Up and coming: Holly Miranda

What's the story?

Brought up in a strict religious household in Tennessee, Miranda gained her first exposure to secular music by sneaking a listen to her sister's contraband rock collection. "I was the only one who knew about her CDs because she'd been paying me in quarters to go out to the mailbox and collect them," she says.

How did she get started?

Everything clicked when she learned to play guitar, then followed her sister to New York where she started performing at open-mic nights and joined an indie rock band. "It was the first time I'd felt that energy that I'd been seeking out my whole life," she says. "I was always more mature than the kids my age and I felt I was spinning my wheels where I was."

Any releases?

She recorded one lost album for a local label with dodgy Mob connections but has bounced back with The Magician's Private Library, produced by Brooklyn honcho Dave Sitek of the band TV on the Radio.

What other folks are saying:

"Miranda has a bright, dexterous voice and writes smart songs about romantic strife and rapture" – Rolling Stone

Where can I hear more? www.myspace.com/hollymiranda

The Magician's Private Library is out now on XL Records