We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Mae Krell. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Mae below.

Mae , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Do you think your parents have had a meaningful impact on you and your journey?

My parents are both immigrants, and are both very realistic people- which I think can often be seen as a negative trait when it comes to pursuing an arts career, but in my case I think it pushed me to work harder for what I wanted.
When I first told my parents I wanted to make music, they were confused: I was shy, hated public speaking and didn’t even play an instrument. But my mom knew I wrote poetry, and she thought it would be a great idea to try to make those poems into songs.
They weren’t immediately wholeheartedly supportive, but I think that having to work for that belief and support made me feel like it was earned.
My dad is my biggest fan and supporter- he comes to every show, he films every song in typical dad fashion (very zoomed in, haha) and never misses an opportunity to tell someone that his daughter is a musician. My mom is so creative in her own right, and having her support feels like having a partner in the creative process, especially when it comes to visuals. I value her opinion very highly, and she’s often one of the first people to hear a new song.
When I get tired, or overwhelmed, or feel like giving up, I call my dad, and he always asks the same question: “you love this, right?” and when I say yes, he reminds me that i’m heading in the right direction.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Hi! I’m Mae Krell. I’m a 25 year old folk singer from New York City (born and raised!) and I write songs about mental health, addiction, recovery, being a lesbian, being a woman, being a human being. There are so many hard and isolating parts of being a person- in writing about them, I hope i’m able to make those experiences feel a little less isolating.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Playing live and connecting with people who relate to what I write about is the most important thing to me. I’ve met so many people throughout the couple years i’ve been playing music and had so many beautiful and vulnerable conversations- it just feels so human, it’s the reason I do everything I do.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

More resources! I can’t speak to the whole world obviously, but in the US, everything is privatized and individual. I think that if there were more financial resources for artists it would help create an environment where we feel more valued for what we do and what we create. This is a career like any other! There should be more support and acknowledgement of that.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.maekrell.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maekrell/
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/maekrellmusic/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/maekrell?lang=en
• Youtube: https://m.youtube.com/@MaeKrell
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/maekrell
• Other: https://maekrell.bandcamp.com/
  https://linktr.ee/maekrell

Image Credits

Guitar Only Photo: Elizabeth Munn
Photo Smiling w/ mic: Lydia Kennie
On stage photo w/ brown shirt: Rare & Raw Media
Rest of photos: Alex Lyon