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Nashville: This week’s Nashville Pick is from Nashville-based singer-songwriter mia van de loo with her introspective new single, “Upstream.” In a city filled with artists chasing bigger productions and louder moments, Van de Loo takes a different path. Her music finds its strength in quiet honesty, inviting listeners into deeply personal stories about identity, belonging, and self-discovery. With delicate indie folk-pop arrangements and lyrics that feel like pages torn from a diary, “Upstream” proves that sometimes the most powerful songs are the ones that simply tell the truth.
At just 23 years old, mia van de loo has developed a songwriting style rooted in emotional honesty. Rather than presenting polished perfection, she welcomes listeners into life’s unfinished chapters—exploring identity, belonging, purpose, and the complicated journey of discovering who we are.
The inspiration behind “Upstream” reaches back to her teenage years.
“In high school, I obsessed over how I expressed my identity, and I idolized my peers because it seemed like they’d discovered what I hadn’t. I found myself writing in my diary about how if I could befriend them, maybe I’d find that missing piece. I took lyrics word for word from that entry to write upstream.”
The song itself became a reflection of that same journey. While the original production leaned toward something much larger, the emotional core wasn’t revealed until everything unnecessary was stripped away.
“When it came time to produce the track, my inspiration leant highly engineered and eclectic. But it wasn’t until we stripped it to its honest roots, like a campfire confessional, that the song really made sense–how ironic. Isn’t that the solution to self discovery at the end of the day?”
That realization defines not only the single but van de loo’s artistic philosophy. Following the release of her debut EP Open Book, she continues building toward her next collection of music, the great expanse, with songs that celebrate authenticity over perfection.
For van de loo, every listener becomes part of a larger story.
She believes beauty and honesty are inseparable, and her music creates space for both. Whether she’s reflecting on youthful insecurity, navigating adulthood, or simply asking the questions many people quietly carry with them, her songs offer companionship more than conclusions.
“Upstream” resonates because its message is universal. Nearly everyone has wondered if they belong, questioned their identity, or compared themselves to those who seem to have everything figured out. Rather than promising easy answers, mia van de loo gently reminds us that belonging may begin by accepting exactly where we are.
Around her musical campfire, uncertainty isn’t something to hide—it’s something we share together.
UPSTREAM
[Verse 1]
There’s a better me inside of you
So let me in and tell me what I’ve gotta do
Validation is a form of art
So let me in, and you could start a beating heart
[Chorus]
‘Cause I know I’m off the rails
And I’m takin’ the more travelled trails
But all that matters is that I matter to him
And though I should be kneeling
I say that I enjoy the feeling
So I guess it’s still upstream that I will swim
[Verse 2]
So will you show me every time you’ve failed?
I need to know the perfect ones can still be frail
And if you listen to me, I will smile
‘Cause maybe then, I’ll think that I am worth your while
[Chorus]
‘Cause I know I’m off the rails
And I’m takin’ the more travelled trails
But all that matters is that I matter to him
And though I should be kneeling
I say that I enjoy the feeling
So I guess it’s still upstream that I will swim
[Bridge]
My purpose is to sing about your name
I knew that well before
And when I love you, it won’t be the same
But I won’t open the door
So fall in place
[Chorus]
Yeah, I know I’m off the rails
And I’m takin’ the more travelled trails
But all that matters is that I matter to him
And though I should be kneeling
I say that I enjoy the feeling
So I guess it’s still upstream that I will swim
[Chorus]
Yeah, I know I’m off the rails
And I’m takin’ the more travelled trails
But all that matters is that I matter to him
And though I should be kneeling
I say that I enjoy the feeling
So I guess it’s still upstream that I will swim
website: www.miavandeloomusic.com
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