We were lucky to catch up with Miranda Raine recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Miranda, thanks for joining us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

I’m an autistic musician and advocate for autistic people. Being open about being autistic during my music career is a risk because there’s a lot of stigma and misunderstanding when it comes to autistic people. Being open about being autistic in my interviews and social media leads me to have to be vulnerable and open to criticism. But in doing this, it has not only allowed me to pursue a dream, it has won me several Awards and has allowed me to be an inspiration to many other people like me who need encouragement to pursue their own dreams.

Miranda, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Music is something I have loved my entire life. Everything from singing to dancing to creating has been at the core of who I am as a person. Being autistic can often make this a challenge because I can’t follow the same path that other people do in order to achieve the same results. This leaves me with having to figure out my own path in a way that’s going to work best for me to pursue my dreams while navigating a world and an industry that is not designed for neurodivergent people. I would say that I first got into singing as a child and eventually joined a choir. It wasn’t until I was in my early twenties that a college classmate encouraged me to sing in front of a crowd. I had terrible stage fright! It took me several tries before I could even stand on the stage instead of singing from my seat. With a lot of practice and perseverance, I got more comfortable being on stage in front of an audience. In 2019, I connected with a producer in Nashville Tennessee who was looking for a soprano singer to do a cover of a Japanese song. We did the English version of course, but it was my first introduction into doing music professionally. He believed in my talent and produced my first few singles. After that I was hooked! It was on my bucket list to do a full album. I found a producer that was local to me and set to work on this goal. I released my first full album in January of 2023 and won multiple Music Awards. I released my second album in March of 2024 and I am set to release another album this winter.

I would say that writing is also at the core of being a musician. I’ve been a writer since I was a child. I started with poetry and eventually made my way through other genres of writing. Music and writing go hand in hand. I write all my own lyrics. It allows me to express myself and my emotions in a way that nothing else can. Music and writing are a part of me and these are two things I don’t think I could live without. Life events, people, emotions… all of these things provide inspiration. My songs are relatable in the sense that when people hear my music, they remember their similar experiences, feelings, or situations. My ultimate goal is always to make songs that people can find themselves in. I purposely don’t usually divulge what my songs are about prior to releasing them because I want each person to hear it and relate to it in the best way that fits their own life and personal experiences. I believe that is what makes a great connection with your audience.

I’m also a published author. I wrote an epistolary memoir which was published in January of 2023. I’m currently working on a second memoir. It’s another form of expression of emotions and experiences. It allows me a deeper connection with people from all over the world. I’ve been called an inspiration many times just by simply trying to be myself in a world I can’t always understand. And so, I strive to be that inspiration that people believe me to be.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

I’ve noticed that people I encounter as well as my own friends think that my life is glamorous. I’m often having to explain to them that glamor is only about 10% and the other 90% is extremely hard work with very little reward until the work is complete. People have this misconception that being a musician automatically means fortune. What they failed to understand is that most independent artists still work a day job just to pay to create their music. It’s like living a double life but only one of those lives is our true self and our passion. The other life is simply a necessity. But when you have a driving passion that you can’t live without, you are willing to make that compromise to work a regular job just to keep creating. It’s not glamorous. It’s not easy. I rarely have a lot of free time to myself because my spare time is often dedicated to my craft. It also makes dating extremely difficult because some people have the wrong impression of musicians and don’t understand the complexity of dating one.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

Pay for their music. Pay for their art. Buy their merchandise. Share their posts. Share their work. Help it spread like wildfire. With so many streaming platforms and the internet these days, artists of all types are not getting paid for their work and it makes it more challenging to continue to create things to share with the world

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Theonlyladymiranda.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_lady_miranda?igsh=c3k4aG11NjRteHV0
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theonlyladymiranda?mibextid=kFxxJD
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@theonlyladymiranda.com
• Other: https://dot.cards/ladymiranda

Image Credits

the 6th Productions for photos (not all photos)