The singer and songwriter Mayah involves us in an engaging musical mix of MPB, rap and alternative music, through the release of the single and clip “Esquinas”. This track is a prelude to her long-awaited debut EP, entitled “Venusiana”, which proposes the search for the feminine through poetry and sensitivity.
In “Esquinas”, Mayah invites us to delve into everyday and involving passions that permeate our lives, exploring the street scene as a place of possibilities, surprises and affective encounters. The artist reflects on affection as a transmission route, allowing the other to be welcomed spontaneously and allowing herself to transcend the boundaries of her own being.
Born and raised in Pérola D’Oeste, in the interior of Paraná, Mayah is a multi-artist and social psychologist. Her artistic trajectory began early, at the age of 6, participating in music festivals and presentations with local groups. Since then, her musical career has grown, with performances on important stages in Curitiba, where she currently resides. The “Venusiana” EP promises to be a poetic and revolutionary dive, told through 5 video clips directed by women, praising the creative and contemplative power of love in all its forms.
The single “Esquinas” is now available on several streaming platforms, as well as the artist’s YouTube channel, providing the public with a unique and passionate experience in her musical universe. The complete EP is expected to be released in 2023, with the support of the Curitiba Municipal Culture Fund and EBANX. With a remarkable voice and a powerful message, Mayah invites us to follow her artistic journey full of meaning and authenticity.
How did the inspiration for the single “Esquinas” come about and how does it relate to the theme of the EP “Venusiana”?
Esquinas is a poem-song, which brings in its origin the sensations that the street awakens in me, as a passageway and vein of inspiration that runs and keeps the city circulating – as if poetry were the blood that keeps the city alive. They are perceptions of my first years living in Curitiba, coming from the interior, everything is new, everything awakens curiosity, contemplation and inspiration. For me, this is also the initial stage of love – the one that comes out of the unexpected and is in everything, and if you stop to contemplate, you will find it. Just as my heart found itself pulsing and overflowing in the cold and gray of Curitiba, in the same streets, 40 years ago, the heart, veins and lines of the poet Paulo Leminski also pulsated. Esquinas speaks of affection, above all, of how the poetry of the streets is capable of inspiring us.
Can you tell us a little about the process of creating and producing the video for “Esquinas” and how it contributes to transmitting the song’s message?
The music video for Esquinas was created by many hands, with the cold streets of Curitiba as its panorama. Initially, I met with the team of 4 directors and 1 costume designer, to present the visual ideas I had thought of. Since composing, I already imagined that I would have to dance, when I met Jully dancing at a Rap event. So I was sure that she would be the dancer that would accompany me in the performance. We seek to explore in a poetic and visual way these aspects that are so intrinsic to the inspiration that the street provokes – the encounter.
The EP “Venusiana” approaches the search for the feminine with a lot of poetry. How would you describe the atmosphere and themes explored in the other tracks on the EP?
The idea is that each song addresses an aspect of love as a practical action – contemplation, inspiration, self-discovery, desire and collectivity. These are also characteristics that I found listening to and studying black Brazilian music, such as samba, rap and soul, so I rhythmically guided myself through these genres and cultures, to transmit a sound that genuinely evokes these feelings.
What are your main musical influences and how are they reflected in your work as a singer and songwriter?
I grew up listening to country music, there I already realized that somehow the compositions told stories and were full of feelings. When I was 10, I got to know Emicida’s work and I consider it a milestone in my life, because it introduced me to hip-hop culture and a worldview, somewhat distant from the place and reality where I lived. But what moved me and made me want to research what he was saying in those rhymes – he opened my eyes and my mind to think critically. Afterwards, I got to know Gilberto Gil’s work and fell madly in love with its unique originality and at the same time as plural as our culture – it brought me a sense of belonging, of wanting to know my origins. In my conception, making music goes beyond an artistic expression, it is a vast way of being in the world.
How was the partnership with the Brazilian music producer in the production of the EP? How did he contribute to the sound and identity of the project?
I met Brasileiro in early 2020, through the collective In Pine Recordations. There was one of the few places I visited during the pandemic and it was what “saved” the moment we were living, because we got together to make music and that strengthened us when everything was uncertain. I really like the identity that Brazilian brings to his compositions, I think it makes perfect sense for him to be called that because his lyrics and beats bring the “Brazilian flavor” of the streets – exactly what I was looking for for this song. And just like the lightness of the days of lots of rhymes and beats that we share during isolation, Esquinas was created with that energy.
The concept of “Venusiana” is related to the archetype of Venus as a state of mind of love and pleasure. How do you see the revolutionary power of this love today?
It is common in our society that we believe that love is just a feeling or emotion, but the thought of bell hooks has made me realize that all this inspiration and poetry that I feel in love and pleasure, is the moving force that makes me want to create. In the Venusiana ep I bring love as a practical action, which is in everything – it is the basis. It is revolutionary because it requires us to be present and aware, to understand how we feel, what and who crosses us, in what ways, where it takes us… it is critical thinking, because from the moment we perceive the impact of love and affection in our lives, with ourselves and collectively, we can think about our choices and what really makes sense for the world we want and the values we aim for.
The EP will feature five music videos directed by women. How important is this choice and how does each music video complement the EP’s narrative?
Getting a visual idea out of your head and bringing it to reality is always a big challenge, even more so for someone who insists on everything (or almost hehe) having a meaning – that’s why working with women was essential. The first 4 video clips were recorded in two days, a mission that was only possible because Salted opened its doors and embraced the idea. We got together to build this journey by connecting the narrative of each music video to the central idea of the ep: affection. The main scenario has as a backdrop the creative daily life where common activities, such as sweeping the house and washing the dishes, become moments where creativity finds spaces of affection and self-discovery, to be – in a similar way to the moments where the compositions appeared during social isolation.
How would you describe your artistic journey so far and what are your expectations for the release of “Venusiana” and your career as an artist?
I started singing in church at the age of 6, at school festivals and on the radio stations in my hometown (Pérola D’Oeste). The will and the dream of making a living out of art has always been burning within me, but because it was far from my reality, I followed another path, which was to study Psychology. And one thing complemented the other, because when I came to Curitiba to study, right from the start I connected with street art, performing on the sidewalks in the city center and at soirées. When I entered the studio for the first time to record Ciclos, I was sure that this was what I wanted for my life, to sing and make music. Then I met my Rap brothers and I understood that making music is also a way of fighting, disseminating historical and cultural knowledge – it’s a political act. These are my bases, making art for love and revolution. Putting my voice in the world is giving a voice to those who paved the way for me to speak and sing today – this is the impact I aim to have on anyone who connects with my art: affection, from the verb to affect oneself, to perceive oneself, to feel, be inspired, think, question yourself. And that it reaches whoever has to reach it, in a true way.
In addition to music, you are also a social psychologist. How does this area of knowledge influence your creative process and the approach to themes in your lyrics?
Critical Social Psychology, which is an originally Brazilian approach, requires that my look at reality as it is, understand the culture and the historical context in which subjectivity is constituted – that is, it requires observation, contemplation and elaboration, always seeking to decolonize thought, investigating the origins of who I am and the social patterns that shape our subjectivities. Even more so, aiming to go beyond that, using creativity to think of new ways of existing and expressing myself that respect my origins, my ancestry and what I want to promote in the world.
What are your plans for the future? Can we expect live shows and new projects after the release of “Venusiana”?
I dream big hahaha that’s what moves me and I like to make it happen. We already have a launch show scheduled for 2024, at Teatro Paiol. But until then, a lot of water will roll. Some partnerships are already happening and will be announced soon. Venusiana is just the beginning of the journey, because the affection and the will to make music are in everything, and what I want is to expand, to know other places, sounds, ways of making music and cultures.
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