Introducing #116 - Maya Law
Let us introduce you to Norwich based singer-songwriter Maya Law, who has just released her new single ‘Hitchhiking’. Blending a mixture neo-soul and folk together, her music provides an insight into her personal experiences with mental health and being a queer woman of colour.
Hey there Maya - how are you? So your track ‘Hitchhiking’ is out now - can you tell us what it is about?
Apart from the classic lockdown blues, I’m okay! I wrote Hitchhiking quite a while ago now - I had just come out of a long-term relationship and was deep into break-up playlists and writing sad songs but this track got me out of my slump! I wanted to write something that I could look forward to feeling, even if I hadn’t quite got there yet.
Where was the track recorded? Any behind the scenes stories from the process?
The vocals were actually recorded at Access To Music in Norwich with the lovely Lavar Bullard. But the tune was a slow-burner - I didn’t quite know what I wanted it to sound like, just that I wanted other instrumentation to come in at the halfway mark. So we slowly added more and more people to the track until we had the right blend. Big up Mikey Shaw on drums, Freya Roy on guitar and Andie Mclean on bass - and Lavar for teaching me new guitar chords on the day for the tune.
You grew up in the quiet area of Norfolk - what are your fondest memories from living there?
I think the nice thing about living in Norwich is that you’re never too far away from the coast or a countryside walk. But the close knit, community feeling you get from living in this city is probably my favourite thing. It’s quite unique in the way that everybody knows your shit - you can’t walk down the street without seeing at least one person you know (which is a great thing and sometimes a terrible thing). But everyone is super supportive and it feels like we all have each other’s back.
Amy Winehouse is a key influence for you, can you tell us a bit more about that?
I don’t know if there a particular moment that pinpointed it but her music resonates with me in a way that not much else does. I think it’s her blatant authenticity and honesty in her lyrics that make it extra special - Frank will always be an album that I go back to over and over and find more bits that hit me right in the heart haha. I strive to be as open and honest in my lyricism and I think she played a big part in that.
What are your key musical influences?
I think it changes all the time! Hitchhiking and the EP is very ‘singer-songwriter-y’/folky but I don’t actually tend to listen to music like that very often. I guess I take inspiration from strong female artists (Cleo Sol, Gaidaa, Jazmine Sullivan) and the music that I make may not reflect the sound but the feelings behind it. I quite like switching genres though and I think that comes from listening to lots of different types of tunes. At the moment, I can’t stop listening to Libyan reggae so maybe something completely different will fall out of me soon.
How would you describe your sound to someone who has never listened to you before?
I think I started off on a more Hip-Hop/RnB route with the album (Her or Him) I released with Gabriel Gifford. Then I kind of moved on to more stripped back soul-y bits with Breeze and now this EP is definitely back to how I started writing: just acoustic guitar and vocals. It’s definitely a more ‘back-to-basics’ raw approach to fit with the themes of the tracks. So I’d say a big mush of lots of bits…
Now your track is out there - what next for you?
My EP is hitting the world on the 9th of April! It will include this track, my two other singles and a few unreleased tunes. I’ve been sitting on this project for a while so I’m really glad to have the release date in sight. After that, I think I’m gonna spend some time redefining my sound again, tightening up the music that I want to be making and collaborating with new producers. Also can’t wait to be back hanging with friends and loved ones after so long apart so I’ll probably be taking a bit of a break!
Pre-order Maya Law's Hitchhiking EP here: https://mayalaw.bandcamp.com/album/hitchhiking