was very close with. That was 100 years of history on that hill with my family.\u00a0<\/p>\n J: Your song \u201cDon\u2019t Speak\u201d rocks out.<\/p>\n M: Oh yes, I love that song. I wrote that with my band when I was 13. It was my dream to be in a heavy rock band. I\u2019ve always wanted to release a song like that.\u00a0<\/p>\n Recording<\/p>\n J: Do you use your phone notes app to jot down ideas or record vocals?\u00a0<\/p>\n M: Yeah. I\u2019ll just open up a session on my laptop and record straight through.<\/p>\n J: You want to capture it.\u00a0<\/p>\n M: (laughs) My mom will bring me hot tea and she\u2019s like, \u2018Are you recording?\u2019 and I\u2019m like, \u2018Yeah, just give me a minute because right now I\u2019m in the moment.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n J: (Laughs)<\/p>\n Mixing Genres<\/p>\n J: You have different genres in your songs.\u00a0<\/p>\n M: Yes, it\u2019s hard to get labels to be zoned in on that. I\u2019m really not gonna box myself in.\u00a0<\/p>\n J: And the record labels want you to pick one.\u00a0<\/p>\n M: They do. How do they know that it\u2019s gonna work? An A&R rep liking it doesn\u2019t mean the rest of the world\u2019s gonna even care to even be interested in it.\u00a0<\/p>\n Creating Music Videos<\/p>\n J: You create a lot of music videos!\u00a0<\/p>\n M: I do. I want certain scenes. I do everything\u2014the fashion, the wardrobe, the hair, the location. It\u2019s just a way to be creative and it\u2019s fun to challenge yourself. I\u2019ve done them all in Pittsburgh. So that\u2019s always important to me.<\/p>\n What\u2019s Next<\/p>\n J: What\u2019s next?<\/p>\n M: I have a new music video dropping in November and a new song featuring a violinist. More live shows, releasing content, and whatever God has planned. I\u2019m gonna keep continuing to do what I\u2019m doing and not really worry about where it\u2019s gonna go.<\/p>\n J: That\u2019s so refreshing to hear.\u00a0<\/p>\n M: I love being creative, and love being around my family. I can\u2019t imagine putting all that on hold just to go be a singer. I love my life. There\u2019s nothing I would change. Of course there are struggles too, because life\u2019s not easy. I\u2019ve been very, very blessed. I would never take any of it for granted. I really feel like no matter what, I will always stand as a Steel City girl\u2014it\u2019s Pittsburgh all the way from me. So everywhere I go, I rep the city and I\u2019m very proud and honored to be raised here, and musically just growing here.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n You can find Mia Z\u2019s latest singles and music videos online here<\/a> and keep up with her on Instagram @miazanotti<\/a>.<\/p>\n Check out last month\u2019s band of the month article here!<\/a><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThis content was provided by a local, independent contributor to Made in PGH, a lifestyle blog.<\/p>\n \t\tTags: \t\t\t\t Josh has been writing for Made in PGH since 2018, where he writes about upcoming events. He\u2019s a Point Park University graduate and teaches high school English. In his free time you\u2019ll find him playing guitar and writing new songs.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t<\/a> \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tImage via Mia Z<\/a><\/p>\n
Image via Mia Z<\/a><\/p>\n
Image via Mia Z<\/a><\/p>\n
\n\t\t412<\/a>, Artist<\/a>, band<\/a>, best of pgh<\/a>, best of pittsburgh<\/a>, Events<\/a>, live music<\/a>, local artist<\/a>, local band<\/a>, Music<\/a>, pgh<\/a>, pgh made<\/a>, Pittsburgh<\/a>, Pittsburgh events<\/a>\t<\/p>\n
\n\t\tJosh McCann<\/a><\/p>\n
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