INTERVIEW: Maya Wolff — Music Musings & Such

INTERVIEW:

Maya Wolff

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WE are lucky enough to have artists like Maya Wolff in this country…

creating some amazing music. She is German-born but has been in the U.K. since the age of nineteen. Moving away from Pop in 2006; she has taken her music in new directions and, in the process, amassed a giant fanbase on social media. I ask whether we can expect any new material soon and what the differences are between the British and German music scenes.

Maya Wolff is a hungry and multi-talented artist who is well worth watching as we head in 2018. I learn more about her background and the way her music has evolved; how songs come together for her – and whether music struck her at a very young age

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Hi, Maya. For those new to your work; can you introduce yourself, please?

I’m a singer/songwriter based in the U.K. I work with producer all across the Electronic genres and all across the world. The piano is another one of my huge passions - which is my go-to for songwriting and, sometimes, I even compose piano pieces-only.

Music has always been part of my life and quickly transformed from a hobby to a profession during my teen years.

Can we expect to see new music in the pipeline? What does the remainder of the year have in store in that sense?

There is an E.P. in-the-making and it’ll be an E.P. with just my name on it: not a collaboration this time - even though I’m still working on collabs., too. Hopefully, I’ll be able to reveal a release date soon - for some time in 2018!

You are based in the U.K. but hail from Germany. What provoked the move and do you see yourself returning to Germany at any point?

This is an interesting question and I feel a degree of discomfort answering this question in the light of the political madness over the last year-and-a-half...

Being German, but having lived in the U.K. since the age of nineteen, the U.K. has become my musical home - and the U.K., being such an important musical hub for music, it certainly is a massive factor why I haven’t moved back to Germany yet (apart from that special someone keeping me here too).

I’ve always been excited about British artists and the styles that have come out of the U.K.

What is the music scene like in Germany at the moment? How do the music scenes differ between the two nations?

I have also noticed a massive shift in the music industry in Germany - so I don’t feel quite like such an odd artist anymore - on home-ground - and more and more people find their outlets for creativity there, too. Techno has made a huge come back recently and I associate Techno with a big scene in Germany.

Both my homes have had a big influence in my music in their own ways.

How do songs come together for you? Do you set time aside to write or do they come to you naturally?

There are a few different ways of working for me...

Sometimes, I just sit down on my piano and it all just comes to me like a magic wand has been waved. Other times, I write for someone else’s track and I imagine a story or a picture- if I don’t feel any strong emotions going on in my life at that time, I make them up.

What made you want to take up music? Was it a big part of your childhood?

I’ve always wanted to make the music I love listening to and, in my teen years, a huge part of my listening was Pop.

As I grew out of that, and started listening to D'n’B, House; Trance etc., I started aspiring moving into these styles.

I know you teach music too. What is that experience like and how rewarding is it?

Teaching, to me, is highly rewarding.

I love passing on my passions and seeing my students grow and get excited about their talents. It’s not something I planned on doing: life just kind of went that way. It’s great and also reminds me that life will always bring changes about.

How important is the fans’ support to what you do and how far you have come?

Fans/people supporting my music are what makes it all worth it.

I can write and sing in my studio all-day-long by myself - but that gets empty after a while. If no one witnesses it…did it even happen?

What are your most treasured and fondest memories from your time in music?

Ironically, some of my most treasured memories are me by myself on the piano, especially when I was younger, because it was those moments that sparked my dreams – and put me on the journey I’m still on..

Do you have any tour dates coming in the next few months? Where can we see you play?

I’ve taken a break from performing this year. I’m especially excited about my E.P. - coming out next year.

I’m hoping to be back on stage (lots) again!

If you had to select the three albums that mean the most to you; which would they be and why?

Due to the change in technology; I haven’t listened much to albums as a whole in the last few years - so my three albums go way back and might not be what you expect…

Eminem - The Eminem Show

Linkin Park – Meteora

Backstreet Boys - Millennium