Today we’d like to introduce you to Mae Jo.
Hi Mae, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I’m a singer-songwriter/ artist. I was born in Asuncion, Paraguay and went to Berklee College of Music. Growing up, I was very shy which is always interesting since I wanted to be a singer from a very early age and being shy doesn’t always go with singers. But I very much decided from a very young age I wanted to sing. My dad would always play classic rock music, like the Beatles, Queen, The Bee Gees, etc and so I was lucky to have really good music around me playing at all times. I got into a choir when I was nine at school and we recorded Christmas albums and performed at events. Paraguay is small and the industry there is not very big, especially at that time it was non-existent, so for a few years I wasn’t singing much.
When I was about to graduate, I started looking into colleges in the U.S. and was first looking to major in drama, but a friend who I was in a choir in high school with said to me why don’t you look into music? That’s how I ended up on Berklee College of Music’s website. I went to a five-week summer program there and fell in love with it. Once I graduated, I recorded an EP and then moved to LA. Started taking classes here in LA where I met Jonah Mutono, who I started writing with and then recorded four singles, which I then put out remixes for with another producer Johannes Burger. Johannes Burger was my next producer and we put out four singles as well. Currently planning on releasing a single and re-release an EP this summer!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has not! Part of me knew this is not going to be easy, being from Paraguay and not exactly from a well-off family I wasn’t sure I would be able to go to college in the U.S. It’s been hard, I met some good people but also some not so nice people along the way, and it’s hard to go through life not having many people you can trust. Especially if you’re not in your country and you have no family here, it’s a lot of people rejecting or saying no. I am very grateful for what I’ve done so far, but I know I have a long way to go. At the same time, I believe failure is the best thing for anyone trying to achieve a dream because you learn so much from it, you always get something out of it, success doesn’t really give you anything or teach you anything. The key is to keep trying, try to learn from what you did wrong and then try again differently, and to be consistent and to believe, believe that is possible and believe you can do it.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I guess one thing that sets me apart is my country, Paraguay. Everyone I meet tells me I’m the first person they meet from Paraguay. I believe I have something musically that is different, but maybe haven’t been able to showcase that with my music. I am still an independent artist and my music may not be at its peak, meaning I know I can do better and that my sound has yet to be created, but I think my voice and Spanish are two things I could have in my music that differentiates me. I’ve been contemplating my artistry and I think some of the influences that get my attention are psychedelic artists, such as the Beatles, Lana Del Rey, and then there’s a more poppy sound that gets my attention like Lady Gaga, maybe even some jazzy sounds, so I am currently trying to have both of these influences and create something unique and different that’s me and that feels genuine, and not me trying to sound like everyone else on the radio.
Any big plans?
I look forward to finding the right team to work with, the right producer, the right manager, the right songs and the right music. I look forward to finding my thing in my music.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.tiktok.com/@itsmae.jo
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/itsmae.jo?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@itsmaejo/videos
- Other: https://linktr.ee/itsmae.jo?fbclid=PAAaYgcXuZIhZgFkswPvVjVUKjnj7Fk1zJKtmp3hHDKQImxO6frqUcXAjfuWY
Image Credits
Photos were taken by Natasha Austrich @natashaaustrich
