After you had built a successful career, spent years doing what was expected of you, could you leave it all behind to follow your true passion of making music? At 52, Robert Miranda did. Robert Miranda had songs in him that needed to be heard - he walked to the edge of the cliff and jumped. The passion of that decision will be heard with the April release of his debut album Exposed, a multi-genre collection of songs (all penned by Miranda) that range from searing statements on the apathy to political issues dividing America. Miranda is quickly emerging in his hometown of Washington, D.C. as a voice of change. Among his many gifts is his ability to write compelling songs about touchstone issues --including homelessness (“Logan Park”), gun control (“Circle of Clowns”), apathetic love (“Two Lifetimes”) and animal abuse (“Addy’s Song”). People are finding that his songs fuel their passion for these issues, and Miranda could not be happier. “I believe in the adage ‘the pen is mightier than the sword.’ When you couple words with music, it becomes an unavoidable force,” he said. Miranda has immersed himself in music since an early age. He studied guitar and music theory with The Peabody Institute’s Lawrence Hoffman, Sanjay Mishra (known for his Blue Incantation collaboration with The Grateful Dead’s Jerry Garcia) and Herman Meyer of the Washington Conservatory of Music. After attending college at Youngstown State, he took a “self imposed detour” fulfilling what he felt were his family’s dreams and expectations. He had a successful career as electrical engineer, sales executive and tech lobbyist until recently when he decided focus completely on his music career. The resolve to take this leap in mid-life filled him with peace, not anxiety. “This decision made me feel more alive than any other time in my life. It was empowering and yet comforting to do something that feels so right.” Miranda escaped an early childhood plagued with trauma, violence and abuse to become a compassionate, caring soul with a mission to make people think when they hear the messages in his songs. The songs on Exposed are wide ranging and cross many genres.. “For me, music allows me to feel the pain and yet find a way to channel it in a positive direction.” His intention is to give the audience just enough information to make them think. “I like to write songs that lead the listener down a path,” he said. “For me, that is the challenge and the inspiration. The lyrics are just the guideposts, and the music adds the magic of feeling.” Producer Nate Jolly heard Miranda’s songs and knew the world needed to hear them. He ultimately produced the record, brought in top-shelf musicians including his brother Noble Jolly Jr., and renowned sound engineer Horace Ward (Usher, Lady Gaga, Beyonce, Mary J Blige) to mix the project. Together they brought this project to life and gave Miranda the confidence to share all that was in his heart.