Miranda Sings

Miranda Sings
"Miranda Sings" performs at the Birdland Jazz Club in early 2009

Miranda Sings is an internet meme character created in 2008 by American comedian and singer Colleen Ballinger.[1] Ballinger displays videos of the comically talentless, egotistical and quirky character on her YouTube channel under the username mirandasings08.[2]

Ballinger created the character as a satire of the many videos posted on YouTube by bad singers, who nevertheless believe that this will lead to them breaking into show business. Beginning in 2009, in addition to her internet videos, which have received more than 18 million total views, Ballinger has performed cabaret acts, in character as Miranda Sings, at cabaret spaces and theatres in New York, London, and other cities in the U.S., Australia, Canada and elsewhere. Her acts often incorporate giving a "voice lesson" to a Broadway celebrity, reading hate mail directed to the character and singing while being stabbed through the neck.

Contents

Description

The character Miranda Sings is a satire of increasingly common YouTube videos featuring mediocre or even bad, but egotistical, singers who film themselves singing as a form of self-promotion, and who ignore the realistic or cruel comments of "haters" commenting on their videos.[3][4] "Miranda" is supposedly a woman in her twenties who lives with her mother in Tacoma, Washington.[5] She sings comically off-key, uses spoonerisms, is self-absorbed and has a sassy attitude.[6] The Times describes the character as "self-obsessed and immune to criticism".[3] She responds to viewers who take the videos seriously with the catchphrase, "Haters back off!", telling her critics that they are "just jealous" and that "haters make me famous".[7] The character displays facial traits such as unusually active eyebrows and a crooked smile. Her head is cocked to one side, and her pronunciation quirks include an emphasis on "m" and "b" sounds and the use of a prominent hard 'g' (in such words as 'singing' and 'song').[5] In place of lyrics that she cannot remember, the character "scat" sings.[8] She wears lipstick drawn beyond the borders of her lips, dresses in mismatched out-of-style clothing, and often dances stiffly to the music she is performing.[9]

Beginning in the summer of 2009, in addition to her internet videos, Miranda Sings has also performed a cabaret act at sold-out cabaret spaces and theatres in New York, London, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago, and Dublin, and cities in Australia, Canada and elsewhere.[10][11] In 2009, BroadwayWorld.com called her "the hottest, freshest and oddest breakout star in the musical theatre/cabaret scene".[12] In her cabaret act, Miranda typically sings several songs from the musical theatre repertoire as well as some current popular songs; gives "voice lessons" to Broadway or West End stars, such as Sutton Foster, Andrew Rannells, Shoshana Bean and to the Broadway casts of shows such as Bye Bye Birdie, Mamma Mia, Shrek, Billy Elliot (to which cast she also gave dance and acting "lessons") and Rock of Ages[5] in which she is critical of the stars' performances; sings one or more duets with established musical theatre singers;[13] reads "hate mail" that she has received on her YouTube channel; and sometimes improvises a song based on audience suggestions.[14][15] She performed two shows at London's Leicester Square Theatre in May and June 2010, where she gave "voice lessons" to, or performed, with London-based theatre stars, including Leanne Jones, Scarlett Strallen, Daniel Boys, Julie Atherton, Ian ‘H’ Watkins, Anna-Jane Casey, Jon Lee and Noel Sullivan.[16][17] Since the summer of 2009, Miranda Sings has also been featured in radio and television interviews where the broadcasters play along with the character.[6][18]

Miranda with former "boyfriend" Cheyenne Jackson in 2009

Miranda says that she not just a "triple threat", but a "four threat", because she "is also a model".[3][19] In October 2010 she asserted that she is a "five threat" talent, posting a video in which she performs magic in a comically inept way while singing.[20][21] A regular part of her cabaret act since October 2010 includes a magic trick where Miranda sings "opera" while appearing to be stabbed through the neck by a sword, often by her magician brother, Christopher Ballinger.[22]

In her cabaret act, Miranda states that she plans to perform the role of Elphaba in Wicked. During 2009, as an ongoing part of her act, she also stated that she planned to date Cheyenne Jackson (whom she does not realize is openly gay) or to find another boyfriend, but he must be talented and famous. She was photographed and videotaped together with Jackson at Broadway on Broadway 2009, confronting him about their "relationship", and finally receiving a "first kiss" from him.[23] In 2010, she stated in her videos and cabaret acts that Jackson is no longer her boyfriend (because he never called her for a date), and so she is seeking a new, famous, talented, handsome boyfriend, such as Zac Efron[24] or Justin Bieber.[25]

In December 2009, Miranda released a Christmas EP entitled "Christmas With Miranda Sings".[26] She next appeared at the 2010 Nightlife Awards[27] and was later a presenter at the CYT Directors' Choice Awards in La Mesa, California on August 4, 2010.[28] At the Rose Center Theater on October 2, 2010, she co-hosted a benefit concert, "Broadway Memories" (which included the Sutton Foster "voice lesson"), for the Alzheimer's Association and the Capistrano Center for the Performing Arts.[29] In 2010, Ballinger also established a YouTube video blog channel featuring Miranda Sings "discussing" various topics.[30]

Genesis of the character

Miranda's creator, Colleen Ballinger, based the character partly on young women that she knew in the performance department of her college, Azusa Pacific University.[5] She told The Times of London, "There were a lot of cocky girls who thought they were really talented, and they weren't. They were so rude and snotty, it drove me nuts. Then I saw all these girls trying to make a career out of putting videos on YouTube ... clueless to the fact that they were terrible. The characters were so ridiculous, I wanted to make one of my own."[3] At first, the "Miranda videos were meant to be an inside joke" among Ballinger's friends.[31] Ballinger designed the character to draw negative comments on YouTube: "People would make fun of my hair, and I made it worse.... I took what people hated and exaggerated it more in the next video."[32]

After Miranda videos first went viral by early 2009, Ballinger was not sure what to do with her newfound internet fame. She arranged her own appearances and publicity for the first nine months but realized that she needed a professional manager. Ballinger notes, "The fact that I went from making a minute-and-a-half video in my bedroom to doing an hour-and-a-half live show is just crazy".[31] Ballinger's first live performance as Miranda took place in the spring of 2009 when Jim Caruso invited her to perform as the character at Cast Party, a weekly show that he hosts at Birdland in New York City. Members of the Broadway theatre community became fans of the character and were eager to be a part of Ballinger's cabaret act.[31] The composer Lin-Manuel Miranda even made a mock audition video with Miranda.[33]

The Miranda character receives hate mail from viewers who are fooled by the character and believe that they are watching a serious video by a bad entertainer. Ballinger told Back Stage, "It's sort of like an Andy Kaufman thing. You wouldn't believe the hate mail. ... You would never say that stuff to someone's face, but you can type anything online."[5] The Times commented, "there is another, sweeter side to her travails. Miranda loves singing and, despite – or perhaps because of – the satire, becomes an evocation of something all humans love to do and have done since before we discovered language. The very act of singing, however dire the sound, makes us feel good."[3] In April 2010, Ballinger submitted an audition to the TV show Glee "in character" as Miranda. She says that the show is causing a resurgence, in this couch potato age, of interest in singing in schools: "Everyone is talking about Glee and choirs and musical theatre, igniting a flame that has been dimmed for a long time. ... Live performance and musical theatre were almost a lost art ... people need to be reminded that it takes a lot more effort to sing than just watching movies or TV shows." Miranda agrees: "Since I became so famous in the past year, everyone is watching more music and singing more – because everyone wants to be more like me."[3]

Reaction

Ballinger's character has enjoyed widespread popularity, particularly among musical theatre fans,[2][34] and has appeared, since mid-2009, under the alias "Miranda Sings" at sold-out live club and theater venues (with guest Broadway and West End stars) in New York (Birdland Jazz Club, Minskoff Theatre, The Town Hall),[10][35] San Francisco (The Rrazz Room at Hotel Nikko), Los Angeles and London (Ambassadors Theatre).[36][37] She toured Australia in November 2009,[38][39] Ireland in September 2010 and Alberta, Canada in January 2011.[40]

The Times of London writes that Miranda's videos have made her "a darling of the Broadway musical-theatre scene and an international cabaret star. ... It is not online but on stage that Miranda truly comes to ghastly life."[3] In April 2010, BroadwayWorld, reviewing Ballinger's cabaret act at The Magic Castle in Los Angeles, wrote: "Colleen Ballinger's 'Miranda Sings' persona is a very unique and original concept devised by a very creative imagination. ... Miranda is not to be missed. ... [As] the old saying goes, it takes talent to be that bad".[15] In 2009, the Los Angeles Times wrote of her videos, "this footage is a major hoot",[2] and BroadwayWorld.com described Ballinger as an "Internet Superstar."[41] Woman Around Town calls Miranda "an atrocious, comedic masterpiece."[42]

Miranda Sings' parody of Katy Perry's "California Gurls" video has received over 2 million hits on YouTube, and her parody of Beyoncé's "Single Ladies" video has received over 900,000 hits.[43] Her "Poker Face"[44] and "Bad Romance"[45] parodies have each received over 700,000 hits, and her "Free voice lesson"[46] and "Don't Stop Believin'" videos have each received more than 600,000 hits.[47] 44 of her videos have received over 100,000 hits, and the channel's videos have received over 18 million total upload views.[48][49]

References

  1. ^ Born November 21, 1986 and raised in Santa Barbara, California, Ballinger graduated in 2008 from Azusa Pacific University. From 2007 to 2009, she performed for Disney in California and gave private voice and movement coaching and piano lessons to children. See her teaching bio and this Broadwayworld.com article. Ballinger appears on the 2010 album More With Every Line by songwriter Tim Prottey-Jones. See "More with Every Line – The Music of Tim Prottey-Jones", Westend.broadwayworld.com, accessed January 21, 2011; and "More With Every Line album review", soliloqu.wordpress.com, December 11, 2010. She played Lynda Bird Johnson in a staged reading of First Kids in June 2011, and in October 2011 created the role of Circe Off-Broadway in Odyssey – The Epic Musical by the American Theatre of Actors. See "Colleen Ballinger", AboutTheArtists, accessed October 18, 2011.
  2. ^ a b c Ng, David (May 11, 2009). "YouTube sensation Miranda seduces Broadway". Los Angeles Times. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2009/05/miranda-sings-colleen-ballinger-jim-caruso-cast-party-jersey-boys-daniel-reichard.html. 
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Eggar, Robin (May 2, 2010). "Miranda: Teaching the world to sing". The Times. http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/article7110483.ece. 
  4. ^ "Meme Comes to Life". Transmedia Televisual Studies, FILM345, Queens University. February 2010. http://transmediatv.blogspot.com/2010/02/meme-comes-to-life.html. 
  5. ^ a b c d e Schuyler Velasco "Miranda Sings: How Colleen Ballinger parlayed YouTube stardom into a comedy career". Back Stage, August 3, 2010
  6. ^ a b "Stage Tube: 'Miranda Sings' Visits Clevver TV", Broadway World, November 4, 2009
  7. ^ "Miranda Sings! at Birdland", stubdog.com, February 4, 2010
  8. ^ Video of Miranda scat singing in "Favorite Things", Broadwayworld.com, May 2009
  9. ^ "MUSIC/CABARET Miranda Sings". San Francisco Chronicle. October 4, 2009. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/10/04/PKGE19REP8.DTL. 
  10. ^ a b "Miranda Sings at Birdland". September 18, 2009. http://broadwayworld.com/article/Photo_Flash_MIRANDA_SINGS_at_Birdland_20090918. 
  11. ^ Sparks, Abbe. "Mirfandas Infiltrate Highland Park from across the country for Midwest Premiere of Miranda Sings Live!", Chicago Tribune (Highland Park local), November 22, 2010
  12. ^ "'Miranda Sings' Returns to Rrazz Room October 9". BroadwayWorld.com, October 2, 2009, accessed July 23, 2010
  13. ^ Miranda "death scene" at Birdland, September 2009
  14. ^ "Miranda Sings Plays 'Broadway At Birdland,' 10/12". Broadwayworld.com, October 13, 2009
  15. ^ a b "Photo Flash: Miranda Sings at Cabaret at the Castle". BroadwayWorld.com, April 21, 2010
  16. ^ "Miranda Sings with WOS Winner". WhatsOnStage.com, June 4, 2010
  17. ^ "More Miranda Line-up: Strallen, James-Ellis & Lee". WhatsOnStage.com, May 25, 2010
  18. ^ "Singing up a Storm with Miranda Sings", Andy & Adrian show, JOY 94.9FM radio in Melbourne, Australia, 18 November 2009
  19. ^ Miranda's announcement of her "modelling career", Youtube, September 2, 2009
  20. ^ Ballinger, Colleen. "Contest! 'Magic' by Miranda Sings", Murphy's Magic Community, 16 October 2010
  21. ^ Miranda's creator, Ballinger, says "I think the cheesiness of amateur magic combined with the Miranda character just fits." See "Haters, back off: an interview with the gal behind YouTube sensation, ‘Miranda Sings’", Chicago Theatre Addict, November 17, 2010
  22. ^ "Think of Me" – "magic trick" video YouTube, February 25, 2011. See also Chicago cabaret "magic trick" video YouTube, November 22, 2010
  23. ^ Video of Miranda at Broadway on Broadway, including her meeting with Cheyenne Jackson, beginning at 3:35
  24. ^ Miranda Wants To Date Zac Efron! on YouTube ClevverTV segment from January 3, 2010, available on You Tube. Retrieved on March 4, 2010..
  25. ^ Baby by Justin Beiber on YouTube (At 1:00 in video clip) Retrieved on September 17, 2010.
  26. ^ "YouTube Sensation Miranda Sings Releases 4 Holiday Tunes", BroadwayWorld.com, December 8, 2009
  27. ^ Fox, Jena Tesse (February 4, 2010). "BWW Reviews: The 2010 Nightlife Awards". broadwayworld.com. http://www.broadwayworld.com/article/THe_2010_Nightlife_Awards_20010101. 
  28. ^ "CYT Directors' Choice Awards 2010". Christian Youth Theatre official website. http://www.cytsandiego.org/dca. Retrieved July 24, 2010. 
  29. ^ "Photo Flash: Broadway Memories Fundraiser". BroadwayWorld.com, accessed January 21, 2011
  30. ^ Mirandavlogz YouTube channel, accessed September 18, 2010
  31. ^ a b c Sims, James (August 27, 2010). "Colleen Ballinger Talks: YouTube Character Miranda Sings". BroadwayWorld.com. http://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Colleen_Ballinger_Talks_YouTube_Character_Miranda_Sings_20010101. 
  32. ^ Roberts, Kayleigh. "America's Got No Talent". Highland Park Patch, November 18, 2010
  33. ^ "Miranda/Miranda Audition ... The Word of Your Body". YouTube video, May 23, 2010. Retrieved on 2010-08-27.
  34. ^ "Miranda Sings at Birdland with Broadway Stars". BroadwaySpace News. May 12, 2009. http://www.broadwayspace.com/forum/topics/broadwayspace-news-miranda. Retrieved April 21, 2010. 
  35. ^ Gans, Andrew. "Star-Filled Jim Caruso's Cast Party Plays Town Hall". Playbill.com, February 17, 2011
  36. ^ "What's on Stage". http://www.whatsonstage.com/index.php?pg=206&action=details&show=L421697447. 
  37. ^ "Miranda Sings at The Ambassadors Theatre", UK Theatre Web, accessed 16 November 2009
  38. ^ Miranda Sings Australia schedule, November 2009
  39. ^ Newcastle Herald, November 26, 2009, p. 45
  40. ^ Michelin, Lana. "How (not) to sing great". Red Deer Advocate, January 14, 2011
  41. ^ "Miranda Sings at The Ambassadors" June 5, 2009
  42. ^ Schaeffer, Alicia. "You’re Gonna Love Me: Miranda Sings! at Birdland". Woman Around Town, August 31st, 2011
  43. ^ Ballinger, Colleen. "single ladies music video". YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=go5KhjI8_v0. Retrieved November 25, 2010. 
  44. ^ Ballinger, Colleen. "Poker Face" video. YouTube, accessed 9 August 2010
  45. ^ Ballinger, Colleen. "Bad Romance" video. YouTube, accessed November 25, 2010
  46. ^ Ballinger, Colleen. "Free voice lesson" video. YouTube, accessed November 25, 2010
  47. ^ Ballinger, Colleen. "Don't Stop Believing" video. YouTube, accessed December 9, 2010
  48. ^ Click on "most viewed" videos, Mirandasings08 at Youtube, accessed November 25, 2010
  49. ^ BroadwayWorld article on the duet with Sam Harris November 2010

External links

General
Cabaret performance videos
Other videos
Colleen Ballinger, creator of Miranda Sings

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