London-based Maya Lane may only be 19 years old, but she’s already winning acclaim for her 70s-influenced folk-pop sound.
With delicate vocals, solid guitar playing and a brilliant ear for lyrics, she’s already been compared to artists like Kacey Musgraves, HAIM and Joni Mitchell. Now she’s about to take the next step in her career with the release of her debut EP, ‘Childish Games’, which is out today.
Ahead of the EP’s release, I caught up with Maya to talk about the process of making the project, her approach to her songwriting, her plans for the rest of 2022 and more.
How would you describe your music?
I guess I’d say I’d describe my sound as acoustic pop music with folk and country influences. I try and create whatever feels most authentic to me and really drawing a lot of influence from the 70s folk scene – artists like Joni Mitchell and Fleetwood Mac. But also mixing it with the modern elements.
Your EP ‘Childish Games’ is out today – can you tell us more about that?
Yeah, so I started writing this EP just after the first lockdown in 2020, so I feel like it’s been a long time coming. I spent the first lockdown experimenting with my sound so when I got back into the studio after that to work on the EP, I had a much clearer idea of how I wanted it to go.
I started writing the EP with the song ‘Childish Games’ – that was the first song written for the EP. And I think immediately after writing that song, I left the session I was in and I was listening to the demo on the train, over and over again the whole way home. The sound of that song felt immediately like I’d created a sound so authentic to me, and I went on working with Jonathan [Quarmby] who I wrote that track with and working on my writing. I feel like I could see the elevation of the sound we were creating and the songs tying together, to create the four that are on there.
Was it easy to narrow it down to just those four songs? Or did you find that quite challenging?
Yeah, it got more challenging as it went along. At the beginning it was very clear. I think luckily it wasn’t too hard as I knew I wanted to have a similar selection of songs that really felt like they tied together and worked well together. So after recording the four, I initially knew that I wanted those on the EP. But then there were some moments where I was like, ‘should we add one more in?’ as we came out of the studio with more songs. So it’s definitely hard to narrow it down, especially now two years down the line with even more songs. But I think the four songs that are on the EP just felt like they worked so well together that I always knew those four should be on it.
Do you have a favourite out of the four songs on the EP?
Oh, my favourites definitely change. I think for me ‘Childish Games’ will always hold a little special place in my heart, as it was the first one that I wrote for the EP and obviously the title of the EP itself. So that’s definitely one of the songs that instantly I connected to so deeply and that felt authentic. So while I don’t have one particular favourite as it changes as I play them live and to different crowds and everything, ‘Childish Games’ is definitely a special one for me.
I also wanted to ask about ‘When You Need Me’ which you’ve recently released a video for. Can you tell us more about that song?
Yes. I wrote ‘When You Need Me’ initially about my younger sister, and that desire to want to shield and protect someone from all the challenges and the hardships that you face growing up and transitioning from a teen to an adult and a child to a teen and everything. So just the feeling of wanting to protect someone and let them know you’ll be there for them and whilst this moment is really hard, you will make it through. You know, ‘here’s my hand to hold and a shoulder to cry on’ and things like that. So it was a very special song. It was one of those that luckily sort of poured out as I was writing. So it was thankfully very easy to write, and just felt very, very personal.
But also as it’s been out and I’ve been performing it and people have been connecting to it and listening to it, there’s been another meaning that’s developed and that’s being there for anyone, supporting each other, being kind to each other, especially from the music industry and women in the music industry supporting each other and things like that.
One thing that stood out to me with the EP is that it’s very raw and open and honest. Was that something that was important to you with this project?
Yeah, definitely. I tend to write a lot from personal experiences, and even if a song comes from my imagination I’m putting myself in someone else’s shoes. So there’s always that element of truth or something that I’ve experienced, and a feeling that I’ve experienced running through it.
For me music is a massive form of therapy. I always feel very deeply connected to my songs and emotional when I’m writing them. So being vulnerable and having these songs which I’m connected to and that are authentic to the experiences that I’ve lived and things that I’ve experienced is really important. Being vulnerable is really scary but when it comes to music it just feels like the right place to pour my feelings out into. I feel very lucky to have that outlet.
I also wanted to ask about your writing process. Do you have a typical approach to your writing or does it change depending on the song?
Yeah, so it definitely changes depending on the song and the situation and where inspiration sparks from. But often I’ll start with an idea and then just go from there – grab my guitar, play some chords, strum melodies and mumble lyrics until I get something I’m happy with or an idea I latch on to.
It’s one thing actually that I start a lot of my songs on dog walks. Which sounds a bit crazy but I take my dog out for a walk in the park, and people in the park probably think I’m a little bit crazy as I walk around singing to myself. But I find it a really good way to get inspired and think of different ideas and see where the inspiration comes through. So there’s lots of different ways but that’s often the way things start.
Do you ever get writer’s block? And if so how do you deal with that?
I mean, I think creativity definitely comes in waves. That’s something I definitely had to learn. I used to panic – I’d go through a week where I’d write ten songs I loved and then the next two weeks I’d be a bit like, ‘mmm, I’m not sure about any of these ideas’. So it definitely comes and goes in waves. But I think not putting pressure on yourself and just knowing that the ideas will come.
Actually there’s a lot of things I do if I’m not feeling the most inspired – I’ll try and take inspiration from a book or a film, or write a song about a picture I’ve seen. And that’s where my imagination comes in really handy for putting yourself into different scenarios and characters that you may have read about or seen. That’s something that really helps me and stops it feeling like there’s too much pressure to write something and having it be the best thing you’ve ever written. And also just having a bit of fun with it and throwing yourself into different perspectives is really nice.
But I do feel very grateful that, for me, songwriting is something that I think comes quite naturally and it’s something that I’ve always loved to do, and my way of expressing myself, pouring out my feelings and processing my feelings as well. So it’s definitely something that comes naturally. But when I do struggle I look to other things for inspiration.
You’ve worked with some great writers and producers on this EP. Is there anyone who would be on your wishlist to work with in future, either as an artist or a writer?
Yeah, I mean there are loads of artists that I’d absolutely love to write with and perform with and everything. Somebody like Kacey Musgraves – her album ‘Golden Hour’ is one of my all-time favourite albums, so if I ever got to work with her that would be a dream. But yeah, so many different writers. I’m very lucky with who I’ve got to work with as well. And I think what’s so amazing about co-writing is taking that inspiration from different people and being able to see what their process is is one of the most exciting and interesting things for me.
You’ve also posted several cover versions on social media alongside your own songs. Do you have a favourite of the covers you’ve done?
Ooh, that’s a very hard question! For live music, I absolutely love covering Fleetwood Mac. It gets everyone going, it’s so fun. I often cover ‘The Chain’ or ‘Dreams’. They’re such fun songs that people can sing along to.
One of the covers that I like that I’ve done online… I did a Dua Lipa cover of ‘Levitating’ but I did it in a kind of folk version. That was really fun to play around with and put my own spin on a song that was otherwise quite pop and modern, and making it a bit more folky.
What’s the one song you wish you’d written?
Oh, that is so hard! I feel like I need to create a playlist of all the songs that I wish I’d written. But I remember the first time I heard ‘Slow Burn’ by Kacey Musgraves. I was listening to that song in the car and I remember listening to it and thinking, ‘oh, this is the one! This is the one that I wish I’d written. Why didn’t I come up with this?!’ I just think the writing is so brilliant and so descriptive on it. But yeah, that’s very hard because there are so many songs that I love.
What does the next six months to a year look like for you? Is the EP the main focus at the moment?
Yeah, so obviously the EP is coming out which I’m so excited for. It feels like it’s been a long time coming so to finally have this body of work that I’ve worked really hard on for the last two years out is gonna be really exciting. Then there’s definitely plans for lots more live shows. We have so much music that’s ready to come out and obviously I’m going into sessions weekly. So lots of exciting things coming which will all be posted about on social media when they get announced. But definitely lots in the works.
Maya Lane’s new EP, ‘Childish Games’, is out now on 7 Sisters Records.
