“Maya Lavelle’s music creates rhythms and vibes that stand outside what we have come to expect from pop” - Dark Beauty
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Dutch artist Maya Lavelle creates a phantasmagoric world within her first full-length album, Hobo, slated for release in June 2019. The 11-track album was written and produced by Lavelle who gained inspiration from her various travels and experiences. An overall process that took 5 years to conceptualize, the album follows the journey of quirky places and edgy characters who are found scattered throughout the tracks, with lyrics conveying various themes.
On February 1, 2019, Lavelle released the single “House on a Rocky Road”. The single conveys the disparate cinematic darkness that Lavelle is drawn to. As with all tracks on the album that hold a specific message, “House on a Rocky Road” addresses finding “unconditional love in the darkest of places.”
The single was proceeded by a music video that depicts a fantastical, dark world where love manages to bloom.
Watch Maya's Video “House on a Rocky Road” Below:
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Her latest single, "Dancing with a Bottle" was released on March 15th with a fun hypnotic music video. This single plays on the whimsical travel stories that Lavelle has gained over the years. Filmed in many locations on the west coast, "Dancing with a Bottle" perfectly syncs up with the ongoing themes in her music.
Watch Maya's Video "Dancing with a Bottle" Below:
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More about the artist
Maya Lavelle began her musical journey studying classical music at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam in 2009 where she earned a Masters degree in advanced composition and orchestration. She has gone on to win prizes, such as for ‘Best Piece’ in the Young Composers Meeting competition in Apeldoorn, Netherlands, and was chosen to represent the Netherlands for the Berlin International Film Festival in the Berlinale Talent Campus as a Film Composer.
Soon her style began to evolve from contemporary classical to electronic cinematic pop. In March 2016, Lavelle released her debut single "This Ain't The End" which was featured on the film, The Rift. The single was later discovered by fans of the AMC hit series, The Walking Dead, who felt that the lyrics fit a pivotal and highly anticipated moment in the series perfectly.
From there Maya Lavelle has released four more singles, “Free Your Mind”, “Amazon”, “Zombie Town”, and “Ben”, which were featured on BBC Introducing and became 1# on Netherlands iTunes Top Charts.
Be sure to keep up with Maya Lavelle on social media and stay tuned for the release of her album, Hobo, in June 2019.
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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW:
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- PopImpressKA Journal: What is your best childhood memory growing up in the Netherlands?
Maya Lavelle: My best childhood memory is when my parents took me to a music festival. This was in Montenegro.
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- PJ: How did your parents influenced your musical career?
ML: They are both musicians. They influenced me by encouraging me to pursue a music career. When they would sing and write songs late in the night I would sneak out of the bed and I would sit and hide on the staircase listening for hours.
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- How did your transition from classical music towards pop music come to fulfillment?
ML: With classical music I always tried to tell a story. When I am producing a pop song, I make sure that there is an original idea, the atmosphere that will enrich the song such that people can feel like they are there with me, living that moment. The instrumental is in the function of the story. So you can tell it’s a similar approach, but completely different technique.
- PJ: What do you consider an excellent performance?
ML: It has to come from someone’s heart. I guess the master of performance is the one that translates the emotion perfectly through music and takes you on a emotional ride.
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- PJ: What was the best experience you had when you participated in the Berlin International Film Festival?
ML: Meeting with the experts from the Dutch film industry in the Embassy of the Netherlands.
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- PJ: Who are your inspirations in becoming the human and artist that you are today?
ML: My parents.
- PJ: Your album "Hobo" will be released in June 2019, what do you expect from the release?
ML: I expect more people to connect to me and to my music and to join me on this magical journey.
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- PJ: What is your favorite cuisine, film, holiday, time of the year?
ML: I love Japanese food. I love Sweeney Todd. Holiday in Maldives. And I love the autumn.
- PJ: What is your favorite musical instrument, musical artist inspiration?
ML: Piano of course :) That is a very hard question since I mainly get inspired through movies. So it would be Tim Burton.
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- PJ: What artist would you like to work with in the future?
ML: Michael Kutsche and Tim Burton
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- PJ: If you could perform on any stage out there what stage would you like to perform at?
ML: Hollywood Forever Cemetery
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- PJ: What are your three wishes?
ML: For sulphur dioxide to turn into flowers.
That someone discovers a medicine that heals everything.
To never grow up.
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Above Photography: Miljan Todorovic
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Beatrice Kimmel
