My parents were always playing the records of Little Feat, Bob Dylan, Ry Cooder, Bonnie Raitt, Neil Young, everything.

"She described her father's hand made guitars:[3] "I guess now people are impressed how lucky I am to have a dad who makes such beautiful instruments," Dyson says.

Dyson played her first gig at a party in Modewarre and followed with shows at the Barwon Club and at the National Hotel in Geelong.

[4] She then relocated to Melbourne,[4] where her first residency, in November 2000, was at the Dan O'Connell Hotel, Fitzroy with her backing band comprising Dean Addison on bass guitar and Carl Pannuzzo on drums.

[7][8] For the album she provided lead vocals, guitars (acoustic, baritone, electric, lap steel) and piano.

[5] The Age's Patrick Donovan opined, "[she] blew audiences away with her powerfully emotive voice and dynamic guitar playing on her debut album Cold Water.

[11] She produced the album with recording partly occurring in a back yard shed at her grandfather's home in Moonee Ponds.

[3] Nick Launay mixed the album and studio musicians included Renée Geyer and Matt Walker.

Dyson puts her newfound maturity down to experience and confidence gained from two years on the road, playing everywhere from women's prisons to three months overseas as a solo artist.

[12] In 2006, Dyson toured the United States and Canada, she performed with Frank Zappa's band, The Mothers of Invention, on stage at the Winnipeg Folk Festival, and supported Ani Di Franco in New York's Central Park.

In August of that year she was invited by Deborah Conway to take part in the Broad Festival project, with three other Australian female artists, they performed their own and each other's songs.

For her third album, Struck Down, Dyson used Angus Diggs (Jeff Lang, Monkeyboy) on drums and James Haselwood on bass guitar.

[16] Em of Soulshine observed, "The result is a superb album with Mia's classic husky roots sound, this time featuring a defining rhythm.

[20] It was nominated for Best Blues & Roots Album at the ARIA Music Awards of 2012, and provided two more singles, "Pistol" and "Jesse".

Matthew Fiander of PopMatters felt it was "another solid album from Dyson, and further evidence that the Australian singer can be both comfortable in her own skin and restless enough to push her boundaries.

"[22] The AU Review's Salmond rated it at 8.8 out of 10 and explained, "another beautiful album full of fun rock tunes as well as returning to her roots with slower bluesy ballads.