Miranda Dawn

I heard about Miranda before I met her, and I had all these preconceptions about what I thought she’d be like. None of the things I’d heard had been remotely negative- so of course I thought she was too good to be true. Maybe she had some big obvious flaw. They said she was a singer/songwriter from Wichita trying to make it in Nashville. I thought she’d be a brave soul. They said she was probably one of the nicest people I’d ever meet. I thought southern hospitality had rubbed off on her. They said she was technology savvy. I thought she was determined to reach and befriend as many people as she could. For once, my presumptions were correct.
Miranda Dawn McKellips bounces into The Alibi Room with long, dark, voluminous locks, a huge smile on her face and her phone in hand. She tosses her bag on the bar and sweetly orders a drink. I am intrigued, and although I know a little bit about her, I’m still not quite sure what to expect once we get to talking. I soon find out that she is a writer’s dream. This girl is spitting out quote after beautiful quote and I have to slow her down at one point b/c I am hanging on every word. I wish I could write faster.

For more on Miranda Dawn’s take on life, visit www.nakedcitymag.com/culture.html.

We were in a very casual setting, and thus casual conversation followed suit. As Jason Fortune and Miranda McKellips smoke all my cigarettes, (Jason gave me his lighter in thanks at the end of the night) I write as fast as I can, taking note that even though she holds a smoke in her hand, she rarely raises it to her lips. That must be how she preserves her intriguing voice! Of course she is engulfed in a provoking thought process in which she speaks aloud her motivation to keep on keepin’ on in Nashville, even though times are tough. She works at a bar by the name of The Broadway Brewhouse and Mojo, and she throws her head back in laughter as she tells us the bar’s motto. “The liver is evil and should be punished!” She has surrounded herself with positive people trying to do the same thing as she is; her co-workers at the bar laugh together when they get a less than acceptable tip. “Living the dream,” they say together, “Living the dream.”
But really, she is living her dream. She has always wanted to sing, and it all started when she performed for herself in front of the mirror in her bedroom when she was little. She sang with a band here in Wichita for a while, and then decided to make her move to the big city. Since then, she’s learned a lot about life and what it takes to accomplish your goals. Her parents have been there every step of the way, never letting her lose sight of those goals. She knows it’s hard work, but she never expected it to be easy. There are times when she doesn’t know where her rent money will come from, much less funds to do anything else. She recognizes that good gigs aren’t going to fall from the sky, and that’s why she performs for free sometimes; to gain recognition. Some people ask her why she puts herself through such rough times, and she responds carefully, “I ask myself, ‘Would I be happy if I weren’t doing this?’ and I know deep down I wouldn’t be.” She doesn’t want to live with regrets that there was something she always wanted to do and was so passionate for, but never tried for fear it would be too difficult. She says there is beautiful desperation in the love of her craft, because even though it calls for hard times, you put yourself through them because you’ve made up your mind and you know you’re where you’re supposed to be. You have such passion for it, and at that point there’s no stopping you. She says you have to sacrifice, but it’s satisfying all at the same time. She admits that this is her greatest love, but points out that it is indeed fickle. Can you see why my hand is cramping? I thought it was supposed to be a quick meet and greet, but we end up chatting for almost two hours. Should have brought the tape recorder.
She never loses her fun streak throughout our entire conversation, and when she and Jason decide to go down the road of Patron shots, I don’t envy the burning sensation they’re about to endure. Shots are definitely not my thing, but Miranda stops mid-sentence, throws hers back, contorts her face, and picks up where she left off. Jason’s puckered face lasts a bit longer than Miranda’s.
“Sometimes you just have to suck it up!” Miranda laughs at Jason’s expression.
Then we get on the topic of what it was like starting out in Nashville. Despite a lot of roadblocks, Miranda specifically remembers those people who were a bit more experienced than herself and were willing to give her a tip here and there because they remember what it was like being in her position.
“Not knowing anything and having all these big dreams can come to an interesting fork in the road, but Nashville is full of people who are willing to help you choose the right path.”
Because of these people she’ll always want to help others who are just starting out.
“It’s a tough thing to go through, and I will make it easier on anyone I can,” she vows.
On the flip side, she notes, there are also plenty of people out there trying to scam you and make a quick buck, so you have to know your surroundings and get a good feel for who is trustworthy.
If she has any more growing up to do, she’s certainly having a good time doing it. Loving the simple things in life and knowing that she’s living her dream daily brings that satisfaction few know well. She agrees that when you’re in the profession you’re truly meant to be in, it feels like you never work a day in your life. And she likes big hand bags, loves her friends and family, and if someone were to give her an odd nickname, she’d want it to be Lloyd. I guess you’ve got to have what it takes to make it, and I think that includes a laid back personality so you can take life as it comes at you. I only sat and talked to Miranda for a couple hours, but in that short time I felt re-motivated, re-invigorated, and confident that I was sitting with a real, live, Wichita born-Nashville talent.