Mia Wray

Drawing from the songcraft of Bob Dylan, the Beatles, and Paul Kelly, along with more recent acts such as Gabrielle Aplin and Florence + the Machine, Australian artist Mia Wray channels a potent melodic streak into her sincere and perceptive adult pop. After a handful of early EPs and soundtrack placements, she stepped out on a label with the introspective, pop-leaning Stay Awake EP in 2023. Follow-up releases including the 2023 single "Monster Brain" and 2024's "What If" signaled further work on the horizon.

Born and raised in Noosa, Queensland, Mia Isobel Wray-McCann took up piano at age 11 once her family installed her grandfather's inherited instrument in her bedroom. Songwriting came soon after, and she later mastered guitar via online tutorials. A publishing deal arrived when she was only 16, followed by the July 2014 release of her self-titled debut EP, produced by Greg Walker (also known as J. Walker and Machine Translations), which registered on streaming charts in the singer/songwriter category. The next project, April 2016's Send Me Your Love EP, was tracked in Nashville with Brad Jones (Josh Rouse, Missy Higgins). By that point based in Melbourne, Wray had already logged years of solo gigs at bars, country clubs, and similar venues. In 2018 she added the track "Where I Stand" to the soundtrack of the romantic film Midnight Sun, appearing alongside WATERS and lead actress Bella Thorne, among others.

Wray waited until 2020 to unveil her first official single, the assertive, blues-infused "Work for Me," driven by stomping drums and a supporting chorus. Ivy League Records signed her in early 2021, the same year she earned several industry award nominations and finished second in the International Songwriting Competition. Her label debut arrived with the February 2023 Stay Awake EP, a set of sleek yet gritty self-examining pop produced by Rob Amoruso (Sappho, Shannen James) and Pip Norman (Troy Sivan, Shannen James). In between she toured alongside headliners including Vance Joy and Maisie Peters.

Just months after Stay Awake appeared, Wray began a run of new material with "Monster Brain." Subsequent offerings included 2023's "Tell Her" and the following year's "What If."