Maisy Kay on New Music, Milestones, and More

INTERVIEW

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INTERVIEW ✦

Budding singer-songwriter Maisy Kay, (who has been making waves in the industry with her unique pop music talents) is inching her way closer to the next chapter of her career through the carefully produced EP, Wonderlust: The Dawn.

And after enthralling audiences throughout JVKE’s tour across the United States in 2023, dropping her popular 2024 single titled “Sunlight,” or even Kay’s recent single “In Your Car,” there’s currently plenty of evidence that suggests Kay’s fresh tracks will captivate listeners with a distinct interpretation of pop music and heartfelt lyrics.

Now, with Kay dropping the EP’s exceptional precursor single and music video for the vibrancy of her standout pop track, “Technicolor Honeymoon,” fans finally have yet another chance to witness just how impactful her music can be.

Photography: Shervin Lainez

I really appreciate that your unique interpretation of pop music incorporates a variety of influences! What genres and/or artists were some of the most impactful to you growing up?

Maisy Kay: I've always listed Freddie Mercury as an inspiration; I got to listen to a lot of the greats growing up, Barbra Streisand, Celine Dion, and Whitney Houston, but honestly, the number one name that comes to my mind when I think of direct inspiration is a classical artist, Ludovico Einaudi. My song "Volcano" only exists because I listened to his music and essentially word-vomited it onto my notes app. I also love artists like Taylor Swift, Adele, and Lewis Capaldi for their raw lyricism. 

Your latest single, "In Your Car," was just released, which has a lot of vocal power behind it. What were some of the crucial core details you wanted to include in this song — whether lyrically or from a production standpoint?

Maisy Kay: I knew the beat of “In Your Car” the moment I started writing it. In my early voice recordings and demo, you can hear me snapping my fingers to demonstrate what I saw that rhythm is. I wanted it to be joyous and exciting but with an underlying sense of anxiety about whether it would last. 

You've collaborated with notable musicians like Timbaland, Tiësto, and more. How have these experiences influenced your approach to creating music?

Maisy Kay: Those experiences have been crucial to my own personal development. Every artist works differently, and it's very inspiring to see these great artists do their thing, contribute, and figure out how we can artistically co-exist and bring our best to a record. It's a wonderful process. I definitely wouldn't be who I am today as a writer without those moments. 

Photography: Shervin Lainez

Regardless of the theme, your singles often carry emotive storytelling. How important is storytelling to you in your songwriting process?

Maisy Kay: It's a huge priority. No matter what type of music I make, I always think about the lyrics and the feelings I'm trying to convey when I write. I have a lot of feelings in my personal life, and it's incredibly therapeutic to write them down and make something productive out of them. I hope my fellow feelers can appreciate and relate to it to some extent. 

Your music has already accumulated millions of streams — and your collaboration for "The Storm" has even garnered over 316M cumulative views on YouTube alone! Considering that you've made so many impactful tracks — is there a specific one that you currently feel the most proud of?

Maisy Kay: I think I am most proud of “Sunlight.” Even a year ago, I couldn't have imagined writing a record like that, and one of the things I love most about it is how it's encouraged others to share their feelings of love. I've had so many listeners reach out to me and tell them that it makes them think of their wife, or it makes them appreciate their family, and it genuinely brings me to tears. To think that this record, which I never thought I'd be capable of producing, is getting all these people to relate and share their love stories with me. It's wonderful and more than I could have hoped for. 

"Sunlight" also offers listeners a piano-driven, soulful track that compliments your enchanting tone perfectly. How would you say this particular song reflects you as an artist?

Maisy Kay: One of my fans described it best. They commented about going from my song "Emotionally Unavailable" to Sunlight, and how far I'd come. It reflects my journey as both an artist and a person. There was so much sadness and pain in my past releases, and after a decade, for me to release something so happy and gentle and sweet, I never could have pictured it. I would always tell co-writers I couldn't write about love because I couldn't write about what I didn't feel. I spent a solid 6 years of my life thinking I'd never be able to feel what I feel now. I think I'm the best writer I've ever been. I'm so excited to see where this journey takes me and how I continue to improve and evolve both artistically and personally!

Your new song "Technicolor Honeymoon" off the new EP became an instant favorite because it feels so masterfully crafted and hypnotic. Did you have a specific vision or idea behind the standout track?

Maisy Kay: This has never really happened to me before, but after going on a vacation with my partner, the name came to me first. "Technicolor Honeymoon" I saw it so strongly in my mind and knew I had to write a song for it. I started on guitar, funnily enough, something I very rarely do. Once I took it to the piano, which is definitely the medium I'm more comfortable with, the rest of the song came quickly.