Born and raised in Noosa before later relocating to Melbourne, Wray rose to prominence after winning the 2011 iteration of Telstra's Road to Discovery Program.
[6] At the age of 11, Wray's parents inherited her late grandfather's piano, and moved it into Mia's bedroom upon discovering it was the only room of the house big enough for it.
[7] Wray completed her senior secondary education at St Andrew's Anglican College in Peregian Springs, Queensland.
[8] Wray began her career in 2011 as a folk-pop and acoustic artist,[2][7] citing the Beatles, Paul Kelly, Bob Dylan, Pete Murray, Laura Marling, and Gabrielle Aplin among her sonic influences.
[7] Wray has since shifted to more pop-oriented music,[5][10] drawing influence from Florence and the Machine, Lana Del Rey and Maggie Rogers.
[7] Wray's music has received favourable comparisons to that of Lorde, Meg Mac, Vera Blue, Florence and the Machine, and Adele.
[5][17] On 3 December 2011, Wray was announced as the joint finalist of the 2011 Telstra Road to Discovery talent development program, alongside Andrew Redford from Maroochydore, Queensland.
[23] The same day, Wray performed as the opening act for former Powderfinger guitarist Darren Middleton at Red Hot Music, in Devonport, Tasmania.
[24] On 17 February 2017, Wray featured on French producer Aslove's cover of Corinne Bailey Rae's song "Put Your Records On".
[11] On 24 October, Wray was announced as one of the acts scheduled to perform on the premiere of the second season of Australian live music program The Sound.
[32] On 20 November, Wray featured as a backing vocalist on the song "Blue Bird" from Something for Kate's seventh studio album The Modern Medieval (2020).
[44] On 4 November, Wray was announced as a support act for the Oceanian leg of Melbourne musician Vance Joy's 2022 Long Way Home Tour, alongside the Rubens, Thelma Plum, Middle Kids and Budjerah.
[48] Alongside the release, Wray announced a four-date residency at the Gem, in Collingwood, Victoria, which were scheduled to take place on 14, 21, and 28 April,[49] before they were ultimately cancelled due to "unforeseen circumstances".