Mandy Jiroux has had a successful career so far as a dancer and choreographer. At the very young age of 13, she was already helping the music industry's top choreographers out, and at 18 landed her first world tour dancing for Miley Cyrus. And speaking of Miley, you may even already know Mandy from her and the pop star's YouTube channel "The Miley and Mandy Show" -- their videos have racked up hundreds of millions of views. Mandy currently has her own YouTube channel with over a million subscribers where she breaks down the choreography behind several hit songs like Meghan Trainor's "Me Too" and ZAYN's "Like I Would." Now, Mandy is following her dreams in music, and is releasing a brand new single called "Insane."
Mandy on remaking Blind Melon's "No Rain"
"Insane" is a new take on an old classic: Blind Melon's 1992 hit "No Rain." We recently caught up with Mandy, where she told us all about her new song and what it means to her during a one-on-one interview.
The 28-year-old from Phoenix describes "Insane" as a "really fun song." She explains that her and her producer "put a really cool twist on [Blind Melon's "No Rain"] with really cool beats," and that it has an undeniable "summer time vibe."
On how "Insane" was created
"I was in the studio with one of my producers, and we were thinking of what we could do that's super cool and different, and single material. So, he picked up a guitar and just played that classic 'No Rain' guitar riff, and I was like, 'Oh, my gosh, I love that song.' Everyone else in the studio felt the same, and then I just kind of said where I think we should take it, and,hopefully the Blind Melon guys would let us use it. And it turned out that they loved the song so much I'm the only artist that they've ever let use that classic hook. It was super natural, super easy, and that's when you know it's right. It felt really great, and I just felt very honored, because they were so huge in classic in the nineties, so it was really just a big honor."
On her favorite part about recording "Insane"
"My favorite part about recording Insane was just honestly the entire process. I was just really excited about the song in general. So before I went to the studio, I was working super hard with my vocal coach, and then to get in the booth and just really nail it, and nail those vocals, was really exciting. It was a big accomplishment for me."
On transitioning from dancer/choreographer to singer
"To transition from dancer/choreographer to a singer is just a big dream of mine. When I was backup dancing for Miley Cyrus, I remember being backstage and watching her on stage, and being like, 'I want to do that.' So, to really put my dreams out there and just go for it is really just the most exciting thing. And to see it come to life I guess I was just proud, and it's really cool."
If you're enjoying "Insane," there is plenty more where that came from. Mandy has been hard at work in the studio over the last year, developing her sound and recording new music. In fact, she tells us an EP is on its way.
On upcoming new songs from Mandy
"I'm in the studio constantly, and I think shortly after a single I'll be releasing another single and another single which will turn into an EP. I've been working for over a year in the studio on my original music and sound, and I'm really excited about it. I'm really excited for fans to know what's coming up next for me."
Photos: Rachel Kaplan for iHeartRadio