Raised in Austin, Roy grew up studying classical music becoming a talented vocalist and pianist at an early age. While in college she discovered her knack for songwriting, which led her to Nashville where she received honorable mention in numerous songwriting and performance showcases.

Throughout her career, she has sung and recorded in an array of genres including blues, jazz, classical, Christian, Broadway and country, although her songwriting has mostly revolved around a traditional country sound.

She recently released a new single titled “Angel” and is in the process of recording and releasing a new album. I sat down with Roy to talk about how she got started in music, her songwriting and her new single, “Angel.”

How did you get started writing music?

I started when I was eight years old playing piano and classical music. Then throughout high school I began writing poems, but I really got into songwriting when I moved to New York to study classical music. That’s when I realized songwriting was a hidden talent of mine and I just went full force with it from there.

How do you approach writing a song?

A lot of people ask me if I come up with the lyrics first or the music first, but I think they both just come to me at the same time. I can’t write lyrics and then write the music. Like for instance, I wrote my new single “Angel” about a real bad situation and the music and lyrics popped into my head at the same exact time.

What can fans of your music look forward to from your new album?

I think it’s really heart felt and a lot of what it is about is other people’s heartache and situations. At this point in my career, I want to write songs that are not always directed toward something that happened to me, but something that happened to somebody else and it becomes something they feel they can listen to over and over again because it makes them relate to the songs and feel better about their own situation. I want people to listen to it like they are reading a book-where it has a beginning, middle and end to it.

What is the biggest challenge for you as a singer when it comes to performing these different styles?

When I first moved to New York, I was completely classical, so when I tried to sing R&B people would tell me I sounded to much like an opera singer and I needed to listen to such and such an artist, so I could get the sound down, but I think it’s just about relating to each and every genre of music and putting my heart and soul into it and not designating myself to one particular genre.

Why have you decided to infuse your faith into your music?

When I first went to Nashville I was just performing Christian music and I found that the Christian community and country music community were really intertwined and that made me comfortable writing country music because they weren’t afraid to talk about their faith in their songs and say that they were believers. To me, it’s very important to include that message in my music because it is part of who I am.

What is the best compliment you’ve ever received concerning your songwriting?

When I wrote Christian music a lot of people would come up to me and say they were a believer in Christ and they came to the lord because of my music and it always meant a lot to me to know that I had touched someone’s life in a special way. I feel that every artist should strive to make a difference in people’s lives through their work.

What was the inspiration behind your new single “Angel"?

I wrote “Angel” as a tribute to a family who just lost their son to suicide and since then they have created a foundation for suicide awareness. His death has been a huge inspiration to me and I am glad that the song can now bless their family. They can now listen to the song and know that I wrote that because of their son…I’m at a point in my career where I want my music to benefit something, so whatever proceeds I earn through the sale of the song is going to go towards the foundation the family has started for suicide victims. The song will be available on iTunes in a few weeks to download. The next thing I do might go toward domestic violence because I want part of whatever I do to go toward something that will benefit other people. It’s not so much about me anymore it goes beyond that.

What is in store for the future?

I have been working with a great producer on my new album and I also have an entertainment attorney who is working on getting publishing rights for my songs and broadening my audience. I haven’t really focused on the area I live in for a long time because I always felt I had to be in Nashville to perform my music, but that is not true because there is a huge fan base for my music right here, so I am hoping to get out and perform more around the region and start building my fan base in the area.

To learn more about Mimi Roy, visit: www.myspace.com/mimiroysong