Serious Songwriter: Maya Hairston
Maya Hairston
Location:
Reisterstown, MD, USA
Tell us about yourself:
Hello! My name is Maya Elizabeth, and I'm an inspirational-soul artist, songwriter, and worship leader from Baltimore, MD. I began writing at age 6, and it has since become a personal therapeutic release, but also a way for me to be vulnerable and connect with others. Along with my passions for writing, singing, and performing, I've gotten to work in church settings leading worship and pouring into worship teams/leaders so they thrive in who they are and what they do. My heart and mission is to create so others can experience healing, truth & love.
Name of your most recent release:
Why are you a songwriter?
I started songwriting when I was six years old. Since then, it's become a form of therapy for me to process my own life, but it's also been what I believe I can offer to help others experience healing, discover truth, and feel love. To me, lyrics can be poetic medicine for the soul, and I love the challenge of creating new melodies with unique cadences to fit how I breathe out a story and the emotions that accompany it.
What accomplishment are you most proud of?
It doesn't always feel great in the moment, but I'm proud to say that I boldly follow the best path for me. I graduated Summa Cum Laude, an honors student and valedictorian of Howard University's School of Business as a marketing major in May 2016. But, instead of pursuing any of the conventional career paths outlined for high achieving business students, I chose to pursue independent music and released my first album that November. I'm proud that I applied what I'd studied to what I was truly passionate about, and that I will have left a piece of what I truly love--in hopes that it benefits others--in the world long after I'm physically a part of it .
Share the most interesting writing experience you ever had:
I've had incredible writing experiences in collaboration and solo, with dynamic musical chemistry and not, but the moments that always stick out to me are the ones where it seems the songs write themselves. When I was a sophomore in college, I was crying myself to sleep one night--super anxious and overwhelmed with questions about who I was, where I was headed, what I wanted in life, and whether I believed I was worthy of it--and I remember getting this melody & hearing the lyrics as a comforting invitation. Still half asleep, I pulled out my guitar, which I hadn't been playing long, and wrote down a simple but really warm tune that ended up being my debut single. When I first shared it with my producer, we recorded a "rough" vocal scratch to capture the idea, and when we played it back, teary eyed, the atmosphere felt so thick and serene. I was actually asked to sing that song at my commencement ceremony a couple years later, and I've performed it in a number of varying settings--from funerals, to coffeehouse showcases, to conferences, to worship gatherings. Because the song came from such a raw space, I've seen it touch people in vulnerable moments and really make an impact when they're most in need. To this day, friends text me when they're listening to "Come Ye" to thank me for what the song means to them. That's the highest honor for me as a songwriter.
What makes you unique as a songwriter?
My lyrics tend to be thought-provoking and poetic, and my cadence tends to weave with a rhythm of its own. A lot of my songs may come across as prayers or conversations.
If you could write with anyone (dead or alive) who would it be and why?
I'd love to write and perform with India.Arie, because her sensitivity, messages/themes, style, and sound have influenced my own music so tremendously.
How can the Serious Songwriter community help you?
The Serious Songwriter community could help me in my mission to spread more healing, truth, and love. Those are the elements I hope to contribute and have seen listeners experience through my songs. Partnering in community with others, like Serious Songwriter/Songathon, could broaden my network, and give me tools and connections to continue sharpening my skills and my effectiveness as a writer. I'd love to grow in my ability to collaborate with other writers so that what we create can have a wider reach and even more of a meaningful impact on listeners.
What can you help the Serious Songwriter community with?
My undergraduate degree is a Bachelors of Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing. I believe I could help the Serious Songwriter community strategize helpful marketing and administrative efforts. I believe artists/songwriters/creatives should be confident enough to approach their artistry with at least a cursory sense of how the science/trends behind consumer behavior and market research can impact how they connect with their listening audience.
Fun fact about you:
I'm a lefty & I had a whole world of imaginary friends as a child :)