MAYIA Visits Section 36 Music!

Section 36 Music has another visitor! MAYIA is an absolutely amazing singer, whose recent single, "Losing It On You" is simply incredible. I was thrilled that she was willing to visit with us and discuss her music, future goals, and more. I’m sure you’ll enjoy everything she has to say.

So, let's see what happens when MAYIA visits Section 36 Music!

I really enjoyed your latest single, “Losing It On You”. What can you tell me about it?

“Losing It On You” is actually one of my favourite songs from my debut album. This songs represent the pure falling in love stage in a relationship.

It talks about being in love with a person when you’re not sure what they think about you and if they feel the same, and still you can’t get your mind off them. It’s a nice combination of new pop music with 80’s vibes. Me and my producer worked very hard on this song and I really love how it turned out! 

What is your favorite part about performing in front of a live audience?

For me, preforming in front of a live audience is one of the best parts about being a musician. This is when I can finally see the people behind the streams and likes on social media, talk to them, sing to them, and get the live response to the songs. 

The energy during the show is irreplaceable and I can’t find anything that compares. 

In the fall you’ll be starting school at Berklee College of Music. Why did you want to study there?

Berklee has always been a dream of mine. I studied at an art high school in Israel in the Jazz department. Most of  the teaches studied at Berklee and a lot of the students continue their musical path there. I always thought about studying at Berklee but I decided to audition after I talked to a close friend of mine who already studies there and he convinced me to audition. I had only a few months to prepare, and a week after my audition I got the acceptance letter! I can’t wait to start. 

Who or what would you consider your biggest musical influences?

My signature style revolves around a combination of R&B and pop while involving some jazz influences. I also think that being exposed to music from all over the globe from a young age has inspired me a lot and allowed me to create my own musical style. Above all, I seek to create my own lane fueled by my unique musical language. Both my lyrics and music reflect my true emotions, thoughts, and worldviews. I expose my feelings and life experiences to my audience, and strive to empower young women to stand up for themselves and know their true power.

What are your immediate music goals?

I release my debut album in a few months! This is very exciting for me. I worked so hard on this album and I can’t wait to share it with the world. Moreover,I am currently working on my second album! Finishing this album is definitely one of my main goals for this year. And of course, I am looking forward to my studies at Berklee College of Music. I know that being around so many good musicians would be very inspiring and an amazing experience for me. 

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I'm definitely excited to hear her album(s)!

As always, I want to thank MAYIA for visiting with us, and for sending along the pictures to accompany the interview.

I'm sure you’ll all want to listen to MAYIA and follow along with her to see what she's up to. I would definitely follow her on Instagram, and/or Spotify. In fact, check her out everywhere! 

Thanks again MAYIA, and good luck reaching your goals!

Trinity Mei Visits Section 36 Music!

Section 36 Music has another visitor! Trinity Mei is an absolutely amazing singer, fresh off the release of her debut solo single, "Ever Be Right". I was thrilled that she wanted to visit with us and discuss her music, future goals, and more. I’m sure you’ll enjoy everything she has to say.

So, let's see what happens when Trinity Mei visits Section 36 Music!

I really enjoy your single, “Ever Be Right”. What can you tell me about it?

Thank you so much. I am so glad you were able to connect with it! I wrote “ever be right” in my first year in college during a time when I was really unsure of myself and what I wanted.  If a date or relationship didn’t work out I often questioned my self worth and wondered if there was something wrong with me. But that’s why this song means so much to me because it shows how much I’ve grown. I know now that you define your own happiness and you must value yourself before you can truly love someone else. I am so excited for people to finally hear all that I've been working on. I hope this song inspires, makes you cry and helps everyone realize their value. 

You’ve previously performed with the duo Heiressy. How was releasing this song different as a solo act?

Heiressy was a duo project I was a part of in high school with one of my best friends Chris Marchant. Unfortunately, when I moved to Boston we stopped releasing music as a band, giving us both the opportunity to find our own identities as solo musicians. It took me a while to define who I was musically and what I wanted to say as an artist. For the longest time I was writing almost entirely through collaboration but “ever be right” changed that and was one of the first songs that I completely wrote, arranged and co-produced.  

You’re currently attending Berklee College of Music. What’s the biggest thing Berklee is doing for your career?

Yes, I started Berklee back in the Fall of 2021 and honestly it’s been a life changing experience. The best thing about Berklee is definitely the networking and the connections you make. I have met so many amazing musicians and industry professionals who helped me learn and grow not only as an artist but also as a person. 

Who or what would you consider your biggest musical influences?

My biggest influence vocally would have to be Adele and I think her name speaks for itself. My mom played me her album “19” when I was a little girl and I just fell in love with it. I learned every one of her songs by heart and tried mimicking her technique as it truly fascinated me. Musically though my two main influences would be Phoebe Bridgers and Coldplay. Although they are a more recent influence their style, lyrics and overall message has really inspired a lot of my upcoming works.

What would you say is your biggest challenge with your music career?

The biggest issue I have had recently is releasing music. I have been performing in the Boston area for a while but haven’t released anything until now. Finding producers, recording space and money is always a struggle so I had to wait until the right time. Also I tend to be a bit of a perfectionist and can never admit when a project is finished. Recently, I have learned to be much more gracious with myself and am so excited to finally showcase my music to the world.

What are your immediate music goals?

That's a pretty hard question because I have so many!! Dreams, goals, ideas. My immediate goal though would be to continue writing and eventually release my first EP. Having a collection of work that introduces myself into the world as an artist. Then I dream of going on tour and playing my music for fans from all around the country. 

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I'm definitely excited to hear that EP!

As always, I want to thank Trinity for visiting with us, and for sending along the pictures to accompany the interview.

I'm sure you’ll all want to listen to Trinity and follow along with her to see what she's up to. I would definitely follow her on Instagram, and/or Spotify. In fact, check out her whole linktree! 

Thanks again Trinity, and good luck reaching your goals!

Kelsey Blackstone and Gōst Pepper - “With a Little Help From My Friends” Tour - The Logistics

As she embarks on her "With a Little Help From My Friends Tour, Kelsey Blackstone was kind enough to bring us behind the scenes and show us how an independent artist pulls off a tour like this. I hope you enjoy it. -S36.

When it came time to pick cities and the route of the tour, we knew we wanted the timeline to be about two weeks long. We also knew that we at least wanted to make it down to Nashville, because that’s where Adam (Gōst Pepper) and I will be moving to in January of 2024. We also already have a good amount of friends down there so we thought it would be a great chance to see them and get a little more of a taste of Nashville. 

My band and I have done enough shows in the Northeastern area to expect that no matter how prepared you are, things will still go wrong. While this can be nerve-racking, I know that I’ll have the help of my friends to figure it out as we go! I am looking forward to going with the flow and having a fun time on the road, seeing the cities and all of the places in between. I’m sure there’s going to be hard moments, but I also know there’s going to be amazing moments that make it all worth it. And overall, again, I’m really grateful to get to experience this with - and because of - my awesome friends.

 

Catch Kelsey Blackstone and Gōst Pepper for their 1st ever show in Ithaca, TONIGHT at Deep Dive, with notable soul-jazz group, the High and Mighty Brass Band.

Thank you to Kelsey for sharing this with us. And for sending along the tour poster, designed by Anna Ferrari, and the picture by Sam Melanson If you want to learn more about Kelsey, check out the interview she did with us here at Section 36 Music in March of 2022.

“Ever Be Right” By Trinity Mei (August 4, 2023 Release)

 “Ever Be Right" is the incredible debut solo single from Trinity Mei! 

If you enjoyed her in Heiressy, you'll love her here and need to listen to this song immediately. The beautiful music combines with Trinity's vocals to make musical magic.

What else can you expect from the song? Here's some more about it from the release:

With her highly anticipated debut single. "Ever Be Right" Trinity Mei unveils a deeply introspective narrative. Through poetic lyricism, she fearlessly explores the complexities of opening oneself up in a new relationship, revealing her struggles, triumphs, and unyielding quest for authenticity.

Trinity Mei's artistry encapsulates storytelling prowess, a highly emotional and refined vocal delivery, and innovative musical instincts. Prepare to be captivated as she fearlessly opens a window into her soul, revealing her vulnerabilities and triumphs, while finding strength in authenticity.

You can find “Ever Be Right" on Spotify, so there's no reason why you won't be able track it down…which I highly suggest you do.

Right now!

MEL. Visits Section 36 Music!

Section 36 Music has another visitor! MEL. is an incredible singer, whose recent EP, "Consequences of Love" should be listened to again and again. I was thrilled that she was willing to visit with us and discuss her music, future goals, and more. I’m sure you’ll enjoy everything she has to say.

So, let's see what happens when MEL. visits Section 36 Music!

I’m a big fan of your EP, “Consequences of Love”. What can you tell me about it?

Thank you for the kind words about “Consequences of Love”. This project is what I call my “baby project” - it was my very first EP, and it was my first experience releasing my work as a singer-songwriter and arranger. And I call it my “baby project” because when I still listen to it today, I can hear my teenage voice trying to share my truth and my story in my own words. You know, as teenagers, we go through a bunch of different emotions - first heartbreaks, first fights, and first realizations. So I guess this EP is about all these conflicted feelings. For example, “17” is about dreaming about becoming a musician and sharing art with listeners, “consequences of love” is about being in love with someone you can’t have and all these life episodes we all go through during our teenage years. By creating this project, I simply wanted to share my truth with my audience, and remind them that they are not alone going through similar situations. And despite the fact that most songs were written when I was a baby songwriter (I was 15), with broken words at times, these songs are a sincere testimonial of my story as a teenage girl. 

What is your favorite part about performing in front of a live audience?

It is a really good question! I think musicians have similar and different answers to this question. For me, it is about feeling the music, and seeing the audience reactions when performing. I chose to become a musician because music is the most beautiful language we all share, and seeing happiness, joy, sometimes passion and at the same time sadness on so many faces shows me that music, my music, touches people. Sometimes this world is a very lonely world, but music always brings people together. And performing live makes me feel like I am bringing some smiles on faces, some warmth for a short moment in peoples’ lives. And this feeling is everything. 

You are a graduate of Berklee College of Music. What’s the biggest thing Berklee has done for your career?

Berklee is a wonderful institution that showed me that all dreams come true if you put your mind and heart into it. There are so many students coming from all over the world to become professional musicians, and this industry is challenging for all of us. But Berklee gave me the tools and opportunities and I proved to myself that I was capable of big things as a musician and individual. No dream is ever too big as long as you put hard work into it. But the best thing Berklee gave me was to meet my mentors, my friends and peers, and a great access to the American music industry. And yes, my time at Berklee as a student is over, but as an alumni, I will always be part of this amazing community. 

Who or what would you consider your biggest musical influences?

This question is always the one I know I will have trouble answering simply because there are so many musicians I admire. As a pop/classical artist, voices that always inspired my work are Ella Fitzgerald, Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, and Ariana Grande. These amazing vocalists are to me the best in their field, and always inspire me to discover even more about vocal technique and experiment with vocal textures. Sara Bareilles, Birdy and Billie Eilish inspire my songwriting, especially Sara Bareilles with her pop songwriting, and her musical theatre career. As a composer, producer and arranger, composers like John Williams, Alexandre Desplat and songwriter-composer Alan Menken are maestros I am incredibly amazed by. Their art makes me dream, and was part of the soundtrack of my childhood and teenage years. Finally, I am a huge admirer of Khatia Buniatishvilli, and her musicianship inspires my piano playing when I arrange and write my songs. 

What would you say is your biggest career challenge?

I guess right now I am going through my first big career challenge. I just finished my undergraduate degree, I am starting my OPT as a self-employed singer-songwriter, composer, and I am simply trying to figure out my next move. As an international student, it is more challenging to navigate post-graduate life in a country you weren’t born into. But I am working on new projects, and I am excited to give my career a thousand percent. You just have to believe in yourself, even when life seems uncertain most of the time. Being a musician is not a stable path, but it is magical and humanly rewarding. 

What are your immediate career goals?

I want to finally start releasing new music, gigging in Boston and New York, flying to Los Angeles to meet new people and work with wonderful musicians. I am also interning at AME Studios in Boston, shadowing composer Jerome Leroy, teaching, and learning even more about the industry. I am thinking about going to grad school but also building a sustainable career - it takes time but with hard work I am sure it will turn out to be the most amazing experience of my life. 

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I'm definitely excited to see where her path takes her!

As always, I want to thank MEL. for visiting with us, and for sending along the pictures to accompany the interview.

I'm sure you’ll all want to listen to MEL. and follow along with her to see what she's up to. I would definitely follow her on Instagram, and/or Spotify. In fact, check out her whole linktree! 

Thanks again MEL., and good luck reaching your goals!

Kelsey Blackstone and Gōst Pepper - “With a Little Help From My Friends” Tour - Introducing the Friends

As she embarks on her "With a Little Help From My Friends Tour, Kelsey Blackstone was kind enough to bring us behind the scenes and show us how an independent artist pulls off a tour like this. I hope you enjoy it. -S36.

I’ve wanted to go on tour like this since I was a little kid, so this is kind of like a dream come true. I originally started my band back in January of 2020 - little did I know what the future had in store. We had plans at that time to go on a tour for the summer of 2020 as well, and when that looked like it definitely wasn’t in the picture anymore, we knew that it would be a long time until we got that opportunity again. 

Some of the friends that I work with in the band now are friends that I’ve had since my very first months in Boston in 2018. It’s been so special to get to experience their growth and see the development of their own art over the years - they’ve seen mine too and we really support one another.

So let’s first start with how I figured out what to call the tour. When you don’t have a tour set up around a new or upcoming release, then it becomes more of a: ‘how can I introduce my music that’s already out there and my music that I’m going to be putting out to as many new faces as possible?’ As I was thinking about why I make my music and what it’s like to perform on stage, I was reminded that I would not be able to make this work without my friends in the band. But this also includes friends like you, Ron, helping to spread the word about my music and what I’m trying to do in Boston and beyond. It also includes the people that I get to meet in the audiences we perform to. But it doesn’t just stop there: our friends on this tour also include the very lovely people who have agreed to host us. Most of our lodging is provided by our friends in different cities, venue owners, friends of friends - just kind individuals. This tour would definitely not be possible without them either, and so, the ‘With A Little Help From My Friends’ tour was born!

The friends on stage for this tour include Sean Marcelin on guitar, Elliot Rick on bass, Anderson Jno Baptiste on keys and synth, Kaylin Frisaura on trumpet, Matome Phala on drums, and Aidan Donnelly on saxophone. Gōst Pepper (that’s his stage name, he also goes by Adam!) is the other band on tour with us. Adam/Gōst Pepper is the one that produced my song, ‘My Superstitions’! This will be both of our first times touring and it’s going to be really exciting to have everybody with us. 

Last but not least, I can’t forget to thank our friend, Pat, and the Save the Cat Agency for helping us book this tour. Pat has worked with a lot of local bands and helped send them on tours, so we thought that going to someone like them, with their experience, would be really helpful for us. I’m happy to say that we were absolutely right and Pat is the best.

You can catch our tour kickoff show on Wednesday, 8/2, at O’Briens Pub in Allston! NY favs Seeing Double will be there too.

Thank you to Kelsey for sharing this with us. And for sending along the tour poster, designed by Anna Ferrari, and the picture by Sam Melanson If you want to learn more about Kelsey, check out the interview she did with us here at Section 36 Music in March 2022.

Kimaya Diggs Visits Section 36!

Photo: Steph Larsen

Section 36 Music has another visitor! Kimaya Diggs is a wonderful singer, whose recent EP, "Quincy" absolutely blew me away. I was so glad that she was willing to visit with us and discuss her music, future goals, and more. I’m sure you’ll enjoy everything she has to say.

So, let's see what happens when Kimaya Diggs visits Section 36 Music!

Your recent EP, “Quincy”, is just incredible beyond words. What can you tell me about it?

Thank you so much! I'm so happy to hear that people are connecting with the songs and enjoying them. I conceptualized the album as being a joyful way to process difficult emotions, and through the recording process, lots of difficult emotions came up when I lost my dog, my mom, and a lifelong friend. 

What was the best part of the recording process?

My favorite part of recording was the quiet moments in 2020 when we were recording in a home studio with all the time in the world. Lots of turmoil was happening in the world and in my personal life, but the studio was a safe and peaceful place. The absolute best part of recording was the way my dog Quincy would lean against my legs when I was tracking vocals. 

What is your favorite part about performing in front of an audience?

I love connecting with people. Live performances give me an opportunity to make contact with people who I don't usually cross paths with, and we get to share this moment that only happens once ever. Even if I do the same set another time, it's not the same show. It's about exchanging energy with the people who are there on that day, in that moment. 

Who or what would you consider your biggest musical influences?

Photo: Steph Larsen

One of my biggest musical influences is Corinne Bailey Rae. I love her songwriting, and the summery feeling that she captures in many of her recordings. Other folks I'm really inspired by these days include Raveena, Lianne LaHavas, Anita Baker, and Donny Hathaway. 

What would you say is your biggest career challenge?
Working in music is more challenging than ever before. There are more roadblocks and less money in the industry. It's challenging to find resources to work on new projects, and it's challenging to go on tour. But the community is home to many of the most generous, creative people I know, so I have hope. 

What are your immediate career goals?
I'd love to work up a solo act so I can have a little more flexibility while touring, and I'm already writing and planning my second album!

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I'm definitely excited to hear more music from her!

As always, I want to thank Kimaya for visiting with us, and for sending along the pictures to accompany the interview.

I'm sure you’ll all want to listen to Kimaya and follow along with her to see what she's up to. I would definitely follow her on Instagram, and/or Spotify. In fact, go do both right now! 

Thanks again Kimaya, and good luck reaching your goals!