Mia Dyson

Mia Dyson (born 1981) is an Australian singer, songwriter, and guitarist. She shot to fame with her 2003 album Cold Water and her subsequent follow-up album, Parking Lots, which won "Best Blues & Roots album" at the 2005 ARIA Awards.

When queried by the Sydney Morning Herald on how she went from a settled family life, in the Victorian beachside resort town of Torquay to playing and singing blues and roots music she responded by saying:

"I don't know either, it's a testament to the power of music and how that whole childhood of being played what I consider incredible music seeped into my bloodstream. My parents were always playing the records of Little Feat, Bob Dylan, Ry Cooder, Bonnie Raitt, Neil Young, everything. Torquay is devoid of any artistic pursuits and had I only had that culture I'm sure I would not be playing music. I might have had more luck with the alcohol if I'd been left to the surfing culture."

"I went through my early teenage Nirvana, Pearl Jam obsessions and then I came back to the roots of this stuff and picked up the guitar. And I knew how to play these songs that I'd never learnt because I'd heard them so many times as a kid."

Mia's father is prominent Australian guitar builder and blues guitarist Jim Dyson.

"I guess now people are impressed how lucky I am to have a dad who makes such beautiful instruments," Dyson says. But as a child she was unaware of their potential. "It was only, 'Oh, don't they look beautiful' when he finished one," she says. "It was only around 16, 17, when I was able to think about the sounds and the different sounds I could get out of the guitars, the amps and pedals, that I got excited." Sydney Morning Herald

Following the 2003 release of Cold Water Mia went into a continuous touring schedule both in Australia and overseas. Taking in major festivals such as the East Coast Blues & Roots Music Festival, West Coast Blues & Roots Festival, Falls Festival, Womadelaide, NXNE in Canada and The Edinburgh Festival in Scotland.

2005 saw the release of her second album Parking Lots which resulted in Mia being nominated for "Best Female Artist" and "Best Blues & Roots album" at that year's ARIA Awards, for which she won the "Best Blues & Roots album" award.

The following year, 2006 Mia toured the USA and Canada, joined Frank Zappa's band The Mothers of Invention on stage at the Winnipeg Folk Festival, and supported Ani Di Franco in New York's Central Park. Also in 2006, Dyson was invited by Deborah Conway to take part in the Broad Festival project, with three other Australian female artists, they performed their own and each other's songs. With Dyson and Conway were Melinda Schneider, Kate Miller-Heidke and Ella Hooper.

In 2007, Mia supported Eric Clapton during his Australian tour in February to sellout crowds. She also had a guest appearance on Australian hip hop artist Urthboy's second album The Signal.

In 2009 Mia moved to the east coast of the United States to try to break into the American music scene. She toured continuously, playing clubs and festivals across the country and in 2010, moved to Los Angeles to work with Dave Stewart of Eurythmics. They produced a track together 'You and Me' which was part of an EP released in the US in April 2011. Mia opened for Stevie Nicks at the Santa Barbara bowl and Lake Tahoe, NV in late 2010 and then was asked to open a national tour for Chris Isaak. Mia began work on her 4th studio album 'The Moment' in late 2011. Produced by Erin 'Syd' Sidney and Patrick Cupples, the album was recorded in Ojai, California. A track from the sessions Tell Me, was released April 2012 to Mia's mailing list. The first single and video 'When the Moment Comes' was released in July 2012.