Columbus’ Own: Miir comes to embrace her unique sound

Sophie Yates, Olivia Manettas, Andres Ibarra
Thu, 16 Dec 2021 02:49:48 +0000
Arts & Life, Columbus' Own, Instagram Page, Music, News, beyonce, Cbus own, Columbus, columbus musician, columbus' own, drummer, gospel, Greg Owens, greg owens drummer, guitarist, hip hop artist, hip hop musician, lyrics, miir, miracle mathis, motown, norah jones, personal lyrics, reminiscent vibes, reminiscent vibes vol 2, soul musician, sould artist, starving artist, vintage soul hip hop, vintage-soul, wib schneider, wib schneider guitarist

Mathis released her EP, “Reminiscent Vibes Vol. 2” on all platforms in March, which she said was a follow-up to her first project, “Reminiscent Vibes,” in 2017. She said although her projects helped her figure out her own unique style, she wasn’t always confident she would find her sound.

Vintage-soul artist Miracle Mathis, also known as Miir, said her music career has been a journey of gaining confidence and following her dreams.

Mathis, who was born in Indiana and moved to Columbus in 2003, released her EP, “Reminiscent Vibes Vol. 2” on all platforms in March, which she said was a follow-up to her first project, “Reminiscent Vibes,” in 2017. She said although her projects helped her figure out her own unique style, she wasn’t always confident she would find her sound.

“When I was growing up, I wanted to sound like Beyonce, so I would compare my voice to that and I would be like, ‘I can’t sing’, so I didn’t sing for years,” Mathis said. “It wasn’t until I was in musical theater and my one friend said, ‘You sound like the Black Norah Jones,’ and I was like, ‘Oh, OK,’ and then I looked her and other artists up, and I was like, ‘Oh, I do fit in somewhere.’ ”

Soon after the release of her 2017 project, Mathis said she recognized how unique her sound was and decided to create a new genre to classify her music.

“I made up my own genre back when I first dropped my project,” Mathis said. “I call it vintage-soul hip-hop because I have a very old-school soul because I was raised by my grandma, so I grew up listening to Motown, gospel, just old-school type of music.”

Mathis said she’s currently playing locally at different music venues around Columbus, but her ultimate goal is to eventually be able to support herself entirely through her music.

“I would call myself a starving artist right now because I’m still working a full-time job to support my dream, but it’s moving in a very good direction,” Mathis said.

Despite the financial struggles that come with being an up-and-coming artist, Mathis said being able to reach those around her with her music is what makes it all worth it.?

At one show, Mathis said she saw a fan crying and was brought to tears herself. She said all she wants is for people to feel her emotions when she sings.

“I’m happy, and the recognition I get from my fellow peers and also the people that I touch that listen to my music, it means a lot to me that they resonate with it,” Mathis said.

Greg Owens, a drummer for Mathis, said he has been working with her since 2017 and started playing in her band in the fall of 2020. He said Mathis stands out from other artists because of how personable she is as a person and performer.?

“She puts her heart and soul into her music, and it definitely shows, not just in her songs, but in a lot of performances — she has a quirky personality and she’s funny,” Owens said. “She puts her personality into performances and she’s a very social singer.”

Owens said he’s able to feel relaxed while working with her because she allows plenty of room for creative freedom.

“Her vibe is very easy to play and it’s smooth, and she’s always been open to different ideas with the band,” Owens said. “She’s very good and puts heart into the music and lets the band be free.”

Wib Schneider, a guitarist for Mathis, said he’s been playing with her for several years, having met when the two worked at Natalie’s Music Hall together. He said her music could be described as a neo-soul mix with some modern hip-hop sound.

“I think she’s very aware of melodies and hooks and things, and she’s very into the old style of songwriting, even though her music sometimes has a little bit more of a modern feel to it,” Schneider said.

Mathis’ music is unique from other artists due to the personal nature of her lyrics, Schneider said.

“I think her lyrics are pretty revealing if you listen to them, but not in an awkward way or anything, just in a way a lot of people can relate to,” Schneider said.