By Charlotte Fontaine
NASHVILLE, TN — It’s tough being the opening act for a popular musical artist, but MAY-A gave a captivating performance at Marathon Music Works this month that left a meaningful impression. A mature, thoughtful and energetic 22 year old singer-songwriter from Australia, MAY-A’s second EP titled “Analysis Paralysis” came out September 1st of this year. I had the chance to catch up with her backstage as she squeezed a yellow stress ball while we spoke. She was enthusiastic about her tour with Nessa Barrett and playing shows in the U.S., particularly noting a love of the large size of Texas.
As May-a (pronounced like the month and a deep sigh, “uh”), cleaned pickle juice off her hands, we discussed tour life, her brand new EP, and what it is like to be a woman in the music industry. “I always want people to feel understood, and sort of see a reflection of themselves in the music… to be free and a little weird” she said about her existing audience and new listeners enjoying recordings and live shows. Maya’s desire for fans to be present and engaged during shows was evident in how she spoke of her fans “maybe someone in the crowd lost someone recently or it’s their friend’s birthday, and they’ve come to see me that day …we’re all here for the same reason, to break up normal life, and you’ve got to give people permission to move at concerts”.
With her breakout success in Australia, May-a has a point to prove playing to fresh audiences in the U.S., who are less familiar with her than at home, noting “It’s a fun challenge to deliberately try and win people over”. Her set opening with the ridiculously catchy “LOLA” (it sticks to a brain like Elmer’s Glue) immediately caught the attention of the crowd, who was mostly teenage and early 20 something girls in converse and black ripped tights, looking to dance and maybe eat a “Daddy’s Dog” hot dog that night. May-a’s kittenish energy, striking stage presence and crispy clear vocals were hard not to be mesmerized by.
May-a’s EP titled “Analysis Paralysis” is a diaristic group of songs. The term ‘analysis paralysis’ in simplest terms according to May-a is “When you get stuck thinking too much. Not being able to make choices because there are too many”. While answering questions it was clear that May-a off stage is a deep thinker and quietly observant, a stark contrast to her booming stage persona.
When discussing her desire to write songs outside of her personal experiences, May-a had this to say, “I’m getting to a point where I want to write more about other people and what I see in the world rather than just my thoughts, experiences and my feelings… it’s a scary thing to try and tackle how to write about broader things we’re going through without trying to tell people how they feel”. I look forward to seeing how this new take on writing translates into her next release but in the meantime, I’ve got the 7 songs on “Analysis Paralysis” on repeat. You can listen to MAY-A’s work on all streaming platforms and catch her on tour opening for Nessa Barrett this fall.
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