We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Maria Coyne a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Maria, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.
A risk I am proud to have taken is releasing the song “Something Good” out into the world. It is the latest single from my band Maria and the Coins and marks a shift for us musically and artistically. It is more rock-driven and the subject matter and lyrics are the most intimate and vulnerable of anything we’ve released thus far. The song is about my own personal struggles living with anxiety and depression and the fight to look for the light within myself even when I feel like giving up. When you put something out into the world that is so rooted in who you are, it can feel like you’re risking how people see you. What if people preferred the material you put out before this? What if it isn’t as good as something you did before? But I believe in the message of this song and just knew it belonged out in the open.
But the response we have had from “Something Good” has been unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. Playing this song live has unleashed a new energy within our band and resonated with audiences in a way that reaffirms why we put it out in the world in the first place. The song matters. People are listening, engaging, jamming along, in a way that I never could have imagined. And while it can feel risky to be vulnerable, the reward has already made the risk worthwhile.
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?
My life as an artist is primarily divided into three categories: creating, performing, and teaching. I made the transition to a full-time career as a performer and teaching artist about two years after I graduated from college and over the years I have been lucky enough to have opportunities that fulfill each facet of my creative endeavors and sometimes even overlap.
I am the lead singer and songwriter for the band Maria and the Coins: an indie pop band based in Minneapolis. This has been the primary focus of my career as a singer & songwriter. My bandmates are not only some of the best musicians and collaborators in town, but are also some of my dearest friends. We have been creating and performing music together for over a decade and it has been one of the greatest honors of my life to get to work alongside such a stellar team. Maria and the Coins is made up of myself (frontwoman), Zaq Baker (piano), Conor Lee (guitar), Adam Maurer (bass), and Sheldon Way (drums). We have had the pleasure of touring in the midwest and opening for some incredible artists like Christina Perri, JP Saxe, Betty Who, and Haley Reinhart.
I am also a freelance vocal coach and teaching artist. I teach all musical genres (from opera and musical theatre to pop and indie rock) and have students ranging from amateurs to professionals. Building my voice studio to where it is now is something that I am incredibly proud of. I feel honored to get to work with such amazing performers and artists and very humbled to have a full studio with a waitlist. It took a lot of years to build up my business to where it is now but I am so grateful that I have the flexibility of working for myself because it has allowed me to juggle all of my creative endeavors simultaneously which I believe helps me become a better teacher and mentor to my students.
I think what sets me apart from others in my field is the versatility of what I’m able to offer. I have a bachelor of music degree in voice performance that was rooted in the study of classical art song and opera. Most of my pre-professional performance experience came from the world of musical theatre. And the focus of my professional career as a performer is in the world of pop as an independent recording artist. I see the value in every genre. I am committed to giving my students all the tools they need to have healthy, sustainable careers and I am passionate about making sure each individuals’ training is a reflection of their own set of unique goals. I don’t believe one genre is more worthy of our time than another. At the end of the day, I believe it is my job to give each singer what they need in order to express themselves and communicate through music that inspires them.
Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
Community. This may seem like an odd answer, but let me explain.
When you first start out in any career, the word you can’t escape is networking. Everyone you ask, any advice you get, people say it’s all about the network. The problem I had with ‘networking’ was that it seemed inauthentic to me. It didn’t feel genuine to connect for the sake of what I could get in return. But that’s because I didn’t really understand the right way to approach it. Here’s what I wish someone had said to me instead.
Community. Who are the people involved in what you are passionate about. How can you support them? How can you become a positive part of the industry. What can you bring to the table? The answer: show up.
I spent too many years not engaging with the music scene in a meaningful enough way. But when you simply show up (whether that’s by attending a local show or helping with another artist’s crowdfunding or engaging with artists online) you start to build authentic connections and find a sense of community. And after all, isn’t that what we’re trying to do with our music in the first place?
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?
I used to get frustrated by questions like “are you still doing the music thing?” when I first began my career. I felt like that phrasing didn’t acknowledge the hard work and sacrifice it takes to pursue something creative full-time. It felt like what people were really saying was “so are you still chasing that silly childhood dream of yours?”
It used to bother me a lot because I think I felt like I had something to prove; as if people would stop asking it once I reached a certain level of success in my career that they deemed respectable or admirable. But now I just laugh it off because I think people who ask that don’t really understand what it takes to “do the music thing.” They don’t understand that it’s not just a passion, it’s not just a hobby, it’s something that runs through our veins. If someone doesn’t value creative fields, it’s not my job to change their mind. It’s my job to keep creating. It’s my job to keep making something that brings people together or inspires them to be the best version of themselves. It’s my job to keep “doing the music thing” because it’s what I was put on this earth to do.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.mariaandthecoins.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MariaandtheCoins/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mariaandthecoins
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maria-coyne-bb795868/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/MandtheCoins
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MariaandtheCoins
- Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2W0nmsVAw83oDzN3PpAzKi? si=EHwXrRehRkWd2R8_VCHf_A Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/maria-and-the-coins/1171405544 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mariaandthecoins? is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc
Image Credits
Photos by Adam Nantz and Tom Smouse