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Miranda Vettrus grew up in an amusement park, makes horror movies with her younger sister, Mariah and writes Go Go's inspired songs at 3 in the morning. By the age of 5, Miranda had already jumped off a 100 foot crane thrill-ride dubbed the Sky-coaster dozens of times. She's written dozens of songs and continues to grow her catalog by the day.
Her spark for singing was ignited at the mature age of three, when she was brought up on stage at church to sing with her mother. She never looked back, and for the next six years, sang and played piano at church, performed at fairs and festivals included her family's amusement park, and sang with the Willamette Girlchoir, an all-girl choir based in Salem, Oregon. “I first saw Miranda perform with the Girlchoir, and I was blown away by the pipes on this little girl,” said music producer Jason Carter. “She stood out like a shining star.”
Two years later, Carter saw her performing solo at a Salem festival, and asked her parents if they’d like to bring her into the studio. The minute she stepped into the vocal booth, Miranda said, “I felt right at home." The two started production on her first demo.
“I was nine years old when I decided I wanted to be a singer,” said Miranda. She plays the piano and guitar, and writes most of her own songs. “In the middle of the day, I’ll get an idea…I'll just set everything aside and start writing (which has got me into trouble at school a few times!)” she added. “Pretty soon, my scribbled out ideas turn into a song”.
Her music inspiration comes partly from her mom, church and from her father’s record collection, which includes everything from rock bands like Boston, Blondie and Pink Floyd to country artists like The Oak Ridge Boys and Johnny Cash. "She'll grab a record, lock herself in her room, and learn it note-for-note on her guitar," said her dad, Tom Vettrus.
Currently, Miranda leads the music team at her church in Salem. She continues to perform live both solo and with a band. Performance highlights from the past two years include opening up for country star Billy Dean in Albany, Oregon to a crowd of over 5000, performing for Oliver North, singing the National Anthem opening for Sara Evans, and making a special guest vocal appearance with Gospel Hall of Famer, Larry Norman. In July of 2006, Miranda won first place in the country music category at the USA World Showcase in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Her other interests include catching salamanders, playing basketball, and hanging out with her pet goats. “My guitar’s become my prized possession, then my Mac laptop,” Says Miranda. “I love singing and performing. I hope to be doing this for a long time!"
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