Holly Miranda Ignores 'Superfluous' Hype

Holly Miranda took a winding road to her first solo record. As a teen, the singer-songwriter moved from Detroit to New York City to pursue music, quickly landing a then-coveted major label record contract. But her deal with BMG turned sour, leaving her music in the label's vault. Then came her band, the Jealous Girlfriends -- a Brooklyn indie rock outfit that released two albums and landed a track on 'Grey's Anatomy.' Finally, this past February, Miranda's solo effort, 'The Magician's Private Library,' was released on XL.

Playful, yet cinematic, with production by Dave Sitek of TV on the Radio and Katrina Ford of Celebration, the record fleshes out Miranda's piano-based arrangements with ethereal grace. After getting a blog nod from Kayne West, the 27-year-old singer has been constantly in motion. Miranda spoke to Spinner in Toronto about the importance of good neighbours and what it means to be Kanye-approved.

Your record is about dreams. What kind of actual dreams or ambitions did you have when you started to make it?

I don't think I really had any ambition. I just wanted to make a record that was solely mine because every time I had tried before, well, there was a bum deal that I had to walk away from, or I was recording on my own and didn't know what I was doing. I tried to make a solo record that became the first Jealous Girlfriends record, and then I made another record with them, which was a collaborative writing thing. I just wanted this to be my thing, you know? Not in a controlling way, but in a non-compromising way.

How important was the discovery of [New York City's] East Village for your musical development?

Huge. My first performance experience was playing this open-mic night at the Sidewalk Café at 6th and Avenue A. It's where Moldy Peaches and Beck and a lot of people got their start. I had never played before, and I got up on that stage and played the only two songs I had ever written. And then the guy who ran it asked if I wanted to come back and play a show. I was still living in Michigan at the time, and of course I said yes, so I went home and started writing more songs. He wrote a little writeup in the little zine he had put together. He mailed it to me and it said, 'Impressive debut of the night, Holly expressed interest in moving to New York.'

I remember reading it for my mother, my first little piece of press. She was making soup, and she said, 'I think this soup needs more salt' -- that was her reaction. And in that moment, I knew I had to get the f--- out of there. So I did.

You also have Kyp Malone of TV on the Radio on your record, singing on 'Slow Burn Treason.' What's the story there?

I was single for a while and living alone for the first time, and I wrote this one about living that life, not just being with someone because you don't want to be alone. Kyp was my upstairs neighbour and he would always hear me working on the song and singing. He would come by because we would make dinner together and I'd babysit for him. So finally one night he quietly asked, 'Can you teach me that song you've been working on?' And so we sat there until 5AM handing the guitar back and forth, me showing him. Every time I play it live, he would usually appear and sing with me on it. So I had him sing on the record -- it was a totally natural progression.

There are videos of you online doing Jeff Buckley and Etta James covers. Why is it important to you to interpret other people's songs?

I just like trying to make other people's songs my own, you know? The first time I ever heard someone do that was Nina Simone covering 'Suzanne' by Leonard Cohen. I just wanted to try and do that. I covered 'Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want' by the Smiths on the first Jealous Girlfriends album, and that was kind of the first time I really tasted that, taking someone else's song and making it your own. It's fun. I'm kind of a workaholic and I like to challenge myself.

Who are the artists in your life who have had an impact on you?

I would say Nina Simone, Leonard Cohen, Jeff Buckley -- oh, you mean people I know? Definitely Dave Sitek was a huge influence on me. He's one of my best friends and has been for a long time. Karen O was a huge influence on me, in seeing her live and knowing her as a person. I think she's an incredible performer and songwriter. Katrina Ford from the Celebration -- she was kind of my mentor for a long time. I would send her stuff and she would send me stuff back. She's the one who sent me the Nina Simone cover of 'Suzanne.' She challenged me to explore my lower register.

So Kanye West blogged about you, which got quite a bit of attention. How does it feel to be considered 'hip' or 'hyped'?

Superfluous. I can't really think about that. I've been doing it for so long. It's great it when people care, but when they're done caring, I'll still be doing it.