Mia WrayIt's early afternoon when The Music sits down with Mia Wray, the day before she will begin her Sydney leg of Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour.
With New Zealand and Perth already under her belt, it’s clear that Wray is still accepting the chain of events that have led her to be a support act to one of the biggest stars of our generation.
“I've wanted this gig for so long. When I got it, I was like, ‘It's gonna get taken away. Someone else is gonna swoop in, and they're gonna give the gig to someone else, and not me,’ blah, blah, blah,” she says.
“So the fact that I'm halfway through the tour, it's sinking in, that this is real, it's happening, and I'm in it.”
It’s this trademark rawness and vulnerability that has allowed Wray to cultivate the kindest corner of the internet, with her community rooting for her success and feeling every win as if it were their own.
When it was confirmed in October of 2025 that Wray had been chosen for this tour, she announced the news on Instagram with a video of her telling her sister on FaceTime, accompanied by other photos and videos of her hearing the news.
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Wray’s rise has been considered consistent with her output of music from her debut album Hi, It’s Nice To Meet Me, which dropped in March of 2025 and now her recent single When We Were Young, which was released in January.
Wray will tonight take the stage in Brisbane to support Sheeran, before concluding the tour in Melbourne and then Adelaide. Although Wray won’t be resting on her laurels long, with her own national We Were Young Tour kicking off in April with three shows in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney.
Swapping our stadiums for a more intimate setting, Wray says that she will be excited for the challenge of a new space, which will require different elements from a performer.
“Doing a stadium show and having that kind of energy that you're trying to bring to a stadium – everything's bigger, your movements, your interactions are a bit different, and then bringing that vibe,” she explains.
“I'm so interested to see how that translates into a crowd of, like, 200 people. I'm really excited. I love those venues. They've always treated me so well.”
Hi, It’s Nice to Meet Me showed off Wray’s songwriting chops and her ability to process her emotions in an honest and inclusive way, inviting her fans to discover her new identity as she did.
Wray has spoken about her album and its exploration of Wray’s sexuality, and When We Were Young hints at more of the artist's humanity, underscored by joy and nostalgia.
The video clip is a collection of real moments shot with a vintage lens, showing Wray sharing special and mundane moments with friends and family, laughing, hanging out and showing that trademark relatability.
If these uplifting hits are what we can expect in Wray’s next album, we’re already hooked.
“A lot of it has to do with friendship and people evolving and growing and changing, and how that can kind of break your heart a little bit,” she explains. “Thematically, that's weaved through the record a lot, and then there's a song that's still kind of touching on exploring queerness for the first time. It's such a big thing to go through.
“You can't just write one of them about it and be like, oh yeah, I'm done with that. There's so much to be unpacked.
“There's a song about that first situationship that you have when you actually start outwardly exploring your queerness and how intense that can feel,” she continues. “You overlook every red flag that that person is giving you, and you're like, I don't care. I want to be with you forever. That's just because it's like the first girl you slept with.
“I just know that there are so many people who are going to feel that so deeply, so there's a bit of that.”
Keen to put more music out there for her growing community and to be flexible with a record label that she feels solidly supported by, it’s clear why Wray, a relative newcomer, has bagged gigs like Ed Sheeran.
To be in her orbit is to feel a connection to her authenticity, and she wants to keep that give and take with her fandom going with new music coming out while her debut album is still getting peak mileage.
“I feel I'm very lucky to have the support of my label to get behind this as well,” she says. “They believe in the songs enough to, you know, just go for another record kind of thing. I've always trying up myself and get better and better and involved. Make better music than I did before.”
For those devouring Wray’s music on streaming and hanging out for her April tour, Wray hints that the shows are more rock and roll than they may believe when compared to a completed track recorded in a studio.
“My drummer doesn't stop moving, he's just going for it,” she teases. “My guitarist is shredding, and we try to do that on purpose. I love my first record so much, but I don't think it reflects the live experience, and that's what I'm trying to do with this next record.
“I try to give as much Janis Joplin vibes as I possibly can, and I don't think people expect that after listening to me on streaming.”
Tickets to Mia Wray’s When We Were Young Tour are on sale now.
Mia Wray – When We Were Young Tour
Friday, April 17th – Black Bear Lodge, Brisbane, QLD (18+)
Thursday, April 23rd – Howler, Melbourne, VIC (18+)
Friday, April 24th – Oxford Art Factory, Sydney, NSW (18+)
This piece of content has been assisted by the Australian Government through Music Australia and Creative Australia, its arts funding and advisory body
