How Mike Hranica (The Devil Wears Prada) Learned to Scream

The Devil Wears Prada‘s Mike Hranica is our latest guest in a new episode of How I Learned to Scream.

Each episode is a window into how your favorite rock and metal vocalists became who they are today. It all starts somewhere with a spark of inspiration. We go back to what it was like hearing extreme vocals for the first time to trying it out themselves and figuring it out from there.

We also touch on what the reaction from family members was early on, learning how to preserve the voice on tour, advice on what and what not to do before a show and while onstage and more!

And let’s not forget — cupping the mic.

Mike Hranica’s Introduction to Extreme Vocals + Trying Them Himself

“Some of the first screamy vocals I heard was in BMX videos,” Hranica says, unsure of exactly how old he was when he was introduced to extreme vocals.

“I heard ‘Phoenix Ignition’ by Thrice and if I recall correctly that was the first time I heard screaming in music. My thing with heavier music and screaming music was the more aggressive it got, the more I liked it.”

As for attempting it himself, Hranica continues, “The first time I think I was doing it was in my buddy’s car. We used to go to local shows and then late night drives home listening to Bleeding Through or something like that, I remember everyone shouting as hard as they could.”

“Eventually he bought a cheap microphone and plugged it into his guitar amp, recorded himself screaming on his flip-phone and showed it to his friends,” he adds with a laugh, saying it sounds “so stupid” now.

“The two songs I learned to scream off of was ‘The Red Wedding’ by The Bled and I tried ‘Voodoo’ once by From A Second Story Window. So, those two songs were what I was most akin to screaming along to.”

Mike Hranica on Enunciating and Cupping the Mic

Yeah, Mike Hranica cups the mic a bit, so what? He tend to hold his hand mostly over the top of the mic, leaving some space open to scream into. While that’s his onstage technique, he does say that holding it lower so the mic looks like an ice cream cone looks cooler to him.

And while many talk down on cupping the mic, Hranica indicates that are much more concerning trends afoot.

“There’s so much other hideous cheating to what people do in terms of tracks. Really, just tracks of no one’s performing anything actually. I think cupping the mic is the least of my worries in terms of compromising the integrity of playing live music.”

Boom.

What Not to Do Before a Show or Onstage, According to Mike Hranica

“I think the biggest thing for me is no alcohol onstage. I do drink before going onstage to loosen up, but too much beer onstage I realized I was just puking constantly. And then you’ve got an acidic problem. Food is much more important than any warmup routines — don’t eat up to [a certain] point before your show,” Hranica maintains.

Just no wine before going onstage. Ever. Not after what happened the first time.

“I drank wine before a show once and I never did it again. I could not have a belly and throat full of wine and just fucking yell,” he says of that experience. “Just burning alive.”

Watch the full episode below for even more.

How The Devil Wears Prada’s Mike Hranica Learned to Scream

The Devil Wears Prada in 2025

The Devil Wears Prada completed a spring North American headlining tour earlier this year and most recently released the single “For You.”

“A love story unraveling through the eyes of someone hopelessly devoted to a partner who can never truly give back,” the band says about the song’s meaning. “It’s the sound of desperation meeting blind loyalty — a crushing, cinematic anthem for the heartbroken. This is The Devil Wears Prada at our most expansive, with our biggest chorus to date and a fearless step into the next evolution of our sound. We’re not just pushing boundaries—we’re redefining them.”

Watch the music video below.

Touring picks back up this month with a return to the stage Aug. 6 in Mexico. The Devil Wears Prada will venture through South America before heading over to Australia and South Africa with a stop back stateside for the Warped Tour festival in Florida this November.

Visit the band’s website for ticketing information.