Lin-Manuel Miranda is a household name today. He is a multi-talented actor, composer, lyricist, producer, director, and playwright. Miranda has won almost every award a person could receive, including a Pulitzer Prize, five Grammys, three Tony Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and two Olivier Awards.
He was born at Roosevelt Hospital in Manhattan in 1980 to Luz Towns-Miranda and Luis Miranda Jr. who had both emigrated from Puerto Rico. He and his family (his parents plus an older sister) moved from NYU housing into a house in Inwood, close to Washington Heights. His childhood was defined by his love of musicals. He loved listening to Broadway tracks for Fiddler on the Roof and Camelot. He also loved listening to songs from The Little Mermaid. This appreciation for music set the foundation for his later career.
Miranda made his debut on Broadway in 2008, with Tony and Grammy award winning Musical In The Heights, on which he composed the music and lyrics. After that success, it seemed Miranda could only keep going up in the world of music. Writing the script, music, and lyrics (as well as acting in) the world-renowned musical Hamilton in 2015. Hamilton brought new life to Broadway, leading a whole new generation to musicals. When it released on Disney Plus, it had 2.86 million streams in only 12 days.
Miranda hasn’t only struck a chord with Broadway audiences however, he is also a frequent collaborator of Disney. Having written music for two of their most popular animated productions: Moana (2016) and Encanto (2021). With songs like “How Far I’ll Go” and “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” becoming instant Disney classics.
“We Don’t Talk About Bruno” in particular was a massive hit, breaking various records. It’s success being part of the reason why he was named Billboard’s Top Hot 100 Songwriter of 2022. His work hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down. His most recent product was writing the songs in Disney’s Mufasa (2024).
Lin-Manuel Miranda isn’t only known for his musical talents, but also his generally friendly demeanor. A student at Morris Hills, Tiffany Albornoz, actually met Miranda earlier this year at The Drama Bookshop in New York and can attest to this. “He was very welcoming and talking to everyone in the cafe like he hasn’t won a million Tony awards,” she said.
All-in-all, whether you are a Disney or Broadway fan, you can appreciate Miranda’s musical talents. He is a gifted performer, songwriter, director, and composer. Ever since his debut, he has only seemed to improve with time. Looking at Miranda’s many successful works, it is no wonder that many consider him to be the songwriter of our generation.