Nashville-based singer-songwriter Mia Van de Loo knows the feeling of having big dreams and nowhere to put them. On her latest single, quicksand, the 23-year-old artist channels that restlessness into a slow-building declaration of determination, pairing her soothing voice with the urgency of someon e ready to make things happen. It’s a song for anyone who has watched the clock while imagining a different life—and wondered how to take the first step toward it. https://www.nashville.com/wp-content/uploads/quicksand-master.mp3 The arrangement gives that tension room to develop. Rather than rushing toward its biggest moment, quicksand lets anticipation build, holding back the release until its sweeping bridge. Interwoven strings, confident acoustic guitar and resounding percussion support vocals that rise with conviction, giving the song’s message a fitting musical lift. There’s a sense of possibility in that payoff, as the fear of being stuck gives way to the courage to move forward. quicksand came from frustration with my lack of opportunity at 15 For Van de Loo, those feelings reach back to her teenage years, when the routine of classrooms and fluorescent lights felt at odds with the future she wanted. She fast-tracked her education, graduating at 17 and reclaiming time to pursue what mattered to her. “quicksand came from frustration with my lack of opportunity at 15. i knew the great expanse was calling, but i felt trapped by what i was told to do. i was desperate for more, and releasing it is my victorious battle cry. Wanting has worth when it becomes drive, because drive can fulfill the heart’s desires.” That determination runs through Van de Loo’s 2026 releases. On upstream, she explores establishing an identity amid the influence of others, while someday considers the hope of finding someone who supports a future instead of making it harder to see. With quicksand, she confronts the possibility that a cherished dream might never become reality. Her thoughtful lyrics and inviting delivery make space for that uncertainty, even as the song encourages listeners to act on the things they want most. “it’s about feeling stuck in the pursuit of a dream, falls into the cinematic singer-songwriter style, and sounds like rachel chinouriri (what a devastating turn of events) and lizzy mcalpine” The writing process brought its own unexpected perspective. Van de Loo usually finishes a song in one session, setting a boundary around the perfectionism that could otherwise keep her revising indefinitely. This time, she returned three years later to write the second verse, having already accomplished the dream that first inspired the song. That distance allowed her to bring experience to an idea originally born from longing. “i generally hold to a rule that my songwriting process starts and ends in one session. i am a perfectionist, so if i allow myself to return to a song over and over again, it will never be done. this song is one of the few exceptions to that rule, as i wrote the second verse three years after writing the rest of the song. the continuity it created was so satisfying to me, because i wrote that verse after having accomplished the dream that inspired the song in the first place. but that first dream birthed another, and i see the second verse as knowledge gained through experience, and a commitment to apply that same effort to every dream thereafter.” That connection between the teenager imagining her future and the songwriter beginning to realize it gives quicksand its emotional weight. Van de Loo carries both perspectives into the song, letting the frustration remain part of the story while giving its final surge a hard-earned sense of hope. QUICKSAND I’m stuck in the quicksand; the end is in sight Just one small step forward But I cannot move using all of my might The map I have written is seamlessly traced With so much ambition I’m struggling to find meaning here in this place So throw me a ladder, or something to hold But if there’s no escaping And there is no end to me being controlled I’m gonna need magic: illusory gold My gut says to save you Just make me believe that you’re being consoled Chorus I’ll see the emerald city in my mind When I can break these shackles off So I will get stronger; I’ll do what it takes I’ll toil and I’ll struggle ‘Til every last bone in my body will break But it will be worth it the day I can fly So worse for the wear, but there’s no one Who’ll know when I’m up in the sky So throw me a bone here; just give me a chance Forever I’m stuck here When Lord knows my place is in the great expanse But if I don’t make it, you’ll all have to lie I want to mean something Before where I’m quelled is the place that I’ll die Chorus I’ll see the emerald city in my mind When I can break these shackles off I’ll see the emerald city in my mind When I can break these shackles off WEBSITE: www.miavandeloomusic.com come say hello! instagram | tiktok | soundcloud | youtube | pinterest | website | bandcamp | spotify | apple music reach out! [email protected] The post Mia Van de Loo Turns Frustration Into Forward Motion on “quicksand” appeared first on Nashville.com. ...read more read less