This Kitchener, Ontario-based sister duo have a bit of a history as recording artists, having been the featured vocalists on 2Rude’s Juno winning song Thinkin’ About You in 2000 (Best R&B/Soul Recording) and Maestro’s 416/905 (T.O. Party Anthem) single released in 1998. After years of honing their skills they step out as feature performers with the release of their new single Speed of Love – the hypnotic dance remix of the song by acclaimed Hip Hop producer Dub J, the supremely talented sisters continue to prove they are endlessly talented and charismatic recording artists who make a truly lasting impression with music fans in Canada and beyond.
With a career that has seen them working as in-demand session singers for the better part of a decade and a half, including contributing their soaring vocals on projects by top Canadian R&B, Soul and Hip Hop artists such as Maestro, Snow and 2Rude, Mystic & Miranda felt that the seismic changes in the way music is created, sold and experienced has set the stage for them to confidently step forward and assert themselves as performers and songwriters who have something to say – something that is not only entertaining, but which is also powerfully energizing and encouraging for a world increasingly in need of joy, passion and love.
“In 2015 we finally decided it was time to do our own thing. So we released a single called Painkiller in January 2016 as a way of testing the waters. We found that there was a lot of interest both in Canada and internationally, especially from other producers looking to collaborate with us on our material,” said Miranda, the younger of the two sisters by a little over a year.
“We have been watching what has been happening in the industry and seeing all the opportunities that are opening up. There are so many different places where people can place their music now and so many new ways to promote it. When we first got started in the late 1990s as teenagers, there was a real old school mentality where you had to have a traditional record deal and everything had to be done in a certain way. But things have changed. With technology and new ways of delivering music to audiences it’s giving artists more freedom, and we like that.”
While the approach to recording and releasing music has changed, Mystic & Miranda have taken the refreshing approach of writing their own material. It’s music that hearkens back to the great soul and R&B artists of the past, with a modern vibe and spirit that is firmly on the leading edge of what is current and popular amongst the discriminating listeners of today.
“I think when people hear us it takes them emotionally to a familiar, happy place. They love the harmonies and the authenticity of our voices and the way we can convey real emotion and depth when we sing,” said Mystic.
Mystic & Miranda were raised in Kitchener-Waterloo by parents who moved to Canada from Jamaica. For as long as they can remember they were surrounded by love and by music. Their father, Eric Walsh, was a talented guitarist and songwriter who is a founding member of Canada’s popular and ground-breaking 1980s reggae act, Messenjah.
“We had a lot of exposure to music and the music business. We would sit in on rehearsals and go to a lot of shows. Besides immersing us in the reggae music of Bob Marley and Beres Hammond, our dad also made sure we heard some of the best soul and R&B singers as well, and I think that’s why we love outstanding vocalists so much, and why we have worked so hard to become the best singers we possibly can be,” said Mystic, who said that she and Miranda still count the likes of Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson as important, inspirational influences.
Word got out about the sisters by the late 1990s and they became very much in-demand as guest vocalists. In 2000 they were the featured singers on 2Rude’s hit single Thinkin’ About You, billed as Latoya & Miranda. The track won a Juno Award for Best Soul/R&B Recording. Prior to that, their voices appeared on Maestro’s 416/905 (T.O. Party Anthem) single released in 1998, and Miranda did some background vocals on Snow’s 2000 release, Mind on the Moon.
But the duo were not signed to any label as recording artists in their own right, finding that the industry at the time wasn’t keen on them writing their own material. So Mystic & Miranda continued writing on their own, and working recording sessions for other artists until they deemed that the timing was right for their kind of pop-infused, groove-oriented Soul/R&B music to be unveiled.
“We really specialize in melodious harmony. I think we have come up with a unique approach to doing pop/R&B music with traditional soul influences. I think what also makes what we do a little different is the emphasis we put on lyrics – the lyrical content has to be strong. The words have to make sense and must evoke emotions. As sisters we blend well together and we love experimenting with different vocal harmonies,” said Mystic.
Speed of Love is the epitome of Mystic & Miranda’s songwriting excellence, combining their breathtaking harmonies, with an insistent groove and memorable melody that is enticing to anyone who hears it.
“We love the concept of the power of love and how it can overtake and overwhelm us. It’s not something you can master or predict. There are people who think love is overrated or is simply another emotion that can be controlled. But it can’t. If you think you can, then you haven’t really known love,” Miranda explained.
Possessed of an innate elegance, class and charm – tinged with just the right amount of spitfire attitude – Mystic & Miranda are now ready to step out on their own to win fans and admirers with their positive personalities, the power of their unrivalled voices and their soulful, thought-provoking songs.
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