Mia Isobel Wray-McCann (born 28 October 1995), known professionally as Mia Wray, is an Australian pop singer, songwriter and musician from

Noosa The Shire of Noosa is a local government area about north of Brisbane in the Sunshine Coast district of South East Queensland, Australia. The shire covers an area of . It existed as a local government entity from 1910 until 2008, when it wa ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

. Born and raised in Noosa before later relocating to

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, Wray rose to prominence after winning the 2011 iteration of

Telstra Telstra Group Limited is an Australian telecommunications company that builds and operates telecommunications networks and markets voice, mobile, internet access, pay television and other products and services. It is a member of the S&P/ASX 20 ...

's Road to Discovery Program. She

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

ly released two extended plays, ''Mia Wray'' (2014) and ''Send Me Your Love'' (2016), before releasing her debut single "Work for Me" in 2020. Wray began her career performing

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest atte ...

, blues and

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...

, with her musical style later shifting to encompass genres such as pop and

bedroom pop Lo-fi (also typeset as lofi or low-fi; short for low fidelity) is a music or production quality in which elements usually regarded as imperfections in the context of a recording or performance are present, sometimes as a deliberate choice. The ...

whilst retaining soul influences. She has toured with

the Rubens The Rubens are an Australian alternative rock band from Menangle, New South Wales. The band comprises the three Margin brothers, Zaac, Sam and Elliott, and friends Scott Baldwin and William Zeglis. Their debut self-titled album '' The Rubens' ...

and

the Teskey Brothers The Teskey Brothers are an Australian blues rock band from Melbourne, named after the two brothers who formed the group in 2008: Josh Teskey (vocals, rhythm guitar) and Sam Teskey (lead guitar). In 2019 they signed with Glassnote Records and Ivy ...

, and is scheduled to support Vance Joy on his Long Way Home Tour in 2022. Wray signed to

Ivy League Records Ivy League Records is a record label based in Sydney, Australia. History Ivy League Records is an Australian-based record label established in 1997 by three ex-musician friends: Pete Lusty (John Reed Club) (RIP), Andy Cassell (Youth Group) an ...

in January 2021 and received nominations for Breakthrough Independent Artist of the Year at the 2021 AIR Awards, Best Solo Artist at the

2021 Music Victoria Awards The 2021 Music Victoria Awards were the 16th Annual Music Victoria Awards. The ceremony took place on 9 December 2021 at the Melbourne Recital Centre. The 2021 awards featured a number of changes, including a brand new category for Best Pop Act ...

, and placed second in the Performance category at the International Songwriting Competition.

Early life

Wray was born Mia Isobel Wray-McCann in Sunrise Beach,

, on 28 October 1995, the daughter of Carolyn. At the age of 11, Wray's parents inherited her late grandfather's

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...

, and moved it into Mia's bedroom upon discovering it was the only room of the house big enough for it. Wray learnt to play it from that age onwards, and began to write songs in her adolescent years. She would later learn to play the guitar through video

lessons A lesson or class is a structured period of time where learning is intended to occur. It involves one or more students (also called pupils or learners in some circumstances) being taught by a teacher or instructor. A lesson may be either one ...

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

. Wray completed her senior secondary education at St Andrew's Anglican College in Peregian Springs, Queensland.

Musical style and influences

Wray began her career in 2011 as a

folk-pop Folk-pop is a musical style that may be 1) contemporary folk songs with large, sweeping pop arrangements, or 2) pop songs with intimate, acoustic-based folk arrangements. Recording production values created a unblemished style that appealed to ...

and acoustic artist, citing

the Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...

, Paul Kelly,

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

, Pete Murray,

Laura Marling Laura Beatrice Marling (born 1 February 1990) is a British folk singer-songwriter. She won the Brit Award for Best British Female Solo Artist at the 2011 Brit Awards and was nominated for the same award at the 2012, 2014, 2016, and 2018 Brit Aw ...

, and

Gabrielle Aplin Gabrielle Ann Aplin (born c. October 1992) is an English singer-songwriter. After amassing a following for her acoustic music covers on YouTube, Aplin signed a recording deal with Parlophone in February 2012. She rose to prominence the following ...

among her sonic influences. Wray described herself at the time as a

, blues and

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fo ...

musician. Wray has listed Gabrielle Aplin,

Coldplay Coldplay are a British rock band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer Will Champion and creative director Phil Harvey. They met at University ...

, Paul Kelly, and Bob Dylan as being several of her favourite musicians. Wray has since shifted to more pop-oriented music, drawing influence from Florence and the Machine,

Lana Del Rey Elizabeth Woolridge Grant (born June 21, 1985), known professionally as Lana Del Rey, is an American singer-songwriter. Her music is noted for its cinematic quality and exploration of tragic romance, glamour, and melancholia, with frequent r ...

and

Maggie Rogers Margaret Debay Rogers (born April 25, 1994) is an American singer-songwriter and record producer from Easton, Maryland. Her big break came when her song "Alaska" was played to Pharrell Williams during a master class at New York University's ...

. Her music has been additionally described as

, blues, folk-pop,

indie pop Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and su ...

, and

. Wray can play the

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...

, the harmonica and the

foot drum ''For another term, see footed drum'' A foot drum is any type of drum that is typically played by striking it with the bare foot or pedal and beater combination. The most common type of foot drum is the kick drum or bass drum of a drum set or ...

. Wray's music has received favourable comparisons to that of Lorde,

Meg Mac Megan Sullivan McInerney (born 6 July 1990 in Sydney), known by her stage name Meg Mac, is an Australian singer-songwriter and musician. She signed to littleBIGMAN records in 2014, locally, and 300 Entertainment in United States. Early career ...

Vera Blue Celia Pavey, known professionally as Vera Blue, is an Australian singer-songwriter signed with Island Records Australia, which is part of Universal Music Australia. Her folk-inspired album ''This Music'' peaked at number 14 on the Australian A ...

, Florence and the Machine, and

Adele Adele Laurie Blue Adkins (, ; born 5 May 1988), professionally known by the mononym Adele, is an English singer and songwriter. After graduating in arts from the BRIT School in 2006, Adele signed a rec ...

Career

2011–2019: Breakthrough and ''Mia Wray''

On 3 December 2011, Wray was announced as the joint finalist of the 2011

Road to Discovery talent development program, alongside Andrew Redford from

Maroochydore Maroochydore ( ) is a coastal town in the Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. The town was subdivided from the Cotton Tree reserve by Surveyor Thomas O'Connor in 1903. The land was acquired from William Pettigrew who had a timber de ...

, Queensland. On 24 January 2012, the pair competed in the final of the quest, held during the 40th

Tamworth Country Music Festival The Tamworth Country Music Festival is an annual Australian music festival held for 10 days from Friday to Sunday in mid to late January each year, sometimes including Australia Day, in Tamworth, New South Wales. The festival is the second bigg ...

. On 13 February, Wray was announced as the recipient of the Telstra Road to Discovery People's Choice Award. Wray signed with Mushroom Records following her People's Choice Award win. On 2 July 2014, Wray released her debut

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

''Mia Wray''. ''Mia Wray'' was recorded in

Gippsland Gippsland is a rural region that makes up the southeastern part of Victoria, Australia, mostly comprising the coastal plains to the rainward (southern) side of the Victorian Alps (the southernmost section of the Great Dividing Range). It cove ...

, Victoria over five days and was produced by Greg Walker. A track from the EP, "Where I Stand", was featured on the soundtrack for the film ''

Midnight Sun The midnight sun is a natural phenomenon that occurs in the summer months in places north of the Arctic Circle or south of the Antarctic Circle, when the Sun remains visible at the local midnight. When the midnight sun is seen in the Arctic, ...

'' (2018). On 5 October 2015, Wray performed at the Caloundra Music Festival. On 22 April 2016, Wray released her second extended play ''Send Me Your Love''. ''Send Me Your Love'' was recorded in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and ...

, with production from Brad Jones. The same day, Wray performed as the opening act for former

Powderfinger Powderfinger were an Australian rock band formed in Brisbane in 1989. From 1992 until their break-up in 2010, the line-up consisted of vocalist Bernard Fanning, guitarists Darren Middleton and Ian Haug, bass guitarist John Collins and drumme ...

guitarist

Darren Middleton Darren Middleton (born 4 October 1971) is an Australian musician, best known as lead guitarist and songwriter for alternative rock band Powderfinger. He was also lead singer/songwriter for Drag; his current solo tour is 'Splinters', a follow- ...

at Red Hot Music, in

Devonport, Tasmania Devonport ( ; Palawa Kani: ''Tiagarra'') is a city in northern Tasmania, Australia, located on the lands of the Pannilerpanner clan of the Palawa nation. It is situated at the mouth of the Mersey River. Devonport had an urban population of 26, ...

. On 17 February 2017, Wray featured on French producer Aslove's cover of

Corinne Bailey Rae Corinne Jacqueline Bailey Rae (; born 26 February 1979) is an English singer and songwriter. She is best known for her 2006 single "Put Your Records On". Bailey Rae was named the number-one predicted breakthrough act of 2006 in an annual BBC po ...

's song "

Put Your Records On "Put Your Records On" is a song by English singer Corinne Bailey Rae from her self-titled debut studio album (2006). Written by Bailey Rae, John Beck, and Steve Chrisanthou, it was released as the album's second single in February and early Mar ...

2020–2021: "Work for Me" and "Never Gonna be the Same"

On 9 May 2020, Wray appeared as part of online music initiative '' The State of Music'', where she performed Helen Reddy's "

I Am Woman "I Am Woman" is a song written by Australian musicians Helen Reddy and Ray Burton. Performed by Reddy, the first recording of "I Am Woman" appeared on her debut album ''I Don't Know How to Love Him'', released in May 1971, and was heard durin ...

" alongside

Kate Miller-Heidke Kate Melina Miller-Heidke (; born 16 November 1981) is an Australian singer and songwriter. Although classically trained, she has generally followed a career in alternative pop music. She signed to Sony Australia, Epic in the US and RCA in th ...

Mahalia Barnes Mahalia Violet Barnes (born 12 July 1982) is an Australian singer, songwriter and the daughter of Scottish-Australian rock singer Jimmy Barnes and Jane Mahoney. She began performing as part of children's pop group The Tin Lids with siblings, ...

, and Missy Higgins. On 13 September, Wray's debut single "Work for Me" was premiered on

Triple J Triple J (stylised in all lowercase) is a government-funded, national Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners of alternative music, which began broadcasting in January 1975. The station also places a greater emphasis on broad ...

's ''2020'' program with

Richard Kingsmill Richard Kingsmill (born 29 January 1954) is an Australian radio announcer, music journalist and currently Group Music Director of triple j, triple j Unearthed, Double J and ABC Local Radio. Career His career at triple j started in 1988 as a p ...

. "Work for Me" was officially released on 16 September, alongside an accompanying music video.

described the song as having "stomping

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Ex ...

, electrifying

brass Brass is an alloy of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn), in proportions which can be varied to achieve different mechanical, electrical, and chemical properties. It is a substitutional alloy: atoms of the two constituents may replace each other wit ...

and empowering AF songwriting". On 28 September, Wray was announced as the

Triple J Unearthed Triple J (stylised in all lowercase) is a government-funded, national Australian Radio in Australia, radio station intended to appeal to listeners of alternative music, which began broadcasting in January 1975. The station also places a greate ...

Feature Artist on Triple J for that week. On 24 October, Wray was announced as one of the acts scheduled to perform on the premiere of the second season of Australian live music program '' The Sound''. On 31 October, Wray performed on the 32nd edition of Isol-Aid, an Instagram live music festival created during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

. On 1 November, Wray performed an a cappella version of "Work for Me" from Athenaeum Theatre, Melbourne for ''The Sound''s season two premiere. On 20 November, Wray featured as a

backing vocalist A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are us ...

on the song "Blue Bird" from

Something for Kate Something for Kate are an Australian alternative rock band, which formed in 1994 with Paul Dempsey on lead vocals and guitar, and Clint Hyndman on drums. They were joined in 1998 by Stephanie Ashworth on bass guitar and backing vocals. The gr ...

's seventh studio album '' The Modern Medieval'' (2020). On 20 January 2021,

announced that they had signed Wray to their roster. The same day, she released the single "Never Gonna Be the Same". "Never Gonna Be the Same" was added to rotation by Triple J on 25 January 2021. On 27 February, Wray supported Something for Kate at the Summer Sounds Festival at the

Sidney Myer Music Bowl The Sidney Myer Music Bowl is an outdoor bandshell performance venue in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is located in the lawns and gardens of Kings Domain on Linlithgow Avenue close to the Arts Centre and the Southbank entertainment precinc ...

. On 9 March, Wray announced her debut headline tour, a four-date

residency Residency may refer to: * Domicile (law), the act of establishing or maintaining a residence in a given place ** Permanent residency, indefinite residence within a country despite not having citizenship * Residency (medicine), a stage of postgra ...

at the

Northcote Social Club Northcote may refer to: People with the surname * Sir Geoffry Northcote (1881–1948), British colonial administrator * Hannah Northcote (c.1761–1831), English silversmith * Henry Northcote (disambiguation) * James Northcote (1746–1831), ...

, in

Northcote, Victoria Northcote () is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, north-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Darebin local government area. Northcote recorded a population of 25,276 at the 2021 ce ...

. On 9 April, Wray was announced as a support act for

' concert at the Forum Theatre in Melbourne, held in support of the band's live album named after the venue. The one-off concert took place on 21 April 2021. On 22 April, Wray announced her first east coast tour, in support of the single "Never Gonna Be the Same". Throughout April and May, Wray supported

alongside

Alice Ivy Annika Schmarsel (born 8 July 1993) known by her stage name Alice Ivy, is an Australian electronic musician and producer. Alice Ivy was the winner of the 2016 Triple J Unearthed Listen Out competition. She has released two studio albums: '' I'm ...

on their national Live in Life Tour. On 4 May, "Work for Me" placed second in the Performance category at the 2021 iteration of the International Songwriting Competition. On 2 June, Wray was announced as a nominee for Breakthrough Independent Artist of the Year at the 2021 AIR Awards;

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream or commerci ...

band

Spacey Jane Spacey Jane are an Australian indie rock band from Fremantle, which formed in 2016. The group consists of Ashton Hardman-Le Cornu (guitar), Caleb Harper (vocals, guitar), Kieran Lama (drums) and, since 2019, Peppa Lane (bass guitar). Their debu ...

were later announced as the recipient of the award on 5 August. On 3 June, Wray released the single "Needs". On 13 September, "Work for Me" was shortlisted for Best Song at the

. On 4 November, Wray was announced as a

support act A opening act, also known as a warm-up act, support act, or supporting act, is an entertainment act (musical, comedic, or otherwise), that performs at a concert before the featured act, or "headliner". Rarely, an opening act may perform again a ...

for the Oceanian leg of Melbourne musician Vance Joy's 2022 Long Way Home Tour, alongside

Thelma Plum Thelma Amelina Plumbe (born 21 December 1994), known professionally as Thelma Plum, is an Aboriginal Australian singer, songwriter, guitarist and musician from Delungra, New South Wales. Her father is renowned lore-man Paul Winanga-li Gii Spear ...

Middle Kids Middle Kids are an alternative indie rock band from Sydney, Australia. The band consists of Hannah Joy (lead vocals, guitar, piano), Tim Fitz (bass, backing vocals, production) and Harry Day (drums, backing vocals). Since forming in 2016, the b ...

and Budjerah.

2022: ''Stay Awake''

On 19 January 2022, Wray was announced as one of the performers at the

2022 Australian Open The 2022 Australian Open was a Grand Slam tennis tournament that took place at Melbourne Park, Australia from 17 to 30 January 2022. It was the 110th edition of the Australian Open, the 54th in the Open Era, and the first Grand Slam of the ye ...

. On 30 March, Wray premiered the single "Rerun" on

's ''Good Nights'' program with

Bridget Hustwaite Bridget Hustwaite (born 10 April 1991) is an Australian radio presenter, television presenter, journalist, author, and health activist. Her debut book, ''How to Endo'', which chronicles her experiences with endometriosis, was released on 2 Mar ...

. "Rerun" was released later the same day. Alongside the release, Wray announced a four-date residency at the Gem, in

Collingwood, Victoria Collingwood is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3km north-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Yarra local government area. Collingwood recorded a population of 9,179 at the 2021 cen ...

, which were scheduled to take place on 14, 21, and 28 April, before they were ultimately cancelled due to "unforeseen circumstances". On 10 August, Wray's single "Evidence" was premiered on ''Good Nights'' with Bridget Hustwaite, before being released the same evening. In November 2022, Wray announced the forthcoming release of EP ''Stay Awake'', scheduled for release on 10 February 2023.

Personal life

Wray currently resides in

, Victoria, with her partner Drew Hammond.

Discography

Extended plays

Singles

As lead artist

As featured artist

Guest appearances

Filmography

Television

Music videos

Concert tours

Headlining

* Northcote Social Club Residency Tour (2021) * Never Gonna Be the Same Tour (2021) * The Gem Residency Tour (2022; cancelled)

Supporting

* Live in Life Tour –

(2021) * The Forum Concert –

(2021) * Long Way Home Tour – Vance Joy (2022)

Awards and nominations

AIR Awards

! , - ! scope="row",

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...

, Herself , Breakthrough Independent Artist of the Year , ,

International Songwriting Competition

! , - ! scope="row", 2021 , "Work for Me" , Performance , ,

Music Victoria Awards

! , - ! scope="row" rowspan="2",

, "Work for Me" , Best Song , , , - , Herself , Best Solo Artist , ,

Telstra Road to Discovery Program

Wray (alongside fellow Sunshine Coast resident Andrew Redford), was named as one of ten finalists for the 2012 Telstra Road to Discovery talent development program on 3 December 2011, before being announced as the winner of the People's Choice Award on 13 February 2012. ! , - ! scope="row", 2012 , Telstra Road to Discovery Program , People's Choice Award , ,

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wray, Mia 1995 births 21st-century Australian singers 21st-century Australian women singers Australian blues singers Australian folk singers Australian folk-pop singers Australian indie pop musicians Australian soul singers Australian women pop singers Australian women singer-songwriters Bedroom pop musicians Ivy League Records artists Living people Musicians from Queensland Singers from Melbourne