Star Light, Star Bright

Oct. 19, 2005

For years WKLT air personality Terri Ray has promoted the idea to the music industry that Northern Michigan is loaded with “stars.” She was instrumental in starting the Northern Michigan Rocks CD and competition, bringing label executives and even rock stars in to be judges. Her goal has always been for at least one person to hit it big, to sign that major recording deal and become a star who will shine their light on Northern Michigan’s music galaxy.
That star might just be Miriam Pico.
Pico was the winner of the 2005 Double Rock KLT Northern Michigan Rocks Challenge. Ironically Pico felt her melodic pop style wasn’t a fit and hadn’t planned to even enter the competition, but encouragement from her husband convinced her otherwise.
So when Miriam Pico takes the stage Saturday October 22 at the new Seattle’s Best Café (inside Border’s) at 11 a.m. and then later that night at Union Street Station, it will be because of some encouraging words given to her by her brother Cris 15 years ago when she was in the third grade.
“When I was in school I would purposely not sing my best. I didn’t want kids to think I was showing off,” said Pico. “Even at home I would go in the basement or the shower and sing thinking that no one could hear me. Well my brother heard me and told me that I could sing and that at the rehearsal for the school’s Christmas program I should let everyone know it.”

SINGING SOLO
Since that day Miriam Pico has been letting the world know that she can sing.
A 2001 graduate of Traverese City St. Francis High School, Pico started singing solos as a cantor at Immaculate Conception Church when she was 11. She also sang karaoke at Dill’s; her first song there “The Greatest Love of All” by Whitney Houston which Pico sang for a friend’s birthday. She nailed it and the crowd was blown away.
“Whitney Houston was the first person I tried to copy,” said Pico. “I had a copy of her cassette and wore it out trying to sing like her. I would listen to part of a song then sing it and then rewind it over and over until I thought I sounded like her. It was hard.”
The challenge for Pico is that she has a “perfectionist ear,” and that prevented her for a long time to even sing publicly.
“I am such a perfectionist that I just don’t like to sing something unless I have it right,” said Pico. “It is hard for me to listen to my recordings because I have such a critical ear and I am always listening for the flaws.”
Pico has been writing songs since her childhood (she was born in Puerto Rico and moved to Traverse City when she was three), but her perfectionist mentality had kept her for years from performing her originals.
“She really is a great songwriter,” said Chris Cooke of the band East Bay Blue (a band Pico occasionally sits in with). “She is an all around talent that is definitely going somewhere.”

CITY DREAMS
At 22, Pico has overcome at least some of her apprehension and has released her first album entitled “City Dreams,” which features 14 original songs. A particular favorite of hers and the audience is “El Amor De Mis Abuelos” (For the love of My Grandparents).
“My grandparents really do define what it means to truly be in love with another person everyday,” said Pico. “This song is my observation of their love for each other.”
Pico has hundreds of songs, songs she hasn’t looked at in years because she is constantly writing new songs.
“I guess a lot of songs that I wrote in my youth were love songs from a child’s perspective,” said Pico. “They probably wouldn’t be relevant today because of my lack of experience then. Anyways I write everyday because I believe it takes 50 bad songs before you write a really good one.”
One of those “good songs” is not on her current album but Pico plans to release it next year. It has become a crowd favorite and essentially her signature song. “Passing You By,” is a song that she wrote for herself about the days when she is apprehensive about pursuing her musical career.

“I’m through feeling sorry for myself
And keeping ambitions on the shelf
It’s up to me if these dreams are meant
to be
What good is grieving if your other
choice is believing in yourself
So while you sit alone and cry
Life is passing you by
Don’t let another day die
Life is passing you by”

“What is really rewarding about this song is inevitably after every performance someone comes up to me and says, ‘thank you I really needed to hear that song.’ It is nice to know that I am not alone out there,” said Pico. “I wrote it because I needed to give myself a kick in the butt.”

FAMILY SUPPORT
Pico feels blessed with all the support she has received to date. It is comforting for her to look behind her at each show and see her brother Cris on drums. She also credits her husband Josh and her mother and other family members for giving her support. But she is also very grateful for the support from the community.
“It has been wonderful,” said Pico. “I haven’t even sent out marketing packets and my phone is ringing off the hook. Everyone has been so supportive.”
Pico isn’t frustrated by the slow process of the music industry. Despite winning the KLT Rocks Challenge and receiving glowing reviews from the judges and record industry executives, she has yet to receive any offers.
“I am young yet. I have a lot to learn. Sometimes things happen too fast for people and it ruins everything,” said Pico. “I am happy to take it slow. I am taking piano lessons. I work on my voice everyday. I like this gigging stuff, writing out the set list. I just love to sing, so whatever happens from there, happens.”
So if life as singer/songwriter doesn’t work, what are your plans?
“I would become a missionary. In fact that is still something I want to do periodically throughout my life,” said Pico.
Every so often astronomers discover a new star among the infinite numbers that exist, the same might be said in the music business. In a galaxy of singers where everyone looks and sounds alike all of a sudden a “new star” appears. That new star is Miriam Pico who shines bright because she sings from her soul and writes from her heart.
Be sure to catch this rising star before she moves onto other galaxies. She performs this weekend at the Seattle’s Best Café in Borders on Saturday, Oct. 22 at 11 a.m. Later on that evening she takes the stage at Union Street Station bring a mix of her originals and wonderful renditions of covers by Janis Joplin and Aretha Franklin. For more information on Miriam Pico and her CD visit www.miriampico.com.