MAISIE MAY TALKS TRUST YOUR GUT

Interviewed by Culture Coast Talks editor Daniel John. Interview transcripts might have been edited for length and clarity.

If I were to, well, trust my gut, I’d dare to say this song is rather straightforward in its ways?

'Trust Your Gut' is definitely straightforward in terms of the lyrical arc, but the general theme could be applied to many different experiences. Usually the answers to our questions are a lot closer than we realize.

Given how personal your songs are, how aware are you of sharing them while creating. Do you start fully in your own bubble?

I can’t even begin to think about how my music will be perceived by other people until the thought or idea is somewhat complete. If I get in my head about how other people will take it in, I fear that it will negatively affect the process, so I only allow myself to think about it once the song is close to done.

Did you find yourself in lullaby land very early?

Lullaby land! I love that. Yes, I have fond memories of my mom rubbing my back singing, 'My Bonny Lies Over the Ocean'. My mom told me that I was humming ‘Ba Ba Black Sheep’ on a plane when I was two and the lady next to her said I had good pitch (laughs). I was always into poetry as a young kid too. I loved Mother Goose, Shel Silverstein, and Dr. Seuss. And as soon as I could start learning piano and ukulele around ten years old I was able to turn those poems into songs. When I was twelve I wrote my first complete song called 'Flings', and it was this hilarious song about wanting a summer romance with a boy. I uploaded it to YouTube. I think its still up and I have braces, it's pretty funny.

Which artists would you say influenced you the most?

Some of my faves, not in order, are Bea1991, Okay Kaya, Joan Baez, Joni Mitchell, Linda Perhacs, Wet, The Knife, Gretchen Wilson, Julia Jacklin, Sheryl Crowe, Imogen Heap, The Chicks, Radiohead, Eartheater, Caroline Polachek, Yves Tumor, Gillian Welch, Blondie, Vagabon, Ladytron, Kelly Lee Owens, The Go Go’s, Salem, Shygirl, Sassy009, Hannah Diamond, Hyd, Ethel Cain, Grimes and Angel Olsen.

Now based in Los Angeles but originally from The Hudson Valley, what's it been like setting new roots so far from home?

Fortunately big moves are not unfamiliar to me. I will always think of The Hudson Valley as my home, but when I was seventeen I moved to New York City and lived there for five years. It does feel strange to be so far away from home though since that was only a two hour train ride away. But if anything, being in California allows me to cherish my hometown even more. The classic "distance makes the heart grow fonder" moment. The older I get, and the further away I get from my childhood, the more I am able to see the value in it. Also, having a sense of home and family has played a huge role in my ability to put myself out there. Having a support system is so crucial for this.

On recent songs you have worked with Aaron Sayre and Kaleb Fumer, how do you stay true to your own voice collaborating?

It’s so necessary to have mutual trust, respect and compatibility with your creative collaborators which I have found in both Kaleb and Aaron. With both projects, I felt eternally safe voicing my ideas and bouncing off of theirs which is such a gift. I don’t normally finish projects or songs if the creative connection isn’t there.

Lucky for us, you are a bit of an oversharer, which means we get a lot of music, two full EPs this year. What's next for you now?

That is very sweet! I am also super happy that I was able to release so much music this year. In terms of what’s next I do think that a major shift is happening but it’s hard not to feel like that all of the time since life moves so quickly. Since I am entirely independent I try to take advantage of how much creative freedom I have. I try not to limit myself to any sort of genre or sound, which has maybe kept me away from some sort of niche market but has also kept me constantly inspired and excited about what I am going to make next. My next project for 2025 is the closest I have gotten to "pop" which is terrifying yet thrilling at the same time. After my pop project, I predict that I will have a lot of self-produced tracks on the pipeline which I am already extremely excited to share.