Interview with Maiah Manser
Article was originally published on September 2nd 2016. While Daniel was at Bumbershoot.
Maiah Manser is an artist from Seattle Washington whose music can be compared to the likes of Lana Del Rey. I recently was given the opportunity to interview her and see her play at Bumbershoot.
What are your musical influences?
I could go off on a long list, but I’m going to simply say that I feel like everything that surrounds me, constantly is influencing me. I’m very inspired by using organic samples, so I’m always listening for sounds that will inspire me.
So, because this is The Wandering Ear and we’re a music blog based off feelings? What do you think are the feelings that you want your listeners to get or viewers?
I feel as though it is one of my main duties to connect people. Also, it is one of the most inspiring instances to hear from a fan (old or new) saying, “Thank you, I needed that song. I needed to feel that pain/power.” It is very important to me to focus on staying genuine to my lyrics and delivery — my hope is to give my audience a gift that will continue to keep giving.
What 7 songs define your life? If you could only listen to 7 songs what would they be?
1) Beau Soir by Claude Debussy (specifically the Joshua Bell violin version)
2) Love Ridden by Fiona Apple 3) You’re My Thrill by Billy Holiday
3) What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life? by Dusty Springfield
4) Lover, You Should’ve Come Over by Jeff Buckley
5) The Moment I Said It by Imogen Heap
6) Bad Religion by Frank Ocean
How does it feel to be able to work with the likes of Frank Ocean? Is it nerve-wracking? Exciting?
Well, I didn’t work with Frank. My producer, Buddy Ross, did. But it has been really crazy to watch that all progress. Buddy had been working on ‘Blonde’ and ‘Endless’ the entire time that we’d been recording my EP, so I’m really excited to see him getting the attention he deserves. He’s working with groups like Haim and Unknown Mortal Orchestra now and it’s so cool to watch him blowing up!
The very first time I heard your music I automatically thought about London Grammar with Lana Del Rey meet Lapsley? Do you ever get compared or associated with those type of artist when people listen to your music?
I’ve gotten the Lana Del Rey comparison a lot, and my favorite so far has been “Lana Del Rey on drugs”. And that’s great — I saw Lapsley perform the last time she was in Seattle and she did a fantastic job! I’ve recently gotten another comparison to London Grammar, so wow, thank you! All these ladies have the voices of angels!
What do you think are the challenges of making music in Seattle? If there are any challenges?
It’s definitely hard to make any sort of art in cities like Seattle where the cost of living is constantly rising. It makes it a lot harder for artists to survive. Crosscut had an amazing feature on this earlier in the year called ‘ Is there still room for artists in Seattle? ‘ — I definitely recommend everyone read it.
I just moved off Capitol Hill after having spent the last 6 years there. It’s been insane, and a bit depressing, watching how much it’s changed even in the short time I was there. I can’t imagine being an artist who’s lived here since the 90s!
What are you most excited about performing at Bumbershoot in your hometown?
Performing at Bumbershoot has always been a huge milestone for me. I was honored to be a part of it this year and it was exciting to show off the newest iteration of my band. I’ve got harmony vocalists and strings in addition to synths and both organic and digital drums. It’s a really interesting setup!
It was also incredible to see artists like Bishop Briggs and Tame Impala who were just absolutely phenomenal!
Lastly, you can find Maiah Manser on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and her Website. I highly recommend that you check her out on all of those social media platforms and visit her site for updates on tours and other information.
