Maya Lane has been patiently developing her career since debuting her first EP “Childish Games” in 2022 which has been followed by three further singles, which the most recent release “Bump Into Me” landed Radio 1 airplay with multiple Future Pop spins from Mollie King. Her own musical story dates back to her childhood when she vowed to become a musician after being astounded by seeing Taylor Swift’s ‘Red’ tour which now sees her trying to emulate the multiple Grammy winner as she paves her own path as one of the UK’s most prominent pop/country crossover talents.
After spending the back end of 2023 on the road with Far From Saints (the new project formed by Stereophonics frontman Kelly Jones along with The Wind and The Wave’s Patty Lynn & Dwight Baker) the twenty-year-old songwriter has already began to refine her performances bringing a mix of youthful enthusiasm with the finesse of a more seasoned artist, after her previous performances have also seen her as a guest for renowned songwriter Jill Andrews and appear as part of Nashville’s acclaimed female only writers round Song Suffragettes during their London residency.
Now Maya looks to build upon those landmark moments with the release of her brand new single ‘Heart For A Heart’ on April 18th (available HERE) which she told us all about when we recently spent some time getting to know Maya over Zoom.
It’s great to see you and thanks for taking some time to hang out to give me an excuse to not be doing real work this morning. I think it was about eighteen months ago when we first met when you opened for Jill Andrews in Guildford. “Yeah I think that’s about right, it would have been October the year before last maybe?”
Then I think the next time I saw you was at Song Suffragettes where Jess (Thristan) and Simeon (Hammond Dallas) played too so, I’ve known you and what you do for a while but this feels like a great time for us to finally get round to having some content so more people can learn how wonderful you are because you’ve got a new single coming out. “It’s come round so fast, it felt like one minute it was still six weeks away and all of a sudden your thinking I’d better start posting about it and everything. I’m really excited to have this new single come out, I’ve had it tucked in my back pocket for quite a long time now and I think I played it at The Boileroom when you first saw me so, it’s been around for a while and it’s nice to get it out then it also feels like the right time to put it out which is cool.”
You mentioned that this is a song that you have had kicking around for a while so what is it about now that feels the right time to put it out there for it to have its moment? “After my first EP, I had a pretty clear idea of what I wanted to come next and I had done a couple of tracks with the same guys where I really wanted to put those out and they just felt like the right ones to put out at that time so we made a schedule around that. I’ve been playing “Heart For A Heart” live a lot and it got to the point where the whole world and the song sort of lined up where everyone is really feeling this country/folk revival which maybe a year ago wasn’t so prominent where here it the UK it definitely feels like it is becoming more mainstream. The reaction to “Bump Into Me” was really good and after that I just had a gut feeling that “Heart For A Heart” needs to come next as it is kind of in the same realm and it feels like the right time. Also, I’ve been playing it live so much that I was getting people asking about it so after two years of that, I wanted it out too so I guess I really just have a gut feeling for it.”
Then can you just fill us in on the background behind it, who did you write it with and what was the inspiration behind the song? “I wrote the song with Carys Selvey and Andy who goes by the name andysocialclub, it was I guess two years ago and it was one of our first sessions together. I had watched a film about two days before, I had kind of been feeling a bit uninspired, there wasn’t much going on in my personal life and I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to write about but I was sitting at home thinking about this film that I’d seen. I went into the session and had this starter idea that I thought they wouldn’t want to write about this because it’s a bit rogue, a bit random and not everyone likes the concept writing so much, people like to write more form personal experience. I was talking about the film and they had both happened to see it that week too so it was like let’s just go for it and we started the song by diving into that. The film has quite a sinister undertone so we delved into that but also made it our own once we started writing. Once you start writing it, all of the things in your personal life come out as well where you can relate things to when this happened. Whilst it obviously is a fictional song and the inspiration is totally made up, the feelings of betrayal and wanting to get revenge are definitely true feelings that I think we all have experienced or felt but I guess this is just in a more extreme way. I think it’s a really fun way to process feelings and delve into your imagination then really let it run wild. After we wrote the song, Andy produced it with a guy called Rich Cooper to make it fit with my EP that is coming out.” Oooh that’s good to hear that we have got an EP on the way. I’m really big on the benefit of tracks from an EP flowing as singles in the lead up to an extended project so they all get a chance to shine, you can do content around each song and they aren’t battling for the same DSP window then the last song or two being new as the EP are able to bring them all together. “We have definitely added as we have gone along. It originally had two less tracks on it than it does now, so it’s got two more tracks and it’s quite a long EP but I love that. Like you said about it being a singles driven word, being able to put the majority out as singles and still have some surprises on the EP for people who are really going to delve in and listen because as a fan I love finding surprises to listen to rather than just the singles. We’re having a little ramped up release to head into the EP because it’s coming quite soon which is exciting.”
You mentioned “Bump Into Me” earlier which was your last single and that managed to do something that other UK artists in the realms of country music, haven’t managed to do. People seem to have goals of getting played by Bob Harris on Radio 2 or being played on Absolute Radio Country but as a country fan and someone that works within the genre I want to see it grow as much as possible, so I think the ceiling should be set much higher, which I think needs CHR (Contemporary Hits Radio) to go to get there. Mollie King playing you on Radio 1 is amazing and a big step towards the endless possibilities of where people’s music can take them along with but also allows you to take your music and country music out of the traditional box. “Yeah I think we’ve really seen that happen in the last year with Kacey Musgraves and some of her collabs, I know Radio 1 have been playing a lot of the song with Zach Bryan, then artists like Noah Kahan who is more folk leaning but still has those country and Americana roots. I think it’s really nice and refreshing to hear that sort of sound on the radio plus it has a huge fanbase, people love that sort of music with good storytelling, good voices, good lyrics and all of that. It feels very inspiring to be able to see that and also have moments where my singles are doing that thing, especially getting played on the Future Pop show as a country song felt quite special. I think it gives hope to me as an artist that what I’m doing can be reached by other people that maybe wouldn’t have thought they could and also it helps break the country stereotype because people may not actually know what country music is or all of the little sub-genres in that, I think that exposure is the best way to push out and get new people involved.”
There was an album that came out a couple of weeks ago that the entire world has been talking about and she is one of the biggest stars in the entire music business. There will be some more traditional fans who are set in their ways of what country music is which is old time, pedal steel driven melodies and ideas from the Hank Williams era but someone like Beyonce, then we have Post Malone and Lana Del Rey with projects exploring the genre later this year, it does open things up to a new audience that may discover things that they realise they really like country music and wouldn’t know any different if they don’t see the “C” word attached to it. “Yeah, exactly and if Beyonce can be the gateway into the rest of country music, I don’t see why anyone can see a bad thing about it. I mean she has got loads of collabs on that album so people could find an artist through that and discover a whole genre they are missing out on, I’m in the opinion of the more, the merrier and if it’s opening the doors, it’s surely helping all of us out and changing the stereotype of what country music is, which I think is really important too.”
You’re right with the collabs as a way to introduce new artists to people, TikTok and all the stuff through socials is another way of discovery but then so is getting to play shows with other people. Last year you got to be part of a really cool tour with Kelly, Patty and Dwight so firstly how was being on the road with Far From Saints and did you find there were people that probably went along as a Stereophonics fan out of curiosity to see what Kelly is doing now, who have started following your music after coming to the show? “It was just the most incredible experience. I still look back and can’t quite believe it happened in a way, like it feels a bit like a dream but it was truly amazing. It was my first real taste and experience of touring which I think was incredible anyway but being able to do it alongside some of the most talented and also just the nicest people was really special. I obviously was quite nervous going in to it and they were all so kind, they gave such good advice and they are very caring, almost like a family which helped me feel really comfortable getting on stage every night. The same goes for the fans of theirs, they are just real music fans who were excited to hear what you had to offer and every night people weren’t talking through the support which almost felt kind of alien but very special to experience as for a support act, as that doesn’t always happen. Playing shows in venues that big was a new thing for me and very exciting then I think I learnt a lot, even things like how to use in ears as I hadn’t played with those before to talking to the crowd, what happens when things go wrong, I changed my set halfway through the tour which I wasn’t planning on doing but just off how the crowd were reacting to songs so, it was just the most incredible learning experience. Every night after the set I got to go to the merch stand and chat to people, where it was really cool to see people of all age ranges and every walk of life come up and say they had enjoyed the music which was lovely.”
Now I want to get on to the most important topic because in your bio’s and press releases that we are sent talk about Taylor (Swift) being a really big influence so, firstly how many Eras shows have you managed to get tickets for? “I have tickets for two shows in London, I’m going once with my friends then once with my little sister and my mum. I feel like I can’t tell anyone that I have two sets of tickets because I feel really guilty towards people that haven’t managed to get any but I do feel that I’ve earnt my right to go twice.”
Definitely don’t feel guilty at all. I’m going to three shows and my first one is next month because I’m at one of the Lisbon shows in May, then in August we’re going out to Warsaw to see the show in Poland before finishing off with one of the Wembley shows. “That’s so cool seeing it in different countries and she will pull out different surprise songs at them all.”
That is the thing about it but you think so hard about what surprise songs you would want but there are so many I would love to hear. I first saw Taylor at King’s College when she first came over in 2008, then have seen her five times since so I’ve literally seen the transition between the Eras but I’m excited to go with friends that have never seen her before so they can experience it too. Probably the most difficult question of them all here, but as a Taylor fan which is your Era that means most to you? “Oh my gosh, this is the hardest question which me and my friends have this conversation all of the time where every time I change my mind and can’t pick. I think the most nostalgic Era for me is “Red” because that was the first show that I ever saw, I feel like that really got me into her music and I delved into country through that. I love debut as well, I mean I love them all but I have to say that I think “Folklore” remains one of my all time favourite albums. The time that it came out just after lockdown and the sound that she did felt so new and refreshing so, I think it’s an album that stands the test of time. It’s just so hard to pick an Era and I feel like each week I have a different vibe but it’s fun and amazing to be able to have an artist that you love so much have such a wide range of music for every mood and situation.”
I’ve seen the show evolve from her playing guitar with her original band, Caitlin (Evanson) and Liz (Huett) coming in to do small skits or routines with her, then dancers becoming a part of the show to now being this whole mass production. “Speak Now” I guess is the one that I have the strongest connection to but like “Folklore” was an album without radio singles, I love “1989” too which is similar in what it did to what your sound does in how it is bridging the gap between country and pop, then you get “Reputation” which is just completely out there. She’s playing to nearly four hundred thousand people across foot night in Melbourne on the other side of the world, playing in Japan and Latin America where they don’t even speak our language and it just reiterates not setting a ceiling or staying doing things in the typical route. “Yeah, I definitely agree. You’ve got to keep pushing and see where it takes you really.”
Back to you, you said there is an EP coming this year. “We are looking at early summer so nice and soon.”
Apart from that, you’ve announced some shows and one is in London next week. “I’ve got a few shows and yes a London show in Putney at The Half Moon as part of a Ferocious Talent night, who manage the company that I’m under and a putting on a night of new music that is all female artists playing at this one which will be really great. I’m also heading on my own living room tour with Edie Bens who also supported Far From Saints, we are doing a first leg in Wales, then we are doing a London and south of England leg. It’s going to be really exciting and I think a lot of the fans who have applied were people that discovered us through the Far From Saints tour so it’s nice to be able to play them some more music and connect with them again. After that I have been shortlisted for some festivals this year so, I’m waiting to hear on that where I’m crossing my fingers and toes but it’s looking to be a good summer that I’m very excited about.”
That’s great to hear. Thanks for hanging out this morning, it’s been cool. “Thank you for chatting with me, it’s so nice to catch up and hopefully see you soon.”
23rd April London, The Half Moon 24th May Portsmouth, Portsmouth Cathedral 31st May London, St Pancras Old Church 16th July Brighton, The Folklore Rooms The new single “Heart For A Heart” from Maya Lane is out today and is available to stream HERE. Maya’s upcoming confirmed shows are listed above with ticket information available on her WEBSITE whilst you can be the first to know of any further shows and all that she is up to by following her socials at: INSTAGRAMTIKTOKFACEBOOK & TWITTER.