Christian Pop artist, Chayah Miranda (pronounced “kai-yah”) has spent much of her life around the gospel music of her church and the jazz influences of her mother and grandmother, both singers. The song in her heart runs through her blood and is the driving force of everything she does. Beginning at a young age, Chayah has shared her love of singing at church, school talent shows, and with the help of her beloved vocal teacher, Sakai, (whom she met after a meeting with the great Narada Michael Walden at the age of 15) at public fairs all over the country.
She began developing her talent at songwriting during high school with the help of Eric Gonzaga, a Bay Area producer whom she was introduced to after a performance at the annual Fiesta Filipina Fair in San Francisco. Together, they spent years developing Chayah’s sound and style while also working together to write songs for other local artists before she continued her musical education at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA.
During her third year at Berklee, Chayah met another student whom she had seen at her church, Boston Temple Seventh-Day Adventist Church, who convinced her to join Bible study sessions on Saturday afternoons. At this point in her life, church was simply something she attended out of familiarity, not because she believed in God’s power of healing and love. As she attended these meetings week after week, it became clearer that God was, and always would be, around to see her through her life and to work His miracles in mysterious ways. This understanding became paramount during the next great trial of Chayah Miranda’s life as she explains in her own words:
“Later on that year, I found myself completely sick and bedridden. My whole body was in so much pain, I couldn’t move. I could barely walk to the bathroom in my apartment. I remember lying in my bed and reading this book, “Steps to Christ.”… I wanted so badly for the pain to go away and to be healthy and strong again. I had been in bed sick for about a month and didn’t tell anyone. As I read the book, there was a passage that touched my heart and soul. It said that all I had to do was surrender to God and ask Him to come into my life and heal me… I prayed and asked God to heal me. I felt his presence there right beside me, and I knew that He had heard my prayer and that I was going to be ok… Maybe it was His way of shaking me and waking me up so that I would turn to Him in my pain. It was the best decision I have ever made in my life.”
After her recovery, Chayah joined a college missionary training program called STRIDE in which she travelled to different campuses all over Boston to offer Bible studies, free meals, and presentations on health. She has since continued to share her faith and has dedicated her life to God and to her music as a vessel for His message of faith, love, and hope for the world.
“I want everyone to know that there is a God in heaven who loves them so much that there is hope no matter what you are going through. All we have to do is open up and give Him a chance to help us, to strengthen us. And when we ask God for His help and guidance, that’s when miracles will happen; that’s when you’ll see your life change for the better.” – Chayah
Chayah Miranda is on radio rotation with the tracks “Higher” and “Under Construction”.
