Today we’d like to introduce you to Maya Azucena.
Hi Maya, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’m an independent recording artist, singer and songwriter. I have three full-length albums under my belt, along with multiple digital singles and many collaborations as the featured singer/songwriter. I was honored to record a duet with Stephen Marley for his Grammy-winning album “Mind Control” a few years ago, and to sing with many great musicians in Jazz and Rock, underground HipHop artists, skipping from genre to genre like the chameleon that I am. My newest song, “You Matter” has analog drums, horn arrangements, and a catchy call-and-response chorus that are reminiscent of New Orleans style of R&B. It is my response to the trying times we’ve had recently, and I feel it lends a voice to anyone who has felt marginalized or ignored by Society.
I am particularly interested in writing songs that inspire people.
I have a women’s empowerment twist and often share my journey overcoming doubt and life-obstacles, rising to my liberated potential. I’ve been invited to write and sing these songs for women all around the world, from Haiti and Tanzania to Russia and Croatia, from India to South Africa, from Suriname to UK. There is something incredible about singing at a big Festival, on TV, or for royalty in the Kingdom of Lesotho, then singing for children in a remote village of Uganda. It shows the power of Music to cross many divides. I am not in this Music business just for the money. I am interested in the power of music to unite people, to contribute to healing, empowerment and hope, to represent the stories and sentiments of real people.
I was born and raised in Brooklyn NY, and my Dad moved to Silver Lake when I was in High School. For many years, while living with Mom in Brooklyn, my father’s house in Silver Lake was my second home during Summer and holidays. Then, about five years ago, I became the roommate in an apartment, coincidentally, only two blocks away from my Dad’s old house. Silver Lake has changed a lot over the years, but there is an artistic soul to the place that remains intact. To give you an example, the family-run Café Tropical on Sunset Blvd is still serving cafe con leche and Cuban pastries, with the same classic photos, colorful papier-maché on the wall, and reasonable prices since the 1980’s. It was my Dad’s favorite cafe, and I always call him from there while drinking my coffee, making him miss his old neighborhood.
My career is as a touring Artist: I generally spend a lot more time performing my songs in other countries than at home in America. Last year, I performed in 25 countries, including about 100 concerts during the Summer in Turkey, near the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas. Once I moved my base to LA, I discovered that LA gave me a peace and space that was good for my health. After such an aggressive pace in New York City, I did not expect that LA would be calming for me. I tell my friends, “In LA, even when I’m stuck in traffic, I look up and am surrounded by mountains, sun and palm trees!” In LA, I don’t need to make a special plan to connect with nature. When I sit on my balcony, hummingbirds wiz by, there are lemon trees, flowers, and sunset views. This is not a given for most residents of New York City. It created more effective cool-down between tours and opened up more room inside of me for my songwriting.
In LA, I feel unplugged and plugged-in at the same time. One of the largest entertainment hubs in the World is here. So, while I find the room I need to reflect on Life in nature and sunshine, I’m only moments away from any relevant business meeting that might change my Life. I am thankful for the inspiration I’ve found in LA and still feel in close proximity to the Industry I need for my work.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Haha. I want to meet the successful people who have only had a “smooth road.” I do not think it is possible to achieve sustainable success without struggle. Overcoming challenges are foundational for a business (and a person) to become strong. This interview happens to fall during the Great Coronavirus Challenge of 2020. Remaining optimistic in such a time, when work for all touring musicians, live venues, restaurants and festivals have come to a halt, is difficult. I started to lean more on my spiritual perspectives about my journey and about Art. While business and finance face a high wall, nothing can stop the creation of Art. With social media, nothing can stop the dispersement of Art.
So, I accept this as a time to think deeply about my identity, develop my presentation more. It is a time to connect with more people virtually, as we are in an unprecedented time of common struggle. People are in need of inspiration. In the end, monetization is based on demand. If people are in the need of Hope, then believe it or not, there can be possibilities in packaging hope. I prefer to be authentic, so I am thinking of ways to sustain myself financially by bringing Inspiration to others in a way that feels honest.
As an independent artist, I face the struggles that come with any entrepreneur. When you run your own business, you have the most to gain from your successes and the most to lose from any failure. This means, to do what I love, I do not have the securities that come from working for someone else. But then, I AM doing what I love which gives me extraordinary endurance through the hard times.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I can say one thing that sets me apart from others is not just “talent” – my ability to sing in 4 octaves, having a distinctive singing voice, or to write good songs. I am told that my performances energetically move people and help them. I’ve been told by different fans that they once considered taking their own life and that my performance and song made them see why they should keep living. I am humbled by someone confessing something so personal to me. It also makes me sure that I’ve followed my calling in a faithful way, and that my idea to “sing as though someone’s life depends on it” is a philosophy that actually means something.
We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
I have ongoing themes such as being “fearless” or being a “warrior”. When someone sees me, at 5’10”, with a pink mohawk and singing songs that pour out of my throat like fire, they probably can’t imagine that I was once in an abusive relationship. They would not imagine me, underneath someone’s knees, pressing a knife to my neck. I experienced some very dark moments and I find that, while being a positive person of light, I try not to turn my back on the struggles that people may have. We see people and may never know the depth of the pains they’ve endured to become that person you meet. I try to honor the pains we all lived through while pointing to the light.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: http://www.MayaAzucena.com
- Instagram: http://www.Instagram.com/mayaazucena
- Youtube: http://www.YouTube.com/mayaazucena
- Other: https://linktr.ee/MAYAAZUCENA/
Image Credits
First professional image by Mustafa Özen – black bikini, blue backdrop Red Dress – live on stage by Dennis Manuel Mercedes Benz Istanbul Fashion Week – photo by Burcu Ergin Personal photos from my tour collection – Uganda, Tanzania
