Africa Miranda

www.covemagazine.com

I was interviewed by Cove Magazine and gave feedback on my Grammy experience as well as some of my musical influences.








- Cove Magazine/April 2007

It's her Grammy Moment and she's needs your vote to sing with Justin Timberlake!

I had the pleasure of interviewing Africa Miranda about her journey to the Grammy stage. She's sweet and personable and her spirit is a great as her voice!


MELODY: First, if you wouldn’t mind, telling some of the readers a little bit about yourself, who is Africa Miranda? Which I must say is just a beautiful name.
AFRICA: Thank you, and yes, [laughs] I’m so glad you put that in there, yes that is my real name, because that’s such a big question that everyone thought that was my stage name. But my real name is Africa Miranda. I’m originally from and born in born in Boston, Massachusetts, but raised in Montgomery, Alabama, so that’s what I call home. I’ve been in New York for almost the last four years, I’m recording, writing, and performing a lot the last year, and just working on my craft and hoping for a big break like this and it’s happened. So, here I am.

M: How long have you been pursuing music professionally?
A: Well professionally I would probably say 5 or 6 years, because right before I moved to New York I was in Montgomery, which is only a couple of hours from Atlanta, I was going up there, meeting with producers doing some recording in Montgomery and Atlanta, but when I got the opportunity to move to New York I jumped at it. Because, it’s one of those things where you get to do it on the big stage, then that’s where you want to go. And so when I got here, that’s just where I’ve been going for a while.

M: So we’re going to fast forward to today and we’re in the My Grammy Moment Contest, how did you find out about it?
A: Well it’s kind of a funny story, I saw the story online, didn’t think anything of it and the same day one of my great friends that I grew up with and also one of my line sisters, both sent me messages saying “there’s this contest…you should enter” and so when I’d seen their messages and I’d just seen the story, I said let me look at this again, I got home and I was reading over the Yahoo website about the contest, I’m thinking to myself I have a webcam so what do I have to lose. So I clipped it to the top of my laptop and uploaded the video and here I am.

M: Did you imagine you make it to the top 12, let alone the top 5?
A: It’s one of those things where as far as my talent and drive, I deserve to be here, I deserve to be in the 12, I deserve to be in the 5, I think I deserve to be in the three and I deserve to win, but you just never know when you do these things, how it’s going to go. Especially since with the first group of 12 videos, judges had to pick, it wasn’t by public vote, so you don’t know if you what they are looking for or if there going to like how you sound. So once I made it to the top 12, I was like “Wow, that’s a great thing” and once I got to the 12 I felt like I had just as much of a chance as anybody else.

M: You definitely do, you’re so amazing, you voice is beautiful, it’s great to see you come so far, so how are you feeling right now?
A: Actually, it’s everyday is different, so you’re excited, you’re nervous, you’re anxious, then other moments you’re really calm. I just feel like it’s a blessing. And they say what God has for you, it’s for you. And I think that this is a great example of that because for something just as small as me uploading a 60 second video clip has turned into this in a matter of a month. If someone would have asked me if I thought all of this would happen, I mean today I am in People Magazine. Who would have ever imagined that, so I am enjoying every moment of it and I just know that there’s just more to come.

M: How was it meeting Justin Timberlake?
A: Oh my God, I officially have a crush now. I mean you see him and you get to see the energy he gives off and see him in interviews and videos, but once you meet him in person, he’s just as funny and nice and personable as he comes off. I’m even a bigger fan now than I was before, he’s amazing. He plays piano, he plays the guitar, he dances, he sings. It truly was a show and I have so much respect for him, you know even more that I did before as an entertainer.

M: Speaking of piano, you play the piano and violin as well, right?
A: I did growing up and when I was younger, I began playing violin when I was four and then I picked up the piano. Now I can still kind of peck at it when I write, I definitely don’t play like I used to, but I can peck it when I’m writing and stuff like that. But that’s actually my resolution this year is to get back to playing on a regular basis.

M: So tell what it would mean to you to win, be on the Grammy stage singing with one of the hottest artist in the world?
A: It’s one of those things where you work so hard for something and to have that chance, it’s like I tell people, I don’t look at it as the end of the contest, I look at it as the true beginning of my career. Because you’re on that stage, it’s broadcasted over the entire world and fo - www.pop-junkie.com

www.mimimagazine.blogspot.com

If you don't know Africa Miranda's name right now, you will by the time the GRAMMYS air this February. A native of Montgomery, Alabama, the Cape Verdean beauty was selected as one of the Top 12 finalists in the "My GRAMMY Moment" campaign, where unsigned artists vie for a special performance slot on the 49th Annual GRAMMY Awards with multi-GRAMMY nominee Justin Timberlake. Africa's goals for the future are to be internationally recognized as a performer as well as to work with artists who have paved their own paths musically and reshaped their genres of music, some of her top choices being: Prince, Sade, Pharrell, Madonna, and Andre 3000. Africa also wishes to demonstrate her range in the performing arts by successfully crossing over into film and television. MIMI is definitely rooting for the rising star.
- MIMI Magazine

MUSIC AT S.O.B.s


Africa Miranda, a top 3 Finalist “My Grammy Moment Competition,” who has opened for Akon at Troy University Spring Concert, performs with the “The James Gang” at S.O.B.’s in New York City May 23rd – hosted by Eric Roberson, Music by The Collective.

“I've been working very hard the last few years developing my craft: recording, songwriting, performing---and now thanks to the exposure I've gained from being a finalist in the My Grammy Moment competition, there are so many doors and opportunities open to me,” she tells The Black Star News.

This Cape Verdean beauty’s musical styling is edgy R&B that flirts with Hip-Hop and Rock influences. Quickly nudging her way to the front and center of attention, Africa’s infectious energy and sound will keep her name in anyone’s mouth after just one listen and look.

Songs like “All I Need”, a mellow, vocally stimulating track asking for a genuinely loving man and “I Like It”, a mid-tempo cut with an infectious melody are flowing with sincerity and earnestness sure to resonate with music lovers of all ages and races.


Africa’s music is weaved with an eclectic range of musical influences such as Mariah Carey, Annie Lennox, R. Kelly, and Chaka Khan.


Doors open at 7 PM and the show starts at 8PM. Sounds Of Brazil is located at 204 Varick Street, at West Houston (212) 243-4940.

For more about Africa Miranda please visit:
www.africamiranda.com
www.myspace.com/africamiranda
www.youtube.com/africamiranda

- www.blackstarnews.com