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Maven Grace Interview on Nagamag

January 21st, 2023|Tags: creative ambitions, dreamscape, Ennio Morricone, Interview, Marvin Gaye, musical ideas, Radiohead, Soundtrack, three voices|

Maven Grace
Interview

Nagamag:
Which are the genres that describe your music style better?

Maven Grace:
Bands are extremely good at defining themselves by saying what they aren’t. It’s much harder to make positive statements about what you are. If there’s a genre which includes Marvin Gaye, Radiohead and Ennio Morricone then that’s our genre. Someone described us on the radio yesterday as ‘dreamscape space cowboy movie soundtrack music’. That’s a good attempt, I think – a bizarre amalgam of styles which somehow makes sense.
It’s a difficult one because I don’t think we have a ‘signature’ track. If we had one song that summed us up and encapsulated our creative ambitions, we’d probably have to stop and say ‘Job done!’ Of the music we’ve released so far, I think Lone Star has a good combination of our musical ideas. It has elements of all three of our voices, and I certainly hope that anyone who hears it will be intrigued to dig deeper.

Nagamag:
Few words about your musical background and career?

Maven Grace:
We’ve all known each other a long time. Tom and I first met when we were in different bands signed to the same label as teenagers. My first national tour was supporting him, actually. I remember thinking that our dressing room at the Shepherd’s Bush Empire was even more spacious than the one at the Lemon Tree in Aberdeen.
Mary and I also met on the gig circuit in London. I accidentally insulted her by saying I loved her band’s song with the lyric… ‘Condition’s normal, you’re coming home’. She said, ‘That’s Enola Gay by OMD, the only cover in our set’.Anyway, I hope she’s forgiven me. And it is a brilliant song. It has an indelible melody and great instrumentation. It can be enjoyed on that level, but if you want to dig a little deeper, you rapidly discover something very sombre and lyrically serious. I like that approach to songwriting. Let the deeper meaning and intent creep up on people.

Nagamag:
Do you remember your first connection of love to music that was the right impact to be a music artist now?

Maven Grace:
I remember the Rolling Stones song You Can’t Always Get What You Want being on tv when I was a child. My mother’s ears pricked up and she said ‘Oh, I sang on that’. I can pick out her voice even now. She was in a brilliant touring choir, so I was familiar from a very young age with the idea that music meant travel. I was also able to forge a personal connection, albeit on a very small level, to a song loved by a lot of people. That was inspiring. In retrospect, I’m so glad she sang on the track she did. It might be a little trickier if it had been Under My Thumb or Brown Sugar – lyrics which have not aged very well.

Nagamag:
Your single Lone Star is inspired by Clark Gable – and indirectly by Bryan Ferry. Tell us a little bit about Clark Gable that we should know, and what made you want to write a song about him?

Maven Grace:
The Roxy song title 2HB references Humphrey Bogart. For some reason, I immediately associated him in my mind with Clark Gable, and obviously the Golden Age of Hollywood in general. There is something fascinating about the tension between the glamour and deification of film stars and their real lives. The studios sold Gable to the world as an icon of romance and masculinity, but the real man behind the performances was deeply uncomfortable with his image. Also, real tragedies befell him, like having to give up his child for adoption and his wife’s death in a wartime plane crash. He’s a symbol of the gulf between dreams and reality, I suppose. I could’ve written it about Marilyn Monroe, but Bernie Taupin got there first.

Nagamag:
Maven Grace album has contributing musicians from all over the world. Was that the intention when you set out? Has the vision for the band and album changed with these contributions?

Maven Grace:
The major contributor other than the three of us is our friend the violinist Diana Galvydyte. She is one of the great contemporary players, but, like a lot of classically trained musicians, she prefers to work from a score. So although her playing is amazing, she was largely bringing ideas to life that we had already worked on. To that extent, the vision always remained very much with the three of us in the band. But the difference between real playing and demo samples is inexpressible, so she helped bring everything she touched to life in a very vibrant and dramatic way.

Nagamag:
Many artists listen to genres that they are not producing music for. Which track is your favorite that is NOT similar to yours?

Maven Grace:
Rachid Taha – Lli Fat Mat

Nagamag:
Of Course Nagamag would love to listen also which is the track from a similar artist you admire?

Maven Grace:
Robert Stillman – Cherry Ocean

Discover & Listen to Maven Grace

Maven Grace on Spotify

Maven Grace’s Signature Track

Maven Grace on Social Media

Facebook: @MavenGraceMusic – www.facebook.com/MavenGraceMusic/

Instagram: @mavengracemusic – www.instagram.com/mavengracemusic/

Twitter: @MavenGraceMusic – twitter.com/MavenGraceMusic

Isabel Dumaa Interview on Nagamag

August 13th, 2022|Tags: alt-pop, Folk, Indie Pop, Interview, Interview (osf), Isabel Dumaa, Pop, RnB|

Isabel Dumaa
Interview

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Nagamag:
Which are the genres that describe your music style better?

Isabel Dumaa:
The umbrella genre for my music is pop, but I would define it as indie pop or alt-pop with little elements of folk and R&B!

Nagamag:
Few words about your musical background and career?

Isabel Dumaa:
I have been singing since practically before I could talk, and began songwriting at a young age as well. I took singing lessons throughout my childhood, and begged my parents for guitar and piano lessons so I could accompany myself and start playing live. Since day 1 I have always wanted to be a singer and pursue music. After graduating High School I moved down to LA to do music full time, and feel so grateful I get to be working every day at something I love so dearly.

Nagamag:
Do you remember your first connection of love to music that was the right impact to be a music artist now?

Isabel Dumaa:
It is difficult to pinpoint my very first connection to my love of music, but there is one early memory that sticks out. I was about 5 years old when my cousin played me You Belong With Me by Taylor Swift, and I have never fallen in love with a song quicker. It immediately became my favorite song and was pretty much all I listened to for about a year. My parents bought me my first iPod shuffle about a year later and all I had on it was You Belong With Me and 4 other songs from Fearless all of which I listened to on repeat. Taylor Swift has been a huge inspiration for me growing up and throughout my career and that was where my love for her began.

Nagamag:
What would be your dream venue to play?

Isabel Dumaa:
I was raised right in the heart of San Francisco and over the years attended many concerts and shows all over the city. Every show I went to I couldn't help but picture myself on the stage someday getting to sing in my home city. Every year "Outside Lands Festival" is held in Golden Gate Park and pretty much every young person in the bay area is there. It is essentially the coachella of NorCal. Outside Lands is such a vivid part of my growing up and every year I went I couldn't help but dream and picture myself on one of those stages, getting to play for all the people standing where I stood all those times. So a definite dream venue would be to be able to headline at Outside Lands!

Nagamag:
Many artists listen to genres that they are not producing music for. Which track is your favorite that is NOT similar to yours?

Isabel Dumaa:
"Kiss Of Venus" Paul McCartney and Dominic Fike

Nagamag:
Of Course Nagamag would love to listen also which is the track from a similar artist you admire?

Isabel Dumaa:
"The Walls Are Way Too Thin" Holly Humberstone

Discover & Listen to Isabel Dumaa

Isabel Dumaa on Spotify

Isabel Dumaa's Signature Track

Isabel Dumaa on Social Media

@imisabeldumaa

@imisabeldumaa

Isabel Dumaa's Website

isabeldumaa.com