Meet Norwegian Electro-Pop Artist Maya Roxo

The cinematic Electro-Pop artist, Maya Roxo, brings you her story told through bold songwriting and explosive production. Through her lyrics, Maya Roxo wishes to share with you the emotions and challenges she experiences on an everyday basis, especially the lessons she learns through her journey. Maya Roxo’s emotional sound includes catchy melodies, powerful vocals, and mighty production mixing Electro-Pop with dramatic and cinematic elements. In her debut EP, "Fearless Emotions," she grabs your attention and welcomes you to her world, a place for dreams, courage, and honesty.

With her single and music video, “Echo,” out now, we took some time to hear more from Maya Roxo. Read below to learn more about Maya Roxo, the story behind her single, and what’s to come.

Hi Maya Roxo! Let’s start with how did you get your artist name?

Hi! My artist name was decided quickly, within 24 hours! I wanted to find a name that is unique, has a bit of kick when you say it, and that I felt like I could identify with. This is harder than you think, so it included a lot of thinking and googling.

'Maya' started out as 'Maja,' a combination of the two first letters in my name, and the two first letters of my partner and producer’s name as his name starts with 'ja.' However, we wanted to limit the possibilities of people pronouncing it wrong, so changed it to Maya. 'Roxo' is just a cool sounding word that is Portuguese for purple, which happens to be my favourite colour.

What city are you from and where are you based now?

I’m currently based in Liverpool. I moved here almost four years ago, originally to study. When I finished, I decided not to go back home to my hometown, which is a town called Ulsteinvik, located between mountains and fjords on an island on the coast of Norway.

At what point in your life did you decide to pursue a career in music? How did you get started?

I think it must be when I decided to apply for the school that got me to the UK. I had never said that I wanted to be an artist out loud before, but you kind of need to have a good reason and clear intention when deciding on something like that. I still remember the first time that I said it out loud in front of my dad - I was so hesitant and awkward.

I got started by physically moving out of my comfort zone. Then, when I got here, I met a lot of great musicians through my studies, and I started writing a lot. When I first started working with my producer, that’s when pieces started falling together, and I started focusing a lot more on how to build a business as an artist and researching all the possibilities you have in today’s music industry.

Has your upbringing played a role in shaping who you are and defining your sound today? If so, how?

Definitely! I had a lot of possibilities to sing and perform in my hometown. Without it, I would probably never have discovered my love for performance or started to explore songwriting. I’m very grateful that I had people who challenged me. The different musicians that I worked with, the venues that I performed in, styles of music that I explored - it has all influenced who I am today. I have been able to take inspiration from all these experiences, genres, and musicians, and make it my own through my artist project. This is a continuous journey, and I’m excited to see what type of music that I [will] make in 10 years.

How would you describe your sound to readers who may not be familiar with you?

I would describe it as dramatic cinematic Electro-Pop. My music is very emotional, either it’s in a powerful, badass way, or soft and vulnerable. The production is explosive and mighty, and I want my listeners to feel motivated and heard. I like to think that my songs are of the kind that you can sing along to in the car.

Do you have any hobbies outside of music? What do you do to stay creative?

I’ve always been quite active. I played handball for nine years. So, going to the gym or having a run during the summer is something that I enjoy, especially to get out of my head. I also love watching 'Friends' and eating Norwegian chocolate if you can call that a hobby.

To stay creative, I love going to gigs and listening to other artists’ albums, maybe while walking my dog at the Liverpool docks. I’ve always been really bad at all other creative things such as drawing or painting though, so I stay away from that.

Who are some of your main musical influences?

I absolutely love Bishop Briggs, Sigrid, Imagine Dragons, and Neoni. I also grew up listening to artists like Taylor Swift, Rihanna, Katie Melua, and Alicia Keys.

What are some of your future music career goals?

I love this question because it’s so scary to answer! I would love to go on my own tour, play at Glastonbury, get my music into TV shows, and to be nominated for a Norwegian GRAMMY.

What’s your favorite song to sing from your EP, 'Fearless Emotions?'

Depending on the day, it’s either ‘You’ll Be Alright’ because of its softness and message or ‘Knew It Was’ as it’s so personal to me and a very big song, so that I can just go crazy on stage with - which I love to do.

Now onto your release, 'Echo.' What inspired this song?

I wrote ‘Echo’ after having lived in England for around a half year. I was adapting to a new culture, life, and industry. I was figuring out who I was, both musically and personally, and figuring out who I could trust. One day, after receiving what felt like the hundredth no from someone in the music industry, I felt a bit knocked down. I ended up writing ‘Echo’ almost as a promise to myself to keep going. For every yes, there will be a hundred no’s.

What is 'Echo' about in your own words?

'Echo' is about rejection, feeling unfairly treated, and finding your way through new terrains. We've all been rejected, let down, or disappointed in ourselves in different ways, but the important thing is that we get back up after every knockdown.

How did the music video for 'Echo' come about? What was your vision for the video?

My vision was to create something that showed two sides of me. One, a girl with a dream from a small-town in Norway, trying to fit in, and two, a woman with a goal and a plan breaking out of her comfort zone. Therefore, I wanted to film some of it outside in nature. If there’s one thing that I think about when I think about home, it’s the fresh air and incredible view. I also wanted to include some more urban shots showing the more developed me.

The video came together really quickly as I only had a few days left in Norway to shoot it, but it was a lot of fun!

What message do you hope fans take away from your music and from 'Echo?'

To listen to your dreams, work hard, and never give up on them! The only limitation is yourself.

What’s one of your proudest moments of your music career so far?

When Jeff Franzel (hit songwriter, pianist for e.g., Frank Sinatra, etc.) gave me praise for my voice and a song that I had co-written in less than an hour. That was a crazy feeling! And, of course, releasing this EP completely independently and hearing it being played on the radio, and that listeners have been able to relate and be motivated by it.

What would you say are the greatest lessons you’ve learned so far?

Be humble, kind, and learn from mentors! There are many amazing musicians out there who spend a lot of time teaching what they’ve learned throughout their career. Learn from the people who are doing what you want to do and don’t be afraid of investing in yourself. That’s one of the biggest acts of self-love.

What’s next for you? Are you working on any upcoming projects that we should be on the lookout for?

I am! I’m still buzzing over my EP that has only been out since the 27th of May. I also just released another music video for one of the tracks called, 'Knew It Was!' I can also announce that in only a few weeks, on the 17th of June, I will be releasing a few remixes by some great producers! I’m really vibing to them, so I’m excited for you to hear them.

Following this, I have a lot of other release plans for the next year, but the one that I’m most excited about now is actually a cover release. I won’t reveal which song I’m covering, but hopefully, later this summer, you’ll be a bit shocked…

Where can we follow you on social media?

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maya_roxo/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mayaroxo

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MayaRoxo

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MayaRoxo/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4Qghv8YDmBnELln3CH8tP4

All links collected: https://linktr.ee/mayaroxo