Hey MAYA. Welcome back to Rave It Up. It’s a pleasure. Congratulations on the release of your new single Blackout. We haven’t spoken to you since about 2016. Wow! Time has flown. What have you been up to in that time?
I know it feels like time is going very quickly, yet I’ve done quite a lot. I’ve been back and forth to the US making music, which I’m now just finishing. I’ve also been steadily working full time as a singer and it’s been so incredible having no other job than just to sing.
Are you a workaholic or something? We feel like you just released a song and BAM here’s another one haha. We are so proud of you.
I am a complete workaholic. I just don’t resonate with much besides music so you will be hearing a lot more from me that’s for sure. This year has a lot more to come!
You also seem to release music videos very close, if not, on the release of a new single. How do you manage that?
I just end up feeling like the video clip could help give people a little bit more of my personality. Even though a lot of the videos are made with subliminal messages, I still always love to match visuals with the songs that mean a lot to me.
I remember the first time you came on the Rave It Up radio show, we had a chat about your dad, who is also a musician. How’s he going?
My dad is going really well. We are still playing together now and writing together all the time. I think the older we get, the more I appreciate us playing together still. It’s been such a role reverse having him at my gigs instead of me at his.
Now let’s have a chat about Blackout. How did it come about? Is it based on a true story at all?
Blackout is probably the truest story of all of my songs released to this date. It’s a song that I wrote at a very fragile time, and it took a lot to identify what was going on and give that to the world in the song. It has really been such a positive experience. It’s made me get through a lot of those black feelings and times I was having, and now I’ve seen the full benefit in writing music to channel the energy of a moment.
How long did it take you to write?
Blackout didn’t take me long to write at all – actually only two hours. I had had a bad night the night before, and I think I just really needed to get this song out.
It is produced by Joel Quartermain, who has worked with Eskimo Joe, Meg Mac and British India. How was it working with him?
It was such a pleasure to work with Joel. We hit it off straightaway! We seem to have a lot in common and it really had a large affect on my studio experience with him. It just made it so easy to get things done as we both have the same taste. He helped me capture the haunted feeling I was trying to capture in the sound.
The video clip is now up on YouTube for everyone to check out too and we have to say, you could be an actress. You did so well! You must be so comfortable in front of the camera now. Are we right?
I would like to say I am fully comfortable, but I’m still not. The video clips always give me a bit of anxiety but I’m trying to not over analyse myself and just give people the truest version of how I feel, that I can create in that time and not overthink it all too much.
Your hair is crazy too. Does it ever get annoying or get in the way of your filming?
My hair is pretty crazy. I’m trying to embrace it as I feel like our uniqueness is power and my hair is hot and messy but it’s me so I roll with it.
We noticed in the video you also have a cool tattoo on your leg. What does it mean?
I’m guessing you are referring to my variation of the treble clef. I draw all of my tattoos on paper before I get them put on myself so that it’s not a replica of someone else’s. With this treble clef, I tried to make it look like it was growing like a flower about to burst.
You’ve been in the industry for many years now and have so many fans but do you also have any issues with haters?
Fortunately I don’t receive too much hate… yet. I do feel like the more established you become, the more followers, the more haters but I choose to not listen to any negative feedback as I feel like it’s just people having aggression and something else upset them. So I just let people say what they want.
Even though you have already achieved so much MAYA, what else can we expect from you in the future? Can we expect a tour sometime or a line of shows at least?
I am feeling very excited to keep releasing the music I am making in New York. I am also about to start a mix tape featuring the incredible Melbourne artists I have been playing with. This mix tape will be a very honest sound and hopefully share with people a bit more about my vibe.
What advice would you give to our readers if they would like to follow their dreams of becoming a singer?
I would say to just keep going. There’s nothing that is more than warming than the feeling of getting through something that you never thought you could, big or small.
As a closing statement and what is probably the most important question: Knowing what you know now, what would you tell your 14-year-old self?
I would tell my 14-year-old self to not worry and just trust that things happen for a reason.
And before we go, if the readers would like to contact you or find out what you are up to, where should they go?
Thanks again for having a chat to us today MAYA. Let us know when you’re in Sydney next.
– Interviewed by Lauren Yeates
