has been a Triangle resident since 2003. After earning her associate's degree at Montgomery College in Rockville, Maryland, a close friend who was studying at N.C. State University convinced her to make the move, telling her she would love living in Raleigh.
In the time that she's been here she has established herself as a beloved radio personality on both WKNC and the area's most popular urban station, , under the name Mir.I.Am and also founded Carolina Waves, a platform she uses to promote and nurture local artists. Its events are held throughout North Carolina and are a welcome and supportive space for both established artists and people who are just getting started. Raleigh based rapper Shame Gang has been a regular at the open mic events.
"Miriam has been a strong pillar in the NC local music scene for years and has helped give artists a voice by helping showcase talent through her brand Carolina Waves," he said. "We need more people like her."
I met up with Tolbert at The Pour House Record Shop on a chilly Friday to talk about how she got started and what keeps her going.
How would you describe K97.5 to someone who's never listened?
K97.5 is the biggest Hip Hop and R&B station in the Triangle. Anything that's young, hip, and current is what we play. Most of our listeners are in the 18-34 range, so Gen Z and young millennials. I'm an on-air personality and board operator. I help with promotions and things like that, but most people know me from on air.
What was your first radio gig?
My first radio gig was on Scottsdale Boulevard in Cleveland, Ohio. In the basement, me and my cousin, we used to make up silly radio shows and then like stupid, stupid commercials to go along with it when we were maybe 13 or 14. That's when I knew I wanted to be in radio when I grew up.
I went to a community college called Montgomery College in Rockville, Maryland, after graduating high school and I took a class where we had to be on the school's online streaming station. We had to do a shift and also make commercials which taught me how to voice things and also produce things for on-air and to use the equipment. I feel like a lot of people don't take community college seriously, but I had a great experience there. The classes were small so I was able to get the attention I needed. The professor had a lot of experience so he was able to empower us and really pay attention to what we were doing.
Tell us more about your time at NC State and their radio station.
My life has been so backwards. I didn't start working at WKNC until after I graduated from NC State. There I created a show called Real R&B Radio because I'm an R&B head first and foremost. It was a very popular show, especially with inmates at the local prison down the road. I still get a lot of people who recognize me from when I was on WKNC. I was recently at an event where we were hosting a meet and greet for a basketball player and a stranger came up to me and was like, "You don鈥檛 know who I am, but I listened to you when I was locked up at Central Prison. Listening to your show really helped me get through that hard time in my life." Then he bought me some shoes because we were at Athlete's Foot (laughs).
Also recently, I was at an event called 252 Day and a woman came up to me and she remembered me from a talent show I had hosted in a women's prison. She was like, "It really inspired me and helped me to be able to want to leave that place." It's pretty cool connecting with people that way. I feel like it shows that what I'm doing is making an impact. You can be doing something as simple as playing music and someone going through some stuff might hear it and it'll remind them of a time when things weren't so bad.
Let's get into Carolina Waves. Tell us exactly what Carolina Waves is.
Carolina Waves is a multi branch platform that specializes in providing opportunities and helping to promote independent artists. We do things like open mics, showcases, and concerts. We'll partner with different festivals to set up stages and help recommend artists for certain openings and bookings with venues. In a world where artist development is basically non-existent, it鈥檚 an opportunity for people to hone their skill sets and to build those connections and relationships that are going to help propel them forward no matter where they are in their career. We're not a label, and we don't sell pipe dreams to artists. We do, however, help them gain experience and offer promotion and act as a connector for other opportunities through community and networking.
What inspired you to start all this?
Being a fan of the underdog. I've been an underdog a lot of my life, where people haven't seen me, and anytime that I get in a position where I can shine a light on people, I do it. I've always wanted to empower people, so when I got hired at WKNC I made sure to do lots of local interviews to help local artists with promotion. When I moved over to the commercial station I could tell that people felt like they were being ignored so I jumped at the opportunity there to help bring back a local show in 2016, which was called 919 Radio. We were getting so many submissions that I knew I needed to build something bigger, so I came up with Carolina Waves in 2017 as an umbrella brand that would incorporate the local radio show plus open mics and other events.
Who are some people you've seen grow as an artist through Carolina Waves?
Zack Cokas and Lesthegenius were showing up at the Carolina Waves events with their parents when they were like 16 or 17. We've also had artists like Toosii and TiaCorine and chlothegod utilize our platform. 9th Wonder protege Reuben Vincent and ShyFromDaTre too. Carolina Waves is really a platform that meets you where you are. For some people it's their first time performing. Some people are already on their way, and they just want to be able to connect with the environment and with the Carolina family.
It sounds like it's a really welcoming environment.
Oh yeah. If it wasn't that way I wouldn't be doing it. Most of the venues I choose to use are all ages because I want to make sure anybody can come up, no matter how old or young you are. We've had 12-year-olds perform and we've had aunties show up to perform too. There was one lady who came out once and she calls herself the Trap Mama. She's in her 50's and just woke up one day and decided she wanted to start rapping. When she comes out to the events she gets a lot of love. It doesn't matter your race, your gender, your sexuality, everybody is welcome and I make sure to set the tone and let everybody know that before they show up.
Which venues are these open mics taking place at?
The cool thing about Carolina Waves is it's a traveling platform. So I do events all over North Carolina. In Raleigh, I've used Kings, The Pour House, Imurj, and the event space at Transfer Co. Food Hall. We use Cat's Cradle in Carrboro, hands down, one of my favorites. Also Local 506 in Chapel Hill. We've used Pinhook and Motorco in Durham. The Evening Muse out in Charlotte, Artist Block out in Greensboro, Bougie Nights out in Wilmington. We haven't made it to Asheville yet, but I'm in contact with some venues out there so we're hoping to make it happen.
What's the best way for people to get involved with Carolina Waves?
Follow us on all the social media platforms. You can check out my too. Also, just show up to the events. It's real simple. You can show up to the open mics and sign up to perform right there or you can sign up in advance.
Let's talk about life in the Triangle for a bit to wrap things up. How do you describe the Triangle to people who don鈥檛 live here?
The vibe here is, I feel like you can get whatever you want if you're adventurous enough. If you want that more cultured, welcoming experience, go to the Bull City. If you want city vibes, come to Raleigh. If you feel like dealing with a bunch of college students, go to Chapel Hill (laughs). I feel like the Triangle is somewhere you can build a family, and that as a young adult you can find things to do and build community pretty easily.
Favorite restaurant in the area?
On any given day you're likely to find me at The Big Easy. I love that New Orleans inspired food. I've never been to New Orleans, but I know I need to schedule a trip soon just to check out the food.
Favorite music venue?
I've gotta give it to Motorco. I love the stadium seating they have on the side of the room and I love their outdoor patio area. If I could do every event there I鈥檇 be a happy camper. The staff there is really nice too and easy to work with. Honorable mentions go to Cat's Cradle and The Pour House.
Who are some local artists that people should look out for?
Jooselord, 3amsound, Big YBA, CJ Monet, Flower In Bloom, Playboy Poppy, Luh Bri, Anella Herim, Shame Gang...the list goes on!
What does the rest of 2025 look like for you?
This year I鈥檒l be touring with my Beyonc茅 fan experience event . I鈥檓 also finally working on a Carolina Waves Festival that will be happening in the Triangle. I鈥檝e also got a new podcast called Mir & Friends. Then there鈥檚 new performance based digital content coming, new merch, community events, and I鈥檓 also helping to launch a new non-profit. More details on that soon!
