“I’m in the process of brainstorming and assessing what’s happened, learning to be more intentional. So much of what’s happened so far has been very on the fly, just me trying things, but they have real consequences, like for example, calling myself “Latina Bedroom Pop Princess.” Miranda Del Sol acknowledges.
“I’m practically a figment of your wild imagination
A product of you saying all your daily affirmations
Manifestations and lots of waiting
I really taught you how to exercise your patience.”
Miranda Del Sol’s opening verse of single Supply, and Demand, which nestled its way onto the widely popular app Tik Tok. Finding a home inside Twilight stans, Taylor Swift lovers, and the “anxious babes” side of the algorithm, this past year and a half, del Sol watched as her followers grew organically by creating and constantly posting. By finding her community within the Twilight series lovers on the clock app, she married her song Care About Me to the visual of Twilight and that started everything:
Viral posts, a boost in streams, a receipt list of comments explaining to del Sol how they “feel seen.”
She’s grateful for Tik Tok as it has led in the expansion of her music career, a feature in Glamour, placements on multiple editorial lists, and the pinning of the phrase, “Latina Bedroom Pop Princess.”
Since the very beginning of lockdown for the COVID -19 pandemic, the world has watched Tik Tok consume the lives of its users. As consumers we have watched Tik Tok transform the lives of artists, musicians, and creatives. It has birthed the careers of a new artist, resurrected the lives of vintage ones and has given unlikely success to a plethora of songs that “start as a joke.” There is no more downplaying or denying the power the app holds. As we all have also watched as it completely revamp how the music industry operates.
While many may think that after one goes viral netflix is ready to film a docusieres on one’s life, many forget that Hollywood “doesn’t call.” So while it may have been something worth striving for, many artists who are seeing a boost in publicity don’t know how to handle what comes next. That is where we see the artist who folds. This stage detangles artists with passion and then those with no real intentions of being more than just a tik tok star.
When virality happened for Miranda Del Sol, riding the wave of her success at first was easy. More streams, more views, and support. Figuring out ways to stay consistent, engage her growing audience, keep up with school work while simultaneously working on music takes a long time to get the hang of – and after a year since her first viral post – Miranda is still figuring it all out.
Originally from Miami, Florida, Miranda is of Cuban and Argentinian heritage. She spent her time as a child writing in her diary, listening to music about love, immersing herself in the world of Disney. “None of the main characters in these movies and these love stories that I loved looked like me. And so I decided I was going to be the main character in my own love story.” Miranda speaks.
Her diary entries then became choruses and hooks, verses to her songs, and stanzas to her poetry. Then, as a teen, she began learning how to record, produce, and play the guitar. “I wanted (my songs) to sound like real music. So I taught myself guitar and learned just enough to play the songs I wanted to play and write the songs I wanted to write.” She says.
As she grew more confident in her craft, she began exploring collaborations with the artists around her. One of those artists was a fellow singer-songwriter and producer Ayleen Valentine. “While we have been best friends for years, we have only recently decided to work with one another.” However, the dynamic duo proved to be long overdue. Miranda credits Valentine’s production skills and talents as inspiration to work on her production skills as well as a huge contribution to the success of her singles. Ayleen produced all of the singles del Sol has released thus far, including both Supply and Demand and Care About Me.
Now, 153,451 Spotify streams later for Supply and Demand and 664,474 streams total from only the combination of the three singles del Sol has posted on Spotify, is revisiting the foundation of her artistry, the message she wants to convey to the world, and regaining focus on her “why.” Miranda has found external validation but now wants to challenge how her audience sees her. By disintegrating stereotypes and limiting beliefs that govern Latinas in the pop music and entertainment spaces, she allows herself the opportunity to create her world and deconstruct her sound on her terms.
“I think that in our culture the way that we see women, and especially women of color, is so limited. Latinas are often seen as spicy and sexy and feisty; a lot of the Latinas in pop culture that came before me had to play that part. I’m trying to call attention to that part of my identity so I can recontextualize it. I’m creating my own world. That’s very much the tradition that I see myself going in. Miranda shares and then says “it’s important that I’m in control of my narrative. When I’m writing my songs, I try to show all the different parts of myself. Sometimes I’m confident and insecure, angry and kind, they don’t have to cancel each other out. Why can’t a princess also be in control? Why can’t I like being feminine and girly and romantic and still be a businesswoman and own my masters?” She exclaims.
Miranda has noted she’s just someone who happens to make pop music in her bedroom right now and sees herself expanding beyond that. Her cultural influences and her bilingual abilities may lead her to release more music in Spanish but, so much more is planned for the budding singer-songstress. “I don’t know if the Latin pop princess thing is going to stick, if I want to embody that character for my whole life. But I do think that I’m always going to be concerned with deconstructing the concept of “latinidad” and “femininity” within pop. With plans for releasing her first EP in the works, more traditional singles are on the horizon for the singer. Miranda Del Sol is ready to grow as an artist and creative being.
She hopes that her garnered Tik Tok fan base and streamers of her music are excited as she now focuses on exploring her intersecting identities, the slaughter of outdated beliefs, and release of quality musical projects. Miranda del Sol plans to build the universe that she so much desired growing up. One where she could be soft, loving, cared for, bossy, and taken seriously, giving herself grace and room for change and evolution, hoping that her audience can do the same.
Find more of Miranda Del Sol’s music and socials below
While Ania Holland is an observant individual, she is a social butterfly at heart. Originally from South Jersey, she currently resides in Berlin, Germany. She is now completing her final semester at NYU and is present in an exchange program that will allow her to finish her degree at Humboldt University. Creating no matter the medium, Ania has learned how to use her voice, connect, and question the world – her experiences and through her mediums, she explains things as well enough as they make sense to her.
She is a musician, poet, avid journaler, master chef, and now founder of creative agency – Moon Trine Mars. With the intent of helping artists, creatives, and individuals expand – nurture and explore their identities and create narratives through literary, digital, and multimedia channels.
A self-proclaimed “word oracle,” she believes writing has helped her find autonomy and freedom. She believes that she can help others do the same by amplifying others’ and artists’ voices specifically. @Ania_Holland
More of Ania’s work in Mixed Mag:
Creating No Matter The Medium: IBI HAN’s Muse (Issue 10)
Music Memory: An Audible Diary (Issue 9)
A Blessing and a Curse to Understand; Activating Océane. (Issue 8)
Transforming Your Power: From XIMONE to Lord Scorpio (Issue 7)