My name is Mia Ayana and I’m a singer-songwriter. Born and raised in a small town in Mississippi, I left the South about five years ago to pursue career and music goals. Today I live in Los Angeles.
I just released my latest project My Way, a compilation of four songs that tell the story of my younger self and my journey of finding direction amidst a whirlwind of vulnerable, real-life experiences. Today, I’m excited to share a conversation with We Plug Good Music, providing insight on my brand new project and its inception.
The My Way project tells the story of my younger self, a hopeless romantic chasing love without knowing what it was. A love that was unrequited. Mistaking love for lust, accepting the bare minimum when I deserved so much more… so complacent and uninformed. All the right intentions for the wrong people.
The rejection never deterred me because I’ve always been one to persevere, until I had things My Way… easy and simple. Pure love was what I needed. But what I failed to realise, at the time, is that the person I needed it from was staring right at me in the mirror.
I’d neglected her. Forgotten her. My biggest mistake was letting myself down. Funny that while lost in others, I somehow found My Way again — stepping into my highest self and rising to my fullest potential. I wish I could’ve seen the me I am now back then. Thankful for growth.
This project started merely as voice recordings on my phone. I sang and hummed acapellas for everything but “Rise” and the producer(s) that I worked closely with conceptualized exactly what I had in my mind, bringing this project to life as organically as possible.
It was all written during the brink of the pandemic, from June to December 2020. The original title of this project was Gemini, with seven songs describing my indecisive nature as a Gemini. I wanted to release it on my birthday, June 2021, but things worked out differently. Instead, I chopped it in half and My Way came to light!
Once the beats were finalized, I started recording, but there was a period where nothing sounded quite right. So I rewrote and re-recorded each of these at least five times. My voice was growing, my song-writing was evolving… I was growing as a woman and I wanted the final product to convey that. I can proudly say that it does.
It’s been amazing to witness and reflect on the correlation of growth… The more I’ve focused on my growth – mentally; spiritually; emotionally and physically – the more my music has developed significantly. While it’s been a journey, I now lean on my art to provide an accurate image of who I am.
Through my music, I’ve found a new clarity of self, coming into my own woman and truly defining Mia Ayana – both as an artist and a woman. I’ve been writing my entire life. Singing, too, but not in the same capacity.
Combining the two has been extremely therapeutic and has ultimately been a major factor in my personal development. Dealing with the challenges of my voice, my writing, support (or lack thereof from peers), this journey has really tested me in so many ways and I’m grateful for all that is to come, regardless of what it is.
My new EP, My Way, is available everywhere now! I hope that when listening, you can resonate with my experiences and reflect on what having things your way means to you. May you find strength in persevering until things are exactly how you envision them, while evolving through it all.
Listen to My Way below, or stream it here.
