Photos by James Looker
Ottawa’s beloved Ana Miura has some news to share. She has captivated audiences since her 2005 EP, Tenacious Heart and now in 2017, she is releasing not just one, but two works of art over the coming months! Up first was the release, on July 21, of her 5th and newest album called, Something New. Up next, will be the delivery of a small bundle of joy whose “release” date is set for some time in September!
Ottawa Life caught up with Ana to discuss all the new somethings in her life these days.
Ottawa Life: I was surprised when I saw you had a new album. Have I been out of the loop or did you spring this on us unannounced?
Ana Mirua: Oh yes, I know. I was super-sleuth about it and staying well under the radar. However, after sitting on it, I decided now’s the time and “out it came”!
Funny that you just put it that way. I hear you are expecting your second child in September. Congrats! How are you feeling?
I’m feeling great rocking the Aquafit classes! And I highly recommend to anyone to space their children 15 years apart! [She says tongue-in-cheek with laughter.] But seriously, it’s all been truly wonderful. My son, Evan who is 15 now, is excited and looking forward to welcoming his new baby sister. Little kids like him. He’s a baby whisperer. This is going to be fun for the whole family!
Does he also get excited about your albums? Well yes. He is quite business minded these days and asked if I had any physical copies he could sell to his friends. Who knows, maybe I could get more fans down at the high school. Gotta nurture the new generation of fans! But no, I’m going green this time and only putting this out digitally.
That is interesting. Tell me more about “going green” and what that means to you.
Honestly, I personally do like physical copies of CDs. I own many. But living in a condo, I just don’t have space anymore. It seems more practical to go digital only. I know a lot of people are going this route and downloading their music to add to their personal playlists. Maybe someday I’ll do up a short run of 50 or 100. But right now, I didn’t want that to slow the process and really wanted to get the album out. I didn’t want to hold it back any longer.
Tell me more about the album, Something New. I know a lot has been happening in your life lately and I’m guessing you were inspired by that.
Yes, for sure. Things have been going really well in the past few years. I got married last year. I’m in a great spot and so happy. Also I’ve been working on the other side of the business over the past while, for festivals and for Folk Alliance International. I also work for a manager of a roster of international artists who is based in Ireland. So both my personal and professional lives have been amazing.
But I love creating music. It is part of who I am. I’m always writing so I put this collection of songs together and recorded it. That was made possible thanks to a grant from the City of Ottawa, for which I am thankful. So it got to the point that, ok now it’s recorded, what’s next? I considered the usual process of going to print and getting physical CDs done up – which is of course, a whole other expense. Then it occurred to me that it would be so simple to release it digitally. And since, I’m running out of time before my baby is set to join the world, it seemed that this was it. Now was the time.
So since you’re in such a great place, did you find it different to write from a more positive viewpoint or did that ever cross your mind?
It certainly has been a great few years. I did ask myself, can I write from a happy point of view? I have to say it was different and fun to write stuff when everything is going well. There’s no drama – Thank you, Universe! I’m curious how other songwriters deal with this and how they explore that side of things.
Well any writing you do is a personal artistic expression – the music comes from the heart. You are expressing where you’re at now. It’s like a diary.
The big reason I got into music as an art form was to connect with people and to deal with issues. Writing was always cathartic for me. The things I wrote about when I was a teen or in my twenties are very different from what I’m writing about now. (Thank goodness!) It’s been an interesting process to see how my way of writing has changed and how I’ve grown as a songwriter. My current personal perspective is very different from years past.
Do you cringe when you listen to your old material?
No, I mostly laugh! When I listen, I remember the feeling I had when I wrote those albums and songs. It was all coming from a true place. Listening to the older material is like looking at old photo albums. It conjures so many memories.
What about your Babes For Breasts project?
Last October was the 10th anniversary of B4B. It was such a huge honour. Amanda Rheaume who has been with B4B since its inception is touring now and I’m going to have a baby. So we’re taking a hiatus but we’re open to what could happen to the project in the future. It would be great if someone wanted to pick it up and run with it. The funds raised for the Ottawa Integrated Cancer Center have touched so many lives. B4B has created a community of musicians, audience members, charity fund raisers, patients, both women and men. At the heart of it, is that connection to the community. You know, it started off as a single event, but it bore fruit into multiple events and products. I never thought it would grow into a decade worth of shows. I have learned that, when you are giving to people, you invariably receive so much more in return than you ever imagined would come back to you.
Ana, you are a great connector. I’ve noticed this about you. People gravitate towards you like they are attracted to your positive energy.
Thank you. I do love people and love the role of being a connector. The world is so small anymore. Especially with technology, which seems to bring us closer, but does it really? Nothing beats human face-to-face contact. That’s where I like to be.
I was so pleasantly surprised to see this album come up. It is truly lovely. I’m glad you released it. Is there any particular song you like that you’d want to tell me more about?
Well, there’s the title track “Something New”. It’s about a new love and what it brings into your life. I actually wrote it a few years ago before I met my husband. It was about someone else who I thought would be The One. But it turns out he wasn’t it. But that’s ok because then I met my amazing husband. And the words still ring true.
There you go. One door closes and another one opens. The universe has a way of dealing with things. Thanks so much for sharing, Ana. We wish you all the best in your new journey as you expand your family.
Thank you, Anne-Marie. I’ll keep you posted on progress on that front!
OLM NOTE: Ana Miura’s new album, Something New is available at AnaMiura.com or at anamiura.bandcamp.com. Support your local artists!
