ON THE RISE
Mia Rago is a classically trained opera singer who makes music that on the surface is completely unrelated to that genre: indie pop. However, there is more overlap than one might realize. On her new single “The Shower,” Mia challenges all sorts of musical norms by crafting a break-up song that’s not sad but upbeat and 100% uniquely written and composed. Written from multiple personal experiences, Mia describes the song as a “big run-on sentence.” Post break-ups can be wrought with emotions and Mia aimed to capture all of them in a song that remained pleasing to the ear.
“I kind of wanted to capture that craziness of how love can make us feel insane sometimes.”
This single comes from Mia’s upcoming album Wishing We Could Dream which chronicles multiple situations throughout her life. By reflecting on them through her lyrics, she was able to craft a song that she hopes is relatable for listeners who’ve been through break-ups of their own. Connections like these are one of her favorite things about songwriting because individual experiences actually become shared experiences. And, while the experience may not have been the best, there's a certain comfort that comes from not going through it alone.
“I want people to be able to sing along with it because it is an upbeat song.”
The music video for “The Shower” releases on August 19th. Directed by Lindsey Torres, the video is simplistic yet still concept driven. Conceptually crafted through a joint effort between Mia and Lindsey, they wanted to depict situations that one might go through post-break up. This keeps the relatability factor Mia was going for intact.
Sonically, Mia aimed to make the song “playful.” After bringing the melody to her producer Megan McCormick and working with musicians, they created a song with prominent guitars and just enough drumming to give the song a uniquely light tone. The verses are the highlight of the track, with uniquely written lines where what sounds like the end of a sentence is actually the continuation of one.
As surprising as it may seem, Mia’s background in opera singing helped her sing this indie pop song. The various vocal techniques she learned from one world still applied to this one.
“...I was able to experiment with some of my vocal training…it was a lot of fun to sing really high in the chorus…my technique has helped me to be able to sing that chorus much better than I would have a few years ago.”
Mia hopes to continue bringing her two worlds together through her music. In the future, she plans to incorporate more classical and opera based elements into her music and bridge the gap between the two to expose more people to the beauty of the genre of opera.
“It's really all around us and I just don't think people pick up on it all the time. I would want to kind of show it to people and then they could connect it with something that they've seen. And then it kind of becomes more relevant that way. I feel like everyone could enjoy it, they just aren't looking in the right places.”
Mia’s previous single “All of My Scars” is a deeply personal and vulnerable story and is also available on streaming services now. She’s got even more singles on the way before releasing her album, Wishing We Could Dream, in 2025.
You can keep up with Mia on the following platforms:
ON THE RISE
.png)
Lettie Law is a vessel for God’s message and she spreads it through her music. She gives Him all the credit for the songs she releases, which she says come to her from Him directly. Her latest single, “Forward Ever Backward Never Jesus” is one that celebrates the ever lasting power she believes He has.
When I spoke to Lettie, I could feel how strong and at peace she was just from our conversation. She shared a variety of stories of her life with me and God was the constant throughout all of them. She has a writing process for her songs but as earlier mentioned, she always credits Him with giving them to her.
“I write songs as they come to me from the Divine. Something is whispering to me to tell me what to write, how to sing it and what instruments go with it. Sometimes I’ll get partial parts of a song gradually but for this song, everything came together at the same time. It all comes from Heaven and I give out what I receive from the Almighty.” she said.
Sharing God’s message is a part of every song Lettie releases but this one was specifically crafted to encourage people who are dealing with everything happening in the world today. Lettie sees all the turmoil people are going through in the world and wants people to know that they will make it through any situation they find themselves in.
“No matter what is going on in life at this current time, you can look to God. If yesterday was not good for you, you don’t need to look back. Look to God and there is no way He will not deliver you. Keep moving forward and doing your best and look to God.” she said.
Lettie believes that music and singing can bring people joy, hope, courage and also healing. The latter can come in the emotional sense but also the physical sense too. During our conversation, she shared a story about how one of her other songs, titled “Yaweh” had a large impact on someone’s life.
“My favorite thing about music is how it can be healing. Not all diseases are physical. A woman called me had shared how she had been dealing with insomnia for eight years and had taken all kinds of medication for it. But once she started listening to my song, she would sleep like a baby.” she said.
Lettie Law knows about the power of God and music from firsthand experience. She shared that while she enjoyed singing in front of the congregation at church as a child, this changed as she began to get older. She became more shy and reserved not just in church but in life and in general.
Her shyness and reluctance to sing became the catapult that would push her to sing as God wanted her to after she went through a life altering situation.
“I ended up getting sick and my son suggested I record one of the songs I had written in the books I had from years ago. But once I started recording more, the sickness left my body. But recording and singing in public are very different. So it became a tug of war between me and the Lord because He wanted me to sing publicly but I didn’t want to.” she said.
“A different situation happened and I ended up in a coma and I could hear various voices around me as I faded in and out. I thought I was dying but I woke up on this side and realized I was still alive. The Lord asked me ‘Are you ready to do My work now?’ And I said ‘Of course! I’ll sing in front of the congregation. I will tell my story to the world. Wherever you send me, I am going.’ And when I woke up, all my family members who I had heard while I was fading in and out apologized because I heard them planning for my funeral and things like that. So the Lord spared my life and I’m not shy anymore. The Lord gave me strength and I chose life.” she said.
As Lettie said, she truly did go wherever God sent her. She’s since sung at Boston College, in Connecticut, at churches and even a club.
“University students love Christ. They were singing and dancing and they wanted me to come back. In the club, people were drinking and smoking and couples were dancing and it was nice because everybody belongs to the Almighty. God sees a sinner and knows one day they will become one of His children.” she said.
Lettie Law is West African with her father being from Nigeria and her mother being from Cameroon. The range of the diaspora is felt throughout “Forward Ever Backward Never Jesus” whose production is far from traditional Gospel instrumentation and blends a variety of musical styles. The positive and uplifting atmosphere is felt through both the instruments and the lyrics.
For many Gospel artists, their foundation was laid by someone older than them that raised them in church and likely also had them singing in church as child. For Lettie, this person was her father.
“He played a very big role in introducing me to Gospel and the Almighty. He introduced me to reading the Bible and he and my Mom introduced me to reading hymns.” she said.
Lettie Law has a 10 track album coming soon which will include songs like “Prayer is a Masterkey” and “God is Our All in All.” Her journey with Gospel has encapsulated her whole life and her ongoing faith continues to motivate her to keep making more music.
“I am just a vessel for His word and His message.” she said.
“Forward Ever Backward Never Jesus” is available on streaming services now.
You can experience more of God’s messages through Lettie Law by following her on these platforms.
.jpg)
.jpg)
