Behind the Tunes with Miranda del Sol

Hannah: Tell us a little about yourself! What kind of music do you make and how did you get started?

Miranda: My dad is actually a musician and I grew up thinking that everybody wrote songs (laughs) So that's how I got started with that. I feel like when I heard Taylor Swift's “Fearless”  album, that's when I realized, like, “oh, these little songs that  I've been making up… this can actually be a career.” And so I was like, “Oh, she plays guitar? I guess I have to learn how to play guitar.” And later on I started listening to ya know, not just Taylor Swift, (laughs), and realized that people produce their own music too and  maybe I should try to do that. I found out about my school, I am in NYU’s Clive Davis Program. That’s when I was like…. Okay. I don't really see myself going to a school to learn how to be a singer or a school to learn how to write songs, I want a school where I can learn a little bit of everything. I wanted something that felt like four years of artist development or something. 

Hannah: Something more technical? 

Miranda: Yeah, just thinking about, like a really holistic approach. It’s no longer just like, “Oh, I write this song, or I perform the song, but like, I write the song. I perform the song, then I think about how to post about it on Instagram and strategize how to make sure that the people that I want to hear it actually get to hear it. 

Hannah: Can you tell me a little more about your latest single “Care About Me?”

Miranda: Okay, so, long story short, my best friend from like, my bestest, bestest friend, we met in Middle School and we've both made music the whole time that we've been friends but never - I don't know why, like one time we tried to write something when we were like, 12 - but we never really tried to make music until quarantine. And so, she was like “dude, I'm just gonna come over, we'll do like a sleep over, but let's just write a song.”  And the first song I released “Simping” was born out of that. And it felt so natural and just made sense. Because it's like, I don't know, she knows how to read me really well and I know how to read her really well. We both have really similar music tastes, etc. Then for a class, I had a songwriting assignment to top line a beat and I was like, “Hey… do you think you have a beat lying around that you can send me?” and she was like, “I'll just make you one, what vibe do you want?” and I sent her a playlist. And then she sent me the beat for “Care About Me”. The lyrics just kind of word vomited out of me (laughs). 

Hannah: So when you're writing, do you prefer collaborating with someone else or do you like to write first on your own? What’s that process like?

Miranda: That process has actually been changing a lot. I feel like for most of my life that I've been writing songs, it's been like me in my bedroom and a guitar or me in my bedroom with my laptop. But once I collaborated with her and had collaborated a few times with people at school, I realized that the stuff that I was making with them sounded way more interesting. And just like more fleshed out. I don't know, I feel like I've really focused on my songwriting skills and I'm just now starting as a producer whereas she's focused on her production. So yeah. Right now I'm in the process of writing and producing my own demos, but also making sure that I have a couple sessions a week to work with other people.

Hannah: Who are your biggest influences? I mean, other than Taylor Swift (laughs).  I'm assuming you listen to the re-release?! 

Miranda: Yeah, yeahh of course! 

Hannah: Who else are you influenced or inspired by? 

Miranda: Right now, I've been really inspired by Victoria Monet, who is one of Ariana Grande’s biggest writers. She is insane. I also grew up on Panic!  At The Disco, Lana Del Rey, Marina and the Diamonds - that whole world. And I'm also inspired by some Latin artists like Shakira or Alejandro Sanz. Yeah,

Hannah: When you made the transition from studying or doing your own thing in your room to more formally studying at NYU, what was that transition like? 

Miranda: I don't know. I was really excited just because this was my dream school for so long, and I wasn't the kind of person to teach myself production based off of YouTube videos. I did teach myself quite a bit before I got to NYU, but I knew that I needed a deadline. I knew that I needed someone to turn to and say, “I don't know, help me make this sound better!” Coming out here,  it was like living a dream. And then COVID happened… but still very dreamlike! 

Hannah: How has it been like the past year making music and how was your process changed? Like, recently?

Miranda: I feel like in a really weird way, it's kind of been the first time I’ve taken myself seriously. I am releasing music, like for real, for real. It’s different. I'm making it a point to make sure that I'm writing every single day and to make sure that I am always working with different people. I actually had COVID in January and when I was quarantined, that's when I started being more disciplined about it. I'd say the biggest change is that I'm believing in myself more. I'm not waiting around for someone to discover me and make my career happen. I'm actively trying to make it happen myself.

Hannah: That’s awesome! What advice would you have for other people who are in your position? People who are trying to make their careers happen on their own terms?

Miranda: I feel like being honest with yourself about the music that you want to make, what you want to say, who you want to listen to it…  I feel like the artists that are the most successful, and I'm not even saying the biggest artists, but just artists who you see are the happiest or the artists whose  music makes sense with the marketing, which makes sense with the costuming, which makes sense with the music video, where everything feels very them and authentic. And I feel like that’s the reason why I'm starting to release music now and things are starting to feel better is because I spent a lot of time alone just thinking about who I am… as cheesy as that sounds (laughs). 

Hannah: How would you describe that process? Like what kind of unifying aspect represents you?

Miranda: This is a work in progress, but I kind of stumbled upon this term. “Latina bedroom pop princess” 

Hannah: Okay okay!

Miranda: I feel like I've always been drawn to very - well, I grew up watching ROM coms and reading like wattpad. Yeah, I am a really big hopeless romantic. But I am thinking very princess imagery and very ethereal vibes. I don't know if that makes sense at all, but that's what I'm visualizing. Yeah, it's cool (laughs). 

Hannah: So what do you have coming up next?

Miranda: I am currently thinking about what my next single is going to be! Hopefully we'll be releasing that in the Summer, I want to release a music video soon for something too. Yeah, that'd be awesome. 

Hannah: Sounds fantastic Miranda, we look forward to seeing all the things you do! Super great speaking with you!