Bio

Mia Johnson has been a Philadelphia-based singer, guitarist, and entertainer since the mid 1990’s. With her expressive, contralto voice and steady acoustic rhythm she keeps a full musical schedule performing venues, restaurants, senior living residences, and private events throughout the Delaware Valley. Although she’ll perform her original music on request, her extensive repertoire covers a wide selection of popular music encompassing the last hundred years up to present day hits and keeps a lively atmosphere to please every audience.

Born in Ann Arbor and raised in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Mia moved to Philadelphia permanently in 1995 where she has been a singer, acoustic guitarist and entertainer ever since.

Her love for music started from the moment of her earliest memories which are singing along with the songs of artists from her parents’ record collection such as Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Joan Baez and Gordon Lightfoot. She started classical piano lessons at the age of six, stuck with it for eight years, then switched to acoustic guitar at seventeen when her grandmother gave Mia her first, a classical Spanish guitar. Once she started playing open mics and small gigs she bought her first steel-string which is better suited to her energetic and rhythmic style of playing.

Throughout her twenties Mia wrote and performed mainly as an original artist releasing her first 7-song EP Access in1997. From 1997-2001 she maintained a regular touring circuit on the East Coast alongside percussionist Hoagy Wing whom she’d collaborated with on Access. In 2000 the duo released their 5-song EP Five For Freddy. In 2002 Mia formed the Mia Johnson Band with drummer Tom Walling, cellist Erin Ryan Barnes, bassist Jeff Hiatt and guitarist Rocco Decicco. The group performed extensively in Philadelphia area and NYC venues from 2002-2005, releasing Mia’s LP Driver in 2004.

Throughout her career Mia’s greatest passion has always been live performance. In 2006 she shifted her focus from writing and recording to performing full-time. Since then she expanded her cover repertoire to over 250 songs of various genres, eras and styles to be able to play for the greatest variety of audiences. Whether she’s subtly setting the atmospheric tone in a more subdued venue or performing center-stage, her style is always buoyant and engaging; intuitive and dynamic.

You will most often find Mia on her own with just her acoustic guitar and robust voice but she has also lent her talents to various recordings and live ensembles over the years. She’s been backing vocalist for the original band Steph Hayes and The Good Problems since 2005, lead singer of the Delco-based cover band Wrecking Ball since 2016, recorded with The Keystone Swingbillies in 2014 and performed as June Carter Cash in the The Johnny Cash Experience from 2007-2012.