What is your name?
Hey there, I’m Maya Damaris
What is your genre of music?
Alternative Rock – I also like to call it Electro-grunge, as I draw inspiration from a few areas of music
Give us a little bio about you.
I’m the lead singer, songwriter and producer for my band Wax on Water
What made you go into music?
I’m music obsessed – a total music nerd! I always played music (piano, singing, guitar) since I can remember – it was always going to be my path.
Who are your influences?
My main influences are 70s rock – classic artists like Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, Queen, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young – but also Krautrock – bands like Kraftwerk, Neu etc. I’m also heavily influenced by 90s grunge and industrial music (Nine Inch Nails, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden)
Are you signed?
Yes, I’m signed to The Orchard / Sony Music
You released your new focus singles ‘The Tree’ and ‘How Long’, tell us more about them, What is the meaning behind the singles?
‘How Long?’ was written in lockdown and there is a sense of yearning to it, influenced by that terrible time! It’s about finding real love and connection. ‘The Tree’ is about understanding your place in the world and how that relates to the cycle of life and death – it was written after my father died and I was coming to terms with that.
What was the writing and recording process like?
I love writing and arranging and both these tracks flowed pretty easily. I wrote The Tree from a central guitar riff that I was playing around with and the lyrics are like a stream of consciousness – a little different to how I usually write lyrics. For ‘How Long?’ I wrote the initial chord structure on piano and then gave Steve (Blessing, Wax on Water guitarist) the basic guitar chords and he then took it to a really magical place, which fitted the sentiment of the song perfectly.
Describe the tracks in two words (each).
How Long: Eternal Love
The Tree: Rising Above
Who did you work with on the singles?
Steve played guitars and I enlisted a session drummer in LA called Garren Orr. I write and perform all the arrangements and bass myself. The tracks were mixed by Mike Post at Moosecat Studios in LA and mixed by Will Borza at Howie Weinberg Mastering. They were all great to work with – it was a special creative experience.
Tell us about the creative process for ‘The Tree’ video
We shot in lockdown – in that strange time when you couldn’t have more than a couple of people in a room and everyone was socially distanced and I had to do my own make-up and hair – which probably accounts for the fact that it looks a bit of a mess! [laughing]. It made for a weird experience. We shot it on green screen and then filled the background with footage that my directors Richie and Asher Burridge had shot separately. Then we added extra footage to tell the story – a bubble – that represents breath and life – moves through land and sea and then ends up in the universe.
Your album ‘The Drip’ is out now, can you tell us all about it
It’s 16 tracks and subject matters I have covered on this record ranges from talking about the breakdown of love relationships (‘The Sting in the Raw’, ‘Seventh Son’), then it moves to talking about the idea of finding real love (‘You Know When You Know’, ‘How Long?’) – and the title track ‘The Drip’ and ‘Predictable’ which are an exploration of how you talk to yourself and what effect your own vernacular has on how you perceive yourself.
Do you have any live shows or a tour coming up and if so let us know where we can catch you at?
I’m working on that at the moment and should have news on that soon! People can follow us on www.waxonwater.com to sign up for tour alerts though.
What else can we expect in 2022?
I did a cover of Queens of the Stone Age ‘Mexicola’ which I will release after this album. I’m excited about that – it’s definitely different to the original.
Will we see any collaborations?
I’m always open to collaborating with other artists if it makes sense to the Wax on Water DNA, so we’ll see!
Where do you see yourself in 5 Years?
Well I’m just finishing the demos for album 3 – and I write pretty continuously, so I hope in the next 5 years I’ll be a couple more albums into my career and have had the chance to do a worldwide tour and play our songs to people. I always loved travelling but boy oh boy did the pandemic lockdowns crystallise that feeling even more…
What quote or saying do you always stick by?
“Never give up”. My dad always told me that and he was right. Very few things work out perfectly the first time – persistence and tenacity are incredibly important, particularly if you are an artist.
When you are at a gig, what are 5 things you cannot forget?
When I’m at a great gig, I’m in the moment and vibing on the music, the musicians’ playing and the connection – and those are the only things I’m focused on!
Do you have social media accounts so your fans can follow you?
Spotify
YouTube
Instagram
Facebook
Twitter
For tour updates – sign up to www.waxonwater.com
