Age is just a number, as the old expression goes. And in the case of the soulful maturity of Vancouver’s Maya Rae, it is an adage with an abundance of truth, as the compellingly talented, evocative and deeply introspective singer/songwriter has released an exceptional work of songcraft with her new 12-song opus, Can You See Me? before turning 18 years old.
Remove this fact from your mind and the songs contained therein on this album bely any age for their sense of wistful wisdom, emotional depth and complexity as well as their sometimes stark honesty, all enveloped in a musical tapestry that is comprised of equal parts rootsy folk, and ephemerally sophisticated jazz.
Can You See Me? is am ambitious pronouncement of intention from an artist who is undoubtedly only at the beginning stages of a remarkable career, filled with potential for compositional excellent, industry plaudits and popular success.
Growing up, her parents did not play instruments or sing, but they loved music and nurtured their young children’s love of music and literature and art in general. At the precocious age of nine, Maya already wrote what would become her first recording, and by age 12 was singing professionally and had an album of jazz standards under her belt.
“It was at around nine that I really started loving playing and writing music and it was at that time that I knew what I really wanted to do. And that’s when I started going out for open mikes and playing little gigs here and there, and it just progressed from there. And here we are. When I was younger I definitely had lots of stage fright, but as I kept performing and people were always so supportive at things like the open mikes, it started happening less and less and I started getting more and more confidence every time I went onstage,” she said.
“At age 11, I wasn’t really doing jazz yet, but then I put out a Christmas single that I recorded and wrote, and it was a little more on the jazz side. [Noted jazz singer and radio host] Tim Tamashiro got a hold of it and played it on his radio show, and then invited me into the studio to play the song .That was the first time I sang a jazz a song in front of an audience, although I did grow up listening to a lot of different music.
“The first album of original material I wrote when I was around 14, so that was four years ago on the Cellar Live label. It was mostly jazz standards with a few originals. So, this is very different album coming out now. Its very different to my first album so I guess I am kind of rebranding myself a bit with it. I will always play some jazz stuff at my shows because I love it so much, but since my first album I have definitely change a lot, including the music that I write. I had developed and matured quite a bit – I guess you could say, musically I am on a different path with Can You See Me? – which is kind of why I gave it that title.”
In an arrangement that has been going on for a few years, similar to that of recent Grammy winner Billie Eilish, the now 18 year old’s closest collaborator is her brother Gabriel, who is two years older than Maya.
“It’s been over the last two years that we’ve really started to collaborate a lot more. He has always been a big poetry writer and creative writer. He loves to write and write lyrics, so he did that on his own. I was playing music all the time; it was a big part of my life. I guess two years ago we sat down one day, and he gave me a poem that he had written and then I just kind of sat down at the piano and pumped out a song to go with his words in about 20 minutes,” Maya said.
“Since then, we’ve done probably 100 songs or so. And it’s pretty easy; he is always around so we can always write together and we’re very co-operative. It’s just easy to write with him. He is not a performer himself; he prefers to create on his own, kind of behind the scenes. He just like to write the lyrics and I get to sing the songs at the shows.
“I think we’ve been so prolific because we’ve had so much to say and wanted to put it to song. I would like to compare myself a little bit, writing style wise, to Joni Mitchell. Not that I would compare anything I have written to her work, but she is one of my writing role models, just her kind of folky, singer/songwriter style. And then I bring in some of my own jazz influences, just because I have been singing jazz for so long. This new record is pretty roots/folk oriented because of [producer] Steve Dawson, and there’s a lot of that in the Nashville scene right now. I think it’s hard to make this album fit in a particular genre box.”
Maya said she not only enjoyed working with an industry veteran such as Dawson, but that it helped bring out the best of her writing, arranging and vocal performances throughout the process of creating Can You See Me? The process also demonstrated her growing confidence in the expectations of the recording apparatus and how firmly she wanted an outcome of which she could be proud, and which represented her most honest, compelling and forthright expressions.
“Initially I went into the studio with the same producer and the same band configuration as I did for my first album with my original music. I went in back in October 2018, so just a few months before I went to Nashville. We recorded the music, but the sound wasn’t exactly what I had envisioned. So, the producer of my first album brought in Steve because he knew him. I connected with Steve and I sent him the initial demos of the songs that I had written and he thought it was just right up his alley, and that I should just go down to Nashville and record the album with him,” she explained.
“So, it was a very intimidating process at first. I mean, I know he was incredible, and I wasn’t worried about what the outcome would be, but it happened so quickly as we were down in Nashville just a week later, working on the album. Steve played a huge part for sure. The sound of the album is amazing, and the outcome of the project is incredible. When I first wrote the songs, I wrote them either sitting at the piano or on guitar and they were very simple arrangements. The final product is definitely a really collaborative experience. The whole band, all of us, went into the studio for five days and they all pitched in with a lot of ideas for the songs and the result is really all of our ideas put together. It’s not just my brother and me.
“Steve was so embracing of the music and he seemed to like everything that we showed him. He was just super excited to work on the project and he worked hard to make it the best that he could make it and portray me as an artist. So, yeah, it was a very positive experience all around. He was incredible. And in the studio too he was so encouraging. I have done a lot of studio work, but it was different going into his studio with that whole band he put together. It was a totally different experience.”
In the promo material surrounding the release of Can You See Me? Maya spoke of the creative impetus behind some of the songs that appear on the album.
“All of the songs are relevant to my own life. The title track, Can You See Me? is about choosing to remove the masks we wear to reveal our true selves. Sometimes we feel the need to hide ourselves, so this song is about not being afraid to be who we truly are. New For Me is about my first love and trying to figure out my emotions. Having never been in love before, it was hard to know how and what I ‘should’ feel. Moon Girls is about a friend of mine who is lost and making bad choices about how to cope with her life. All of the songs on the album are really to me and explore things I’ve been going through in the past year,” she said.
“Music has always been a kind of therapy, and its definitely been a way to express myself when I am feeling sad or lonely,” she told the author of this article.
For more information on Maya Rae, Can You See Me? and possible post-Covid-19 shows, visit https://www.mayaraemusic.com.
- Jim Barber is a veteran award-winning journalist and author based in Napanee, ON, who has been writing about music and musicians for 30 years. Besides his journalistic endeavours, he now works as a communications and marketing specialist. Contact him at jimbarberwritingservices@gmail.com.
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