19-year-old
Maya Lane’s debut single
‘Still The Same’ captured the attention of everyone from
Clash and
Wonderland to a wide variety of folk / country specialists, including
Baylen Leonard of
Absolute Radio Country.
Maya now builds upon that first introduction by sharing the new single
‘Childish Games’ as the next step in a big future. The song is also the title track to her upcoming debut EP, which will be unveiled this summer. Listen
HERE.With ‘Childish Games’, Maya displays the melancholy melodies, enduring songcraft and exquisite elegance of an artist who is deep into her career – her contemporary country-tinged pop and ‘70s singer-songwriter style placing her in the lineage of Kacey Musgravesand HAIM, but also Joni Mitchell and Stevie Nicks. And for someone of a youthful age – sitting in the chasm between her teenage years and young adulthood – her words ring with a conviction for what she wants from her future. As she sings with calm confidence and steadfast surety, “I’m so tired of all your drinking and watching you get high.”
Maya says, “‘Childish Games’ was the first song I wrote for my upcoming EP. On the day I recorded it, I remember listening to the demo over and over again, from the minute I stepped out of the studio until I got home. Instantly ‘Childish Games’ felt so personal and authentic to me, from the lyrical content to the ‘70s influenced harmonies. I wrote ‘Childish Games’ about growing apart from a friend and feeling that whilst being the same age, we were at totally different phases of life. The song expresses the struggles of transitioning from a teen to an adult.”
‘Childish Games’ is Maya’s second co-write with the song’s renowned producer Jonathan Quarmby (Lewis Capaldi, Tom Walker, James Arthur) after they worked together on ‘Still The Same’. Her other recent key collaborators include Benjamin Francis Leftwich (Holly Humberstone), Kaity Rae (The Shires), Hayley Gene Penner (Lennon Stella, The Chicks), and Jonny Latimer (Ellie Goulding, Anne Marie).
Maya Lane has been fascinated by making music ever since she was a child – initially to the surprise of her parents, who watched the then 4-year-old flip her birthday gift, a tennis racket, into a guitar pose. That passion deepened as she grew up, with Maya adoring the fabled famous artists of the ‘70s as well as channelling her emotions into her songwriting. By the age of 12 she was playing small gigs and festivals as her future life’s destiny began to take shape.
While her authenticity comes in part from the influence of artists who emerged decades before she was born, the self-confessed ‘70s dream child is also in tune with 2022. She has established an initial grassroots following at Instagram and TikTok, sharing her personally styled boho-chic look for a Gen Z audience, and playing songs by Dua Lipa, Taylor Swift and Dua Lipa with her own folk-pop flavour.
You can discover more about Maya’s back story in her own words HERE.
Adept at performing either solo or within a live band, Maya is set to play the following shows in the near future with more due to be confirmed soon. Her recent live performance of ‘Still The Same’ provides a taste of what to expect. The shows are:
APRIL
21st – London, Camden Chapel (support to Sophie Griffiths)
MAY
5th – London, The Waiting Room (support to Erica Manzoli)
19th – London, The Old Church (Not Just Another Session show)
AUGUST
12th – 110 Above Festival
