We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Maya La Maya. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Maya La Maya below.
Maya La Maya, appreciate you joining us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?
Growing up, music was all I knew. Both of my parents taught piano and my father was a concert pianist. If we weren’t going to his solo concerts or orchestral performances, me and my brother would be practicing the piano or playing ear training games in the living room. It was piano camp in the summer where my father worked, and then orchestra during the school year. I played the flute for 3 years around middle school. I saw the struggles that a music career can cause early on, but when I was about 6 I started composing my own music. At first they were just piano pieces that I would perform at Summer Sonatina, but it grew into much more after I took up poetry and decided to combine my passions. Songwriting was something new, something exciting that the classical music industry didn’t give me anymore. I could pour my thoughts and emotions into something that could be articulated, not just harmonize to. This became my favorite pastime when I was 11. That was when I knew I was destined to be a songwriter. I looked up the best songwriting programs and Berklee College of Music popped up in my search. I instantly fell in love the curriculum and made it my goal to graduate from Berklee with a songwriter’s degree. And 10 years later, I was graduating from Berklee College of Music with a Bachelor’s degree and a double major in Songwriting and Music Business.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I’m a pop/rnb LGBTQIA+ BIPOC indie artist. Maya La Maya is a Spanish translation of Maya the Mayan, a nickname I acquired in high school because my name and ethnicity synced perfectly haha. It stuck, and I’m very proud of my Mayan heritage. I’m half Spanish, half Mayan, and both cultures are reflected in my music in some way or another. I love jamming out, coffee shops, my puppy, my girlfriend, and FOOD! If you’re looking for an artist that grooves sideways and can lyrically capture your indescribable thoughts, you might’ve just found her!
Since graduating from Berklee I moved to the west coast to pursue music professionally. Production, piano, singing, songwriting, engineering, and visual arts all came in handy when I was building my career. Although I released music before, I was starting fresh and it was all very scary. That’s when I found HRDRV, an indie friendly subscription based label that helped me hone my skills and gave me community. After finding my tribe, I was inspired to create daily and release often, making it a habit to drop new music almost biweekly. Since being a full-time artist I’ve released 50+ songs, 2 EPs, 2 music videos (in the process of dropping a 3rd!), and have performed across the country. Not only that, but I’ve gotten my songs placed on the popular tv shows All American, and Love Island. I’ve worked with my peers to help with their musical journeys, even hosting my own collaboration sessions called Song Factory. I’ve produced over 60 tracks for incredibly talented artists, transcribed music for bands, made countless album arts, written in all genres for tv and other artists, and even won EP of the year, Collab Leader of the year, and Most Consistent Releases at the DRV Awards this year.
The amount of support and love I’ve received from sharing my artistry is beyond anything I could’ve ever imagined. My fam and friends really support me and show me with every share comment and bought merchandise that they believe in me, and I’m trying to earn that support one project at a time. My goal is to be the change in the music industry that I want to see. It’s a man’s world but it’s changing. And I want all music, all identities, all cultures to be able to shine and feel safe within the studio. My catalog is massive, and will only get bigger. I want to be able to share my success and grow with the people I care about. The amazing group of individuals I’ve met and work with are going to change the world. We are generationally healing and calling out systematic injustices. Music is how I make positive impact. To be a positive energy is something I strive for daily. If I’m not smiling and giving you a hug, you know something is seriously wrong. So if you see me in a coffee shop don’t be afraid to say hi!
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
Coming from a classical background and intensive music theory education, my way of creating was at first very rigid and unforgiving. The “rules” were law and I was unkind to myself through a lot of my process for many years. My perfectionism was giving me writer’s block, discouraging me from finishing projects, and giving me major insecurities about my artistry. After I graduated I went out into the industry with this mindset, and when I worked with my newfound music friends and peers, it was very difficult to collaborate. Creation was my release but was also my prison. The paradox was causing me anxiety and major health issues. My mindset had to change. So many of my favorite songs didn’t follow the “rules”. They were pure, uncensored creation. So I shifted, adapted, and changed my process entirely. It took time, and I had good and bad days, but ultimately I freed myself of my inner critic and chose to fall in love with music all over again. Nothing was off limits, as long as it reached the intended goal: the song makes you feel something. The “rules” still applied where necessary, but they were no longer law. Just tools. And my music has become exponentially better for it.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
The actual process of creating will always be my favorite thing. Whether I’m producing, writing, or singing I’m always so in the zone I get transported to another plane entirely. It’s a reward within itself because you get to build something beautiful, then you let it go. By sharing a song, it gets interpreted in multiple different ways, and ultimately becomes more valuable as a result. It makes me excited to see what reaction my music will get from people, and how it will evolve. As an artist, your intention is irrelevant to the listener, because the aural chemistry is different for each person. Therefore, listeners are affected differently and the song not only has different meanings, but is a different song altogether for others. It makes it that much more special when I get to share my music, but when I create in the moment, during that time it’s just for me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.nextfan.com/links/mayalamaya
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mayalamayamusic
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mayalamayamusic
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maya-lopez-36a962149/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/mayalamayamusic
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@mayalamayamusic?si=08hJrIIJhMaDuFeI
Image Credits
Gavin Banksy, Eviana Vergara