A Rio Grande Valley musician used time during the pandemic to her advantage, and she is now making waves in the music business after winning a pretty big award.

Ariadne Mila is this week's Made in the 956. 

"And so it's always been something that has been a huge part of my life," Mila said.

That something that Mila is talking about is music. Like many, she works a regular 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. but that's not stopping her from pursuing her life-long passion.

"I played piano as a kid. I wrote songs since I was in high school. So when I was at sci-tech, I was in the music club and I would perform at java nights and things like that," Mila said.

The Sharyland native now calls Austin home.

"When I moved up to Austin, it kind of just kept eating away at me like what would happen if I did pursue it," Mila said.

Mila started recording music in 2018. By 2021 she had a few singles out and this past summer she released her first EP, Elemental.

"It's four songs and each song kind of represents, when you think of the four elements, and you see the feelings that you associate with them, that's sort of what the EP is. So there's a song that sort of represents each element," Mila said.

She's doing this all her own, something she learned during the pandemic.

"And when the pandemic happened, I bought my own gear and learned how to do everything at home, and now I make my music in my home studio," Mila said.

Her efforts are paying off. She recently won an award at the Wavy Awards. It's an annual celebration dedicated to historically excluded and marginalized voices in the music industry.

"My song 'Light It' took home Song of the Year," Mila said. "The awards take place in New York City. There was some recognition and sponsorship from Chelsea Clinton, which was really great, and the award show gets funding from the city of New York as well."

This award is just the beginning. Mila says she hopes to have her first full album out by next year.

"Success can only be defined by you. Everybody has a different definition of success, so I would say don't compare yourself to anybody. Focus on your own journey," Mila said. "There's no such thing as failure. Failure is necessary for success. The only failure is if you quit, and I would also say find your community. That's the most important thing, find people that support you."

Ariadne Mila, made in the 956.